Traveling with oils?
 

Is it allowed to travel with oil paints by plane if they are in the storage luggage? I heard you have to ship your paints to your destination and this is the new way to travel and paint.

Does anyone have any insight into this?

Daniel

I'd like to know this myself. Under the current post-Sept. 11 protocol and restrictions, I've almost decided to repurchase the basic supplies I need when I get to where I'm going. I have four times (pre-Sept. 11) shipped tubed oil paints internationally without challenge. I always removed ALL medium and solvent materials, and labeled the containers "Art materials - No solvents or flammables."

But, I've a feeling that that's going to get harder to do. And I don't want the hassle of having airport security confiscate the materials, in which case I'd wind up resupplying at both ends of the adventure. The placards pretty clearly say no guns, no knives, no paints. (And if you bring gum, you have to bring enough for everyone.) I've seen the rifles that the National Guardsmen are carrying in the airports these days. I'm leary of having to try to convince them that oil paint isn't paint.

A big risk-taker, I'm not,
Steven

American Artist's April issue covers this topic in the Methods and Materials feature. I was glad to see it, since I'm going to do some traveling this summer, and have been wondering too. The article says you can put paint in your checked baggage; and lists some things you can't have in a "carry on" - such as razor blades or palette knives. They also give the FAA's website that has an updated list. www.faa.gov

About two years ago I flew from Boston to Rome with my wooden (Julian) easel well packed in a large "crush proof" suitcase. I really don't know how the airline did it, but upon arrival, my easel was wrecked and half of my oil tubes were leaking.

I hauled that large crushed oily suitcase around Europe for awhile before I tossed it. When I was ready to come home, I packed what was left of my art supplies and a painting I had done in a box and shipped it.

Customs opened the darn thing and tried to charge me for my painting...thinking that I had bought it in Italy.

Honestly, if someone comes up with a goof-proof method for travelling with art supplies please post it. Meanwhile, my best idea is to carry your brushes and buy the rest of the supplies you need at your destination...and abandon them when you are done.

GRIN!
 

Yep, that's how I gauge my progress. I run all my new paintings through customs to see if they charge me for a painting or a doormat. So far, I'm 8 for 0 with doormats. But, one day they just may charge me for a real painting.

Daniel, I have flown twice domestically, since 9/11, carrying my oil paints in tubes sealed into two ziplock bags. Placed them inside more plastic right into my luggage. No problems.

Here is workshop teacher Phil Levine's article on overseas traveling with oil paint, etc.
http://www.wetcanvas.com/Articles2/6365/175/

Renee

I saw this post a little late in the game; however, The Professional Plein Air Painters is putting together a list of airlines and their policies regarding this matter; you might like to take a look at this the next time you take a trip. It will be located at: http://nhstudios.com/NAPPAP/Airlines.html

Best Regards
Deborah Chapin
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I'm so sorry to hear about the easels and pochades that were broken or crushed! Awful! I traveled twice with paint since 9/11 and was told by the teacher, Joe Paquet and P.A.P.A. teachers, that if I was asked if the paint was flammable to answer that it is of a vegetable oil base only, and not at all flammable. All turps, mediums were to be bought on site. Palette knives went in my luggage. I carried my easel and tripod with me in a backpack and there was no problem.

I schlepped my French easel through many airports this past summer as carry-on baggage, and though it's possible that I happen to strike people as a suspicious looking fellow, I blame that easel for my getting the full security search almost every single time I approached for boarding.

Nonetheless, my easel remained intact. Packing it around also gets a lot of interesting conversations going.

New observations from Gamblin:

The latest edition of Gamblin Artists Colors Occasional Newsletter, "Tips For Traveling With Oil Painting Materials", is now online at:

http://www.gamblincolors.com/newslet...sletter14.html