Saturday, February 26, 2022

Through the Land it Roared . . . ArtCloth Shawl
My Wearable Art/Exhibition ArtCloth

Marie-Therese Wisniowski

Preamble
On this blog spot there are posts that center on my “Wearable Art” (e.g. scarves, digital or analogue created fabric lengths etc.) For your convenience I have listed these posts below.
A Selection of My Scarves
Leaves Transformed: A New Collection of My Digitally Designed Fabrics
My New Silk Rayon Velvet Scarves@Purple Noon Art And Sculpture Gallery
My Fabric Lengths@QSDS
My Fabric Collection:"Oh, Oh Marilyn and Mona!"@Spoonflower
2013 Australian Craft Awards – Finalist
My Scarves@2014 Scarf Festival: "Urban Artscape" Pashminas
My New Scarves and Fabric Lengths
New Range of Silk Neckties - Karma and Akash
AIVA: My New Hand Dyed and Hand Printed Fabric Design
New Colorways For My 'Cultural Graffiti' Fabrics
Byzantine Glow: A New Collection of My Digitally Designed Fabrics
Wall Flower: A New Collection of My Digitally Designed Fabrics
Ink Fern - A New Collection of My Digitally Designed Fabrics
Celebratory Fireworks
My New Silk ArtCloth Scarves
New ‘Unique State’ Silk ArtCloth Scarves
UBIRR - My New Hand Dyed & Printed Fabric Design
Renaissance Man - My New Hand Dyed & Printed Fabric Design
Banksia - My New Hand Dyed and Hand Printed Fabric Design
Ginkgo Love - My New Hand Dyed and Hand Printed Fabric Design
Garden Delights I & II - My New Hand Dyed and Hand Printed Fabric Design
Wallflower III - My New Hand Dyed and Hand Printed Fabric Design
Rainforest Beauty - Collection My New Hand Dyed and Hand Printed Fabric Design
Spring & Autumn Flurry Collection - My New Hand Dyed and Hand Printed Fabric Design
La Volute Collection - My New Hand Dyed and Hand Printed Fabric Design
Urban Butterfly - My New Hand Printed Fabric Design
Acanthus Dream - My New Hand Printed Fabric Design
“Cascading Acanthus” - My New Hand Dyed and Hand Printed Fabric Design
My New Hand Dyed and Hand Printed 'Rainforest Beauty' Pashmina Wraps Collection
My ArtCloth Tea Towels: A New Collection of Digitally Designed Products
Through the Land it Roared . . . ArtCloth Shawl
My New Hand Dyed and Hand Printed ‘Urban Codes - Series 1’ Collection
Urban Moonlight - My Post Graffiti Doily
My New Hand Printed Fabric Design - "Morocco" ArtCloth
‘Vine Glow’
“Bush Banksia’s” Collection"
Releasing My New - ‘Unique State’ ArtCloth Scarves

If you like any of my artworks in the above links, please email me at - Marie-Therese - for pricing and for any other enquiries.


Introduction
There are three basic ingredients (as opposed to definitions) that all artworks possess; (i) they need to be “engaged”; (ii) they are non-functional; (iii) they are aesthetic. Wearable Art is “Art” when placed in an art context but when it is not placed in an art context, its functionality obscures the act of engagement. My "Through the Land it Roared . . ." large shawl is a wearable art item.

Concept and Processes
During 2019 to 2020 the ferocity of the Australian bushfires drew international attention. Anthropogenic climate change has and will determine which flora and fauna will survive and which will eventually become extinct.

Koala
An Australian Koala trying to survive a horrific bush fire.

In 2019 the Newcastle Printmakers Workshop in Newcastle, NSW, Australia celebrated 40 years as the oldest community access printmaking workshop in Australia!

Forty current and past NPW printmakers were engaged and selected to celebrate this 40 year milestone anniversary. Each participating artist was randomly assigned a year that spanned the history of the workshop in order to act as a base for the concept of their artwork. Works could focus on global, local or personal interpretations. Each printmaker created an edition of 12 prints with a maximum print size of 28 x 28 cm.

