Richard--

I welcome any and all misattributions that make me look smarter and more knowledgeable than I am.

Thanks for the great tip Sharon. I will read the post.

Unfortunally, i

Sharon, thank you very much for your excellent tips and information.

I really appreciate that.

Alex

AHA!
I have a piece of Alumalite as we speak. I had it cut in half by my neighbor who is building a small airplane in his garage. (It's nice to have people like this in the neighborhood.) I had thought one was supposed to rough up the Alumalite before applying an adhesive but it sounds like it's not necessary.
I wil post my results as soon as I get around to doing this. Thanks again, Sharon!

Sharon, once again i am pricking up my ears at your words.

Your mention of Dorland's wax medium had me google & buy some.
Alas - any idea how to make a "thin" layer.? Does one dilute it with something.?

This has come at an appropriate time for me as i am very dissatisfied with my retouch varnish (damar) as a finish for gallery presence. I am however happy with the damar final varnish - but who can wait.?!!

Any info regarding this would be appreciated. Perhaps it should be in a separate thread. Please feel free to move it if necessary.

thank you

tricia

Hey Sharon, have you thought about doing any of your large pastels on this polyester fabric? Steve

Could you double-check that link while you're still here? It doesn't seem to go through.

I just did a google search on Ross Merrill and the pastel subtrate issue and couldn't find it the the 5 minutes I looked. I would be interested in reading it. Personally, I don't like using pastel on hard surfaces and I don't really like that material they call pastel cloth either. I think stretching polyester would a good solution. I don't know about the archivalness of working on a cloth. I do know there is a Manet pastel drawn on primed linen at the Metropolitan Museum that looks none the worse for wear.

Somebody else to talk to, perhaps, is Jack Pardue. He's been doing pastels on what appears to be unprimed linen for years, but that's all I know about it. I've not actually seen his work "in the flesh."

I'll have to try out your method. I've never used an airbrush. Is it possible to spray the matte finish with a very fine pumice as part of the mixture?