Tuesday 17 January 2012

Getting prepared...

Today is all about getting ready for the next shows and art fairs, so I am doing a stock-check, preparing my canvasses and sorting out my frame orders.

My canvasses are all bespoke, made by a firm in London from Belgian linen.  It's a bit more expensive than cotton, but is better in terms of conservation.  Having done a course in conservation, I always aim to use the best quality materials that I can.  The canvasses are primed, and put onto wooden stretchers.  The stretchers have wooden keys at the corners, which can be knocked in with a hammer to tension the linen.

I give the canvasses a coloured ground, usually cadmium orange or magenta, but sometimes a warm grey or lilac.  It's good to have a medium tone to work from, and helps to unite the composition.  It's also less daunting than working from a huge stark white canvas.





However, having rows of empty canvasses looking at you is also pretty daunting!  

It's quite a challenge thinking through what images you want to choose for a show, what size of format is best for each image, and how you want the overall show to look. 

A large amount of my time is taken up with the preparation for painting - going out on location to take photos, doing preparatory work, ordering materials, dealing with paperwork and consignments of paintings, and all the logistics of organising a show and getting work at the right time from a to b.  However, getting all of that right is the key to producing good work!

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