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The surprising reason commercial planes are painted white

Up until the middle of the last century, airplanes would fly through the sky unpainted as shiny silver tubes. But now, we are so used to seeing plane bodies being painted white, with the exception of the airline’s logo and a splash of colour on the plane’s tail. But this drastic look isn’t just about style and uniformity, as there is a simple reason why plane bodies are left plain. First of all, white paint jobs will show wear and tear a lot quicker on huge commercial planes and while this might not be ideal for a car or house, it's perfect for planes. From takeoff to landing, a plane goes through a lot. While the aircrafts are always deemed safe for flying, it'll likely suffer minor cosmetic damages as it hurtles through the sky at 900 kilometres per hour. Due to the frequent minor chips and scratches a plane has inflicted, using the white paint helps engineers and maintenance teams to spot any of these issues with ease. Another reason that white is uniform in the skies is because white paint is going to fade at a much slower rate than a darker shade. As planes fly above the clouds, they're exposed to a lot of UV rays which speeds up the process of the paint fading. Lastly, it's been found that birds can spot planes against the sky easier when they're painted all-white, as sometimes in rare occasions, birds can pose a safety risk. It wasn’t until 50 years ago that airlines started painting their planes, with Air France being credited for starting the movement in the 1970s. "Since Air France introduced the first 'Euro-white' livery in 1976, the all-white fuselage look has become increasingly standard for the world's airlines," aviation historian Shea Oakley told Travel + Leisure. Image credits: Shutterstock

Travel Tips

Painting by four-legged Van Gogh sells for five figures

A very good boy named Van Gogh has raised a hefty sum of money for a good cause. The one-eared four-legged artist has used his extraordinary talents to create his own rendition of his namesake’s masterpiece Starry Night. At an online benefit auction for the <a href="https://www.happilyfureverafter.org/">Happily Furever After Rescue</a> in Connecticut, USA, pet food company Pedigree paid $10,000 for the artwork. The rescue home was the one that found Van Gogh his new forever home, after sharing his artistic talents online. All the proceeds of Van Gogh the dog’s auction will benefit the rescue efforts of Happily Furever After, which specialises in rehoming dogs like pit bulls, who can sometimes have a hard time finding homes. The paintings in the current auction, titled “Van Gogh Reimagined,” are all based on compositions by the original Van Gogh. However, unlike a painting by the Dutch master, the dog’s art starts the bidding at just $25 a piece. “Having Van Gogh create some of history’s most famous paintings felt like big shoes to fill,” founder Jaclyn Gartner told <a href="https://news.artnet.com/market/van-gogh-rescue-dog-charity-auction-2264707">Artnet News</a>. “There was a lot more attention to detail this time around to make sure to incorporate all the colours and try to recreate the pieces as closely as possible.” Since finding his new home, Van Gogh has created more than 150 new works of art. To make each masterpiece, a person applies blobs of colours of paint to a canvas placed inside a plastic bag. The talented dog then completes the artwork by licking off a coating of peanut butter or other dog-friendly treats from the outside of the bag, making the artwork inside. “The most exciting part about Van Gogh painting is never really knowing what it’s going to come out to look like as it depends on how his tongue slides across the peanut butter coated bag,” Gartner said. “Since we did the art gallery in October, Van Gogh has explored more tasty toppings,” she added. “We have begun incorporating other things like ground up liverwurst, pumpkin puree, and goat whip. Painting has become an even more delicious hobby for Van Gogh!“ Image credits: Happily Furever After Rescue

Art

Queen Elizabeth II mural painted over

A mural of Queen Elizabeth II has been painted over with the Aboriginal Flag a few days after the monarch was laid to rest. Queen Elizabeth died on September 8 at Balmoral Castle in Scotland and was buried on September 19 at King George VI Memorial Chapel in St George's Chapel. The day of her death saw local Sydney artist Stuart Sale paint the mural in the inner-west suburb of Marrickville. Bobby, another local member of the community, told OverSixty that Mr Sale had painted the mural at night, and had then come back the next morning to touch it up. “There was quite a crowd around him as he finalised the mural,” he said. <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CiZohGyPHkA/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CiZohGyPHkA/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Stuart Sale (@stuartsale)</a> </div> </blockquote> The mural was left untouched for almost two weeks until Australia’s National Day of Mourning when it was painted over with the Aboriginal Flag. “It’s a very sensitive issue,” Bobby told OverSixty. Mr Sale shared an update to his Instagram of the altered mural with the caption, “Art can be so powerful”, along with three hearts in the Aboriginal Flag colours. He explained that the mural belonged to the people and that he did not have any plans on fixing it. “It belongs to the people in a way and that’s why I’m torn. I’ve painted this and given it to the street. I might let it stay for now.” Images: Sahar Mourad

