{"title":"Solvent-Free Oil Painting","description":"\u003cp\u003eFor painters working in confined studios, at home with children around, or who have developed sensitivity to traditional solvents over years of use, the solvent-free approach offers a genuinely different working method — one where the bottles on your bench don't contribute volatile organic compounds to the studio air.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eMichael Harding's Miracle Medium leads this category. It's a plant-based, ester-oil formulation with VOC content roughly an order of magnitude lower than mineral-spirit solvents, and a flashpoint above 180°C — effectively non-flammable at room temperature. It does the work of both a medium and a solvent alternative in one bottle.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFor the full picture on solvent vs solvent-free working, see our \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/solvents-vs-mediums-what-every-oil-painter-gets-wrong\"\u003eguide to solvents vs mediums\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"michael-harding-miracle-medium","title":"Michael Harding Miracle Medium | Solvent-Free Plant-Based Oil Paint Medium","description":"\u003cp\u003eMichael Harding spent years refusing to make a medium — his position was that good paint on the right support, thinned only with more oil, did not need one. Miracle Medium changed that. It is a plant-based, solvent-free formulation that does two jobs at once: it works as a painting medium (extending flow, lifting transparency for glazes) and as a solvent alternative (thinning paint, cleaning brushes) — without the inhalation risk, ventilation requirements, or long-term film brittleness associated with traditional turpentine-based mediums.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe formula uses ester oils derived from renewable vegetable sources. Unlike traditional solvent-resin mediums, it does not introduce a resin that could yellow or crack over time — the dried paint film retains the flexibility of a straight oil paint film. It was developed with conservation considerations in mind, which is unusual for a commercial medium.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhat makes Miracle Medium genuinely distinctive on safety is what it does not do. Traditional solvents — turpentine, Sansodor, Zest-It — are 100% volatile organic compounds. They get into the studio air during use and contribute to inhalation exposure, even when they are described as \"low-odour\". Miracle Medium's VOC content is roughly an order of magnitude lower, and its flashpoint is above 180°C, making it effectively non-flammable at room temperature. For painters working in confined spaces, studios with limited ventilation, or anyone who has developed sensitivity to traditional solvents, that difference is substantial.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eUse one to three drops per brushload for most applications, more for glazing. It also works as a thinner for paint in lean underpainting layers in place of turpentine, and as a brush cleaner at the end of a session. Fat-over-lean principles still apply.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAvailable in 100ml, 250ml, and 1 litre — all three are identical in composition.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSizes available:\u003c\/strong\u003e 100ml, 250ml, 1 litre\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eComposition:\u003c\/strong\u003e Plant-based ester oils; solvent-free\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eOdour:\u003c\/strong\u003e Essentially odourless\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eVOC content:\u003c\/strong\u003e Approximately an order of magnitude lower than mineral-spirit solvents\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFlashpoint:\u003c\/strong\u003e Above 180°C — effectively non-flammable at room temperature\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eRoles:\u003c\/strong\u003e Painting medium, solvent alternative, brush cleaner\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDrying:\u003c\/strong\u003e Does not significantly accelerate or retard drying\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFilm:\u003c\/strong\u003e Flexible; no resin content\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCompatible with:\u003c\/strong\u003e All oil paints\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMade in:\u003c\/strong\u003e UK\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBrand:\u003c\/strong\u003e Michael Harding\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Michael Harding","offers":[{"title":"100ml","offer_id":44638739497126,"sku":"BD-REFECO-100ML","price":12.36,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"250ml","offer_id":55177840361848,"sku":"BD-REFECO-250ML","price":19.78,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"1L","offer_id":55177840394616,"sku":"BD-REFECO-1LTR","price":55.62,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0528\/7388\/7910\/files\/michael-harding-miracle-medium-solvent-free-plant-based-oil-paint-medium-100ml-art-supply.jpg?v=1763570941"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.bradburyart.co.uk\/collections\/solvent-free-oil-painting.oembed","provider":"Bradbury Art","version":"1.0","type":"link"}