I don’t think this question has been discussed here? Can anyone suggest a good studio practice to lessen exposure to dust on drying oil paintings? (Not newly-varnished paintings, but during the painting of multiple layers of oil paint.) I’ve seen cloth draped over paintings in movies, but not sure if that was just for theatrical effect…and how would one keep the cloth from sticking to wet paint anyway…?
Thanks for these tips, Matthew and Brian…much appreciated.
Would some kind of acrylic, polycarbonate or glass help? Would they block too much UV light?
I use a lot of black in my oil paintings and have to be extriemly carful to keep the dust out, which shows up clearly in dark colors. I’ve begun making cardboard and foamcore frames with screenprinting mesh over the faces. I either hang these over the paintings on the wall, or set them horizontally over the paintings on a work table when I’m not actively working on them. (Imagine a shoebox lid with a big hole cut out of top and mesh covering the hole. This is the idea, but I custom make them to the size and depth I need). It works great and I can even point a fan at the paintings to help them dry more quickly. The air circulates freely but the dust stays out.
Good luck,
Aliza
Tilting the canvas forward (if the easel will allow it) helps a lot. Covering with a cloth will help, provided something projects out from the canvas or easel to prevent it from contacting the wet paint, and also providing that the cloth itself is not dusty or prone to releasing lint.
I always leaned the painting forward to rest the top edge against a wall or the edge of the painting rack when in art school and in my private studio. If it is oriented properly the surface can even receive a little bit of indirect light to facilitate proper drying/oxidation.
As long as it did not completely inhibit air flow, it should work.
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