Unusual phobias in painting, very unusual / Prophylactic self-isolation series. Day 219th.

Overture

As a kind of pedant and Nature’s lover, sometime I track myself with a kind of unusual obsessions. But I am raising this questions because they are already appeared in my mind.

So, I have, lets call it a “planet-polluting phobia“. Sometimes I feel empathically, in regards to Nature’s life, how my actions add a destruction and disturbance to our planet. I try to use as less plastic as possible, have switched to DIY hygienic products from January 2019, I use my own bottles and utensils at pick nicks or other places outside, my packaging materials at a market for food shopping, but always find something else not done! What I am talking about?

Pollution in art (or “art”?)

When I watch YouTube videos showing “simple techniques with acrylics”, using lots of plastic cups and straws just to pour the synthetics (acrylic paints) onto a canvas – my heart shrinks. Is it an art?

paint components like pigments and binders could harm wildlife and ecosystem

Then I turn to myself and find myself the same one, just on the another level.

When I started my first attempts in acrylic painting my main phobia was to be thriftless. I tried to use for one piece ALL, absolutely all paint which I put on a painting board, and I put minimum. That came as a fact that I usually had a different result of the picture in regards of what it supposed to be. For example, I needed blue color for three lines to draw, but some blue paint was still on a painting board. So, I used it all here and there for the background, creating “clouds” or adding that blue to another details of the picture, and the final results was a kind of “I saved” instead of “I painted”.

the final results was a kind of “I saved” instead of “I painted”

Another issue, was that I noticed, even if I try to use absolutely ALL the amount of paint – something still left. Then I hurry next day to put the residues to another sheet of paper or canvas before acrylics dry. Is it not a phobia, I am asking? Some kind of exaggerated, self-grueling way to paint?

Lucky me, these days I do not afraid of arising any question which disturbs the inner harmony, any. The same has happened with my “planet-polluting phobia”. I started to l’earn what I can do about it: how to minimize the water pollution from acrylics. I found three ways: one from internet and two by myself – a combination of three would let me jump to another level of consciousness. Take it for your practice too, anyone is welcome!

Three ways to reduce water pollution from acrylics:

• Removing Water-Based Paint Solids from Rinse Water by goldenpaints.com (external link). In this article, the step-be-step procedure how to remove acrylics from rinse water is described, and the materials needed are listed too. You may need:
  1. paper filters
  2. large funnel (13.5″ / 35 cm diameter for the 5 gallon/20 liter setup and the 9″ / 22 cm for the 1 gallon / 4 liter
  3. polyethylene pail to keep the product
  4. aluminum sulfate and hydrated lime (common soil amendments available from gardening centers)
  5. pH paper
  6. measuring spoons (should be kept separate from kitchen utensils)
  7. safety equipment (goggles and dust masks)
• Using leftovers of the acrylic paints to try new methods and practice. These two painting were done just for the sake of practicing:

• Let the leftovers to dry on a painting board overnight and later remove it with a knife or spatula. Should be disposed of in a licensed landfill afterwards (when dry).

References:

1. KOBA, K., et al. Antibacterial Activities of the Buds Essential Oil of Syzygium Aromaticum (L.) Merr. & Perry from Togo. Journal of Biologically Active Products from Nature, 2011, vol. 1, no. 1. pp. 42-51.
2. How Drinking Grapefruit Juice Could Increase Your Cervical Mucus by Lindsay Meisel, 2017, online source: https://www.avawomen.com/avaworld/grapefruit-juice-cervical-mucus/
3. How to Increase Your Fertility by Janet Stephens, book’s online source: https://books.google.pl/books?hl=en&lr=&id=hXrgDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP11&dq=grapefruit+juice+fertility+cervical+mucus&ots=h-9d6b_M9k&sig=TjAHHTFK7GS9lKCLxW-OKhDQnbA&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=grapefruit%20juice%20fertility%20cervical%20mucus&f=false