Traveling with paints

The new airline security rules - which are great - require every checked bag to be x rayed. This means that there is at least a 50-50 chance for one of the TSA (Transportation Safety Administration) workers to ask you about them. It's important for you to know that artists paints are nonflammable, noncombustible and have a “flash point” way beyond what the airlines state as the standard. That's not the problem. The problem is that many of the TSA employees simply don't know what to do about paints when they find them. You could easily run into an over zealous security person just wanting to do a good job protecting us. (Before continuing with this page I did want to stress that in the 15 years of organizing workshops overseas there has been only two occasions where artists had their paints confiscated. One of those occurred when the artist decided to yell and scream at the security people for questioning her about her colors - definitely not a good thing to do!) For this reason there are several things to consider doing:

1) It must be remembered that if asked what these tubes are, we say: “these are artist colors made with vegetable oil and no solvents“- rehearse saying this in front of the mirror. This statement comes from the president of one of America's premier paint companies (excuse me... one of the companies who make artists colors with vegetable oil and no solvents!). Three years ago, on a trip to Oaxaca, Mexico security guards had me open my valise, looked at my paints and asked me what they were. I used the above description and they seemed ok with that. They let me through with them.

All of the color manufacturers have Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) for each color they make, and you might want to deal with carrying them with you and showing them to the TSA people. They are written including all the information about flash points, etc. I never carry them but that's my choice.

2) I recommend putting your paints in your valise with the rest of your possessions - NOT in a separate valise. Putting them in a separate valise just attracts more focused attention. I don't clump them in one spot in the valise either. I spread them around so as not to draw any undue attention. You could spread them around and put them in several small toiletry type sacks - the ones with the zippers. Better not to leave them uncovered in the valise where they could easily draw attention from a TSA agent.

3) You could consider repackaging your colors in unmarked tubes. Dana Oils (also called Classic Oils) used to sell these unmarked tubes but I'm sure you can find them elsewhere. Again, I don't bother doing this either.

4) It goes without saying - but I'll say it anyway - don't bring your colors onto the plane with you. You can bring your easel on board, but not your colors and perhaps not even your brushes as they could be seen as possible weapons.

5) You could ship your supplies to your destination to avoid all this. That's much easier if you're flying in the US, but if you're going to another country you might find it too costly. In France you might pay customs just to pick up what you shipped. I shipped my colors to a friend in Paris in advance of a trip several years ago and had to go to a location in Provence, to the customs office, to claim them. I paid about $100 to get them. Not a great option.

6) Don’t forget that in the worst case you might have to buy some paints overseas- not the end of the world. There are a number of decent art supply stores (and some less decent) throughout Europe and Mexico so that you could have what you need without dealing with taking the colors with you. No matter where I take my groups I know where the art supply stores are. They always come in handy.

Bob Gamblin of Gamblin paints wrote the following in the FAQ of his web site about the subject:

Q. Can I fly now with my oil colors?

A: Artists' oil colors contain no solvents so they are not hazardous. When security asks, "What kind of paints are these?" Never say oil paints; say that "these artists paints are made from vegetable oil and contain no solvent." For air travel, flammable liquids are those that have a flash point 140 degrees F. or below. If you do not know the flash point of your mediums or solvent, do not take any on board. Check to see if you can purchase mediums and solvents at your destination. If not, ship art materials ahead by ground transportation. Using the US Postal Service, artists can ship materials anywhere in the world. Specify "ground transportation".

Gamblin makes a solvent that is flyable called Gamsol . You can buy this before you leave or just pick up a bottle of White Spirit when in France. It's available everywhere and is paint thinner. If you prefer odorless thinner we can get that at a good art supply store.

That's the summary folks. If you do everything right does that guarantee that you won't have your materials taken away? Nah, but it;s so rare and remember that even in the worst case you WILL wind up painting even if you have to purchase supplies when you arrive.

Phil Levine Workshops, Inc.
69 Bank Street # 102. NY, NY 10014
phone: 212-414-8875 fax: 866-501-6873
e-mail: philiplevine@earthlink.net