Art

AI system sees beyond the frame of famous artworks

A new AI tool can provide a glimpse of what could potentially be going on beyond the frame of famous paintings, giving them a brand new life. OpenAI, a San Francisco-based company, has created a new tool called 'Outpainting' for its text-to-image AI system, DALL-E. Outpainting allows the system to imagine what's outside the frame of famous works such as Girl with The Pearl Earring, Mona Lisa and Dogs Playing Poker. DALL-E relies on artificial neural networks (ANNs), which simulate the way the brain works in order to learn and create an image from text. Now with Outpainting, users must describe the extended visuals in text form for DALL-E to “paint” the newly imagined artwork. Outpainting, which is primarily aimed for professionals who work with images, will let users 'extend their creativity' and 'tell a bigger story', according to OpenAI. US artist August Kamp used Outpainting to reimagine the famous 1665 painting Girl with a Pearl Earring by Johannes Vermeer, extending the background in the original style. The results show the iconic subject in a domestic setting, surrounded by crockery, houseplants, fruit, boxes and more. Other Outpainting attempts took a more creative turn, with one showing the Mona Lisa surrounded by a dystopian wasteland, and a version of A Friend In Need showing an additional table of gambling canines. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> “Outpainting: an apocalyptic Mona Lisa” by tonidl1989<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/dalle?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#dalle</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/dalle2?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#dalle2</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/aiart?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#aiart</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/aiartwork?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#aiartwork</a> <a href="https://t.co/puYVxjyFMm">pic.twitter.com/puYVxjyFMm</a> — Best Dalle2 AI Art 🎨 (@Dalle2AI) <a href="https://twitter.com/Dalle2AI/status/1565168579376566278?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 1, 2022</a></blockquote> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Used DALL-E 2’s new “outpainting” feature to expand the world’s greatest work of art… <a href="https://t.co/0HXQzngt9P">pic.twitter.com/0HXQzngt9P</a> — M.G. Siegler (@mgsiegler) <a href="https://twitter.com/mgsiegler/status/1565398150482784256?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 1, 2022</a></blockquote> DALL-E is available to more than one million people to create AI-generated images, all with a series of text prompts. DALL-E is just one of many AI systems infiltrating the art world, joining the likes of Midjourney and Imagen redefining how we create and appreciate art. Image credits: DALL-E - August Kamp

Art

Russian guard sentenced after doodling eyes on exhibit painting

A Russian security guard has been found guilty of vandalism after doodling eyes on an abstract painting by avant-garde artist Anna Leporskaya last December. According to the <a href="https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2022/08/29/russian-museum-guard-yeltsin-centre-doodles-sentenced">Art Newspaper</a>, he must serve 180 hours of “compulsory labour” and undergo “psychiatric evaluation”. The painting, titled Three Figures (1932–34), was on loan to the Yeltsin Centre from Moscow’s State Tretyakov Gallery and valued at 75 million rubles (US$1.2 million). News of the vandalism broke when visitors alerted gallery staff of two crude eyes drawn on the painting’s faceless figures in a ballpoint pen. A police investigation revealed the culprit was 64-year-old Aleksandr Vasiliev, a security guard employed by a private company who was on his first day on the job. After the damage was deemed “insignificant”, it was restored and has since been returned to the Tretyakov Gallery. Vasiliev’s lawyer, Aleskei Bushmakov, shared a letter on his Facebook page that he sent to Zelfira Tregulova, the general director of the Tretyakov Gallery. He wrote that “taking into account the circumstances of the criminal case, the damage inflicted to the painting Three Figures” and “the high level of public attention in connection with the incident,” the museum considered closing the case “via reconciliation” but ultimately decided that it “does not regard it as possible to take such an appeal to the magistrate.” In an interview with Russian news site E1, Vasiliev said he believed the 20th-century work by Leporskaya was a “children’s drawing” and claimed he was goaded by teenagers to deface it. “I’m a fool, what have I done,” he said. Image credits: State Tretyakov Gallery / The Art Newspaper Russia

Art

Male artists dominate galleries. Our research explored if it’s because ‘women don’t paint very well’ – or just discrimination

