About Fine Art Construction

Just as "a chain is only as strong as its weakest link" the longevity of anything constructed is the direct result of the lowest quality of any single element included in its construction. Constructing can be quite creative and when creative construction is combined with skill, ART HAPPENS!

Yet in today's world, when it comes to art, especially the "visual arts," many artists, including professionals, employ inferior materials and methods in the creation of their art. Whether or not this will influence the initial esthetic of a newly completed work is to be seen; however, be assured that it will have a strong negative effect on any work over time.

Less than a century ago artists didn’t struggle with the issue of using inferior materials and methods in the creation of their art; low quality workmanship simply just wasn’t so readily available. Prior to the Industrial Revolution, mass production, and the mechanization of most everything, the amount of time it took to manufacture a product was not as important as it is today. Artisans and skilled craftsman took pride in the quality of their work. Their work took time.

In today's world very few artists make their own paints, mediums, supports, and other materials like the artists of days gone by. Artists of the past were forced to do so and they knew firsthand the quality of the materials they used. Now we purchase goods from around the world with the click of a button and the selection is endless. Suppliers plea for our dollars and lure us with low cost (cheaply produced) goods. Many of the materials are so poorly manufactured their life span is extremely limited.

(10oz cotton)

For well over a century and into today, the most commonly used material for support is gessoed cotton. The reason for cotton's great popularity is simple — cheap price.

The average cotton canvas sold today has a thread count just slightly higher than cheesecloth and is a very poor choice for a support. Other popular material supports are linen, wood, paper, and fancy cardboard. As for cotton, the fibers are short and the surface texture is monotonous. Ounce for ounce, cotton is weaker than linen, but for smaller sizes it is acceptable. However, I do not paint on cotton.

(10oz linen)

Linen is superior to cotton for two reasons: 1) The fibers are much longer and stronger. 2) Linen canvas has an inherent appeal and natural esthetic. I choose the finest linens available to support my paintings.

Wood's natural strength and rigidity are its assets. Compared to stretched canvases, which are prone to sagging, dents, and punctures, wood's strength and rigidity are real pluses. The major drawback to painting directly on wood is that sooner or later the surface will "check." (Priming the wood will not prevent this.)

My first choice support for a fine art painting (an heirloom) is the finest linen adhered to a hardwood panel. By utilizing the wood's assets and the linen's texture, I have a solid foundation, beautiful to behold and extremely durable. (However, the heavy weight is an issue when the compositions are large and is a serious consideration.)

Paper, cardboard, and the like are inferior supports for fine art oil paintings. Pastels and watercolors require these types of supports. But just as wood and canvas are more durable than paper or cardboard, so are oils more durable than pastels and watercolors.

Plastic and "plastic type" (acrylic) substances are a wonderful invention of the "technology age." Plastics (along with other technologies) certainly have their place in fine art. But as with all information, new or old, the danger is misuse or misinformation. Prior to the invention of acrylics, artists would apply a size to their canvas with a glue made from animal hide followed by an oil based primer. The dry glue is very brittle. This is one of the main causes of cracking in old paintings.

Today acrylic gesso is most commonly used in place of glue sizing and oil primer. Acrylics are very flexible and not prone to cracking. "Gesso" is the term used to describe the "one step" primer most commonly used by contemporary artists for preparing canvas and panels prior to applying paint. (Artists used to refer to this step as preparing the ground.) One of the primary reasons for applying a primer (or ground) is to isolate the support from the paint. Oils will cause organic fibers such as cotton, linen, or wood, to deteriorate. (What do you suppose will happen to the painting if the support deteriorates and crumbles?)

Along with cheap supports, today's mass suppliers offer cheaply gessoed supports and cheap, or low, quality gesso. Inferior gesso quickly becomes brittle and chalky causing the paint layer to chip. Gesso can be purchased in an oil or acrylic base. If an oil-based gesso is applied to the support, the support must first be sized (Sizing an organic material will isolate it from the deteriorating effects or oil.) A quality canvas prepared with a quality acrylic gesso is a great beginning for a quality support.

The final step in the construction process (besides varnishing) is to make sure your paints adhere to the support. The only difference between oil paints and watercolors, acrylics, or any other medium is the binder.

In oil paints the binder is linseed oil. So many well meaning artists use solvents such as turpentine as a painting medium. Solvents destroy the oil leaving nothing to hold the pigments together and, as a result, leave nothing to bind the paint to the support. Oil paintings constructed with this technique aren't much more durable than a pastel or watercolor. Try pouring turpentine on one and letting it set for a while - the painting will be destroyed. I have done this to my paintings for demonstration purposes with no harmful effects, and conservators use solvents stronger than turpentine to clean well-constructed paintings.

Oils and resins are invaluable to the durability and longevity of a fine art painting. Linseed oil alone is a strong binder. A painting with sufficient amounts of oil and that is thoroughly dry can be cleaned with solvents as strong as turpentine without damage to the paint surface.

With the addition of resins the paint surface becomes even more durable. In centuries past artists used natural resins such as copal. Today, synthetic resins such as alkyds are used as painting mediums to improve paint texture and durability.