Painting Green: a Call to Decorative Artists

I believe that a sustainable business survives by holding to 3 core values: quality, understanding, and valuing personal, cultural and environmental impact. In the field of decorative painting, we as artists are often exposed to toxic products. The EPA has estimated that architectural coatings account for almost 9% of the voc emissions from all consumer and commercial products. VOC is the amount of material coming from the paint as it dries. New technology brings low and no voc (volatile organic compounds) formulas to latex paint. However, synthetic dyes add voc’s back into the paint. We need to become responsible as consumers by using ‘green’ products, and we need to become responsible producers by employing healthful techniques. In this way we can provide beautiful artwork without harmful effects to ourselves, our clientele, or the environment.Wonderful techniques and products can be found in ancient art. Distemper paints made from water, vegetable glue/or eggs, and ground pigments, have been applied in decorative artwork for thousands of years. Lime-based paints have covered large surfaces for centuries, and have recently made a comeback due to their rich texture and durability. Lime-based plasters range from shiny to satinated to matte, fulfilling the duties of form and function—both sustainable and gorgeous! Casein paints are a combination of milk and ground pigments, providing durability and excellent color for furniture and wood floors.The combination of these products revives the ancient techniques of fresco and encaustic painting. Frescoes employ lime based plasters and milk based paints to create a naturally durable and unique medium for an artist to express the individual style of their client. Encaustic painting is characterized by its hushed patina. This pigmented bees-wax can be applied in either a hot or cold technique. The hot technique is used with a heated tray to keep the wax supple, while the cold technique combines a solvent to soften the wax. Most solvents are toxic, however, Earth Paint Inc. makes a fantastic pure citrus solvent that is effective and ‘green’.If you prefer ready-made rather than homemade products, keep these basic standards in mind: healthful paints and plasters should be derived from healthy, natural materials like clay or soy; make sure that the ingredients are listed and the additives are simple—synthesized molecules tend not to break down easily in the environment; use mineral or earth pigments whenever possible—they are colorfast and do not add voc’s to your paint or plaster. The Green Expo will be coming to the Hilton NY in NYC (53rd St and 6th Ave) from April 25th-27th , 2008. The ‘business goes green’ event is planned for Friday. The expo will run from 10-6 on Saturday, and 10-3 on Sunday. Tickets are $10 (seniors and children can attend for free). Organic, fair trade and environmentally sustainable products for personal, home and business use will be featured.

‘Green’ paint and plaster resources:
milkpaint.com
greenerbuilding.org
bioshieldpaint.com
afmsafecoat.com
earthpaint.net

Gustave Courbet

at the Metropolitan Museum of Art through May 18

This exhibition presents some 130 works by the French artist Gustave Courbet (1819–1877), a pioneering figure in the history of modernism. On display are pieces that range from his seminal manifesto-paintings of the 1850s, to views of his native Ornans, to portraits of his friends and family. They are accompanied by a selection of 19th-century photographs that relate to his work, especially his landscapes and nudes. See the exhibition preview for more information, including sponsorship credits.

Family classes on Sundays at the Met!

The Metropolitan Museum invites families to participate in a series of classes that encourage curiosity and enthusiasm about art. Each class, intended for children ages six through twelve and their adult companions, is limited to twenty participants.

Registration is required and is on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information and to register, please call 212-570-3961 or email familyprograms@metmuseum.org .Meets in the Uris Center for Education.
Fee $150 per person, per monthly class.

Cool stuff going on at the Museum of Modern Art this March!

Get some spring in your step at MoMA with brilliant new exhibitions and unconventional projects. MoMA is especially excited about Color Lab, an interactive space for families, and an online project (starts March 17) documenting the real-time assembly at MoMA of five prefabricated homes. Don't forget, the Museum stays open Tuesday, March 18.