In the art world, there is a gaping gender imbalance when it comes to male and female artists. In the National Gallery of Australia, <a href="https://nga.gov.au/knowmyname/about/">only 25%</a> of the Australian art collection is work by women. This is far better than the international standard where <a href="https://nmwa.org/support/advocacy/get-facts/">roughly 90%</a> of all artworks exhibited in major collections are by men. The <a href="https://www.artsy.net/artwork/georgia-okeeffe-jimson-weed-slash-white-flower-no-1">most expensive</a> painting by a female artist – Georgia O’Keeffe’s Jimson Weed/White Flower No. 1 – does not even rank among the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most_expensive_paintings#List_of_highest_prices_paid">100 most expensive paintings</a> ever sold. Why is women’s art valued so much less than art by men? Some economists <a href="https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2005/02/why_do_women_su.html">have suggested</a> the greater burden of child rearing and other domestic duties means women have had fewer opportunities to succeed in the art world. Others have blamed the “<a href="https://www.smh.com.au/culture/art-and-design/report-names-laggers-as-women-artists-win-parity-20191029-p534vy.html">quality</a>” of women’s art. In 2013, German painter <a href="https://observer.com/2013/01/georg-baselitz-says-women-dont-paint-very-well/">Georg Baselitz said</a> “Women don’t paint very well. It’s a fact. The market doesn’t lie.” We wanted to know: is work by women generally valued differently to work by men because it is of a lower artistic quality, or is it just discrimination? <h2>Which painting do you like better?</h2> In <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167268122002669?dgcid=author">our new research</a> we showed average Americans pairs of paintings, painted between 1625 and 1979, side by side. Each of the pairs are similar in style, motif and period, but one work was by a male artist and the other by a female artist. Participants were in two groups. One group saw the artists’ names and the other didn’t. We wanted to see whether more people among those who saw artist names preferred the male painting. If seeing the names – and thereby inferring artist gender – causes more people to prefer male paintings, then there is gender discrimination. Before we tell you the results, think about what you would have expected. And <a href="https://rmit.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_e4JBs0wxKeftYF0">take a look</a> at our actual painting pairs and see if you can guess which is the male one (hint: you can’t). We were pleasantly surprised to find our participants did not give a hoot about artist gender. In both groups, 54% preferred the painting from a woman. We repeated this experiment, this time rewarding participants if they could accurately guess the preferences of others – the people in the first experiment. Again, 54% of the people in each group picked the female paintings. <h2>Which painting do you think is worth more?</h2> Next we wanted to find out if people picked male paintings for reasons other than personal taste. Art isn’t just bought and sold on aesthetic value: it is a speculative market, where art is treated as an investment. We conducted two more experiments. In one, participants were rewarded if they picked the more expensive painting. In the other, they were rewarded to pick the one painted by the more famous artist. Gender discrimination emerged in both these experiments. When asked to predict the value of and creator fame of paintings, people suddenly swung towards picking male artists. Preference for female paintings fell by 10% and 9% in these two new experiments. Gender discrimination in art comes not from personal aesthetic preference – Baselitz’ argument that women “don’t paint very well” – but people thinking paintings are more valuable and famous when painted by male artists. <h2>A question of fame</h2> In our fifth experiment, we again rewarded participants who could correctly guess which painting would be preferred by others. This time everyone saw the names of the artists. But only one group was told which of the two artists was objectively more famous – the male artist in 90% of cases. The group with that information was 14% more likely to pick male paintings. People used fame information to predict the painting others liked better. If women artists were discriminated against just because of their gender we would have seen a higher premium put on the male artists even in questions of aesthetics. Here, discrimination only occured when our participants were asked to assign a monetary value to the art works, or when they were given information about the level of fame of the painter. This means our art appreciators discriminated not on gender, but on something closely associated with gender: fame. And because male artists have, historically, been given <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1574067606010234">more opportunities</a> to become artists – and therefore become famous – artwork by men is perceived as having a higher value. Policy is slowly starting to recognise and target institutional factors that perpetuate male dominance because of historical notions of fame, like the National Gallery of Australia’s <a href="https://knowmyname.nga.gov.au/">Know my Name</a> initiative. Discrimination in the arts exists, but it often comes from people’s beliefs about what others care to discriminate about. The task ahead is to change perceptions of people and institutions who do not discriminate – but merely conform to others’ discrimination. Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/male-artists-dominate-galleries-our-research-explored-if-its-because-women-dont-paint-very-well-or-just-discrimination-189221" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.

Art

101-year-old reunited with painting looted by Nazis

A Nazi-looted painting has been returned to its owner after being lost for 75 years. 101-year-old Dutch woman Charlotte Bischoff van Heemskerck was reunited with the 1638 portrait of the Dutch merchant Steven Wolters, which was stolen by the Nazis during the occupation of The Netherlands in World War II. The painting had once hung in Charlotte’s childhood bedroom and was a much-loved possession of her father, who went into hiding after refusing to accept Nazi orders. Charlotte’s father had stored the painting in the Amsterdam Bank to protect it, where it was later stolen, along with countless other works, by Nazi invaders. The portrait was then lost for decades before being acquired by a private collector in Germany in 1971, where negotiations with the collector led to the painting being returned to Bischoff van Heemskerck in 2021. Recalling the moment that she saw it again, she told the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/jun/12/i-am-amazed-101-year-old-dutch-woman-reunited-with-painting-looted-by-nazis?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other&fbclid=IwAR1Xn3-h5Nt_HwsEJ3yE8S-HXjc1A0iw5paSLZEQ2JUEp3h1P7pMSWi3JC4">Guardian</a>, “I was amazed.” Charlotte’s father died in 1969, but she said he would have been “so happy that it came back”. After treasuring the painting in her possession for six months, the family have decided to sell the portrait at Sotheby’s auction house in London, where it is expected to sell for between $50,000 and $90,000. She said: “I had five brothers and sisters. There are 20 offspring and they are very sweet, so I never had the feeling that it was mine. It’s from the family.” Image credits: Getty Images

