A Damaged Canvas is Tragic, but not the End of the World!

(Sold several prints from this painting the last three months) "Beach Buddies;" 16 x 20 mixed media

I had made up my mind. I was going to enter a favorite painting in a juried gallery. All it needed was a frame; one that would complement the colors in the painting without distracting. I had a framer already in mind, who never disappointed me.

I pulled out the canvas from a box it shared with two other paintings, and horror of horrors there was a screw sized hole in the canvas. Sometime, either in transport or storage, the canvases had been weighed down by enough weight to cause a puncture.

Lesson learned: Always have sufficient cardboard or materials between each painting so this never happens!

(This painting has sold more prints than any others) "With these Hands -- Wonder" mixed media

Could I repair the canvas; absolutely! Was its value compromised? Unfortunately, yes. I found several web sites on instructions for repair, but I also discovered that once a canvas is damaged, most collectors don’t want it. In addition, even if you could find a buyer; you must declare the damage (or ruin your reputation if discovered), and the price of the painting must be slashed by at least 30-50%.

If that doesn’t push you into protecting those precious original creations, I don’t know what will..Here are a few remarks from a helpful site and a link:

“The worst possible course of action in the event of damaging an art piece is for the artist not to tell the buyer, repair the problem, and hope the buyer doesn't notice. If the buyer does happen to discover the repair at some point down the road, ask about it, and find out the hard way what happened, that will pretty much ensure the end of any relationship between the two of you. And now for some facts about how the condition of a work of art impacts its value...

(This commissioned painting is still selling prints) "Skudeneshavn Norway" 16 x 20 oil on canvas

“Condition is a paramount consideration in any decision about whether or not to buy-- both from the dealer's and collector's perspectives. Original untouched condition is best by far. In fact, unless a work of art is excessively rare or important in some way, many experienced dealers and collectors won't even consider adding it to their collections or inventories if condition is anything less than perfect.

“But wait; there's more. Approximately 100% of dealers and collectors will tell you that a work of art with repaired damage is worth less than a comparable work of art in perfect original untouched condition.

“. . . People are less interested in owning art that has been damaged at some point in its existence than they are in owning art that's in perfect original condition. It's precisely that simple and no more complicated.”

http://www.artbusiness.com/how_to_options_fix_repair_return_damaged_art.html

Never put your coffee next to your turp!

If you’re still intent on repairing the canvas, you must declare that it has been damaged, and the price better be discounted. We all make mistakes, but this one we have to live with!

If you want to forge ahead and fix the canvas, at least for yourself, here are some links to help you. The following site Suggested pasting the back of the canvas with another piece of canvas to reinforce and aid in appearance. Use a pallet knife to paste and flatten under the spacer bars.

I discovered after I’d repaired my small hole that I had done all the right things. I’d applied a small piece of canvas on the back with adhesive, and put modeling paste and gel on the front side over the hole. It worked well because the hole was where a worn stone wall appeared. Paint wouldn’t even be required, but I will still add the needed acrylic with a dry brush to avoid any shiny appearance.

If you want specific help and details, the following sites are helpful!

http://www.gainsboroughproducts.com/patching_vs_lining_article.html

http://www.wikihow.com/Repair-Canvas

A Perfect Way to Deal with Anger – Paint it!

 The Alliance for the Arts capitalized on the “angst” that divides people in this current political season. They sponsored a juried competition titled: “State of Mind: Politics 2012.” It isn’t the first time they’ve used a political theme, and it won’t be the last. But judging from the crowd on opening night, the strategy is still working.

I was fortunate to be selected for the show. Although I wasn’t one of the winners, I was the only one who represented the chaos in the Middle East. In my blog is a sampling of the diversity of subject matter and materials that were used.

Today, politics seems to be played like a football game; each side cheering for their side at all costs. In the past, more people seemed to vote for the person, rather than the party. At least, I did. I’ve been an independent, a democrat and a republican, depending on who's running. Now it seems that people support the party rather than the person, and choose to ignore voting record or the past of their own candidate. Instead of offering solid policies and solutions, there is more slander and mud throwing.

Historically, this has always been so, but the ugliness today is right in our faces and the values once cherished are no longer in play. In the show, it was interesting to see how artists expressed these concerns.

Putting your anger and emotion to canvas is invigorating and healthy. It allows an artist to express his inner turmoil and share either a vision or a torment with his or her audience. Van Gogh had so much suffering and discouragement in his life. He allowed people to see his anguish, his joy, his exultation and pain in a style that today is considered brilliance from an  unfettered imagination.

If you have joy or pain that eats away at your heart, try expressing it on canvas instead of burying your soul under a pillow of tears. Discouragement comes to all of us.

I painted a scene of two brothers on the beach watching the sun go down. I wanted it to have a magical feel, one that was almost fanciful and full of wonder. I submitted my painting to a critique group and they literally slaughtered it! There were so many criticisms; I had trouble absorbing them all. Only one person gave constructive criticism. I printed out her suggestions and kept them.

What happened to the painting? I was so ashamed of it I put it in a box with a protective cardboard over the top along with other stored canvases. I quickly forgot where it was. I opened that box several times over the course of the next year, but the cardboard I’d placed on top of the painting created a false bottom.

A year later, I found that painting and finished it according to the constructive criticism I’d received. Ironically, not only the first version of the painting that was critiqued, but the final version sold prints from the digital images online. I consider this a valuable lesson. Listen to your own heart and paint what you love. If you receive criticism, weigh it carefully. Take what is of value and blow the rest away!

Please share your experiences with critique and the value of belonging to an art league with us.

New Painting—“Beach Buddies”

Beaches are creative and colorful: the marvelous sunsets; the sparkle of sunlight on tropical waters; the irresistible froth of waves flapping onto shifting sands. And besides, beaches are fun to paint.

I had intended to paint this photo; and I may yet. It’s a picture of my husband’s granddaughter and her little brother. I loved the glow of sunlight on the water. The figures are almost silhouette like; the colors mostly gray. Instead, I decided to use a photo submitted by one of my contest winners. The figures were actually sitting on the grass rather than on a sandy beach, but I loved the affection they shared.

I first laid in my drawing with burnt umber acrylic on a 16x20 canvas, and then added a few acrylic washes to suggest plains, spaces, and color. When the paint was dry, I wiped a thin linseed oil and turpenoid coat over the top, and then wiped it again with a dry paper towel.

The prep work made the canvas ready to accept my oil paint topcoat. This first layer of oil paint further defined my drawing and added some color; though, some of it may be covered up by subsequent layers.

With oils, it is the layering process that gives the painting depth, shape and form. As I’ve told you before, it is a refining process; working from beneath to the foreground, until I’m satisfied with the details and the overall feeling and statement of the painting. At this point, the colors are too bright, too flat.

In my next blog, I’ll introduce the next “painting in progress:” part of my “With These Hands” series. The painting will feature a young black girl as she prepares to shoot a basketball. The painting will be titled: “With These Hands—Hope.”

To see other paintings in my “With These Hands” series, please go to my online gallery:
http://carol-allen-anfinsen.artistwebsites.com/