Help! Moldy NEW Watercolors ! - WetCanvas: Online Living for Artists

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August 29, 2015 at 5:21 pm #993326
HarvestMoon
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Hi, I set up my ultimate palette in early Aug. with freshly ordered M. Graham watercolors. I had an old palette from years ago with these, and I was impressed that they were still nice and juicy! I know they have honey, and that in theory should make them more resistant to mold! But I put full tubes in my biggest coolest Robax palette, it spins on a carousel, and today put it in my newly relocated table. I had been saving these for the newly reclaimed space, so I had not been using them with a lot of water or anything! They were just squeezed out of the tube! Anyway I use filtered water. I contacted M. Graham and they suggested throwing out all the watercolor, and cleaning out the palette! Needless to say this would be terribly expensive, and I can’t afford to buy all new fresh paint again! You can see mold clearly on the white, but it is on colors surrounding it and elsewhere. I have been using Robax palettes for years, and they are great, no other brand has molded and this was very fresh paint. It has not been there long. We have AC but live in a virtual non-humid oven! I only had one other paint mold before, a particular green that was W&N and had been in a palette and gotten pretty wet for awhile. Any ideas?

How to get rid of the mold in the paint and keep it out?
Anyone else had this happen?
Is my home toxic?.

Harvest Moon 🐐
August 29, 2015 at 7:11 pm #1237125
Jmurman
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How long have they been in the palette?

Maybe take some paper and put some paint down and see how it reacts. Ive never heard of moldy paint.

Do you live where mold is an issue with other things?

I just re read your post and I dont think Texas is a moldy enviornment. Not like Oregon or other ‘wet’ environs.

Are you sure that it is mold? Look at it through a magnifying glass…also maybe its an aberration with that specific Graham paint (being honey based and all).

Im flummoxed.

Jerry

I post some of my photography on my blog
August 29, 2015 at 7:43 pm #1237081
HarvestMoon
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Jerry it is definitely mold! Greenish blackish and fuzzy! And I wiped it off this morning thinking it was a big dust bunny only to have it back a few hours later! That is the strange thing, it is super dry and hot here! Has been near 100 lately, and August is our hottest month! But it is on several colors.

Harvest Moon 🐐
August 29, 2015 at 7:53 pm #1237126
Jmurman
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Is it mainly M Graham? if so I’d discontinue them til you do more detective work.

M Graham folks say to get rid of it? Maybe they know more than they are letting on.

Jerry

I post some of my photography on my blog
August 29, 2015 at 7:56 pm #1237080
D’Lady
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I found Wetcanvas while looking for a solution for moldy paints, so I feel your pain!

The advice -which worked- was to gently wipe off the upper moldy layer, then add a drop of rubbing alcohol to each well to help retard future growth. Since then, I’ve added a few drops of alcohol to my rinse water, and have never had another problem with mold.

-DragonLady

Which would be the bigger waste:
your art supplies, or your creative soul?
August 29, 2015 at 8:48 pm #1237082
HarvestMoon
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Thanks Dragonlady!

Jerry, the entire pallet is filled only with M. Graham water colors.

here is what M. Graham emailed me

“Mold spores are everywhere. Often they blow into a palette but many have them enter in the water source. I’ve heard of artists spraying their palettes with a dilute mixture of Listerine in water to prevent it from happening. It can happen with any water media. Since our color can be left in open air year around and our sugar source is honey which discourages mold, ours molds less than most brands. If you put any water media in a dark moist environment, that is the best place for mold to thrive. You need to completely clean the palette and change the water source. If it was contamination of the paint, I would be getting a ton of emails and I have not gotten any others about this recently.”

However, this paint was ordered in mid July of this year, and just put in the pallet in early August. I am not sure that many artists empty their tubes of paint immediately into palettes!

Harvest Moon 🐐
August 29, 2015 at 9:00 pm #1237077
painterbear Moderator Oakwood, Ohio
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Linda,
Did you close your palette when you added the paints to it and they were still moist from the tube? That might have allowed the mold spores to grow.

I can understand you don’t want to throw away all those gorgeous paints.

I would try to carefully remove the top layer of paint with a sharp blade of an x-exacto type knife. Then let the paint dry exposed to air, not enclosed with a lid. Hopefully this will work.

I am not sure that many artists empty their tubes of paint immediately into palettes!

I never fill my wells completely with paint…I normally squeeze out a dime or nickle size glob and work with that until it is almost gone before replenishing it. However, my teacher, Nita Leland, told us we should always squeeze a little bit of fresh paint in the well when we are going to start a new painting. That way the fresh paint mingles with the older paint for brighter color.
Sylvia
August 30, 2015 at 2:47 am #1237071
Yorky Administrator Ormskirk
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(((Linda))) i feel your horror. Maybe the alcohol suggestion may help.

Doug

We must leave our mark on this world
August 30, 2015 at 4:05 am #1237119
Minerva C
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Did you wash the palette before putting paint in it? I am thinking that perhaps it is not the paint. Cardboard boxes sometimes smell of mold.

C

"It is only when we are no longer fearful that we begin to create."
J.M.W. Turner
August 30, 2015 at 5:30 am #1237090
indraneel
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Just use them in your sketchbook. Dry mold will not hurt anything. The alcohol tip is accurate, works wonders.
August 30, 2015 at 6:02 am #1237120
Minerva C
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Mold has spores and spread easily.

C

"It is only when we are no longer fearful that we begin to create."
J.M.W. Turner
August 30, 2015 at 6:48 am #1237102
JulesFerrule
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Remove visible mold, take outside, spray entire palette (paints still intact) with alcohol or Lysol, keep outside (weather permitting) for a few hours, out of wind but in sunlight if possible.

When you bring them inside, do not cover your palette until the paints set somewhat. This may be days. I know that MG paints don’t really harden, but they do become somewhat firmer. Try to store them in the coolest, dryest part of your house. If you can rig a breathable dust cover, use that instead of an airtight plastic one. Good luck!

[FONT=Garamond]“Creativity takes courage.” [FONT=Garamond]
― Henri Matisse
August 30, 2015 at 8:29 am #1237083
HarvestMoon
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Sylvia, yes I closed in all that juicy moist paint so it would stay nice and moist! But I have done the same with Daniel Smiths, Holbein, Old Holland, Sennelier without a problem! Problem seems to stem from the white, and slight mold on the surrounding colors.

Minerva I didn’t wash it first.

Thanks Indraneel, used an alcohol spray last night.

Jules, thank you, I wondered about taking it into strong sunlight. Will do that today once I find a place my puppy or goats won’t eat it up! I left it uncovered.

Harvest Moon 🐐
August 30, 2015 at 8:47 am #1237107
swhiting524
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Mold is a way of life here in Florida. I’ve been using M Graham paints for about 5 years. I just use my palette knife to pick out the mold colonies. They seem to pop up on paints colors I haven’t used in a while.

I used to use W&N paints and had more issues, but I wasn’t painting as often either.

But don’t throw out the paints.

Thanks! Spencer

The more I sling, the happier I am!
August 30, 2015 at 9:17 am #1237104
tamiea
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I have one palette Alvin spill proof filled only with Mgraham paints. When I filled with paints I left them open to set for a while (like 2-3 weeks) so far no mold. I have been using it once or twice since and closed without paying attention if it is dry or not. I went to look at it today after reading your post. So far no mold. I think I had only one paint showing sign of mold on one of other palettes. It wasnt Mgraham holbein I think light gray. I removed contamination and I think it did not come back.
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