Painting on wood!

Écrit par

dans

Abstract painting on canvas is not an end in itself!

In fact, there are other supports, and I’d like to talk to you about one in particular: the wooden support.

Acrylic paint on wood!

A few years ago, I was working on an abstract painting project and needed a very rigid support. This was an obligation for me, as I wanted to experiment with special techniques based on rubbing and tapping.

So I tried to go for heavier-weight canvases to achieve a certain robustness. But I wasn’t convinced by the idea for long.

Then I suddenly shouted: “Of course! Wood!!!“.

Wood was indeed a good choice! Initially, I decided to make my own stand.

I thought about painting on a simple board. It was easy to find and all I had to do was sand it properly to get a nice surface. The problem was the edges, the weight and not knowing how well my wood would react and age with the acrylic paint.

So I simply decided to go back to wood supports, which are offered by some suppliers of fine art materials.

The wood panel / wood support

I could quickly see that the wood panel suppliers had turned the various problems outlined above on their head. So I naturally turned to wooden supports, which I found at the Artéis store in Saint Marcel lès Valence.(I’m lucky enough to live 5 minutes away from it!)

If you would like to order your wooden supports over the Internet, I recommend: The Tintoretto wooden support by Gerstraeker

My use of the wooden stand

I use wooden panels when I need sturdy support. A surface on which I can rub, scratch, stamp, etc.

Here are the advantages and disadvantages I’ve seen in my own use:

Advantages :

Heavy-duty stand
Quality rendering
There’s no grain like on a cotton or linen canvas.
The rigidity of wood makes the creation of your abstract painting a unique experience; contact with wood is really something to try.
If you work the material, you won’t have sagging like with canvas.

Disadvantages :

Heavier support than most canvas frames
Higher costs than the average for canvas-covered frames
Corners are quickly “marked” following a fall or a blow

Preparing the wood substrate

Unlike canvas, you need toapply a good coat of Gesso to remove some of the wood’s roughness. But also so that your paint is not absorbed by the substrate.

The varnish I use

In my case, I use a liquid varnish for acrylic paint, not a spray varnish. (Click on the link to find out more about varnishes)

My opinion

If you want to work on your paintings with a lot of material, or if you need to rub, tap or press on your support, then the wooden support is for you! I highly recommend you try it at least once. I love working on wood, it gives me certain sensations that I don’t get from painting on canvas.