Traveling with paints

 

The new airline security rules - which are great - require every checked bag to be x 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 overzealous security person just wanting to do a good job protecting us. (Before continuing with this page I did want to stress that in the 31 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 Bob Gamblin, the president of one of America's premier paint companies (excuse me... one of the companies that make artists colors with vegetable oil and no solvents!). Seven 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 colors 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. You can put them into one of those toiletry zippered bags.

 

3) You could consider repackaging your colors in unmarked tubes. 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 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. The only place where you won't be able to find art supplies is in Cuba. Even well-known Cuban artists have to import their supplies from other countries. This brings up an amazing fact: paint thinner is hard to find in Cuba so what do artists use? Gasoline!

 

Bob Gamblin of Gamblin Paints wrote the following in the FAQ of his website 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 might be able get that at a good art supply store, but the smaller the town the less likely we'll be able to find that. White Spirit on the other hand is available even in ordinary grocery stores. Gamblin has solvent free painting mediums! Read about it here.

 

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.

 

Bob Gamblin has a form to print out and put with your luggage. It's information for the TSA agents who are going through your bags. Here it is: