Oil Painting Revisited

I'm having such a blast getting back into oil painting. After taking a week long open studio class last week...and working in oils again, I'm loving it. Sometimes the children's illustration field/biz/journey is exhausting. Revisiting oils..one of my first loves, is revitalizing. One of the things that held me back from working in oils, aside from the drying time, was the smell of turps, or the "orange fragrance type thinners" which smelled stronger than turps. (I love the smell of turps, but can't imagine exposing my kids to them in my studio area, where the kids also hang out.) There is NO odor with the odorless thinner. Now I'm studying Vermeer, Georges de la Tour (saw his work in person several years ago and fell in love with it!) and Bernie Fuchs at the same time (strange mix, but it works for me). There's another book by Harold Speed, Oil Painting Techniques and Materials. It was recommended on Rob Howard's Cennini Forum in the recommended books for study. (one of my favorite places online for the discussion of fine art, oil painting, painting in other media, techniques and material in general. There are some incredible artists that hang out there...and lots of funky discussions..) Speed's book is foundational, and has motivated me to study value and tone more than ever before.