Travel With Artist Oil Paint

Following my article on travelling with your pochade box, and the end of the year holidays arriving, I thought it would be a good idea to round-up some articles and resources I found on the subject.


Articles online

• How to Pack Your Painting Supplies and Artwork for an Airplane Flight


• Permitted and Prohibited Items for Air Travel (List from the US Transport Security Administration)



• Canvas Road Show by Diane Johnson . A very good article illustrated with photographs on how to pack small and take the equivalent of many canvasses with you. Highly recommended.



• Gamblin, the oil paint manufacturer, has an article on their website answering the question: “I travel frequently. Can I take my oil colours through airline security?”
  
  
  I like the following recommendations:
  "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." "
  
  “Do not carry your palette knives on board.”
  
  “Airline safety precautions are ever-changing in this day and age. When in doubt, check with your airline or carrier for their specific requirements in advance.”
  
• Robert Liberace gives his tips on Traveling with Oils
  
• Series of articles on packing and travelling with your paint on http://www.painterskeys.com/
  


• “Tips for travelling artists”– Article by Susan Harb in the Washington Post

Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) online

One of the essential preparations when you travel with oil paints is to carry with you the relevant Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS). If customs officers start to challenge the fact that your paint can go on the plane, the MSDS is the best way to convince them.

Not all paint manufacturers make the effort to post their MSDS online (difficult to understand why), so I would like to give bonus point to the companies below for doing so:

• Art Spectrum
• Daler-Rowney 
• Da Vinci paint
• Lefranc & Bourgeois
• Utrech
• Williamburg posted a statement that their paint is non hazardous
• Winsor & Newton

artist paint oil painting travel MSDS Material Safety Data Sheet plane painting trip