Friday, May 15, 2009

10 (easy) Ways to be a Greener Artist

By Kate Dardine


10. Reuse old canvasses and panels – gesso them and use them for studies or completely new paintings.

9. Donate unused art supplies to a local school or art association.

8. Use a “green” canvas manufacturer - like Signature Canvas. Signature Canvas is a manufacturer of premium quality artist canvas that sells directly to professional artists across the United States. They are the only canvas manufacturer whose product is developed and produced in the United States of America. http://www.SignatureCanvas.com.

7. If you are an acrylic painter, consider using Golden Acrylic Paints. Golden acrylic paints are made with the highest quality pigments and resin. Golden has been on the forefront of environmental stewardship programs for their Columbus, NY facility. Golden also promotes safe use of their products through extensive safety information provided on their website, http://www.GoldenPaints.com.

6. If you are an oil painter, use Gamblin paints and mediums - Gamblin paints are manufactured in a safe, sustainable manner. With a wind-powered, energy efficient facility, they focus on reducing their carbon footprint, while making some of the world's finest artists' materials. Gamblin makes safety a priority, for the artist and the environment, at the same time maintaining the quality of the old Masters with color range of the modern artist's palette. http://www.GamblinColors.com.

5. Think bulk when you purchase art supplies or place an order for prints. The more you order at once, the less you’ll pay in shipping. Buy the largest tubes, tubs, boxes, etc. that you can use to reduce the amount of packaging needed.

4. Wipe the paint off your brushes before washing them - less waste down the drain.

3. Use rags to clean brushes instead of paper towels. After drying, they can be washed and reused.

2. Use Murphy’s Oil soap for all cleanup – no toxic chemicals, so it’s safe for the environment, your brushes and you!

1. Use Fine Print Imaging, http://www.fineprintimaging.com for all your printing and art copy needs. Through our 35 years of working with wildlife and nature photographers as well as artists, Fine Print has long held a special reverence for and commitment to the environment. As part of that commitment, we switched to 100 % green power for our energy needs as of May, 2007. In making this commitment, we have also become an EPA Green Power Partner and joined a growing list of companies across the country dedicated to reducing air pollution and carbon dioxide emissions through the use of renewable energy resources rather than fossil fuels. For more on Fine Print’s conservation efforts, visit our conservation website, http://www.artforconservation.org.

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