My given year was 2005. I based my art print on the fruits of my research which centered on the devastating effects that Hurricane Katrina caused on the City of New Orleans. My print was titled: ‘Hurricane Katrina - The Disruptor.’

Note: For futher information about this artwork click on the following link - Hurricane Katrina - in order to view my contribution. My print, as well as the other 39 exceptional prints, were exhibited at the 2019 ’40/40’ NPW celebratory anniversary exhibition at Art Systems Wickham Gallery, Newcastle, NSW, between the 8th - 24th November 2019.

The ’40/40’ exhibition opening was held on Saturday, 9 November 2019 from 4 - 6pm and thereafter the participating artists and guests celebrated this special occasion with much merriment and memories at the beautiful Marina Views Function Centre and Restaurant. A good time was had by all!

On that very day, the 9 November 2019, my husband, Ellak, and I were getting ready to attend the exhibition opening and dinner. It was a hot, dry and windy day when an attack of glowing, hot, fire embers started blowing over our bushland area and homes in Wangi Wangi and Arcadia Vale, suburbs in Lake Macquarie, which were near to our home. It created small spot fires well ahead of a fire front. It came suddenly near our door step without warning!

Arcadia Vale
Image of firefighters from the Peninsula RFS Brigade battling the fire on Wangi Road, Arcadia Vale, Lake Macquarie, NSW.
Photograph courtesy of Chris Mason.

My husband decided there and then that he would not attend the exhibition and dinner as there was a lot at stake and insisted that I should attend. Our dog, Kira, could smell the smoke and was terribly nervous. Our neighbors had left earlier that day and their mother was home worried, not knowing what to do. My husband went to the neighbors and helped her hose down their home. He then came back to hose down our home and to help others who needed assistance in the street while the fire brigade attended to the fire at large some 400 metres from our place. Knowing that a garden hose was no match for spot fires and excessive ember attacks, along with others, he organised for all who could, to leave the area if conditions worsened. They would assemble at the local club which was close to the lake to seek refuge, and if further threatened by the fire storm, swim and seek refuge on boats that were moored nearby.

Fires
Firefighters battling the blaze off Wangi Road, Arcadia Vale, Lake Macquarie, NSW.
Photograph courtesy of Wallarah Rural Fire Brigade.

After a harrowing day of working fiercely and tirelessly protecting their homes and neighbors, the local community were advised that the fires were being extinguished by the fire crews and would be listed at an "Advice level".

Burnt Signage
Burnt signage at the top of the main intersection of Wangi Road and our street, Donnelly Road, Arcadia Vale, Lake Macquarie, NSW. The signage is only 300 meters from our home.


I raced home after the dinner to find my husband covered in soot and smoke, our dog Kira relieved that the events of the day had settled down somewhat. Fortunately the escape strategy was not needed! No-one slept easily that night since the lingering smoke that filled the air was acrid!

This was the fifth time we had experienced a fire event in our local area of Arcadia Vale and Wangi Wangi since we moved here in 1988. We hope that it might be the last. A most devasting, emotional and terrifying experience for anyone – be it humans, pets, flora and fauna - to be exposed to a fierce threat. In Australia and elsewhere many suffered great losses and hardships in the fire storms of 2019 and 2020 due to the effects of anthropogenic climate change.

For those who are familiar with my art practice, my passion for the natural world has created bodies of work examining anthropogenic climate change and the human designed environments we inhabit for the last two decades. These installations and individual artworks have been exhibited widely - internationally, nationally and locally. My written articles (including my artworks) on the subject have been published in numerous refereed journals, magazines, books, websites and blogspots.

To preserve the memory of fragile native species, such as the rainforest dogwood plant, I employed numerous traditional surface design and hand printing techniques to showcase the beauty and vulnerability of the flora and fauna to climate change within a unique and timeless aesthetic.

I employed a rayon shawl as a medium to represent the personal items and memories that make up our lives and homes, and which are/can be subsequently lost in a fire storm event.

As with all my textile art and designs, they start as a plain white fabrics (in this case a white rayon shawl). The shawl was individually dyed and overdyed using time-honored hand dyeing techniques to add visual depth, pattern and contrast to the background of the piece. Using time-honored hand printing processes, the shawl was then screen-printed with images of common dogwood over the entire piece in multiple layers. Paints were carefully mixed to ensure that the screen-printed images imparted rich, luscious, intense smokey colors to the multi dyed base colors. Layers of complex images were overprinted using glazes, transparent, opaque, and metallic pigments until a richly hued and multi layered surface was created reflecting the intensity of bushfires.


Technique and Media
Shibori dyed in light orange, shibori overdyed in red, shibori overdyed in black, screen-printed employing glazes, transparent, opaque, and metallic pigments on a rayon shawl.

Size
Shawl measures 1.9 meters in width x 1.15 meters in length.

Through the Land it Roared . . .
Shawl photographs below courtesy of Marie-Therese Wisniowski (in other words - me!)

ArtCloth Shawl
Full front view of the ArtCloth shawl, 'Through the Land it Roared . . .'

ArtCloth Shawl
Full back view of the ArtCloth shawl, 'Through the Land it Roared . . .'

ArtCloth Shawl
Detail front view of the ArtCloth shawl, 'Through the Land it Roared . . .'

ArtCloth Shawl
Detail view of the printed native rainforest dogwood plant.

Dogwood Plant
Detail view of the printed native rainforest dogwood plant catapulting through the intense fire storm blaze.

Shibori Background
Detail view of shibori patterned background reflecting the movement of hot air and gusty winds.

Shibori Background
Detail view of shibori patterned background and smokey colors in the piece.

Shibori Background
Detail view of shibori patterned background and more intense smokey colors in the piece.

Shibori Background
Detail view of shibori patterned background and intense burning flames colors in the piece.

Saturday, February 19, 2022

William Dobell's Drawings
Artist Profile
Marie-Therese Wisniowski

Introduction
William Dobell was born 1899 in Bull St, Cooks Hill, a suburb of Newcastle (Australia). He was the youngest of three brothers and three sisters. His grandfather guided his hand drawing sketches of horses.

William Dobell
William Dobell.

Dobell's artistic talents were evident early. In 1916, he was apprenticed to Newcastle architect, Wallace L. Porter and in 1924 he moved to Sydney as a draftsman. In 1925, he enrolled in evening art classes at the Sydney Art School (which later became the Julian Ashton Art School), with Henry Gibbons as his teacher. He was influenced by George Washington Lambert. He was also gay and consequently never married, while several of his works carried strong homoerotic overtones.

William Dobell
Sir William Dobell visiting an art class at the Newcastle Technical College Art School in 1956.

In 1929, Dobell was awarded the Society of Artists' Travelling Scholarship and travelled to England to the Slade School of Fine Art, where he studied under Philip Wilson Steer and Henry Tonks. In 1930, he won first prize for figure painting at Slade and also travelled to Poland. In 1931 he moved on to Belgium and Paris and after ten years in Europe returned to Australia – taking with him a new Expressionist style of painting as opposed to his earlier naturalistic approach.

William Dobell
William Dobell - Self Portrait (1969).

In 1939, he began working as a part-time teacher at East Sydney Technical College. After the outbreak of war, he was drafted into the Civil Construction Corps of the Allied Works Council in 1941 as a camouflage painter; he later became an unofficial war artist.

William Dobell
Photographer unknown.
Dobell in his London studio (ca. 1929).
Dobell House collection.

In 1944, he had his first solo exhibition including public collection loans at the inauguration of the David Jones Art Gallery, Sydney.

In 1949, he visited New Guinea as a guest of Sir Edward Hallstrom with writers Frank Clune and Colin Simpson. The trip inspired a new series of tiny, brilliantly coloured landscapes. In 1950, he revisited New Guinea; on his return to Australia he continued to paint scenes of New Guinea, as well as portraits.

