Paints, she has been instrumental in putting into place

Paints, she has been instrumental in putting into place three important standards. The first, “The Chronic Health Standard," means that artists’ materials will now be reviewed by toxicologists and either certified as safe or labelled with a warning if there are long-term health hazards. Many artists’ materials can cause brain and liver damage over a period of time; this standard addresses health issues for artists for the first time in American history. Mrs. Luke personally fought the resistance of industries which felt threatened by such a standard. Over 90% of the materials manufactured now are voluntarily complying with the standard.

The second standard, “Specifications for Artists’ Oil and Acrylic Emulsion Paints,” means that consistent labelling of the quality of contents of artists’ paints will be available to the artist consumer. The standard improves the potential longevity of the artwork produced in our time. The third standard, ‘Test Methods for Light Fastness,” also addresses the issue of permanance, focusing on how long paints maintain their original colors when exposed to light. The result of Mrs. Luke’s work is that the culture created in this point in history has an increased chance of being available to future generations.

In addition to her efforts spearheading standardization and safety in artists’ materials, Mrs. Luke is one of the nation’s foremost experts on the subject of color. She is on the editorial board of the international scientific journal “Color Research and Application.” She has spoken nationwide to groups as diverse as the Illuminating Engineering Society, the Washington Optical Society and the Northern Virginia Fine Arts Association. She has also presented professional seminars on color for the Smithsonian Resident Program and co-sponsored by the American Society of Interior Designers.