Art

Witness accused of painting Chris Dawson in “most monstrous” way possible

A witness has claimed that Chris Dawson allegedly pushed his wife Lynette against a trampoline and screamed at her before she disappeared. Lynette Dawson disappeared from the family home in Bayview in Sydney’s northern beaches, leaving behind her two children in January 1982. The 33-year-old has not been heard from since then and her remains have not yet been found. Dawson, a former professional rugby league player and teacher is accused of killing his wife Lynette. He appeared in the NSW Supreme Court on Monday where he claimed he was in fact the victim of improper police investigations following the disappearance of his wife. In the judge-alone trial, witness and former neighbour Julie Andrew alleged that Dawson was “shaking” his wife moments leading up to her death. "He was screaming at her and she was crying. He was towering over her … he was roaring at her,” she said in court, <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-16/witness-tells-court-she-saw-chris-dawson-screaming-at-lynette/101069734" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ABC</a> reported. A few hours after the alleged incident, Julie went to check in on Lynette who informed her that Dawson was going to make room for the babysitter to move in because he was infatuated with her. Julie told the court that she tried to explain to Lynette that it was her house and she should not allow that to happen. She also recalled the moment Lynette revealed that she came home from work one day to find Dawson and the babysitter in bed together. "She said, 'I'm sure she just wasn't feeling well and he was looking after her'," Julie said. She noted that that was the last time she saw Lynette and would try calling the home phone to which no one responded. Julie only spotted Dawson, the babysitter, and the two children in the house - claiming she was too scared to go to the house and check on the situation. Defence barrister Pauline David accused Julie of painting Dawson in the "most monstrous" way possible. Julie denied the accusation saying she was there to tell the truth and said she didn’t go to the house after noticing bruises on Lynette’s arm, ABC reported. Dawson continues to claim his innocence after being arrested for the murder of Lynette. The trial continues. Image: Nine News

Legal

Banksy the dog recreates paintings of his namesake

A rescue dog named after the elusive street artist Banksy has recreated his famous works to raise $1,000 for charity. Seven works were created by Banksy the dog, who uses his nose and paws to recreate the iconic pieces. The money raised is going to the Bristol Animal Rescue Centre, which Banksy has called home since August 2021. Spokeswoman Gina Jones said, "We're absolutely thrilled. The money will make a big difference to the lives of vulnerable animals in our care."As well as helping to raise money for the rescue centre, Banksy’s art has been part of an appeal to find his forever home.The seven artworks were auctioned off on the centre’s Facebook page, with the dog’s recreation of Good Panda drawing in the biggest bid of $230.<img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/02/banksy-dog-1.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" />Image credit: Bristol Animal Rescue CentreMs Jones said that even though Banksy the dog’s works have been auctioned off, he just keeps painting. "He just keeps going and going, he loves spreading the paint around," she said."I think he secretly really enjoys the attention," she said. "When we had some cameras in, he's like 'yes, you may film me'. He's really come out of his shell."Staff at the rescue centre said that with all the attention his art is getting, they hope he will be able to find a new home after being at the centre for an “unusually long amount of time”."We've had a few expressions of interests and we are still going through the adoption process with everybody," Ms Jones said. "Obviously we do check for everyone who applies that it is a suitable home for him... and we are really hopefully we will find somebody great and get him that forever home."Image credits: Bristol Animal Rescue Centre

Art

Studying wasp nests to put an age on art

<div> <div class="copy"> Scientists believe well-known pre-historic rock paintings in Western Australia are younger than previously thought after dating the remnants of mud wasp nests found over and beneath them. The study, which is described in a <a rel="noopener" href="https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/6/6/eaay3922" target="_blank">paper</a> in the journal Science Advances, is one of few in recent decades, they say, to successfully use the novel and challenging <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.science.org.au/curious/earth-environment/how-mud-wasp-nests-help-delve-our-countrys-past" target="_blank">approach</a>. The <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.kimberleyfoundation.org.au/kimberley-rock-art/rock-art-sequence/gwionbradshaw-period/" target="_blank">Gwion</a> paintings of the Kimberley region have been notoriously hard to date, but evidence has suggested they were painted as far back as 17,000 years ago and over the span of several thousand years, pointing to a remarkably long-lived artistic tradition. Now a team led by Damien Finch from the University of Melbourne, with input from the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, has presented its findings suggesting they were more likely painted during a narrow timeframe, about 12,400 years ago. To do this, they used radiocarbon dating, which can determine how long ago living material died. Working with the traditional owners of the Aboriginal sites, they analysed the nests of wasps that build mud nests on rock walls, sometimes incorporating charcoal from regular local brushfires. By dating the charcoal in the nests, they estimated when the nests were built. By dating nests that had been painted over, they determined the maximum age of the artwork. By dating nests on top of paintings, they found minimum ages. The possible age ranges of 19 of the 21 paintings studied overlap during a brief period between 12,000 and 13,000 years ago. Two samples fall outside of that range. One, which was found under a painting but dated at only 6,900 years old, is thought to be unreliable and possibly contaminated. However, the second was found over a painting and more reliably estimated to be 16,600 years old, complicating the findings. Finch and colleagues suggest more nest samples need to be identified and dated to get a clearer picture. Nevertheless, the results “confirm that rock art was being produced in the Kimberley during the terminal Pleistocene”, they write in their paper. “Notably, as the Gwion paintings are not the oldest in the relative stylistic sequence for this area, earlier styles must have an even greater antiquity.” Originally referred to as Bradshaw paintings, the Gwions are feature finely painted human figures in elaborate ceremonial dress, including long headdresses, and accompanied by material culture including boomerangs and spears. Image credits: Getty Images</div> <div id="contributors"> This article was originally published on <a rel="noopener" href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/history/studying-wasp-nests-to-put-an-age-on-art/" target="_blank">cosmosmagazine.com</a> and was written by Nick Carne. </div> </div>

