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Author: Phil_Levine, Contributing Editor
 | Another favorite of mine is to bring some Alkyd paints with me and use them for the last paintings. You can bring a large tube of Alkyd White and mix that with your colors. That will speed drying time even more. The only problem is that if you paint thick and juicy and put on the cadmiums right out of the tube, the Alkyd White won't help. In this case it would be a good idea to bring some other Alkyd colors with you - like some of the cadmiums and other slow drying colors. |
| Some last words on buying art supplies overseas. We are definitely blessed by the choices we have in the states. We can go to our local stores or order through the mail from any number of suppliers. Much of what we buy is discounted. Things work a little differently in France. As a rule, the stores offer less of a selection, and you might be disappointed if you expect them to be like Meininger's in Denver or Pearl in New York City or the Artisan in Santa Fe. They rarely discount their merchandise so that it can actually be cheaper to buy French manufactured art supplies here in the states! However, with the strength of the dollar now vs the Euro, all this is rather moot. Your dollar does go so much further now than it did 5-6 years ago. I always take my groups to the local art supply stores in Paris, Provence and Brittany, because in spite of the problems I mentioned it's just plain FUN to go shopping in them. |
 | A few random points: Paint thinner is available in France under the name, White Spirit. You can get it just about anywhere, from grocery stores to supermarkets to the "Home Depot" kinds of places. Well, they have something called "Monsieur Bricolage" which translates to something like Mr. Building Material Guy.It costs around a dollar for a litre, but it isn't odor free. Of course, that's seldom a problem outdoors. Paper towels are the other downer. We've been spoiled with Bounty, Viva, and others like it. In France the quality of their ordinary paper towel is miserable for a painter. You can go the the supermarket or grocery store and find nothing but small and inadequate paper towels. I hate that! I've dicovered, however, that if you go to a Monsieur Bricolage or similar kind of place, you MAY be able to find a paper towel adequate for your painting needs.
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| No matter if you are planning a trip to or out of the USA, I hope that this discussion has helped. I am always open to hearing from other artists. We all have some things we've learned that need to be shared.
I also hope that you have enjoyed looking at some of the paintings that I have done in my travels. If ever you feel the urge to travel across the seas or otherwise, please do feel free to contact me and see what is available. I have a website that is updated frequently and would love to hear from you. Travel Wise, Phil
Phil Levine Workshops, Inc.
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Phil founded the Art Students League of Denver in 1988 and was its first president. He has been organizing painting, photography and cultural discovery tours to France since 1993. |
| E-Mail: nyartist@erols.com Web Site: http://www.paintingfrance.com | |
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