In 1963 TIME magazine commissioned Dobell to paint four portraits for covers, one per year, of: Sir Robert Menzies, Prime Minister of Australia; South Vietnam's President Ngô Đình Diệm; Frederick G. Donner, the Chairman of General Motors; and Tunku Abdul Rahman, Prime Minister of Malaysia.

William Dobell


In 1964, Dobell exhibited in a major retrospective at the Art Gallery of New South Wales and the first monograph of his work was written by James Gleeson.

William Dobell


Many other monographs followed (e.g R. Woodrow, William Dobell: Hard Drawing).

On 14 May 1970, less than six weeks after a highly successful Dobell exhibition at the Newcastle Art Gallery, local Wangi greengrocer Bill Hilton found his friend William Dobell dead on the floor of his kitchen having died of a massive heart attack the previous night.


William Dobell's Drawings[1]

Slade School
Notes: Slade School studies (ca. 1930).
Materials: Conté crayon on paper.
Size: 31.1 x 38.2 cm.
Purchased: Newcastle Art Gallery, 1961.

Slade School
Notes: Slade School studies (ca. 1930). Presented by the Sir William Dobell Art Foundation (1976).
Materials: Pencil on paper.
Size: 38 x 28 cm.

Male Nude
Notes: Male Nude Reclining (1933). Presented by the Sir William Dobell Art Foundation (1976).
Materials: Pencil and ink on paper.
Size: 36 x 26 cm.

Dirt Cart
Notes: Study for The Dirt Cart (The Dirtose), 1936. Presented by the Sir William Dobell Art Foundation (1976). Exhibited at: The Drawings of Sir William Dobell, NCAG, Auguast 1971 (cat. no. 12). The painting, The Dirt Cart, reproduced by J Gleeson, William Dobell, London, 1969, I11. 15.
Materials: Pencil and ink and wash, squared up in pencil on paper.
Size: 20.2 x 15.7 cm.

Cockney Girls
Notes: Study of two cockney girls (ca. 1938). Exhibited at, The Drawings of Sir William Dobell, August, 1971.
Materials: Pencil on paper.
Size: 15.2 x 11.4 cm.

Preening Pelican
Notes: Preening pelican (ca. 1936). Presented by the Sir William Dobell Art Foundation (1976). One of a number of pelicans in Dobell's studio at the time of his death. These were probably some of the many studies of animals Dobell made in the London Zoo in 1936.
Materials: Sepia and conté crayon.
Size: 38.2 x 51.0 cm.

London Policeman
Notes: London policeman (ca. 1938). Presented by the Sir William Dobell Art Foundation (1976).
Materials: Pen and sepia ink.
Size: 20.0 x 16.0 cm.

Slouching Porter
Notes: Slouching porter (ca. 1938). Presented by the Sir William Dobell Art Foundation (1976).
Materials: Pen and ink on paper.
Size: 19.8 x 16.2 cm.

Student
Notes: Studies for The Student (ca. 1940 - 41). Presented by the Sir William Dobell Art Foundation (1976). The painting The Student is reproduced in S. Ure Smith (ed.) The Art of William Dobell, Sydney (1946) page 65, in private collection, Sydney.
Materials: Pencil on paper.
Size: 18.7 x 12.6 cm.

Brian Penton
Notes: Study of Brian Penton (ca. 1943). Purchased in 1961.
Exhibited: The Drawings of Sir William Dobell, Newcastle Art Gallery, August, 1971 (cat. no. 59).
Study for the portrait, Brian Penton, reproduced in J. Gleeson, William Dobell, London, 1969, Ill. 76.
Materials: Pencil on paper.
Size: 27.3 x 21.6 cm.

Civil Construction Man with Hose
Notes: Civil Construction man with hose No. 2 (ca. 1944). Presented by the Sir William Dobell Art Foundation (1976). Probably a study for Concrete Consolidation Worker, Sydney Graving Dock, 1944, reproduced in J. Gleeson, William Dobell, London (1969), Iii. 60.
Materials: Pen and ink on paper.
Size: 22.0 x 14.0 cm.

