A Detailed Look at Solvents

The article entitled Extending Paint Potential with Mixing Mediums and Solvents explored different types of mediums and solvents in general and how they are used together in oil painting. Not much attention was paid to solvents and the complex issues surrounding them. In this article each kind of solvent and its chemical makeup will be evaluated in detail in respect to its effective and non-effective uses in oil painting.

Most solvents have common characteristics. They are liquids at room temperature. They are very volatile and produce vapors that can be inhaled or circulated by a ventilation system. Most solvents are flammable liquids, and because of the wide range of potential ingredients in solvents, you should always check the label and/or material safety data sheet for a description of hazards.

But, most importantly to us as oil painters, solvents dissolve oil, grease, and fats effectively. It is this property alone that propels oil painters to use solvents despite the other crude characteristics that we can certainly do without. In fact, solvents created specifically for oil painting are made to zone in on compatibility with oil colours as the good quality of solvents, and reduce the less desirable and hazardous ones.

More specifically, solvents can produce local or systemic (central nervous system) effects in people when vapors are inhaled or when liquids penetrate the skin. They are irritating to the skin, eyes and respiratory tract, and they may cause dizziness, nausea, drowsiness, or light-headedness. Furthermore, in very high concentrations, inhalation of solvents can cause unconsciousness, convulsions and death. Obviously, it is in the artist's best interest to try to eliminate all of these adverse reactions in order to use solvents in oil painting.

Although all solvents are basically harmful, there are certain solvents that do provide more of a service than a health hazard, and for this reason oil painters tend to use only a small variety of these oil soluble chemicals available. The following is a list of solvents commonly used in oil painting, along with their own individual characteristics. Each has its own benefits in regards to compatibility with oil paint, but each has its own drawbacks.

Gum Turpentine
Turpentine, commonly found in hardware stores, is the most abrasive solvent used for artistic use. It has also been the most traditional material for diluting oil paints. Turpentine is available in different forms, so only artist grade distilled gum turpentine is singled out for oil painting. Turpentine is generally not a good solvent to use for cleaning brushes as it tends to be harsh on the bristles. It also tends to leave a gummy residue when used in oil painting because it contains impurities. However, when working with damar resins found in some mediums and varnishes, turpentine is most effective. Another drawback is that turpentine is caustic on the skin, causing irritation, and emits harmful vapors.

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