The title I have chosen for this piece is Painting With Concealment. As I worked on the side panels I realized that they distracted from the center panel. I liked the idea of the side panels but I couldn’t make the piece work. So I wrapped the paintings in canvas and string. The paintings still exist, and a sense of mystery has been added. It is now for the viewer to imagine what the side panels are.
I seem to be working on several things again, and I’ve been going back and reevaluating my old work on paper. I’ve always loved working on nice paper. Drawing requires good support material, and I’ve always been a sucker for a beautiful sketch book. One of my favorite brands of sketch books is the Moleskine sketch book. It has good quality paper, comes in several small formats, and fits easily into a pocket.
I like paper that can take a lot of erasing so you can build up many different textures and increase the mood of a line. I find that Rising Stonehenge is an affordable good quality paper that has a very forgiving surface, it is also good for some print making techniques.
For water colour painting the only paper I recommend is Arches water colour paper. It really is a fantastic paper; the surface is very strong and can be worked very hard without damage, and compared to other brands the price is very reasonable.
I always check to see that the paper is at least neutral ph and I try to always buy paper with 100% rag content. These papers will last forever, and will give the best results.
I still find that the best brand of water colour paint is Winsor & Newton artist quality paint. I have tried several leading brands; but I still find the colour intensity and lightfastness of this paint the best. I don’t find imperfections in the grinding of the pigments that I have found in some other brands.
