What supports the paintings ?  I paint primarily on wood and paper these days, athough I am always experimenting with other things. When I began working with oil paint, I started with canvas supports. My work was figurative then.  Scraping, sanding, gouging and otherwise texturing the surface was not part of my early work.  These days, I require a rugged support in order to achieve the kind of multi-layered techniques I favor. 

Last spring I posted photos showing the gesso process.  This spring, I thought I would share the process of creating the panels themselves. Cutting plywood panels is a two person job.  I could just buy supports, but then I wouldn’t get exactly what I want, exactly when I need it.  In addition, I really like the process of creating the art from start to finish, and for me that includes the support. 

Yesterday, a trip to Home Depot netted a 4′ x 8′ sheet of 1/2 ” cabinet-grade birch plywood.  Usually I paint on 3/4″ plywood with a back-braced floating frame. But I am experimenting a bit with some other options in order to reduce the weight on larger pieces of artwork.  From this sheet of plywood, eight 2′ by 2′ panels were cut.  This is a size I enjoy working with, and I have recently used them up! 

Below are photos of the process (click to enlarge), from measuring out the panel size with guide dimensions added, to taping the board to protect the surface during the cut, to the cutting itself.  

 

 

    

 

Special thanks to William Bonnette for his help and modeling !

 

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