Hi everyone. I have not put up any new paintings for a while for couple reasons. One is the newer paintings need a better camera due to the larger works I have completed. The second reason is I have been busy making 40+ new large canvases from scratch, to last me a very long time. This has taken months to do, but the result is a far better canvas than any store bought. I will try and briefly describe it here.

After having problems with pre made canvas panels that used synthetic glues for adhering, as I used these for years, and subsequently doing my own research and testing of various materials and methods, my choice is to make my canvases now from a method used for centuries up until modern times. Vincent Van Gogh did his this way, and I saw no reason to use the newer stuff that is unproven. This is stretching good quality linen onto wooden stretcher bars, applying layers a hide glue (RSG) which tightens and protects the linen from the oil paint(the sizing step), then applying layers of a lead white oil ground with a painting knife, and wait six months to dry. It sounds simple, but it is a lot of time and labor to accomplish. The result is a canvas I really enjoy painting on.

Above is a set of finished canvas that will cure before using for six months. Then below is another set during the glue sizing stage in process.

Then I make canvas panels using the leftover smaller linen pieces using hide glue to adhere raw linen onto a panel first, followed by a white ground. Much easier than the stretched canvas, however much heavier for large works.

As the old saying goes “if you want to do it right you have to do it yourself” comes to mind as I made this choice to make canvas from scratch this way. If they fail for some unknown reason, then I only have myself to blame and thats OK by me! It was all a pleasure to accomplish.