Christine Lashley

Finding the Key for Creating a Series

Christine Lashley · Apr 16, 2018 · Leave a Comment

A few months ago, pressure to create enough work for an upcoming solo show and several group shows meant I needed a lot of art in a hurry. I thought if I could work in a series the art would flow faster and have a cohesive look for my show. But the journey to start my series was not easy.
In the Beginning
Procrastination sets in if I seek ‘the big idea’ too long and I was getting there fast. A good long talk with a close artist friend luckily intervened and led to inspiration. I realized I wanted to explore important moments from my life, and re-create a distilled memory of that emotional response with a visual image. But what exactly would my visuals be?
Dig Into Memories and Sketches
I tried something new to brainstorm for my future paintings. Since I was starting with only an idea, I sat in my studio and recalled strong memories with no reference in front of me. I thought of sunrises and sunsets during family vacations at the ocean and how happy I was; or childhood memories growing up in France and what it felt like to revisit and sketch in Monet’s garden again 30 years later. I thought of a period of artistic growth during a workshop near marshlands. I thought of things I really wanted to paint!

‘Estuary, First Blush’
by Christine Lashley
oil, 24″ x 36″

‘Transitions’
by Christine Lashley
oil, 24″ x 30″

I tried photos for further inspiration of these places and moments, but they were a dead end. Looking for a photo ended with disappointment: often I passed right by a photo of my chosen moment. My memory had morphed the moment into something visually different so my memory and the photo didn’t match anymore! In fact, looking at photos distracted me with a flood of extraneous details and confused me (‘really – the scene looked like THAT?’). It didn’t help that I have thousands of photos on my computer to sift through. I got overwhelmed and discouraged.

“Brook Cascade”
by Christine Lashley
oil, 24″ x 30″

Since photos didn’t work, I turned to sketches to support the memory. During the process of reviewing studies, I learned that if material was new I felt too attached to the original scene, or I wanted to blow up the sketch verbatim for larger work. There was no room to play with the material. The key to getting everything going and producing a large body of studio work finally came from unlocking the hidden potential of old studies, not new ones. There was liberation in ruthlessly reworking old stuff I had put away on a shelf and ignored. Finding the artistic potential in these old studies was fun. I was not surprised to see water images repeatedly in my studies. I knew that water scenes would be the main focus of my paintings.
Ideas and Abstraction
An open mind to the new direction a painting would take was important, as the studies did not solve all the design, value and color issues needed for working larger. Interestingly, I could ‘see’ the flaws more easily in older sketches; maybe because I’m (hopefully) a better painter now, or perhaps because so much time passed I no longer was so firmly attached to the literal scene. As I worked, I realized intuition was allowed to guide many of my choices by taking the work into abstraction with merged shapes and random texture to imply detail. I often repainted large areas with no reference. This did not mean that I skimped on accuracy if needed, however. I frequently sought new information while creating paintings (this could take the form of a new plein air study if needed, or new photos). So I did end up using photos for reference, but only after I had decided what element or detail to find in a photo. Paintings were done only after they ‘matched the memory’ in my head. Some took a long time; some were done in a week.

“Giverny, Last Light”
by Christine Lashley
oil, 24″ x 36″

Forging Ahead Without Judgment
The whole series could have been derailed early on by fears of what others would say when they saw my work. Such as ‘haven’t water lilies been done to death already?’ I took courage from the fact that I felt very passionate about my scenes, as they were intensely personal. For example, my water lily paintings are inspired by my years living in France, my love of natural areas, and my knowledge of plants as a gardener. My dark fears I tried to suppress were put to the test when it was time to show my gallery the first few paintings, but they were very enthusiastic and supportive. Then there was the yearly angst of submitting to the OPA National Show. Did I trust what I was doing enough to submit this personal artwork? Would it be dismissed as only a pretty image? I took the risk and was very honored that my lily painting “Blues and Gold” was selected for this year’s OPA National Show at the Steamboat Art Museum.

“Blues and Gold”
by Christine Lashley
oil, 24″ x 36″

By becoming less literal and not ‘copying’ things, I am playing with ideas, merging my experiences, and combining my past and present into something new. Persevere when thinking about what might be said in a series. Make it personal. Old studies can be the key to fresh ideas, so dust off the old sketchbooks and have some fun with memories. Who knows what hidden gems are in those old sketchbooks?

