We Can Have Less Plastic in Public Art
- Natalie Yon-Eriksson
- Jun 11
- 5 min read
Updated: Jun 12
Materials matter and impact our communities in serious and often unseeable ways.
Here at Earth and Flax, we focus a lot on architectural applications for Linseed Oil Paint, but that does not mean there are not many other exciting applications for a safer, healthier, and beautiful paint.
Public art and murals are a great example of this.
Based in Philadelphia, PA, as we are, we are surrounded by incredible public art and have the most murals of any city in the world. Approximately 4000 murals beautify the city at last count.
Here is a link to the Philly Mural Arts program to learn more, as well as some the artwork to illustrate the scale of this project.
For those not familiar with paint formulations, most paint brands in the world today are created from petrochemical-based polymers, so conventional acrylic or latex based paints are essentially composed of micro-plastics and water.
As you may imagine, there are serious exposure issues outside of just the off-gassing of unhealthy chemicals from these complex petrochemical formulations, such as the contamination of our water systems with microplastics, inside our homes, or outside in the surrounding environment as the paint wears and/or fails over time, shedding micro-plastics throughout the coatings' life-span.
While the use of a natural, plant-based, oil-based paint like a Linseed Oil Paint requires some technique and planning adjustments to accommodate the needs of public art and large scale exterior mural painting, we are excited to share an inspiring project in Wisconsin as an example of what is possible in Philadelphia, as well as around the world.
We do not need to paint with plastic paint in our support of public art and to inspire, support, education and beautify our communities.
Ashland Storm Drain Painting Project
The city of Ashland is located on the shore of Lake Superior in the North-West of Wisconsin. In 2024, the City of Ashland Parks & Recreation Department partnered with the Northwest Wisconsin Lung Health Alliance and local artists on this special public art project designed to promote “awareness of stormwater pollution and prevention through artists creativity,” as well as the overall health and integrity of the Great Lakes.
The Great Lakes are the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth. Eight US states (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin) share the 11,000 miles of shoreline along with Canada.
Relatively “young” in comparison to the to the earth’s oceans, the Great Lakes were formed 10,000 years ago by glacier activity. Today, more than 3500 species of plants and animals call the Great Lakes home, including 170+ species of fish.
The lakes impact local residents and industry, from recreation and tourism to fishing and trade, to name a few. This system of lakes provides drinking water for more than 40 million people in the U.S. and Canada.
After the damage of pollution and misuse was recognized in the 1900s, steps have been taken by both the USA and Canada, especially in the 1970s, to improve water quality and protect the beauty and integrity of these important waterways. It is a constant challenge based on the inevitable cost of human impact on the landscape, but an important mission for the region.
In an effort to promote and protect the Lake Superior, the Ashland Storm Drain Painting Project has successfully avoided modern petrochemical based paints composed of micro-plastics and used a 100% petrochemical-free, solvent-free, and even GMO-free Linseed Oil Paint created from the flax plant. This is the same agricultural crop used to create textiles like linen.
The Ottosson Linseed Oil Paint is formulated with purified/degummed/cleaned linseed oil (to remove the food-value of the oil and avoid mold/mildew), chalk, natural pigments (primarily coming from the earth) and a small % of zinc (the same zinc used in natural sunscreen). This is one of the simplest formulations to make an effective exterior-grade paint with low environmental impact.
Congratulations to the Ashland Storm Drain Painting Project artists and organizers. The project turned out so well and is a really exciting example of what is possible in the realm of public art to avoid harmful paints, composed of micro-plastics. We hope this will be inspiration to others and increase the overall consideration of materials and their impact on human health and the environment.
Enjoy images from the project and visit the official projects web-page here and learn more about the each artist's inspiration.
Below we have included the process used for this project specifically and some important technique and application suggestions that played an important role in the projects success.
Cait Irwin, Owner of Irwin Artworks LLC
“Otter Wheel: Love the Lake”
Sara Beadle
"Dump No Waste"
“Generations”
Caitlin Newago, Ojibwe Artist
“They’ve Got Their Eye on You”
“The Still Life of the Heron”
Ashland County Wellness and Recovery Court - Staff and Participants
Project Details:
Ashland Storm Drain Painting Project
1. Sites were selected in the community, each near a storm drain.
2. A thin, even coat of Titanium Zinc White Linseed Oil Paint was applied as a “primer” to the swept clean concrete sidewalk by project organizers to create a canvas for the artists to then apply their work upon.
Always apply thin, even coats of Linseed Oil Paint to a clean, dry surface.
3. Once the coat of white paint was fully dry, each site’s assigned artists had a “kit” of Ottosson Linseed Oil Paint sample cans selected by project organizers to work with.
Each artist was given painting instructions that included: mix paint well before each use, apply thin, even coats, mix custom colors with the paint sample cans provided just like artist-grade paints, allow each coat/layer of paint applied to dry fully before doing another coat to ensure sharp lines, clean hands and brushes with environmentally friendly Linseed Oil Soap.
4. Allow the artwork to dry fully before opening the area to pedestrians and bikers.
Important Considerations:
1. Apply thin even coats of paint – when too much paint is applied, especially to pitted concrete, it will slow dry time.
2. Application is probably easiest with a stiff bristle brush. A small-nap roller may be used if care is taken to ensure thin, even coats, but it is common to apply too much paint at one time with this method, especially if new to the materials.
In theory, Linseed Oil Paint can be sprayed with a high-pressure, small nozzle sprayer but it can be wasteful (% of paint is lost as soon as it becomes airborne) and it is very difficult to achieve thin, even coats with this application method.
3. Physical barricades worked best versus just orange cones and caution tape to keep pedestrians and bikers from treading over the art during the painting process.
While the application and technique for the use of Linseed Oil Paint for public art and mural painting purposes is still in its infancy, feel free to reach out to info@earthandflax.com for best practices and project suggestions.
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