Being an artist has often proven hazardous to my health. Stress is probably one of the worst things you can do to the human body. What's worse is the way that artists sometimes place that stress upon themselves. As I work on a piece, whether it's a wall mural, oil on canvas or a drawing, I will often find myself holding my breath for longer periods of time then one should. This poses an even greater problem if you live where I do, Leadville, Colorado at almost 11,000 feet above sea level. If anything, one should make the effort to breathe more frequently to make up for the lack of oxygen. It is particularly frowned upon to hold one's breath for extended periods of time when you are perched on a scaffold attempting an outdoor mural.

I must admit that most of the stress involved in my artwork is self-inflicted. I find that one of most stressful times for me is at the very end of some of my pieces. After laboring for weeks or even months on some of my life-size oils of miners, I will strive to get the level of detail I want and need, to get them "just so". To add a touch of realism and texture to my painting, I mix "mud" and "dirt" to create a concoction one might expect to encounter when jack-leg drilling in a mine. I smear the guys with my bare hands and splatter them with this concoction to simulate the "rock and water" from the jack-leg drill. Scary as that point is, it is usually what puts the piece "over-the-top" and really brings it to life. But it is during this time in the piece that I find it most stressful - not wanting to undo weeks of work with a mistake.

You don't need a doctor to tell you how bad stress can be for you. I'm still learning, but I know how important it is for me to do whatever possible to reduce it in my life. Simple things like taking the time to relax when I'm all wound up and breathing properly work wonders in calming me down.

I will also caution you to know your materials and where they come from. As a struggling artist I find myself looking for bargains when acquiring my supplies. Recently, I had to start wearing gloves while painting. I paint directly with my hands about 50% of the time. I find skin paints skin much more effectively than a brush does. That is all good and well, but last fall (2004) after I had spent the previous 5 months painting 12-16 hours a day getting ready for my first exhibition, I had a "bad" EKG with my cardiologist. He said, either I had an enlarged heart from high blood pressure, or I had "high electrical activity". Well I was buzzing all the time, but I assumed it was from excitement.

It was many months later when a thought occurred to me. I read the label of my tube of white oil paint, flake white. Pure lead and aluminum were the only ingredients other than the oil - this can't be good. I had purchased them from an estate sale and they were at least 40 years old. They were manufactured prior to our consumer safety labeling standards of today. I literally "wore" these paints all summer long, not only all over my hands, but also my legs, arms face, etc.! I hate having to be careful, but I have to unless I want the value of my work to skyrocket due to the untimely death of the artist.