For all you painters and art collectors, I want to share this information on how I make many of my own painting surfaces. I love to paint on Belgian linen, and I often paint in non-standard sizes. As a result, it is an important factor in my work to have custom supports. Here's how I do it:
I often paint the painting on "loose" linen, just clipped to a board. If the painting doesn't work out, I can wipe it down and start over. If the painting DOES work out, I then mount it on a wood or MDF support. (Incidentally, these woods are getting harder and harder to find in the post-COVID world). The top photo shows a finished painting on loose linen, and the panel my husband custom cut for it. (Not shown: I treat the board with a coat of primer such as GAC 100 before mounting).
Next I loosely place the painting on the panel, and move it around until it is centered. That is the trickiest part of the entire process. Once I'm happy with the placement, I mark the back of the linen to show that placement (Photo #2). Next I get out my trusty acid-free, archival adhesive. Usually I use YES paste (Photo #3).
I spread the YES Paste thinly on the panel and also on the back of the linen, using a flexible palette knife (photo #4). It's a lot like icing a cake. When that is done, I press the painting down onto the panel and smooth it out with my hands. Then I press it again using a rubber brayer, working from the center out to the edges, to make sure that any air bubbles are gone and that the linen is securely and evenly attached to the panel (Photo #5).
Finally, if I have been smart enough to leave a good margin of linen (like I did for this example), I wrap the linen around the panel (Photo #6). Wrapping it around gives a wonderful finished edge to the painting, and allows the painting be to displayed unframed and still look very "finished". It also allows the painting to be "floated" in a frame, without exposing any raw edges.
One last step not pictured here: I put the painting face down under a pile of heavy books overnight, to allow the paste to dry and the seal to bond. And the next morning, Voilà! An uber-custom painting, ready for its close up! It's a pretty involved process, but the result is well worth it to me. Enjoy!