Successful Air Travel With Minimal Art Supplies

Christine Lashley · Jul 31, 2017 · 6 Comments

Fear of how to fly with art supplies, especially internationally, can prevent artists from enjoying the joy of plein air painting in wonderful places. Concerns of TSA confrontations, paint confiscation, or hefty fees for overweight luggage can deter the most dedicated artist. Good travel strategies are required.

I have traveled a lot with art supplies: to to plein air events, and to teach international plein air workshops. Yes, you can travel easily with your oil paints! The trick to packing is to pare everything down to the smallest ounce based on essentials.
The first step in deciding what to pack is thinking about your needs.

Purpose of your trip. Will you be teaching a workshop, or attending one;
traveling for fun, etc.
Preferences while painting. Sit vs. stand; are you a quick painter vs. slow etc.
Special issues. For example someone who needs maximum sun protection would make having an umbrella a priority, otherwise an umbrella can be left at home.

Know TSA Regulations and What to Expect
It’s pretty simple. The word ‘paint’ is not a nice word for TSA agents. They think of flammable and caustic items which are prohibited. A tube of color does not contain the word ‘paint.’ Use the term ‘artist’s oil pigment’ or even better ‘artist’s vegetable-based oil pigment,’ if asked about your materials. Print out the Materials Data Sheet for your tubes to prove they are airplane-safe. Each paint manufacturer has this data online. A flash point at or above the 61°C mark is ‘safe’ for travel. (The flash point is the temperature at which a product will flame; therefore a higher flash point is better.) For example, Winsor & Newton paints all are easily within the ‘safe’ range at 100-250°C flash points according to their website. Winsor & Newton states: “We caution against travel with Liquin products. Although the flashpoints are in most cases greater than 61° Celsius, airline officials may still disallow their carriage… all solvents and thinners are banned regardless of flashpoint.” I have never had any paint confiscated in more than 15 years of travel with my materials. There is always the small chance that you will encounter an agent that is hyper-focused on finding ‘bad’ things in bags. It won’t help matters to get upset or angry. Remember that they are just trying to keep the skies safe. By knowing your materials and regulations no doubt the materials will be allowed.
Paints In Checked Bags
In general don’t treat your paints as something precious and fragile in your checked luggage. Keep your paints with your clothes to show TSA they are not dangerous items. If you wrap each tube in bubble wrap it may look suspicious and it will possibly annoy an agent that has to unwrap each one. Just toss your tubes in a Ziploc (double bag it if you are too nervous) along with the data sheet. There is the small chance that a tube will burst or get crushed, but a tube should still be useable upon arrival. Pack a few empty sandwich Ziploc bags in case a leak happens. A loose sheet of bubble wrap around the whole Ziploc package usually protects everything in transit just fine. I travel with partly-used tubes (especially in colors I don’t use as much) knowing that the weight of my bags is decreased. Do check weight restrictions on each airline you are using and weigh your bag with a luggage scale prior to departure. Overseas bags have strict weight and size restrictions and it may vary depending on your airline. Palette knives must be checked.
Paints in Carry On Luggage

It’s possible to travel light and not check a bag, even when traveling overseas (Rick Steve’s backpack is great for this). Artist’s color in tubes is considered a ‘wet’ or ‘liquid’ item, (for watercolor or oil) and subject to the liquid requirements of TSA, so you will need to put any tubes you take with you in your 1 quart Ziploc allowed onboard. For oil you can only realistically get by with a limited palette of partly-used tubes and a full small white. Don’t have a large white tube half-used (the tube must have only ever contained less than 3 oz). Buy things like toothpaste or shampoo after you pass security. Watercolor puddles in a pre-filled palette must be dry (pre-fill your palette and leave it open for at least a week to dry out) to not be subject to the ‘wet’ rules. Take only the small or tiny setup listed below if one bag is your travel goal.
Three Basic Art Travel Setups – From Medium to Tiny
Please note that I do not use solvent when painting. As stated above this is NOT allowed on the plane in either checked bags or carry on. You can use water-mixable oils (read my prior OPA blog post on using these paints), or look for solvent when you arrive. Sometimes conventions, or workshops/schools provide solvent upon arrival.

