Lesson in Oil

So, after having some real fun in the studio, I learned a lesson yesterday. We purchased a new (and more efficient) wood stove for the studio, along with having it and a new chimney pipe installed by professionals. So, my studio shouldn't burn down. Fingers crossed.

I've been playing with the oils and really getting used to them--so much so that I'm not having to think critically about each and every move I make. An artist I met this summer said she used walnut oil rather than liquin as her medium when she had to let her paintings dry in the same space in which she slept. So, I thought, great--way better than having the stink of liquin around me all day long. So I acquired some Charvin walnut oil from one of my art supply houses--Jerry's Artarama. And, I really like how it mixed with the paints for a real buttery consistency. Only, yesterday, when the guys were installing the wood stove and had to move the dog beds and the rug, they tossed them aside, and right into one of the oils I had leaning against the cabinets. Turns out the walnut oil takes way longer to dry to the touch than the liquin. I ended up spending a good hour plucking dog hairs from the surface of the painting. I think, for the most part, I'll stick with the Liquin.