Seated Man in Shorts
Notes: Seated man in shorts. Presented by the Sir William Dobell Art Foundation (1976).
Materials: Pen and sepia ink on paper.
Size: 27.8 x 22.0 cm.

New Guinea Harvest
Notes: New Guinea harvest (1950). Presented by the Sir William Dobell Art Foundation (1976).
Materials: Pen and ink on paper.
Size: 11.5 x 16.4 cm.

Landscape at Dusk
Notes: Landscape at dusk. Presented by the Sir William Dobell Art Foundation (1976).
Materials: Pen and ink on paper.
Size: 121.2 x 25.5 cm.

Self Portrait
Notes: Self-portrait. Presented by the Sir William Dobell Art Foundation (1976).
Materials: Pen and ink on paper.
Size: 36.7 x 25.0 cm.

Study for self portrait
Notes: Study for Self-portrait (ca. 1965). Purchased from the Sir William Dobell Art Foundation and presented by the Art Gallery and Conservatorium Committee (1972).
Exhibited: The Drawings of Sir William Dobell, NCAG August 1971 (cat. no. 87). One of three studies for a self-portrait which was left unfinished at the time of Dobell's death.
Materials: Pencil on paper.
Size: 19.0 x 28.1 cm.

Wangi Scene
Notes: My favourite since I live less than 0.5 km from this scene. Wangi scene. Presented by the Sir William Dobell Art Foundation (1976).
Materials: Pen and ink on paper.
Size: 17.0 x 22.8 cm.


Reference:
[1] Australian Drawings in the Newcastle Regional Art Gallery, Newcastle Regional Art Gallery, Newcastle (Australia) (1982).

Saturday, February 12, 2022

Wearables from the USA [1]
Wearable Art
Marie-Therese Wisniowski

Introduction
There is an increasing scceptance of the fiber arts by major museums and galleries. Fashion in particular forms an important category collection in national museums and galleries throughout the developed world. Some of these institutions are solely dedicated to this category (eg. Costume Museum of Canada).

Costume
Mission Statement: The costume we wear each day is influenced by climate, occupation, economic factors, societal role, religion, the task at hand, age, gender and the time in which we live. Our museum seeks to preserve and exhibit the costumes worn by the people of Canada over the decades.


Wearables from the USA [1]
Wearables from USA
Designer and Descriptor: Karen K. Brito, Dry Savannah Pelt (two views).
Materials and Tehniques: White-shadow and arashi shibori; silk, glass beads, metal logo.
Comment [1]: "My goal is to combine color and texture in such a way that the texture makes the color shimmer, and the color accentuates the texture."
Photo Courtesy: Joe van de Hatert.

Wearables from USA
Designer and Descriptor: Heather Nania, Orchid Dress.
Materials and Tehniques: Screen printed, discharged, shibori heat-set; silk organza, charmeuse.
Photo Courtesy: M Studio.

Wearables from USA
Designer and Descriptor: Cheri Reckers, Peacock Ensemble.
Materials and Tehniques: Dyed, hand painted, hand and machine stitched; silk/rayon/stretch velvet, silk satin georgette, silk double-crepe georgette, feathers, dyes, gutta resist.
Comment [1]: Inspired by neighboring peacocks whose quiet elegance unfolds into a dramatic display with a profusion of color.
Photo Courtesy: Michael Ceschiat.

Wearables from USA
Designer and Descriptor: Kayla Kennington, Fire Blossom Phoenix.
Materials and Tehniques: Quilted, digitized, embroidered, draped, pin-tucked; Vietnamese silk, Cambodian organza, beads, thread.
Comment [1]: This piece was done as a tribute to the villagers in Vietnam who created this wonderful fabric. It won the "Créme de la Créme" top award for the Bernina Fashion Show in 2002.
Photo Courtesy: Michael Ceschiat.