Medium Oil Setup: easel or paintbox and tripod (EasyL lite, Strada Mini or Micro, EnPleinAirPro Travel), brushes, oil paint (warm and cool of each primary color plus white), 8×10” drybox (will hold 6×8 and 8×10 panels), featherweight panels from RayMar or WindRiver (AC14), cut pre-primed canvas sheets cut to be a little larger than an 6×8 panel (you can mount these on 6×8 panels when you get home) tape these scraps to an 8×10 panel with artist’s tape, wax paper to place between semi-dried panels or use frame bumpers to separate and tape the bundle together when ready to go home. Fresh wet paintings can go in your drybox. Solvent free gel (Gamblin), increases paint spread-ability and hastens dry time. Masters Brush Cleaner. Small plastic snap-top cup for water (or solvent that is acquired upon arrival). Paper towels (good to travel with a few folded, buy more upon arrival if needed). Palette knife. Brush tray and holder. About 8-15 lbs., fits in a large tote or backpack.
Small Oil Setup: Tabletop mini box with no tripod legs such as Thumbox Pochade (Utrecht) or Strada Micro. One color of each primary (Permanent Red Light, French Ultramarine, Cad Yellow Light, White) if you are going to a tropical location add one tube of mostly used Thalo Blue. Most of the other supplies above (edit as desired). Use half-handle brushes such as Rosemary’s Ivory Pochade Set. Plastic credit card cut in half instead of a palette knife. About 3-7 lbs. fits in a small tote.
Tiny/Sketchbook Setup: Some artists choose to just work in a small sketchbook of oil on paper when traveling. Use primed paper or primed canvas pad. Use a disposable paper palette to avoid a box and easel, or try an empty Altoid tin or two. Watercolor or gouache presents a terrific compact option for sketchbook studies. A problem for some artists is the weight of carrying water for the watercolor paints. Tiny watercolor paint set kits (Winsor & Newton half-pan Field Set) and a water-pen solve this problem (Aqua Stroke or Koi Waterbrush). Pencil (mechanical), pen and sketchbook (Holbien Multimedia; Stillman & Birn Alpha – Red label; or Moleskine). 5oz -1.5 lbs. can fit in a tiny tote or purse.

Plan Ahead
Get your supplies in order early and try everything out, so you don’t have disappointment on your trip. Sometimes items are out of stock and there is a wait. Plan on setting all your supplies out and just looking at them. Pre-pack them to see how heavy or light they will be. Try them out in your yard or at a cafe before you go to make sure all works fine.
Plein Air Competitions
Competitions require the greatest amount of materials. If you are doing a plein air event you need to create a certain number of paintings for the jury, and to hopefully sell artworks to pay for your trip. I ship my frames ahead along with heavy items such as a drill or point driver. I order from an online art company a basic set of duplicate paints – just in case mine burst or don’t make it. I check in my bag another set of paints, some partly used to save space. You must arrive for a plein air competition with enough materials to get started right away. I travel with items that are critical to use immediately upon arrival and would be costly to ship overnight if lost/damaged in my carry on bag (Redwing 50 backpack) which can perform double duty to carry all my art stuff during the competition: paintbox (EasyL lite), brushes, Revelite light component 12” wrapped in bubblewrap (if you have a Revelite battery it must be in checked luggage as it is a lithium ion battery and not allowed in carry on luggage), a few panels, watercolor mini set for sketching. In a checked bag I put: clothes, oil paints (a warm and cool of each color plus white, solvent-free gel), tripod, drybox/PanelPak(s), panels, umbrella (Best Brella) Revelite battery and cords, brush tray, misc. small items such as bungee cord, paper towels, tape, pen, etc.
Shipping Considerations
Overseas shipping will incur heavy fees and customs red-tape so this is not advised. Shipping is a good option domestically, especially for plein air events. However, there are a few problems to consider. 1) You must pickup your package(s) when you arrive (rarely can it be delivered to your host home directly). 2) Often framers or art suppliers over-pack items (they don’t want things to get damaged) and the package will not fit in your rental car! Try to talk to your supplier that is shipping items ahead (such as frames) and ask for reusable boxes or smaller packaging. Do not have the UPS Store pack items for you as they often use huge boxes filled with peanuts (a nightmare to deal with). 3) If you pack a box yourself (versus ordering direct) you pay twice for shipping to your event… once to your home/studio and then to your event, so this can add up.

