More Dry Cleaning Bags

I have found yet another use for all our dry-cleaning bags!  I have been struggling to find places to put my wet oil paintings as they take so long to dry and in the mean time I want to get on with other things so I can't leave them on my easel. I also can't put them on the floor as I paint the edges of the canvas and so resting them on anything means the paint transfers from that edge. So, today I covered one of the walls of the studio in carefully opened up and stuck together dry cleaning bags to protect the wall. Then I hammered in a row of nails to act as hooks and voila - my very own (very cheap!) drying rack. Luckily, I happen to have double height ceilings in this room so it's very satisfying to finally make use of all the wall space.  Now all I need is a ladder...

Productive Weekend

Mounting thin gessoboard panels

What a productive few days. I have been stretching canvases, varnishing paintings and I have finally finished the moroccan tanneries! It had been hanging on the wall in our apartment for a few weeks and every time I sat and looked at it I could see all the little things that needed changing, so today I finally made it work. You can see the finished version on my website by clicking HERE.

I have also been working out how to hang the thin 1/4 inch gessoboard panels (like the ones I used in the mothers day paintings) directly on the wall as I have a customer who would prefer not to frame them... I found a solution in the small art boards that have the pre-drilled slot in the back for hanging on a screw. I painted them black to make them less noticeable and then glued one to the back of each of my gessoboard panels. It seems to have worked really well and gives a lovely 3D effect as it makes the board stand 3/4" off the wall so you get a slight shadow.