Wearables from USA
Designer and Descriptor: Koos van den Akker, Circles Swing Coat.
Materials and Tehniques: Appliquéd, taped, couched, quilted; cashmere, rayon, silk taffeta, wool yarn, flocked chiffon.
Photo Courtesy: Larry Friar.

Wearables from USA
Designer and Descriptor: Kay Disbrow, Tibetan Prayer Bead.
Materials and Tehniques: Dye painted, dextrin resist, sewn; silk/rayon velvet.
. Comment [1]: These pieces were created as a personal resistence to violence in our culture, using a touchstone - a Tibetan prayer bead - as a reminder of the many traditions of work that were created to highlight a pathway towards inner peace.
Model: Emily Barzin.
Photo Courtesy: Peter Kricker.

Wearables from USA
Designer and Descriptor: Cynthia McGuirl, Kimono 74.
Materials and Tehniques: Woven, sewn; cotton warp, rayon chenille weft.
Comment [1]: "My current weaving uses rayon chenille on a fine cotton warp in polychrome summer and winter weave. This combination creates a visual language of rug design in a soft, velvety fabric that is brought to life by the wearer."


Reference:
[1] Editor: S.M. Kiefer, Fiber Arts Design Book 7, Lark Books, New York (2004).

Saturday, February 5, 2022

Painting Art - Part VI [1]
Art Resource

Marie-Therese Wisniowski

Preamble
This is the seventh post in a new Art Resource series that specifically focuses on techniques used in creating artworks. For your convenience I have listed all the posts in this new series below:
Drawing Art
Painting Art - Part I
Painting Art - Part II
Painting Art - Part III
Painting Art - Part IV
Painting Art - Part V
Painting Art - Part VI
Home-Made Painting Art Materials
Quality in Ready-Made Artists' Supplies - Part I
Quality in Ready-Made Artists' Supplies - Part II
Quality in Ready-Made Artists' Supplies - Part III
Historical Notes on Art - Part I
Historical Notes on Art - Part II
Historical Notes on Art - Part III
Historical Notes on Art - Part IV
Historical Notes on Art - Part V
Tempera Painting
Oil Painting - Part I
Oil Painting - Part II
Oil Painting - Part III
Oil Painting - Part IV
Oil Painting - Part V
Oil Painting - Part VI
Pigments
Classification of Pigments - Part I
Classification of Pigments - Part II
Classification of Pigments - Part III
Pigments for Oil Painting
Pigments for Water Color
Pigments for Tempera Painting
Pigments for Pastel

There have been one hundred and thirteen posts in a previous Art Resource series that focused on the following topics:
(i) Units used in dyeing and printing of fabrics.
(ii) Occupational, health & safety issues in an art studio.
(iii) Color theories and color schemes.
(iv) Optical properties of fiber materials.
(v) General properties of fiber polymers and fibers - Part I to Part V.
(vi) Protein fibers.
(vii) Natural and man-made cellulosic fibers.
(viii) Fiber blends and melt spun fibers.
(ix) Fabric construction.
(x) Techniques and woven fibers.
(xi) Basic and figured weaves.
(xii) Pile, woven and knot pile fabrics.
(xiii) Napped fabrics, double cloth and multicomponent fabrics.
(xiv) Fabric finishes.
(xv) Schrinkage, durable press and wash-wear finishes.
(xvi) Classification of dyes and dye blends.
(xvii) The general theory of printing.

To access any of the above resources click on the following link - Units Used in Dyeing and Printing of Fabrics. This link highlights the one hundred and thirteen posts in the previous Art Resource series.

There are eight data bases on this blogspot, namely: (1) the Glossary of Cultural and Architectural Terms; (2) Timelines of Fabrics, Dyes and Other Stuff; (3) A Fashion Data Base; (4) the Glossary of Colors, Dyes, Inks, Pigments and Resins; (5) the Glossary of Fabrics, Fibers, Finishes, Garments and Yarns; (6) Glossary of Art, Artists, Art Motifs and Art Movements; (7) Glossary of Paper, Photography, Printing, Prints and Publication Terms; (8) Glossary of Scientific Terms.
Note: From time-to-time all the above data bases will be updated.

