I’ve been preparing painting surfaces. There are a good assortment of little panels of masonite already primed and given a base coat in 5″x7″, 8″X10″ and other sizes. Then I built some canvases and prepped some hard board panels.

I had a frame and discovered a new bit of masonite that would fit it, so I cut and primed it. This is larger than my normal masonite panels but I’ve prepared them before and have a nice process to get them ready.

Melanine is a hard panel of  masonite partical board with white paint on one side. It’s like piece of paper that’s an eighth of an inch thick more or less.

I sand both sides. Then I apply several coats of sealer primer to each side over a period of days. Usually four or five coats. Then one or two of durable paint on one side and three to five of gesso on the other. If I only prep one side, the panel warps. The pull of the drying coatings is strong. Painting both sides creates protection for the panel and also evens out the stresses in it so it stays flat. I’ve long thought my masonite art would survive a flood. Masonite isn’t happy about water and could swell, but not when this sealed up.

So with somewhere north of 12 coats of paint, primer, and gesso I have my panel.

I still don’t have the specific composition decided, but I can feel it. Strong color, nice geometry, and fun patterns are in the works for it. Already having the frame changes the dynamics.

Normally I present a vigorous pattern on the surface, but there are times like this time when I mimic canvas weave by carefully dragging the brush in only vertical strokes on one layer, only horizontal on the next, then vertical then horizontal. The sealer and the new gesso were both surprisingly nice, so I also did particle and contour checks with a strong side light, sanding where necessary so that the final art surface is outstandingly pure and defect free. It’s not unusual to get little lumps and pesky pet hairs. The  back looks like birch panel because I went to thick  with gesso, and is rough, but the front is outstanding!

Now after hours of  build up, this panel awaits the chance to tell a story in paint.

I’m pretty pleased with the assortment of panels and canvasses on hand. They represent considerable effort requisite to have them equal to the image they’ll support.

This way, when I get an idea and want to paint it immediately, there is a good chance that a panel is ready to go.

This larger masonite panel has possibilities that the others lack.

There is a reason for hard panels, masonite, canvas in linen, canvas in cotton, and other painting surfaces. They’re each a different experience.

For example, on a hard panel or masonite, thick layering of paint creates an opportunity to enhance the surface art with scribe lines.

Photos to come. I’ll revisit this.