Final Advice
Most people still over-pack and bring too much, I’m still working on the perfect list myself! Figure 2-3 paintings a day when calculating the number of panels to bring, less if you are with non-painters. You can usually buy what you need if you really had to, or if you are with a group someone will gladly give you a blob of paint. Check your expiration date on your passport; it must be valid for at least an additional 6 months from when your ticket departs.

The Art of Teaching Art

Christine Lashley · Nov 28, 2016 · 4 Comments

I know I would not be the artist I am today without my teaching experience. Teaching art has enriched my life in many ways. Ironically, teaching is something I thought I’d be really dreadful at. As a teen I was a stubborn introvert. Public speaking caused me great anxiety. Although I wanted to improve my art, I remember hating most of my art teacher’s comments. You could even say I was a teacher’s worst nightmare… an unreachable student.
I never had aspirations to teach art, but fate intervened in the form of several women who saw my artwork on exhibit. They approached me and said they needed a person to ‘present a project for the day as an excuse to get together and chat’ (their words not mine) as their current teacher was leaving town. They pestered me until I said ‘yes.’ Thus began my teaching journey about 20 years ago. I was shocked to find I could actually enjoy teaching a class, moreover the students had fun too.
If I can overcome my early obstacles, it is possible for anyone. I currently see about 60 students per week for local classes and conduct travel workshops (US and abroad). Watching students of mine learn and progress into first-rate artists has been a uniquely rewarding experience.

Christine Lashley and students on location (L to R: French Riviera demo, US National Cathedral demo, students painting in the Bahamas)

BENEFITS OF TEACHING

Clarification
Concepts get clarified in your mind as you teach them to others.
Reliability
Predictable income versus art sales that fluctuate.
Disciplined time to paint.
No more procrastination. The practice of consistently producing a demo for students (regardless of inspiration or light conditions) has helped me to focus in the studio, and perform faster outdoors for plein air work.
Travel
As a teacher all travel expenses get paid for workshops.
A chance to give back.
Art is a wonderful thing to share. Artists through the centuries have passed along knowledge student-to-teacher, and many painters feel this is fulfilling part of what it means to be an artist.

STRATEGIES FOR THE BEGINNING TEACHER:

Volunteering
Volunteer to teach a class, give a demo or assist (school, senior center, etc.).
Prepare
Prepare well to gain confidence. When I first started I would pre-do every demo. I had handouts to get my thoughts organized. I didn’t make much per hour in these early days, as I spent a huge amount of time pre-preparing.
Start Small
Teach a friend or relative. Ask for feedback on how the process was for them.
Remember
Remember what it felt like to be a student and think about who was a good teacher and who was not. Would you rather “copy from that stack of National Geographics” (as one teacher told me) or would you rather draw from life; and be taught line, shape, and color with varied media? In hindsight, I am grateful I had talented teachers and ones who disappointed me. I learned from both.

Christine Lashley, Dunn’s Gap, oil, 18x24” created at Bath County Plein Air 2016 — Christine Lashley, Dunn’s Gap, oil, 18×24” created at Bath County Plein Air 2016

