Turpentine in a warm studio in winter. Yuck. Turpentine, even a small amount, gives me this pinched feeling, a bit of a dizzy feeling. Then a headache. Do I have an allergy to turpentine, or is this just a normal reaction?

I was happy when, several years ago, I was able to sidestep the whole turpentine problem. I learned, through reading translations of old manuscripts, and looking at paintings, that the old masters used a different approach to cleaning and storing their brushes. They used linseed oil, the same oil they painted with. You might even say that the use of turpentine is a modern aberration. It’s not necessary for great oil painting, it makes a lot of things more difficult and inconvenient. (more…)