Painting on Unstretched Canvas - and Artsipelago

Trina's Lupines, 9x12, oil 

For those of you visiting Downeast Maine or Coastal New Brunswick this summer, there's a new cultural guide out for the area.  It's called Artsipelago, which is a play on the word "archipelago."  (You can visit the website at www.artsipelago.com.)  I'm on the list of artists, under Friar's Bay Studio Gallery.  I hope you'll stop by for a visit.

On another note, I've been playing with painting on unstretched canvas.  Although in the past I haven't cared much for painting on canvas because of the texture, I'm enjoying painting on this particular canvas.  I picked up a small roll of  Fredrix Style 589 Portrait Acrylic Primed Linen Canvas from Dick Blick.  I don't find the weave objectionable.  The two paintings accompanying this post were painted on it.

Why paint on unstretched canvas? I've heard that it's the best way to travel. Lighter than carrying a stack of hardboard panels, a dozen pieces of canvas and one backboard take up very little room.  If you're flying to, say, New Zealand (where I'm teaching a workshop next March,) this method would be very handy.  I just tape a piece to a backboard with masking tape and have at it.

Of course, one might ask, But what if the paintings are still wet?  As Mr McGuire told Ben in The Graduate, "I just want to say one word - plastics."  A sheet of plastic wrap over each piece will keep the painting from smearing if it's still tacky.  If you're prone to an impasto technique, you'll lose some texture, but you can easily add more paint once you're home.  Or, you can use alkyds such as Gamblin's Fastmatte paints and have the painting dry more quickly.  When everything's dry, Lineco Neutral pH Adhesive, a reversible and archival glue, can be used to mount the painting on a suitable backboard.

Summer Shadows, 9x12, oil