CLASS NUTS AND BOLTS – AND WHERE TO GET STUDENTS

Have a good website.
List your classes, show examples of your work, and have a bio of accomplishments. Provide a supply list and links to resources.
Maintain a mailing list.
Send an email newsletter about upcoming workshops, classes, and exhibits.
Make Friends
Affiliate with an art school or art store. Staff will handle enrollment, advertise classes, and have a pre-existing student base. Have a contract so expectations are clear. Schools take a percentage of the tuition.
Try Something New
Try a “Sip and Paint” (the instructor shows a final painting, and students follow steps to completion while sipping wine.) I have not done this, but they are popular and it could be a good way to break into teaching. Which brings me to my next point:
Know your strengths and weaknesses.
I dislike step-by-step teaching where everyone paints the same image and with the same colors. Instead, I love to paint on-location and to show students how to see and organize what is in front of them.
What to charge.
Fees vary widely. Tuition will depend on your experience, your resume, geographical location, travel costs, the current economy, and demand. One way to figure your rate is hourly. A per-head fee is another way to structure tuition. Research fees at local art schools.
Get your business in order.
Seek advice from professionals (insurance agent, accountant, etc.). In addition to a business license, an EIN tax number and a business checking account, you should also have a business insurance policy for liability. Make sure your insurance policy covers you overseas if needed. Look into becoming an LLC. Check for any county/residential restrictions or permits. Workshop students should have travel insurance.

APPRECIATE THE ARTISTIC PROCESS

Embrace mistakes in student art.
Most students (especially beginners) think they need a lot of one-on-one attention because they are afraid to make a mistake. Mistakes are part of the learning process. Encourage independent painting. Don’t hover near the student with instant corrections. Tailor advice to each student based on individual needs.
Encourage individuality.
Not all students will want to paint the same thing, or even do your lesson for the day.
Give your students permission to play.
Unfortunately, getting ‘a perfect trophy painting’ is often a student’s main goal. Instead, encourage exploration.
The bottom line.
Easel-side personalized assistance at intervals in the painting process is more important overall than telling students ‘how to do’ something. Individual advice (artists to look at, ideas to explore, answers to questions) is the best way to have students move forward on their journey in art.

Christine Lashley and students on location (Tuscany, 2016)

PITFALLS TO AVOID

Don’t overload students with too much information.
Break things down into manageable steps. Offer focused ‘tasks for the day’ (i.e., negative shapes, aerial perspective, mixing fall tree colors, etc.). Consider how one lesson might flow into the next to build skills such as: a portrait of a tree (shapes), then aerial perspective for the next lesson (atmospheric color), and a mountain scene for the final lesson putting prior concepts together.
Have patience.
As the instructor it is your job to fully understand the concept. Students may be hearing it for the first time. You may have to repeat yourself many times and reinforce the concept with varied examples.
Don’t do a demo that is too long or too perfect
(one hour maximum, half hour is better). Show enough to demonstrate a concept, but get students working as soon as possible to reinforce the learning process. Showing how to do a larger painting, or as a ‘long demo’ is OK on occasion.
Allow proper time
Students need time to clean up and chit chat as people exit the class.
Have a cancellation policy.
If you don’t you may find that you are wasting your time preparing for lessons that do not happen.
Expect the unexpected.
I am astonished at the new ways the universe likes to surprise me in class. Try to handle issues such as illness, personality clashes, and equipment snafus with grace. Understand that many students just want to do well in a workshop or class, and strong feelings of anxiety or insecurity can pop up.
The customer is (almost) always right.
Don’t forget you are a hired person offering a service. Students have paid for your time and they have a choice with whom to study. Go the extra mile for your students. There are times when you can’t please everyone. Solicit feedback, and listen.
Ask before touching or correcting a student’s painting.
Personally, I think we are in a visual line of work, thus a visual correction is a better, faster way of showing a student what to do versus just talking about it. I often paint on student’s paintings. Most students will be fine with it, but a few are not. Respect preferences.

Christine Lashley, Open Gate, oil, 12x16” — Christine Lashley, Open Gate, oil, 12×16”

GETTING BETTER

Continue to learn.
Rediscover what it’s like to be a student again and take a workshop with an instructor you admire, or try something new. Try to expand your skill set. This will help you teach a wide variety of students. Immerse yourself in the joy of learning. It’s lovely to watch someone else do a demo, critique, lecture, or handle a class problem. Read all you can about art, try out new ideas, visit exhibits.
Connect with other artists.
Plein air events, art conventions, and lectures, are great places to share ideas and meet other artists. Take a trip with a few art friends to a museum, or an art-rich environment such as New York City.
Co-teach a workshop with a friend.
Share ideas and have fun with only half the responsibility of the teaching load.
Learn from your students.
Keep an open mind and you will see that in the end you learn as much from your students as hopefully they learn from you.

