After hearing of yet another artist acquaintance with cancer, I have decided to eliminate aromatic solvents altogether from my brush cleaning routine. I will use a tiny amount of Gamsol for thinning my painting medium, and that's it.
As a non-toxic, non-aromatic replacement, I'm testing out different drying oils. The cheapest is regular sunflower oil from the supermarket. This is food-grade, not art-grade oil. Before risking this approach on an actual painting, I'm first testing whether or not a tiny amount of this oil could inhibit drying if it migrates to any paint mixtures. The reason is that sometimes I like to clean a brush during a painting session, as opposed to after I'm finished painting. Of course, after cleaning a brush in such an oil, I will wipe it as dry as possible on a Scott Shop Cloth, (lint free and very durable), but there will always be a tiny amount of oil deep in the brush that only soap and water will remove. If I continue painting before using soap and water, a tiny amount of this oil will gradually work its way into my painting.
Ralph Mayer lists sunflower oil as a drying oil and I have a tube of alkyd/sunflower oil Titanium white. Other than that, it seems that I'm left to my own tests.
Does anybody have any additional information on any long-term consequences of sunflower oil in paint mixtures? Other suggestions?
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