Art

Self-taught 14-year-old artist offered thousands for paintings

During lockdown, it was not uncommon for most people to try a new hobby they had been putting off. But for 14-year-old Makenzy, it was a starting point for incredible success. During a period of self-isolation in Wales, Makenzy Beard found some old acrylic paints and an easel that once belonged to her mother, and decided to try her hand at painting. Her first piece, an incredible portrait of her farming neighbour John Tucker, went viral on social media. She told the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-57670603">BBC</a> that the portrait took about 20 hours to complete over a three-week period. <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/COGXvlHH1Ax/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/COGXvlHH1Ax/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Makenzy Beard (@makenzy_beard)</a> </div> </blockquote> "I was very busy at the time I decided to do this one, so I was taking five minutes before school, an hour after school before sport. It was all broken down, I never spent one long extended period of time on it", she said. Makezny said her subject John “is a wonderful person and has a really lovely, kind and friendly demeanour," and thought he would be the perfect person to paint. The post racked up thousands of likes online, as she was encouraged by art fans around the world to keep up her extraordinary talent. <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CSpfvXipcmU/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CSpfvXipcmU/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Makenzy Beard (@makenzy_beard)</a> </div> </blockquote> After adding more works to her collection, Makenzy has had her works displayed in a gallery in Cardiff. Some pieces have captured the attention of international art dealers, with one of her paintings selling for $18,000AUD. One of the pieces in her showcase is a portrait of her grandfather Bernard Davis, but Makenzy said she will be keeping the artwork due to its sentimental value. <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CUid6kGo0n6/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CUid6kGo0n6/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Makenzy Beard (@makenzy_beard)</a> </div> </blockquote> Despite having international offers on her artwork, Makenzy is still keeping her options open in regards to her future. While she is passionate about art, the 14-year-old is happy just keeping her talents as a hobby as she focuses on school. Director of Blackwater Gallery, Kimberley Lewis, said, "I think anyone can be a good portrait artist, but I think it takes a lot to show real personality and the soul of a person through their pieces and I think for someone so young, Makenzy does this brilliantly." Image credits: Instagram @makenzy_beard

Art

Artificial intelligence recreates destroyed paintings

A new interactive hub founded by <a href="https://artsandculture.google.com/entity/gustav-klimt/m03869?hl=en">Google Arts & Culture</a> is showcasing an exclusive Gustav Klimt exhibition that offers insight into Klimt’s biography, artistic inspiration and legacy. As part of the initiative, Google has digitally recreated three iconic Klimt works that were previously lost to a fire in 1899. By utilising artificial intelligence, technology has colourised the black and white photographs of the artworks. The three paintings, titled Medicine, Philosophy, and Jurisprudence, collectively form the “Faculty Paintings,” which were commissioned by the University of Vienna. Officials at the university originally deemed the works “pornographic” and “perverse” upon their unveiling, before ultimately being sold to a private buyer. The paintings were lost in a fire during the final days of World War II in 1945, and only survived in a series of photographs. AI researchers and Klimt scholars were supported by those at Google to bring colour to these enigmatic paintings and give them a second opportunity in the spotlight. After much back and forth to make the recreation as accurate as possible, the AI-coloured images provide what might be the closest we will ever get to seeing a complete image of those lost paintings. In a statement from Franz Smola, curator at the Belvedere museum, he said “The result for me was surprising because we were able to colour it even in the places where we had no knowledge, with machine learning we have good assumptions that Klimt used certain colours.” The use of this revolutionary technology shows hope for the future of famous painting recreations that would have otherwise been lost forever. Image credit: Google Arts & Culture

Art

Banksy pandemic painting sells for record amount

Banksy has achieved something not many others can claim by raking in an incredible £16.8 million ($30.18 million) for Britain’s frontline workers during an auction. After selling an artwork, Christie’s auction house has said the sale would be used to fund health organisations and charities across the UK. The work titled "Game Changer", features a young boy sitting on the floor playing with a nurse superhero toy while Batman and Spider-Man figurines lay in a rubbish bin next to him. The picture appeared on a wall at Southampton General Hospital in southern England in May of 2020. <img style="width: 0px; height: 0px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7840433/banksy.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/cb3d9e75e6144335be3ff1f5530cf8d1" /> The hospital said Banksy had left a note for workers that read: "Thanks for all you're doing. I hope this brightens the place up a bit, even if it's only black and white." The sale price was a world auction record for Banksy and Christie’s, the auction house said it will donate a "significant portion" of the buyer's premium to health organisations. "Banksy is an extraordinary artist who is a constant barometer of nationwide sentiment," said Katharine Arnold, who runs the European post-war and contemporary art era at the auction house. "With the perfect image of a little boy playing with his superhero doll, a nurse sporting the international Red Cross, he perfectly captured the essence of this moment in time."

