What exactly does
Archival Abstract Art mean
and why should I care?
In terms of art, archival quality
refers to longevity.
With the growing popularity of Scrapbooking,
words like acid-free, archival, museum-quality abound in print ads and
the like.
We've all kept a newspaper article
for some reason or other. Ever notice how brown and fragile the paper gets over time? That is the acid in the newsprint doing it's work. Not so good to use for something you want to be around in 50-100 years.
"How long will this
painting be around?"
As a responsible, internationally-collected
artist,
I make sure my surface (also referred to as ground)
is of the highest quality.
If I paint on paper, it is all cotton and/or acid-free. If I am using canvas, it is artist-quality.
Artist-quality?
As with most things in life, quality is directly related to price. Newsprint paper is fairly cheap for a large quantity;
somewhere in the area of $10 for 100 sheets.
Artist-quality paper
(remember that all-cotton, acid-free part?)
will cost anywhere from $5-$25 a sheet!
Artist-quality canvas
is made from canvas duck fabric
and coated with a primer called gesso
(the g sounds like a j).
Canvas duck comes in different weights,
from 5 ounce to 12, even 18 ounce.
(I'm not sure why the ounce reference either,
I just know the higher the number the heavier and more durable the fabric)
Canvases can be primed with one layer or two layers of gesso.
Artist-quality canvas is at
least a 7-ounce weight
and has two layers of high-quality acrylic gesso.
This makes for an excellent painting surface that is strong and durable.
Archival? You bet!
Acid-free? Absolutely!
What about the paint?
I only use products made by Golden
Artist Colors
They are ... wait for it ...
Artist-quality
(just pigment and binder, no filler) with great adhesion
Color-fast
(no fading, so red does not fade to pink)
Luscious
(a high-tech art word describing paint artists' love to use)
So, to answer your question:
"How long will this
painting be around?"
For a very, very long time.
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