I used to think that if I got enough experience I would become ‘a good teacher’ but I realize now that the journey is more important than achieving the goal. We are ALL learning, if we stop there is stagnation and repeating the same thing. The curious brain is one-and-the-same as the artistic brain. This in the end, is how to keep growing as a teacher, to let students see you are still learning and that is the best teaching tool of all.

Working Out The Kinks of Water-Mixable Oils

Christine Lashley · Jan 10, 2016 · 46 Comments

I paint with both water-mixable oils and traditional oils, and I get a wide variety of responses when people discover this. Everything from rude negativity (“what crap is that?”) to nods from those in the know (“I use them too, aren’t they great!”). It’s rather funny, as most art supplies don’t have groupies or naysayers like this… The lovers and the haters of water-mixables.
You would think there would be a safe middle ground, but unfortunately, outright suspicion of water-mixable paints (oil and water shouldn’t mix, right?); or rejection of new science as bogus, can make artists retreat to tried-and-true materials. But technological advances have given us: lightfast pigments, more colors, and safer paint than ever before. The old masters would KILL to have our paint choices, I’m sure. So, let’s take another look at water-mixable paints with an open mind.
Water-mixable oils (also known as water-miscible or water-soluble) can be a great asset to oil painters if you know some secrets to get started. I’ve had more than one artist friend confess they tried them, but ‘tossed them all out’ wondering why anyone likes them at all. However, if used correctly, you will see why many artist’s are very excited about these paints.

What’s Not To Love?
 Water-mixable oils sound great: artist-grade pigments, easy clean-up, no solvent needed. They also dry faster in general than traditional oils thus great for travel, or under-painting with ‘lean’ layers.
Looking Past the Label: A Little Science Lesson
Yes, they are ‘real’ oils, just like traditionally formulated ones. Water-mixable paints in the tube contain no water, only oil/binder, pigment, and additives such as resin or emulsifiers. The big factor for most people is understanding how this ‘oil and water’ idea even can work. However, there is solid science behind the paint which has been around since 1990. Different brands of paint use different elements to allow the oil and water to mix. Either a fatty acid molecule in the oil has been modified or removed to allow for binding with water, or an emulsifier has been added. Sometimes it’s a mix of factors. This is not necessarily a scary thing or ‘too new’ to use without question (like genetically altered food); oil and water have been mixed for centuries to make creamy things like mayonnaise, or tempera paint, with egg as an emulsifier. Also, we must remember that artists for centuries have been experimenting with new ways to paint. Someone invented oil painting in the 15th century after all… It was not always around.
Benefits Of Water-Mixables:
Better For Your Health, as there is no need for solvent. Simply use water as your ‘solvent’ to thin the water-mixable paints and for clean up. You can tone your canvas, wipe areas out, or create a ‘watercolor’ thin under painting. Solvents are not healthy as all have a warning label, including so-called ‘green’ ones. Newer OMS solvents (Odorless Mineral Spirits) such as Gamesol still gass off harmful vapors, you just can’t smell them, unlike turpentine which has a powerful smell. Allergies to solvent can develop suddenly or gradually over time. You may not even know you have a sensitivity (this can appear as headache or fatigue; or more severely as hives, light-headedness and shortness of breath). Interestingly, solvent as a paint medium/thinner has not been in use all that long in the history of oil painting… so perhaps we should be taking a look at the archival nature of solvent in oil painting as well? But that’s another blog post I think…
Faster Dry Time. Water-mixables dry in about half the drying time of traditional oils. The paints actually have two dry times. For thin watery mixes (like a watercolor wash or canvas tone) the water evaporates rapidly and is mostly dry to the light touch in 5-10 minutes. You can still re-wet areas to wipe out or re-mix. At this stage it is possible to start more direct painting, or layering with thicker strokes. To let a thin tone or grisalle layer fully dry (via oxidation) wait at least until the next day. The thicker the paint application (the less water used), the more your dry times will increase. Paint that contains a lot of oil already such as Cadmiums can take longer to dry.
Clean Up Is Very Easy. Just use soap and water. Also great for travel.
Excellent For Layers/OK to Intermix With Other Oils. Because the paints dry quickly if you know you like to layer, you can start your artwork with water-mixable oil paints and then move into more full-paint layers, or on to traditional oils (since the dry time is more with traditional oils they are therefore ‘fatter’). You can inter-mix traditional and the water-mixables if you are painting directly. Once you cross over a 20% ratio (approximately) the water-mixable quality gets lost. You can intermix brands of water-mixable paints. Although manufactures say it’s safe to intermix these paints with other media (watercolor, acrylic, alkyd) I would be cautious here. I believe after researching this paint, that with too much mixed stuff it is hard to control the dry times of the paint layers. The only trouble I ever had with these paints was when I used Alkyd Titanium White and Quick Dry water-mixable gel medium for heavy applications of pastel whites (fine cracks developed after a few years, in a few studies done on panel).
Traditional oil paint still has it’s place, especially for those who like a long time to maneuver wet paint on the canvas. Currently my favorite way to work is to start with water-mixable in one or a few colors, and then switch to traditional oils for the longer dry time. I still paint without any solvent when using traditional oils and use a variety of techniques to get by. I freeze my brushes for the next paint session (used paint is still in the brush). If I need a clean brush I’ll dip it repeatedly in oil to free excess pigment.