Art

Million-dollar painting deemed almost worthless

One guest on BBC's Antiques Roadshow was left deflated on the show after they learnt a portrait thought to be an original Lely painting was almost worth nothing. The visitor appeared on the show with one of the experts, to find out the true value of the artefact that had been passed down through his family. He revealed the artwork was purchased in an auction in the 1850s, before it was placed in the home of the current owner - having been passed down through the family. The piece was believed to have been painted by the popular artist Sir Peter Lely, who was around in the 1600s. However the expert had to break the news that the piece was not an original and most likely a copy painted in the 19th century - two centuries after Lely's paintings. <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7837079/painting-2.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/34b3a7c3aa9d45c993f2bf049755e4c2" /> It featured all the parts of a painting by this artist, even documented as one of his works in an auction catalogue from the time it was purchased. The show expert says it was obviously not original - but if it had been; it would be worth around a million dollars. However, due to the artwork likely being a dupe, he said the it’s value dropped down dramatically to almost nothing. He explained: "The question is, is it by Lely? The catalogue of 1845 you've just shown me says Lely doesn't it, quite clearly. But in those days they had somewhat a looser interpretation of the trade description act, if it indeed ever existed. "The thing about Lely, the great portrait painter that he was, is that when he died he left hundreds of unfinished portraits and versions of portraits already done. "His students and studio assistants finished them really quickly, and sold them all so that his entire estate including his collection of old masters made something like £30,00 in the 17th century, which was a massive amount of money. He was so popular. "It effectively flooded the market with versions of his pictures done by lesser hands, the question is, is it one of those?" The expert went on to reveal what the portrait could really be worth. "The secret here is not to look too closely I’m afraid, you can tell I’m softening you up for a bit of a blow,” he said. "Sorry but I think, I’m afraid, this is a shadow of a dream. It's not even by a studio assistant. I think it's a much later copy. "Something about the reduced scale, of course it should be massive, makes it look more domestic. Something about the frankly Victorian idea of a 17th century frame, it's been copied. "And the colours are slightly gaudier than you’d expect, a little bit of clunkiness in the drawing of the hand, and then put on top of that this brown finish which is quite deliberately antiquing it, I think what we're looking at is a 19th century copy." The expert went on to say despite the guest’s disappointments that if it was an “original Lely, it would be pretty well around a million pounds.” "But as it is, it's probably worth around I don't know, £600. I'm sorry to let you down."

Art

BREAKING: Aussie invents game-changing coronavirus-killing paint

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text "> An Australian scientist is thrilled with his latest invention, which is a new surface coating that "inactivates" coronavirus on impact. The copper-based substance essentially drains the virus of its power and can be applied on doorknobs, light switches, shopping carts, dining tables and much more. With early indications that the coating has the ability to wipe out the virus on contact for years once applied, Dr William Ducker is now looking for commercial support to take this coating worldwide. “This virus is a major problem and we need to take away its ability to infect a human cell,” Dr Ducker said. “Breathing in the virus is the main thing, but we do need to be scared of touching things. If someone sneezes on a surface and you touch it and then you touch your mouth, in it goes. “I wanted to create a coating that if the virus touches it, it will be inactivated. Working with the University of Hong Kong, we put droplets of the virus on a coated surface, then washed it off and tried to infect monkey cells – but the virus was no longer able to infect the cells after being in contact with the virus.” He said that the tests have been outstanding, with the coating working for long periods and reducing the virus on applied surfaces by 99.9 per cent. The coating itself is made out of cuprous oxide, which is recycled copper pipes and wires. “It’s great, it does that all day,” he said. “The coating will work all day. “We think it could even last for years. Paint it on now, and we expect it will still be working this time next year.” The coating retains its ability to inactivate the virus after multiple rounds of being exposed to COVID-19 and then disinfection or being submerged in water for a week, based on testing. “Everybody is worried about touching objects that may have the coronavirus,” said Dr Ducker, who recalled that his wife questioned whether she should sit on a park bench during the pandemic. “It would help people to relax a little bit.” “People won’t have to worry as much about touching objects,” he said. “It will be both practical and fear-reducing.” Image credit: <a rel="noopener" href="http://wsls.com/" target="_blank" class="c-link">wsls.com</a> </div> </div> </div>

