Better Safe Than Sorry

When I took the decision to paint largely on board and canvas, rather than paper, I chose acrylic paint rather than oils because I didn't want to use turpentine, for my own health's sake and my hubby's since he can't tolerate strong smells. At the time we were living in AZ and my studio did not have enough ventilation (due to needing the windows on and the air conditioner on so much of the year) to dissipate the fumes.
Eventually I took the plunge into oils with water-soluable oil paints which wash up with water and don't require the use of turpentine.

While these actions took care of our safety I also wanted to do what I could for the environment which meant tackling what to do with the water I used during painting. I didn't feel comfortable just pouring it down the sink with the flecks of pigment from the paint in it. So what to do?

I am not an inventor, I am not useful with my hands in a handyman sort of way, but I came up with a very simple and inexpensive solution which I have been using for years now and want to share with any artists out there.

I start with an empty 32 oz yogurt container. Now there are several types of such containers and not all of them are suitable because some have a wider mouth. I measured the mouth of the container shown at its widest point and it is four and a half inches wide.

Next you need a shorter container whose mouth is also four and a half inches wide. There is more choice available for this container. The one shown is a 16oz container bit I also use one that is 15oz and a little deeper. The main criteria though is that both containers are the same width across.

Turn over the small container and draw the following lines with a pen.

Then carefully cut out the two shapes. So far I have managed to do this without losing a finger or cutting the wrong part.

Next, get yourself a coffee filter. I don't drink coffee so this was something I had to go and buy especially. I didn't like how much they cost so I went to a dollar shop to see if they could be bought there.

One hundred and fifty filters for $1 sounded like a good bargain to me.

Put the cut small container inside the larger container.

Then put in the coffee filter.

Pour your dirty water into the container and listen to it drip through the filter collecting the paint fragments install container (as on the right.

When the filter is new the water will drip through very quickly. How often you change the filter is up to you. I try to use one as long as possible. I have found that, even though it appears no water is dripping, after leaving the pot overnight I found more of the water had gone through.

I personally found that I could use each filter longer when using acrylic paints than my oils. Since I use less water with oil paint It takes longer to dirty my water than when I use acrylics.

If you let the filtered water settle for several hours and then pour it out carefully you will find the the water looks almost clear while the paint fragments stay in the large container staining the inside walls and bottom.