Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Sugar and Creamer

"Sugar and Creamer", 8 x 10 In, Oil on Museum Board
This strange little "sugar and creamer" set created an interesting challenge for design. People occasionally ask me about museum board.  It is a surface that William Reese used sometimes out in the field and I learned about it back when I first took workshops from him.  It is 4-ply all cotton museum board and the brand I use us Risings because it has two good sides, unlike some other museum board I have tried. I purchase 32 x 40 sheets in packs of 25. I seal the sheet on both sides with Gamblin PVA using a big 4-5 inch brush. Then I coat one side using a fine white roller with three coats of gesso letting each coat dry in between. You could also use a big painter's brush for this part, depending on the surface quality that you want.

I like the Liquitex Basic gesso because it is absorbent. The Liquitex Pro gesso and some other gessos that I have tried are glossy and just about completely non-absorbent. When it is dry I can cut the board to any size I want with my mat cutter. If you are interested, send me a note and I'll send you a somewhat more detailed instruction sheet. These are great for taking on a trip, because they are lightweight and thin, but I do need to tape the board to a piece of foam core to paint on it for stability.

Purchase this unframed painting.
Contact me if you would like to purchase a plein air frame.

4 comments:

  1. Hi Kathryn,
    I love the wonderful colors and reflections and the very interesting shadow shapes! I subscribe to your blog and get your posts in my email and seeing your work always brightens my day.

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  2. I love the way you explore shapes in your paintings.

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  3. Hi K,
    Like this painting- your brushwork is always devine:)
    I am interested in learning more about the surfaces and the Gessos that you like. I have experimented some but like trying other things. Thanks!

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