News

Kmart mum shocked with what was in a kid’s painting set

A concerned Queensland mum got the “fright of her life” as her toddler approached her holding a rusty knife. Sally Barnden says he found it in a toy purchased from Kmart in a “Paint Your Own Pets” toy kit last week which had been bought by a family friend. Sally’s partner Renee King told<a rel="noopener" href="https://www.gympietimes.com.au/news/horror-find-in-gympie-childs-toy/4035799/" target="_blank"> The Gympie Times</a> that they opened the toy to play with it and made the shocking discovery. “We got given a paint and dog set and I half pulled out the plastic inside, grabbed the ceramics to paint with Mackinlee (6) and then shoved the plastic moulding back in,” she said. “I left it on the table because it was rubbish and Mackinlee and I were going to paint and then Henley has grabbed the box and then the knife thing has fallen out and he has walked over to Sally.” Sally shared the incident on Facebook to warn other parents about the potential dangers. “Someone had to take out the plaster animals and paints before putting this on the bottom of the box,” Sally wrote on Facebook. “Surely someone saw something. “And if the box was purchased and returned, shouldn’t every return be checked before placing it on the shelf again for sale?” <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7836500/kamrt-body.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/8c201d07a0a5445794116fa945f17195" /> <div class="body_text "> She called to complain about the knife being found but was told by the store that “this kind of thing happened a lot” and offered a refund. “I am sorry but a refund would not be cutting it, if Henley had cut himself on this very sharp, and very rusty blade!?!!?!” she wrote. Sally explained that she is “grateful and blessed” her son brought the knife to her straight away and no damage was done. “I can’t even imagine what would have happened with another family,” she said. “Imagine kids discovering this, and thinking it was a toy considering it came from a kid’s art set.” Kmart Australia has been contacted for comment. Photo credits: Facebook, Sally Barnden </div>

Family & Pets

Where is Da Vinci’s $450m Jesus painting?

A highly anticipated exhibition of Leonardo da Vinci’s works at the Louvre is set to open on October 24. Nearly 120 of the Italian artist’s most famous art pieces will be brought together with Mona Lisa at the Paris museum to commemorate the 500th anniversary of his death. However, with less than two weeks to go before the show opens, there are doubts as to whether the popular Salvator Mundi – the first Leonardo to be found for more than a century – will be featured. The painting, which depicted Jesus in Renaissance dress, emerged as the world’s most expensive after it sold at a 2017 auction for US$450.3 million to Prince Badr bin Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. The painting’s whereabouts is currently not known. New York art historian and dealer Robert Simon claimed he had heard that it was “being kept in a secure art storage facility in Switzerland” as of months ago, while <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-06-10/da-vinci-s-450-million-masterpiece-kept-on-mbs-s-yacht-artnet">Artnet.com</a> alleged it was stored on a superyacht owned by Saudi’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. <a href="https://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/salvator-mundi-set-to-be-a-no-show">The Art Newspaper</a> went further to claim that the Salvator Mundi will be “a no-show”, given that the museum had yet to secure the approval for the loan four weeks prior to the opening. A spokeswoman for the Louvre told the Observer: “I confirm the Louvre has asked for the loan of the Salvator Mundi. We don’t have the answer yet and thus, don’t have any further comment.” The painting’s authenticity has also been called into question. It was initially attributed to the “school of Giovanni Boltraffio”, a student of Leonardo’s, before it was upgraded to “a work by Boltraffio” in 1958. The piece was only authenticated as “an autograph work by Leonardo” in 2011. Several experts have challenged the attribution, with some <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvator_Mundi_(Leonardo)#cite_note-nytimes.com-85">claiming</a> the painting was a “studio work with a little Leonardo at best”.

Art

How to paint a room like a professional

With the right preparation and techniques, even a novice can give a room a professional paintjob. Just follow our steps to getting the job done right. The key to a professional result when painting walls is preparation. Remove furniture from the room you are going to paint, cover the carpet and clean the walls with diluted sugar soap then repair any cracks or holes with filler. Mask off the trim and switch plates, pressing the tape into position with a putty knife for a good seal. Ensure the room is well ventilated and don’t work on hot days as the paint will dry quickly, making it hard to achieve a consistent coverage. TIP: Fabric dropsheets stay in place and soak up splatters better than plastic. 1. Paint the ceiling Use a brush to paint the cornices or cut in around the ceiling then a roller with an extension handle to paint the ceiling, starting at the area furthest away from the main window and working towards the light source. 2. Paint the walls Cut in one wall using a brush then paint the wall from left to right with a roller, starting from the base and rolling up then down, feathering the leading edge before reloading. Repeat to paint the entire room. 3. Finish the trim Paint the masked off trim using a brush, working along the skirting first then picture rails, painting the doors and windows last. TIP Scrape spatters off windows with a razor blade when the paint is dry. Republished with permission of <a href="http://www.handyman.net.au/how-paint-room">Handyman Australia</a>.

