Over the last year we have seen a sharp increase in the number of adhesion failures associated with the use of pre-primed canvases made by a variety of manufacturers. Obviously this has alarmed artists and raises potentially serious issues around the long-term stability of artwork done on these supports. In
An artist’s stretcher can be expanded to tighten a loose canvas. An artist’s strainer cannot be expanded to tighten a slack painting. That is the only functional difference between the two major types of painting supports. But this is the point where all the trouble begins: whether a painting support
With the dramatic decline in materials and technique education amongst numerous significant institutions, most artists learn even the most basic concepts of canvas preparation from the same people they learn about the birds and the bees … their buds … The situation is not much better on the information superhighway.
I am going to present a stretching procedure that may sound heretical and very much at odds with what artists are taught about canvas preparation from their earliest studio days. I ask that readers please suspend disbelief and give a try to some of the special techniques that follow. If
By Sarah Sands Introduction On our Web site, for every color we make, an artist will find a wealth of information running in parallel next to the much more visual presence of a virtual drawdown. If asked what the color looked like, or told to mix a similar hue, most
By Jodi O’Dell The GOLDEN Working ArtistsSM Program has been providing a venue for artist experimentation for the last 10 years. Many people learn best by experiencing materials first-hand and the Program does just that – provides an opportunity for playful exploration and sharing of technical information about the variety
By Ulysses Jackson and Jim Hayes Iron oxide pigments come from a variety of sources, both naturally occurring and man-made. The beauty of synthetic manufacturing is the ability to make very bright, strong tint, opaque and consistent earth tone colors. What may be lost with these man-made pigments is the
By Scott Bennett Color Travel Interference COLORS No, this is not a misprint. The product category is actually called Color Travel Interference Colors. This means that as the viewing angle changes, the colors shift dramatically. Similar to the Interference Oxides, they use oxide-coated micas. The unifying color effect among the
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
Below are only some of the possibilities available to you when working with the new Workable Medium products. Multiple Layering – This technique is best accomplished with the Short Open mediums, as the Long Open ones take too long to dry. Prepare a low porosity ground on your substrate, using
