Home Forums Explore Media Oil Painting The Technical Forum How do you think the masters dealt with dust?

Viewing 7 posts - 1 through 7 (of 7 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • #481769
    Libby_Cowgill
    Default

        I’m working with an indirect method where I am painting multiple thin layers over an underpainting over a longer period of time. And I find I am really struggling with dust. I live in an older home and it just tend to have some dust in it and little pieces of dust are settling into my paining as the layer dries, creating a textured surface.

        Personally, I’ve fixed a little of this by putting an air purifier right next to the painting. Put I still have to pick little bits and pieces off the painting as I go. Anyone dealt with this effectively before? How do you suppose the masters, who unlike me, didn’t reduce drying time with liquin, dealt with these sorts of issues?

        "A portrait is a painting with something wrong with the mouth." -John Singer Sargent

        #923181
        Humburger
        Default

            My guess is that it was incorporated into the paintings.

            Ginny
            www.virginiacmccoy.com
            C & C Welcome

            #923183
            MarcF
            Default

                Depends on the kind of dust, whether angel, fairy, coal, gold, diamond, or sugar.
                Just kidding.
                I live in the desert. Well, Albuquerque. Like I said, the desert. Dry and dusty.

                I have a ceiling fan directly above my painting area.
                I also have an air purifier (as you say you do) but I don’t just have an air purifier, I have a Nu Wave Oxypure – which removes 99whatever percent of the particles in the air. I only have had the purifier for a few months but it really is great at removing any odors (like from paint and solvent) and dirt from the air. It even removes bacteria and viruses. There is a 4 stage filtration system. I keep it on auto mode. I peeled an orange in the room and “Bertha” went nuts. Same thing when I open a bottle of Gamsol. So, that’s my recommendation. The Nu Wave Oxypure. I don’t sell them or get any commission. But I can even tell when it’s working due to the superior air quality it provides. The air just, breaths better. I work with it in my studio and I roll it into my bedroom at night.

                https://www.nuwaveairpurifier.com/?ref_version=BINGOXY-BRAND&gclid=CjwKCAiAi4fwBRBxEiwAEO8_HuJqJJyhln15o5L0afqSDq1tJxe_yNr4ohRf991st9ZAI3uNxyNNDxoCJrsQAvD_BwE

                If you’re happy enough with your air purifier, I still think the ceiling fan, which provides a high pressure area under the downdraft – should help. Of course it also blows existing dust around so removal is really the only solution.

                EXCEPT!!!

                A cover of some sort for your canvas, that doesn’t actually touch the canvas (obviously) but can be positioned close to it. This only works while you’re not actually at the canvas, needless to say. But during drying is when I would imagine the canvas collects the most dust. I paint on horizontal surfaces quite often, but I can easily imagine some cover of stiff cardboard over the canvas. I also paint on a standing easel and that too could be covered easily.
                That’s the least complicated, cheapest, and lowest tech solution I’ve mentioned, so possibly that was how the old masters dealt with dust.

                #923185
                Libby_Cowgill
                Default

                    Thank you, Marc! I think I may indeed need to invest in a nicer air filter. I just bought a cheapo one off Amazon for $50, and I think that might be the problem. It is an improvement over nothing at all, but I’m still picking dust out of my paintings.

                    "A portrait is a painting with something wrong with the mouth." -John Singer Sargent

                    #923184
                    MarcF
                    Default

                        I thought you might be talking about one of those $50 air purifiers.
                        I’ve had them too. No comparison. The Nu Wave costs 10x that. And it’s worth every penny. The moment I turned it on for the first time, I felt it. It’s the real deal. 4 filters. 1 you don’t touch. 2 are washable and last 20 years. 1 lasts a year and comes with 4 of those.
                        You think about the quality of the water you drink- what about your air? It should be as common an item in the home as a refrigerator. I can’t rave about it highly enough. It BLOWS AWAY every other air purifier i looked at, including the highly designed, stylish, expensive, far inferior Dyson purifier.

                        #923182
                        ilya K
                        Default

                            We lived for some time in Canada. Typical north American forced air heating is a real evil. Maybe it’s traditional, but it is a big contributing factor to many problems, I think, including dust on paintings. If you have it in your studio, you can try to shut it off there, and get an electric room heater.

                            Another idea: when I was much slower and spending many weekends on the same work, I used a big plastic bag to cover the whole easel (mine was not very big though).

                            Ilya K
                            C&C always welcome

                            #923180
                            Delofasht
                            Default

                                Simplest solution, tilt the painting such that the painting somewhat faces the floor, dust settles by falling from above, so as long as the painting surface does not face the direction the dust would come from it should not end up with dust in the dried surface. Most adjustable easels can lean forward as well as back, provided you have the panel or canvas held correctly, you can lean it forward without fear of the painting falling to the ground.

                                - Delo Delofasht
                              Viewing 7 posts - 1 through 7 (of 7 total)
                              • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.