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FAQ |
CANVAS
I no longer prepare my own canvases.
Fortunately, there is a source of superior
quality hand-primed canvas that I depend upon:
New York Central Art Supply. Currently I am
using a very smooth Belgian linen, triple-primed
with white lead. It is hand primed and contains
no marble dust: The following is an address list
of my suppliers:
New York Central Art Supply
62 3rd Ave., New York, NY 10003 (between 10th &
11th)
212 473-7705 – Fax 212 475-2513 –
www.nycentralartsupply.com
Q. You appear to use canvas taped to a board in
your video demos. Is it really canvas?
A. I do tape a canvas to a Masonite/smooth plywood board
with 2” wide PVC carton sealing tape or plain
old masking tape when doing a quick sketch. If it turns out successfully
I stretch my canvas on standard stretchers.
Q. How soon after you paint on a canvas stretched on a board
do you stretch it?
A. As soon as it is dry to the touch. Paint becomes brittle
with age, so it’s best to stretch a canvas while the paint
is dry yet still pliant in order to avoid cracking.
Q. Can I apply gesso size to linen as well as cotton canvas?
A. Yes. And always use linen if possible. Cotton canvas has
a short lifetime.
Q. Is it necessary to glue size masonite panels before
applying white lead or gesso, and what are the differences
between the two?
A. Yes, a preliminary glue size is
necessary under a white lead ground. If you don’t do that,
the oil in the white lead will soak into the board and you
will have a very flat absorbent surface with an inferior
paint film strength. On the other hand, acrylic gesso should
be applied without prior sizing.
For oil painting, the difference between the two is that
white lead bonds permanently with overlying oil paint at the
molecular level, while acrylic gesso does not. Gesso
provides only what is called a “mechanical bond.”
White lead also has the same coefficient of expansion as oil
paint, thus preventing flaking off of pigment layers due to
temperature and humidity changes.
White lead also provides a far better working surface, a
better “feel” if you will—allowing a wider range of
manipulation and receptivity for transparent effects—than
gesso. Also gesso stains immediately as paint is applied,
preventing the stain’s removal and interfering with
transparent painting opportunities. Gesso is however, much
more convenient to apply, and non-toxic. As far as I am
concerned, those are the only advantages of acrylic gesso.
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