If you find any post on this blog site useful, you can save it or copy and paste it into your own "Word" document for your future reference. For example, Safari allows you to save a post (e.g., click on "File", click on "Print" and release, click on "PDF" and then click on "Save As" and release - and a PDF should appear where you have stored it). Safari also allows you to mail a post to a friend (e.g., click on "File", and then point cursor to "Mail Contents On This Page" and release). Either way, this or any of the other posts on this site may be a useful Art Resource for you.

The new Art Resource series will be the first post in each calendar month. Remember, these Art Resource posts span information that will be useful for a home hobbyist to that required by a final year University Fine-Art student. Undoubtedly, some parts of any Art Resource post may appear far too technical for your needs (skip those mind boggling parts) and whilst other parts may be too simplistic with respect to your level of knowledge (ditto the skip). Hopefully, the trade-off between these two extremes will mean that the Art Resource posts will be useful in parts to most, but unfortunately, may not be satisfying to all!


Painting Art - Part VI[1]
(i) Permanence
The subject of permanence, one of the all-important considerations in the creation of art, has many aspects, and it will be found emphasized throughout all rational discussions of artists' materials and techniques.

Art Restoration
Art Restoration | SERVPRO of Santa Monica / Venice Beach.

Permanence has a different meaning to the artist from the one it has when applied to industrial paints or to raw materials originally made or designed for purposes other than easel or mural painting. To artists it means infinite longevity; their paintings or works of art are supposed to remain in good condition as long as possible, when properly cared for under the conditions that are normally given to works of art.

Mold on paper
Mold on paper. It is especially annoying when it reaches the back of your most valuable print on paper artwork.

Industrial or architectural paints, varnishes, enamels and lacquers are not expected to last forever; they are considered acceptably permanent if they survive under the conditions which they are designed to withstand for relatively brief periods; when applied to durable surfaces for which they are intended, they should never be applied to a permanent easel or for mural purposes.

Industrial paints


Also, their raw materials (pigments, resins, oils etc.) should not be used in artist's paints or media unless they have been proven to meet the artist's requirements for permanence by the test of time or by other tests made from the artist's standpoint; they should not be adopted just because they may have been successful in some other field, such as when used as house paints, printing inks or on plastics.

Artists paints
Watercolor is a beautiful painting medium, but it is not well suited to painting on canvas. The water-based paint tends to form beads and dry irregularly on canvas, especially a primed canvas. While this could be fun to add effects to a mixed media painting, working in watercolor on canvas will likely be frustrating for creating a complete work of art. An absorbent watercolor paper is a far better choice.

When the paint on a work of art soon cracks, peels off or in fact disintegrates in any way, we generally call it a failure. In discussions of industrial paints, the same condition would be referred to as a premature failure. However, some artists have specifically employed the effect for visual engagement.

Cracked Artwork
To enhance the act of engagement, a purposely cracked artwork.

(ii) The Artist's Responsibility[1]
In remarks about the quality of painting materials, it must be understood that the reliability of the paints and grounds is by itself no guarantee of infallible permanence and effectiveness of results. Just as many failures and just as many disappointing effects are caused by improper use of materials as by the use of faulty paints.

Spanish Painting
An amateur destroys a Spanish painting in a failed restoration by painting over the original work.

Paint is not a finished product. It comes nicely labelled and put up in neat little packages, yet it is only a raw material; the finished "product" is the picture - the dried paint layer on a canvas, panel, paper, or wall, and for the "production" of this, the artist must share equal responsibility with the paint manufacturer. Hence the use of the right material for the right purpose, the proper selection of materials and implements, and their correct application are of equal importance.

Color Fields
Title: Color Fields (2015).
Material: Various pigments and spices.
Artist: Sonia Falcone.


Reference:
[1] The Artist's Handbook of Materials and Techniques, R. Mayer, (ed. E. Smith) 4th Edition, Faber and Faber, London (1981).