[George]

Overall, the concnerns about using lead white paint in a professional practice is overstated. With normal hygiene practices you can keep yourself safe from personal exposure to lead. Normal hygiene should be practiced in every studio regardless of whether you use lead white or not, because we cannot assume that all materials we use in our studios is safe and non-toxic. My view is that we should not assume that any thing is non-toxic and handle all materials with appropriate caution.

[George]

There are no pigments available at this time that offers all of these qualities otherwise we would recommend alternatives. The most essential quality is the self-healing properties of lead white on oil paint.

[George]

Let’s answer these questions at the next Cohorts meeting. I will let yu know when we will schedule it.

[George]

The recommendation has changed, and we will be updating the course soon. Based on recent findings, Golden Artist Colors found that oil paint and oil grounds applied over acrylic polymers (without pigments) have a strong tendency to crack. We are now recommending VAE, PVA, or animal collagen glue as a size for canvas before applying an oil ground. Two coats of these sizes should be sufficient to provide stiffness and oil blocking for the oil ground. This recommendation also applies to polyester textiles.

[George]

The next meeting is on Saturday, March 30, at 11:00 a.m. You should receive an email today with the link and meeting ID.

[George]

You can buy lead white oil ground in Europe because we sell it through our website in Europe. Our products are shipped from Germany. Applying an acrylic dispersion ground over an oil painting should not produce any problems if the oil painting underneath is sufficiently cured.

As a note, we do not call acrylic dispersion grounds “gesso” because that word refers to a glue ground made of animal collagen glue and calcium carbonate (marble, limestone, or chalk) or calcium sulfate hemihydrate (gypsum or “gesso” in Italian).

[George]

Pam, we typically do not recommend painting over paintings with an entirely new composition. The reason for this recommendation is that the drying rate of oil paint is very slow, which could create problems as the new painting dries. However, this recommendation is largely based on observations of paintings with thick paint applications and may not apply equally to paintings that have thin applications of oil paint. If you decide to paint over an older painting, then you may want to apply two coats of lead oil or lead alkyd ground to cover the painting. It is recommended to cover the painting with a white ground so that the older painting is entirely obscured.

[George]

Lithopone is not a substitute for lead white. It is a good white, but cannot provide the same benefits as lead white. Lead white can be used safely, if kept away from children and pets, and your work area is kept clean. It does not require special handling. You should be doing these regardless of the paint you use.

[George]

It may be necessary to remove the varnish, but usually, you can apply varnish to the area where it beaded up and feather out to achieve a smooth and even finish. This takes some practice, but it can be done.

[George]

Here is an article that discusses the formation of haze in modern paintings. It is still unclear what causes this phenomenon, but it can cause beading up.
Article: Haze on Oil Paintings—A Modern Phenomenon
https://www.naturalpigments.com/artist-materials/haze-modern-oil-paintings

naturalpigments.com

Haze on Oil Paintings—A Modern Phenomenon

A whitish surface appearance on oil paintings is a phenomenon of modern oil paintings. While such hazes have traditionally been described by painters as blooming or blanching, nomenclature has not yet caught up with the different causes.

[George]

Beading up of varnish during application is related to numerous issues, not necessarily related to the use of stand oil (what we call heat-bodied oil). It can be caused by additives or fatty acids in oil paints migrating to the surface, the use of waxes, deposits of air pollution, dirt, and dust on the paint film. There are multiple causes and not just one.

[George]

If the canvas is 100% polyester, it may not need it because polyester has low moisture absorption. However, if it is a blend of fibers (usually cotton), it should be saturated.

[George]

Stand oil yellows less than cold-pressed and alkali-refined oils, so in our case, this may not present a problem. In any case, I hesitate to tell you to remove the layer because that may cause more damage than the potential yellowing.

[George]

The thin layer of oiling out or medium that you applied to your painting may not be an issue if it is over dark areas so that any potential yellowing will not be noticeable. If it is over a light-colored area, such as white or blue, it may cause yellowing later. What is the medium you used to oil out?

[George]

I will be uploading the recordings of the Cohorts meetings soon, but you can find some of them available on the Zoom tab of the Cohorts group.