Anticipation - Robin Nest in Dogwood

The Story

I have a Dogwood tree outside my studio window that puts me in a dreamy state every spring. I see so many birds in and out and although I've never seen a Robins nest, it seemed the perfect backdrop for those delicate blue eggs accented with the beautiful white flowers. Nature is all around us even if we don't live in the country, we just have to stop, look and listen. 

The Technique

This canvas is stretched burlap instead of the more common stretched cotton or linen canvas. Burlap is extremely absorbent not to mention rough and hairy. I knew there was no way I wanted to paint with acrylics directly on the burlap, so I opted to gesso the center first leaving a ragged edge so some of that beautiful burlap is exposed around the edges.

It required 4 coats of gesso to prepare it for painting with acrylics. Each coat was really heavy (the first one I literally poured it on). It had to dry overnight before applying the next. I sanded between the dry coats to get rid of all those hairy bits. The end results was a soft, but bumpy surface which worked out great so that beautiful burlap texture showed through the painting. I have since done more with this technique with good results.

Additional Notes

• UNFRAMED vs FRAMED: I finish the edges of my canvases and cradled panels so they are ready to hang as is. However, a frame does add a nice finishing touch. Most of my canvas/cradled panels are standard size (although some not as common a size) and ready made frames can usually be purchased online at many locations such as DickBlick.com, PictureFrames.com, JerrysArtarama.com, and even Amazon. There are many many more. OR take it to your local custom framer for even more options. I recommend getting a frame that is specifically for a "canvas painting" with no glass. Regular style frames will not be deep enough to easily accommodate a thick canvas.