“When I began painting full-time 14 years ago, my goal was (and still is) to become the very best at what I do, and I reasoned to achieve that goal, I needed to use the very best materials. That meant searching out to find the best brushes and the best paints, and especially the very best surfaces to paint on. Over the years I have experimented and painted on many different types of surfaces and canvases; I have stretched my own canvases and have even made my own panels. All that experimentation has lead me to enjoy painting on linen attached to a a rigid surface the most. I like the thought of never having to worry about getting a call from a collector that a painting of mine has ugly wrinkles and then the hassle involved with restretching it. Also, a rigid surface provides better protection from any dents and punctures that could occur which helps with peace of mind. And because the canvas is attached to a rigid surface, it is more archival, which means it will hold up to humidity and temperature changes much better than other canvases.
My preference for a painting surface is to have just a little tooth to the canvas. I want the viewer to see my painting and not be distracted by the weave of the canvas. (If an artist paints with a lot of paint, they might choose a thicker weave, which will hold their paint in place!) I like to err on the smoother side for the weave for any type of detail work I might need. For those reasons, the two panels that I enjoy the most from Artefex are the 574 acrylic primed linen and the 533 lead primed linen. Both are amazing surfaces to work on, and the artist will have the reassurance that either archival surface will enhance their painting and keep it looking good as new for many years to come.
The biggest difference between the lead, oil, and acrylic primed canvases is absorption. Absorption will make the paint dry faster and can be helpful when I need the paint to dry quick. The priming that is the most thirsty is acrylic primed —it will absorb the most paint. An oil primed surface will have less absorbency, but a lead primed surface will absorb the least. If I am looking to have the ability to wipe paint out back to the bright white surface of the canvas, I will always go with lead primed. But if that’s not as important, I will choose oil primed or acrylic. If I’m painting in many layers, the lead primed seems to help with the awful “sinking in” problem.
When searching for the best painting surface to use, my advice to any artist is to keep in mind a couple questions like: How does it fit with my painting process? Do I use a little or a lot of paint when I’m painting? Then choose a surface accordingly. And of course, every artist wants a surface that will help their paintings last for ages! Having the best materials has always been one of the most important aspects of my painting process in creating my very best work which is why I’ve chosen Artefex panels as my favorite surface to work on.” – Casey Childs