Home & Garden

How painting contributes to healthy ageing

A study published in <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0890406599000213" target="_blank">the Journal of Aging Studies</a> found that participants aged 60 to 93 identified six key aspects of successful ageing. These aspects were a sense of purpose, interactions with others, personal growth, self-acceptance, autonomy and health. The researchers found that creative activity contributes to successful ageing by fostering a sense of competence, purpose and growth. It also improves problem-solving skills, motivation and perceptions that translate into how individuals manage day-to-day life. Here are some more ways painting<a href="https://shop.oversixty.com.au/collections/painting?utm_source=Over60&utm_medium=in-article-link-painting&utm_campaign=Over60Shop&utm_content=over60-shop" target="_blank"></a> contributes to healthy ageing. 1. Strengthens memory A painter is required to sharpen their mind through conceptual visualisation and implementation. This activity boosts memory recollection skills and decreases the chance of developing memory loss illnesses later in life. 2. Stress relief Stress is a problem that everyone deals with but frequent and high levels of stress can have a severe impact on your emotional and physical health. Focusing on painting allows a person’s mind to escape the stresses of life and relax. Releasing anxiety in painting helps someone contemplate a stressful situation out of a place of contemplation rather than through emotions. 3. Increases optimism Painting<a href="https://shop.oversixty.com.au/collections/painting?utm_source=Over60&utm_medium=in-article-link-painting&utm_campaign=Over60Shop&utm_content=over60-shop" target="_blank"></a> involves having a plan of your work of art and then accomplishing it. This process boosts levels of happiness and optimism once this goal is achieved and you have a beautiful artwork. As you continue to paint, your skills will grow and self-esteem will be boosted as you experiment with your new artistic skills. 4. Nurtures emotional growth Therapists regularly suggest painting as a treatment for patients who have suffered psychologically painful situations. Painting helps express your subconscious thoughts and feelings that you might be brushing over. Painting increases emotional intelligence and as you paint more you will become more reflective on what factors are influencing your varying moods. Do you enjoy painting? Let us know in the comments below.

Art

Expert advice: How you should clean up a paint spill

Painting, by definition, is a job that requires you to get your hands dirty. Putting it on is fairly straightforward; removing it, not so much. So what do you do if disaster strikes and a mess of paint lands on your floor, furniture or clothes? We talked to the experts for a few tips on how to remove unfortunate spills. Play it safe The saying "safety first" might be a cliché but seriously, take all precautions. In much the same way that the secret to a smooth and even paint finish lies in the prep, a spotless post-painting environment lies in prevention. "Prevention is the best option," said Karen Warman, marketing manager for Resene. "Always move furniture, remove drapes and cover whatever you can't move to ensure errant paint splats don't end up where they shouldn't. It is much faster to move items than it is to try and remove paint later." What to do with a spill Warman advised that if disaster strikes, clean up the paint while it is still wet. "This is your best chance of getting out all of the paint," she said. "If you wait until it is dry, it is very unlikely you will be able to remove all the paint." Do this by scooping up as much paint as you can using a spoon or a piece of cardboard. "Make sure you scoop towards the centre of the paint spill to avoid making the spill bigger," said Warman. Once you have scooped up as much excess paint as possible, you have two courses of action. If the item is easily moved, for example a cushion cover, rug or piece of clothing, take it straight to a dry cleaner. "Time is of the essence," said Warman, "but in most cases you may not have time to get the item somewhere else before the paint dries." Your second option is to clean it yourself. Here's how to approach the below. Water-based paint "Most interior paints are waterborne, so if dealt with while wet, usually all you need is lots of water and clean cloths," said Warman. "Refer to the side of the paint container for the recommended 'clean up'. We recommend testing on an inconspicuous area first to ensure the cleaning method does not damage the fabric or upholstery." If you can't read the instructions on your tin, here's a basic guide. Mix one part dishwashing liquid to one part warm water. Sponge the stain with a solution and a cloth until all paint is lifted. "Dilute the leftover stain with water and keep soaking up the residue," said Heather Goode, technical manager for Dulux NZ. "Get mild detergent in lukewarm water and give the area light abrasion. Keep soaking up the spill, this should remove most of the paint." Oil-based paint When it comes to solvent-borne paints, what you need for clean up is turpentine, commonly known as turps and "many very absorbent cloths". Warman recommended that towelling works well for this part of the job. "Dab on the cleaning material and work it through the paint to remove it. Rinse and repeat using a clean area of the cloth or a clean cloth." "Always work towards the centre of the stain so you are not spreading it further. Repeat this step many times until the stain is removed, staying with it as long as possible is the key to removing the paint." "If you are cleaning up with turps, ensure the area is well ventilated and ensure all cloths used are allowed to dry out thoroughly before disposal to avoid spontaneous combustion." If the stain is already dry, soften it first using the paint thinner recommended by the manufacturer (check the label). Acrylic Paint The easiest of the lot. First wet the stain with warm water, then sponge it with a solution of one part dishwashing soap and one part warm water. Repeat until it's lifted, then rinse. If it's on a textile you can put the washing machine, do that. Upholstery After removing the excess wet paint, mix a solution of one part cold water to one part hand dishwashing detergent. Use the solution to intensely sponge the stain, then rinse. Repeat this process until all the paint is lifted. Your last resort is try try blotting the area with acetone (a common ingredient in nail polish remover, it's available at DIY stores). Carpet When it comes to carpet, the size of the spill really matters. "If you drop a decent amount, you're going to need the help of a professional," said Simon Cornwall of Upholstery cleaning specialists. "Your first chance is your best chance. We have a lot more success when the client does absolutely nothing." "After that, you start diluting the spill and pushing it deeper into the carpet." So if your spillage is sizeable, get on the phone in a hurry and let the experts advise you on your course of action. Otherwise, for tiny droplets, you might be best to let it dry. Once dry, Goode advised that you may be able to put ice on the stain and then peel it off. Or take a tip from Warman and "depending on the type of carpet, use a razor to shave off the top of the carpet to remove it." Written by Anabela Rea. Republished with permission of <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/" target="_blank">Stuff.co.nz.</a>

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