Author: Lotye Duffet

Many people overlook proper ventilation when setting up their art studio. This is very vital for your personal safety and health. Some don’t realize that when using certain art materials goes up into the air. Overtime they may be concentrated which is not good for the lungs and air passage.

Here is what you can do:

• When painting, paint near a window. Make sure to have a window that can open. Opening up a window and your door will allow fresh air to flow in the room. This will cause the chemicals to disperse.
• Using a fan in your studio also helps in providing proper ventilation. It rotates air in the studio

Always keep in mind that safety is always a priority in your work area.

Fumes is a common problem for artists nowadays. Oil painting, air brushing, spray paint or anything that emits toxins in the air is dangerous to one’s health. Inhaling solvents and its pigments are hazardous to our health. They cause a variety of health issues like cancer, respiratory disease, allergies etc. When inhaled many people suffer from headaches, dizziness and nausea. Ventilation is very important and opening windows is not enough. Artists find giant filters as a great help in eliminating these fumes. However, this equipment is not cheap and many artists hardly can afford it.

Here are some options:

• Wear a respirator. This is effective especially when spray painting.
• When using odorless thinners get yourself some air tight medium holders. This will prevent the fumes from mixing with the air in your studio.
• Open your windows when dealing with fumes.

There’s a whole variety of toxic solvents. Some of this are common in many art studios. A lot of people are still using them as an art material. Many are not aware of the health hazards they can cause. Here are some toxic solvents that should be use with care and precaution.

1. Lacquer Thinner. Lacquer is a mixture of a variety of different solvents like petroleum, aromatics, ketones, esters, alcohols and glycol ethers. These are all toxic in their own way and we have a difficulty of understanding what are all this thing added to make lacquer thinner.

Why should we avoid lacquer thinner?

• It evaporates both quickly and slowly. It can be inhaled inside the body.
• It can cause reproductive harm
• It is highly flammable

2. Turpentine. This is a commonly used solvent that is also toxic. Chronic exposure can harm the skin that can cause allergies, liver, kidneys and nerves. It causes contact dermatitis; this is a reaction very common to artists working with these ingredients.

Odorless minerals like Gamsol are less toxic. This contains few of those aromatic solvents that we find in lacquer thinner and turpentine. However, this can still be absorbed in the skin. So you still need to be careful when working with them.

3. Paint removers. We should also be careful when using this ingredient. This contains methylene chloride that is very volatile. It is easily inhaled and absorbs through the skin. It is known to be a carcinogen and mutagen. When inhaled, it can damage the liver, kidneys and brain.

The art studio is always considered as a safe, calm and creative space to create vibrant arts. But the art studio maybe more of a dangerous place than you think. Art is something for the care. Art is something for the carefree and creative spirit. If you’re an artist, you don’t want to be the person who creates an installation that ends up injuring everyone that goes to see it. Health and safety is important.

If you’re planning an installation or a performance piece, first of all consider the following:

• Think about where you’re going to do it.
• What space will you need?
• Who will be your audience?
• Can your audience move freely around the space? If so, how are you going to keep them there?
• Does the work itself create any hazards or could it have an adverse effect on the audience?
• It’s also worth checking what is and isn’t allowed in the venue well in advance.
• Once you’ve got your location sorted, before you begin doing anything, you’ll probably have to fill out a risk assessment to show the owners of the space you’re using that what you’re doing is safe.
• In order to get the most creativity out of your performance or installation, you need to think logistically about what you can achieve.
• The bottom line is that whatever you do, you need to make sure that it’s safe.