Pages

GO TO YOUR ROOM !

I borrowed this phrase from the recently deceased Canadian painter Robert Genn who believed that there is only so much we can learn about how to paint from the many fine instructors and resources available today. The true learning comes from going off on our own and just doing it - Go to your room!

I have had the good fortune to take instruction from outstanding artists in Canada and the USA. I continue to work on my own development ( Going to MY room!) . I share, through this blog and workshops, what I have learned and what others have shared with me.

I created this blog primarily for those attending my workshops to keep in touch and to further share as we grow together. If others are interested in following that would be great.

Enjoy the journey.

Thursday 10 November 2011

Getting Stoned

When I was back in Ontario this summer I attended a demo by artist John Anderson (artist and manager of Curry's Art Store in Barrie) . The demo was oil on TerraSkin. Never heard of TerraSkin and needed to try it. So I purchased a few sheets - and loved it.

TerraSkin is a paper made from Lime Stone (Getting Stoned - sorry). It sells in large sheets like watercolour paper. The surface is slick and grabs both oil and acrylic with an unusual feel - hard to describe. I cut, taped onto boards and began to play - mostly plein air - in oil and acrylics. I was soon experimenting with gesso on the paper to give it more tooth. Then started working with black gesso on it and loved it for small pieces. I have been using it for quick studies (life drawing session) and small still life. For plein air it packs so easily it is joy to work with. It glues as nicely as canvas or linen onto board with PVA glue (Elmers White Glue).

I dropped into Island Blue yesterday ( Victoria) to get more and was told it was not selling. This product definitively has a place and so lack of sales has to be lack of recognition of its value in the art community.
I wonder how it would take to watercolours.

Take a look at their web page www.terraskin.com 



Images are oil ( my grand children's cat) on black gesso  and two acrylic plein air sketches on plain Terra Skin  - all 6x8





1 comment:

  1. love the looseness of these 3 paintings. Just heard about terraskin from another artist - will have to try it. I am looking for a low-weight surface to paint acrylic on (other than my preferred stretched canvas) when I go to France in June for a plein air course. Maybe this would work?

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for your feedback.