Linen and pastels

[Mary Sparrow]

Someone asked a while back about painting with pastels on linen, and the question was never actually answered.

I was just admiring some of the work on SOG and noticed that Jack Pardue does many of his pastels on linen.

From the photo, it looks as if it was done on just raw, unprimed linen?

Please look.. http://www.parduestudio.com/

Is this correct? Is the linen stretched? Is it framed the way it would be on a board/paper, etc?

I like the way this looks and would like to experiment.

[Timothy C. Tyler]

Looks like raw linen to me. Sometimes, it only looks like raw linen though. PVA over raw linen can look just like that. Tim

[Sharon Knettell]

Hi,

I don't think I can completely answer your query about pastel on canvas, but maybe I can give you some hints. Pastel will go on any surface that has enough tooth to grab the particles. As they are mainly pigments with some simple binders they will not chemically react with most substrates.

The problem as I see it with large stretched areas, is the negative aspect of a large vibrating surface vis-a vis pastels. You need a relatively stable and rigid surface to successfully protect its adhesion. I have seen pastel dust on the bottom of just about every pastel I have moved.

I work oversize on pastel and know the problems inherent in moving them. I personally avoid canvas, although that would be a lot easier than having large panels made.

There is a thread here on pastels that addresses this very problem. The article is written by the head curator of the National Gallery in Washington.

Sincerely,
Sharon Knettell

[Michele Rushworth]

Hi Sharon -- good to see you on the forum again! I hope your extra large pastel work is going well and that your client is keeping you very busy.

[Mary Sparrow]

What a nice surprise to see you here, I have been wondering where you were, you seemed to disappear right about the time I started experimenting with pastels.

Thank you for your comments, I can see how stretched canvas would be problematic. I will go find that article you mentioned.

[Jack Pardue]

I have been asked to reply to some of the questions & comments about pastels on linen canvas. The canvas that I use is Frederick's Galactica 588. It's double-primed on one side & I use the unprimed side. I inspect this canvas prior to purchase to make sure there's minimal priming showing through to the unprimed side. I work on the linen canvas before it is mounted. I attach the linen to the wall with push pins & work on the piece until it's completed. After completion, I then mount the canvas onto Gator Foam or acid-free foam core, depending on how large the piece is. For very large pieces, I always use Gator Foam which is very very rigid. I use Super 77 spray glue. I've also used Elmer's Extra-strength Spray Adhesive which is acid-free, permanent bond. I mount it in my 40 x 60 vacuum press.

Pastels on linen are beautiful, but they are very fragile & do not ship well unless tightly sandwiched between two pieces of Gator Foam or something that holds them very rigid. They cannot be shipped in a frame. This has been a very popular look for my portraits. However, I'm also now using Wallis paper for my pastel work. It holds pastels like glue & is easily shipped. Working on linen with pastels requires mostly working in a linear fashion because the broad side of the pastel strokes do not work the same as on a sanded surface. But it gives a gorgeous neutral effect with the sepia background.

If anyone still has back issues of American Artist, I wrote an article for their Pastel Page for the August 1998 issue. This article discussed my pastels on linen.

I hope this answers any questions you may have.

[Steven Sweeney]

Thanks, Mr. Pardue, that's a wealth of information, quickly trumping all speculation. Thanks for the cordial and most attentive response to my query.