I have been feeling rather sickly and a little dizzy for the past three weeks, i got checked out by my GP who gave me a complete check up as well as blood analysis....No issues were found, coincidentally i had my quarterly check up at ENT the same week so i asked if they could check my inner ear which of course effects the balance...again all clear. I was stumped as to what was making me feel so shitty and then it occured to me that it might be fumes, i am not fortunate enough to have a studio and so i have to paint in the dining room on a table easle, the room is unventilated and stupidly it never occured to me i may be harming myself. I have stopped painting for a while maybe a couple of weeks to see if i start to feel better , i have also invested in a air purifier for when i resume painting. i am not sure that this is causing my health issues but having been given the all clear by my doctor i guess i have to start to elliminate other possibilities, and this would seem an obvious starting point...

tel I hope you will feel better soon ! do you have an opportunity to open a window every 15 min to let fumes out? May be to open it just slightly and keep it opened while painting? Get well!

      I hope you are feeling better soon too Tel. I don’t have great ventilation myself but I found a thing called zest it, it seems more planet friendly and less fumey. I haven’t tried it yet, but hope to soon, and hopefully it is good and helps with the wooziness sometimes get from paint and cleaner fumes.

        Thanks guys, as i say i'm just speculating, guess time will tell, no the room has zero ventilation and unfortunately i have no place else to set up, if this proves to be the cause of my current state i may have to consider acrylics

        This is not useful right now if you live in a wintry clime, but I have two of a model of fan that sits in the open sash of a window. I put one set to blow in one window, and the other to vent in the second window. I just shut the door and close off the registers to conserve air conditioning and let the fans do the work of keeping the air fresh and moving. Also keeps the rest of the house from smelling of linseed oil.

          I actually work out of my garage so I can have the door propped open a bit with the back door for the side breeze. When it's too cold or hot, I just go to my loft and play with pastels or my watercolors 😃

            tel if that unfortunately happens give a try to gouache. This is the closest to oil in some behaviors but also water based. I saw today there are even special varnishes for gouache to preserve the painting.

              Mmm, thanks Sunnylady...interesting thought and something i hadn't considered, amazon out of stock at present so i may return to this if my ailments prove to be a product of exposure to toxic fumes...they look and sound like the perfect option to oils

                Have you considered the water based oils? I've seen good things with them but I have not tried them myself.. all in good time 🙂

                  So i have checked out the water mixable oils and rather than wait an longer for a resolution to my ailments i have gone ahead and ordered some, i think going forward they are the best alternative as they have the same properties as regular oils without all the toxicity issues, NO MORE TURPENTINE!! YAY!!!!

                  11 days later

                  I am so pleased with the water mixable oils, they go on just the same as regular oils and wash up is so easy, also they sell for about the same price, i chose 12 colours from Winsor and newtons Artisan range and a bottle of water mixable linseed oil...wish i had found these earlier!...Thanks Wybnormal.

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