Canson Canva-Paper: Great for Mixed Media!

I hit a wall a few weeks ago, after taking a week off painting. I returned to pastels and plein air, only to feel that I needed to breathe new life into my work. The best way I know to do that: experiment!

I've used Canson Canva-paper a few times before. I wanted to see how it held up under some thick paint, and played around with my palette knife and some acrylic paint (applied impasto style). After adding a layer of chalk pastel to each, I ended up with the following two pieces:

"Shimmer" 12 x 16 Acrylic and Pastel on Canson Canva-paper
Click here to purchase original

"Dschungel" 12 x 16 Acrylic and Chalk Pastel on Canson Canva-paper
Email nicolehilsabeck@yahoo.com if interested in purchasing

("Dschungel" is German for "Jungle." It's always been one of my favorite German words.)

Both of these pieces were based loosely on photographs taken around Southern California (one at a butterfly exhibit, another at a theme park). I honestly didn't feel much like painting at all, since I've been in a seasonal allergy fog for a few weeks. I told myself I would just slap some paint on the heavy-duty paper and see what came out. In a quick burst of painting, I "knifed out" the basic compositions for these two pieces and was quite pleased with the strength of the paper. I also love its texture, which shows through under the paint. The only caveat I have with this paper is that I have trouble getting a good photo of the finished piece. Thankfully, we had soft afternoon light today (unusual for this area), and I was able to take some good photos outside in the sunlight.

The following painting was also done on Canson Canva-paper a couple of weeks ago, in a rare plein air session where I had a couple of free hours to experiment with some oil pastels and watercolor. It took me until today to get a decent photo, which is why I hadn't posted it before:

"Canyon Houses" 12 x 16 Oil Pastel and Watercolor on Canson Canva-Paper
Email nicolehilsabeck@yahoo.com if interested in purchasing

In "Canyon Houses," I applied the watercolor both as a wash and straight from the tube for added texture. Again, the paper's texture showed through, lending a patchwork feel to the piece. I wouldn't recommend the oil pastel and thick watercolor combination for the timid artist-- it's easy to lose control of the watercolor. One of the things I enjoy about mixing media is that loss of control; sometimes I just start with a basic idea and see where the mediums take me.

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