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Unconventional Surfaces for Art

As artists, every now and then, we find ourselves getting bored with the routine of our individual techniques, tools, and bodies of work. These times are perfect to explore avenues that not only create excitement and challenges in our creative and production process, but also add an extraordinary depth and dimension to our art.

For years, artists have experimented with unconventional painting surfaces to expand their creative experience and repertoire. In doing so, they have not only created an active and cognitive experience for themselves, but also for their audience who experience their art.

The discovery of alternative substrates has come about as a result of conscious adventure, as well as accidental observations. Regardless, the choice of using such substrates is very deliberate. For example the choice of using a porous or non-porous surface could yield a vastly different experience in the creative process and in the resulting art.

Although there are unlimited surfaces that can be used for art, we'd like to mention a few fun ones that are easily accessible, and would help you take the first steps into the adventure of discovery.

Wood
The world of discovering wooden surfaces is a fascinating one. The most interesting part of exploring wood, is the grain. In addition to the interesting textures that wood grain provides, the hardness and softness of wood can create subtle dimensions of aesthetic sensations. Also, since wood is a porous surface, there are infinite experimentation possibilities from sealants to gessoes and resins that would create exciting creative experiences.

Concrete
Just look around any construction spot and you'll find that the textures of concrete slabs and blocks are about as unlimited as the casts and molds that they are created in. In addition to mold textures, concrete is incredibly easy to add extra textures too, for example: by laying and pressing fabric on a wet concrete slab, or stamping the wet concrete slab with bark or rocks.

Concrete is a porous surface, so go ahead and experiment with stains, gessoes, plasters and resins to create interesting foundations for art projects.

Glass
Using glass as a surface has it's roots in ancient history. Paintings, sculptures, and reliefs on glass create an etherial effect by bringing refraction and transparency into the equation. Depending on the pigments of the paint, the art on the glass can add an additional layer of light manipulation.

Tip: When using non-porous slippery surfaces, make sure to clean the surface and dry it thoroughly.

Tip: To make the glass surface opaque, apply a thick wash of neutral or background color before painting the design.

Dry Leaves
If you have ever put a leaf in-between pages of a book for long periods of time, you will know how deliciously textured leaves can get. Even a quick stroll in a park or in the woods during fall months could give you an abundance of tiny canvases for little delicate pieces of art. However, leaves aren't just limited as a small canvases. They can be woven together with twigs or glued together on any basic surface to create a large canvas.

Rusted Metal Sheets
Rust is not only interesting because of the various shades, hues and textures it provides, but because it can also be used as an active contributor to an art piece. There are many ways in which further corrosion of the surface can be "locked in" with the use of special primers and resins, but rust can create an interesting living and evolving art piece if you allow the corrosion process to combine with your art on this surface.

There many ways of artificially corroding metal sheets with the use of acids and chemicals, so if you do explore these processes, please make sure to take all necessary safety precautions.