1.Sturdy Framing
a)Durability-Building a frame from scratch allows me to customize the size to what the client wants. My canvas frames are built with a back edge for wood support. They are placed on the canvas frame for reinforcement and prevention of the frame from warping. They are more durable and stronger than a store bought frame.
Store bought manufactured canvases have less priming. Did you know that Gesso, a common store bought primer, has not been around for 100 years yet? I would rather use the techniques of the masters. Gesso is composed of marble dust and glue. Now I ask my self: How is mud and glue going to act as a barrier in preventing my oil paint from seeping through to the canvas after several years? Gesso is fine for Fresco's if made properly, paper, and working with acrylics, but it is not going on my canvas. In the 17th and 18th century, they primed their canvases with lead white oil paint (highly toxic). It is my belief that it was these toxins that kept their work intact. Thankfully there is a new non-toxic substitute of lead white oil paint on the market that I use for commercial use.
To create a barrier for preventing deterioration I hand rub non-toxic lead white into my canvas with out the dryers such as liquin. This process takes several weeks because i use several layers, and the oil must dry on the surface between each layer naturally. Oils preventing oils from seeping through the canvas is a water risistant long lasting permanent barrier against deterioration.
b)Deterioration- Wood contains acid and acid equals deterioration. I want the least amount of canvas touching the wood of the frame so it will not deteriorate. I can create a larger gap between canvas and wood with a hand built frame by slicing a larger angle that is juxtaposed out from the frame.
Sizing is glue that is used to tighten a canvas even further and fills the pores of a cloth. A perfect canvas should sound like a drum but not be so tight that the canvas splits. I apply several coats of sizing letting it dry between each application . The sizing I use exspands and contracts with weather. After centuries the painting will form natural cracks that go along with the classical style of my works. I use the same type of sizing applied in the Renaissance era. All natural!
2.Creative Concepts
a)Design- As an artist it is always important to draw from the things around me in my environment. This gives the viewer an idea of who i am. Like De Vinci, I always leave little clues in my work in a conceptive manor. I take beautiful thing I see and try to form them into visual stories. I draw from Landscapes, photography, history, and figure study. My original design is drawn in my scetch pad, an artist diary, which all artists should have.
b)Transfer- I enlarge my original drawing which I have previously created and transfer my image in charcoal onto my canvas. This saves time and allows my focus to be placed on paint. I then go over my charcoal lines with a permanent substance called India Ink.
c)Under painting- Firstly, it is wise to know the material I am working with. Oil paints are translucent. It takes several layers of an oil paint to produce and opaque color, and this is why a pallet of glass is used when painting with oils, it utilizes light. After all, color is just refracted light. There are several types of under paintings that were used in the Renaissance era, each specific to their specific region. Flemish under paintings contain sap green and yellow ocre. I prefer to use a Venetian style under painting. To produce an under painting you need to know about the manipulation of two to three base colors. I apply a base color of yellow ocre to the whole canvas and wipe out my light hues. After it dries, I build up my dark hues.I do this with also two more colors. I repeat this process until I have a variation of hues on my grey scale. In short, if I were to imagine these three colors in my painting on a grey scale i would want to have a variation of hue. It is like imagining a monochromatic version of my painting. An under painting is not the same as paint by numbers; there are no numbers involved. It is also not the same as painting over a giclee print. I have to come up with the hues and gradation on my own. An under painting utilizes a great deal of technique with the use of shadow and light. Under paintings use base colors that can be reflected off of other colors. They are also another good step for durability. They create more layers of paint to prevent my surface pigments from seeping through the canvas. When an artist uses an under painting, it also provides them with richer more vibrant colors as you build up the layers, an affect that cannot be achieved without one.
d) Painting- Once my under painting is developed to the state I need it, I can add more colors and glazes on top of it, varnishing in between layers. The process follows a rythm of : paint,dry,varnish: paint, dry, varnish, etc.
e)Varnishing- I cannot varnish until the painting is completely dry. It is best to wait a few weeks after I finish before varnishing. Oil paint lasts hundreds of years and also takes years to dry completely. Just because oils will form a dry skin on top does not mean they are dry underneath. There are several types of varnish on the market. There are matte varnishes that have no sheen. There are high gloss varnishes, which I prefer to use because it intensifies color . Copal varnish or any varnish made from nuts is known to yellow over time. Some artists use this yellowing to their advantage. Which ever varnish I use, it is important to remember the painting needs to be fairly dry and the varnish has to dry in-between layers. One coat will not due. A finished painting should have several coats of varnish on it. After 5 years, it should be varnished again, and after 10 to 15 years it should be varnished a few more times. It is a drying process that takes years of care for maximum durability. Studio Crimson will re-varnish for a small fee if you're concerned.
|
