Artists have been using plastics as a substrate for their work since their development as a consumer material. Early plastics were heralded with such acclaim that they were awarded special honors during the London 1862 World’s Fair. These nitrocellulose plastics were used in constructions by artists Naum Gabo and Antoine Pevsner in their work of … Read more
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Dow® Chemical first patented our new watercolor binder for QoR, (Poly(2-ethyl-w-oxazoline) in 1977. It is now more commonly known as Aquazol® when it was licensed to another manufacturer. Among its several unique properties was its solubility in a wide range of solvents including water. Its properties for use as an adhesive were first investigated by … Read more
In 1986, amidst the bustle of West Harlem, a rich, jewel-tone mural could be seen rising 30 feet above the lush oasis of Hope Stevens Garden. Homage to Seurat: La Grande Jatte in Harlem, the last remaining work in New York City by the artist Eva Cockcroft, repurposed Seurat’s pointillist style to depict the … Read more
It’s dead quiet, the cello, with a low and constant hum, emerges in the space followed by a violin entering with the same subtlety and delicateness. The instruments gently ride the nuanced waves of a slow and lazy river hypnotically guiding listeners to a place of calmness and refinement and then…a toddler, naked and … Read more
Historically, wood panels were used for paintings long before the adoption of flexible fabric supports. Most of the earliest icons still intact from the 2nd and 3rd century as well as a large portion of the Renaissance paintings were created on solid wood panels. Many of Raphael’s paintings for example are painted on primed wood … Read more
Quality Panels The inevitable questions about plywood include “How do I pick a quality panel for my paintings?” (assuming you’re looking for quality) and “How do I prepare the panels for painting?” A panel good enough for an artist to use should have one side (call it A) whose surface is smooth and free of … Read more
By Mark Golden Whether painting in oils, acrylics or other traditional or non-traditional painting media, the quality and physical make-up of the support and its preparation is a critical determinant of the final outcome of a work of art. The support not only sets up the working properties of the chosen media but it also … Read more
Artists now have access to a centralized repository of information to assist them in making intelligent choices about the materials they use. This newly created resource is The Art Materials Information and Education Network (AMIEN). Its mission is to provide comprehensive, up-to-date, accurate and impartial information about artists’ materials to artists, art historians, conservators, educators, … Read more
Mark Golden, CEO of Golden Artist Colors, Inc. was recently selected by AIC to receive an Allied Professionals Special Recognition Certificate, which is a newly established award category this year. AIC created the award in order to acknowledge the work of colleagues in allied professions with whom it works closely to solve problems, transfer technology … Read more
Most of the issues relevant to the conservation of these modern materials is still unclear and needs further investigation. The MPU symposium was intended to take stock of where the research is and where it’s proceeding, to provide conservators with new resources and to eventually provide artists who are concerned with the longevity of their … Read more