Drawbacks Of Water-Mixables:
Avoiding Sticky Paint. If you are not careful with how you use the paints they can become sticky, which is very unpleasant to paint with. Avoid using the paints with a small amount of water, as they don’t thin very well with a few dots of water (to make it more viscous). Instead, a little water-mixable linseed oil or water-mixable medium will work wonders to make the paint more spreadable. Ironically, it’s fine to thin the paints with a lot of water (to make a puddle that looks like milk) to start your drawing or ‘block-in’ stage, grisalle layer, or to tone the canvas. Remember, that this watery layer should only be an under-painting. Layers that are too thin will not stand up to the ravages of time and are not archival. Some paint brands such as Cobra are inherently more creamy right from the tube, thus avoiding the sticky range for the most part.
Paints can freeze more quickly in winter conditions if you paint outside in the winter.
Rain Texture. Paints will not work well in the rain or mist (obviously), although rain can create some interesting texture effects, so this could be a good thing.
Paints can dry with a more matte finish, but a simple varnish layer, or working with a medium or a touch of oil will fix this. 
Will These Paints Last?
Remember these are ‘real’ oils (not alkyd or acrylic) and we know oils last for centuries if they are painted on a proper surface with good techniques (‘fat-over-lean,’ etc.) and cared for. Studies so far show these paints to be very archivally sound. I will say that although current and past scientific studies were referenced frequently, (I did talk to a technician who worked in a lab), no manufacture provided me with actual papers or concrete published studies with hard data. So, I’d say more sharing can be done in this arena. On a personal note, I have a painting that was done with Max (Grumbacher) paints on canvas in 1998 that has a paint film in perfect condition with no cracks or color distortion (I keep it to remind me about my early oils). It’s been carted around the country in several moves and stored in less than ideal conditions in the back room or unheated garage.
Brand Comparison/Reviews of Water-Mixable Paints:
There are several major paint manufacturers of water-mixable oil paints: Grumbacher (Max – nice, great colors, but can be stiff), Holbien (Duo – very nice, a bit more expensive) and Winsor & Newton (Artisan – can be smelly, contains only ‘hue’ colors, and has somewhat less pigment load, also can remain sticky when dry), and Royal Talens (Cobra – newer brand, very nice buttery consistency, yet some colors are ‘off’ such as the too-pale cadmium yellows and a too-strident French Ultramarine). Newer brands have come on the market: such as Weber (sOil), Lukas (Berlin), Daniel Smith, and Reeves, I have not tried these. Each brand seems to have their quirks. I use a mix of MAX, Cobra, and Duo paints.
(For full disclosure I don’t work for any paint manufacture and currently do not have any contract with any company to promote their paints.)
As you can see there is more to explore with water-mixable paints, but they do offer a wealth of choices and opportunity for the artist of today. Perhaps in time these will be the new way to paint with oils, and we will scorn the old days of when people painted with that awful toxic solvent!