SOUTHERN JEWELS
Watercolor on gessoed paper - 15x20
As many of you know gesso is a white paint mixture consisting of a binder mixed with chalk, gypsum, pigment, or any combination of these. It has historically been used in artwork as preparation for any number of substrates such as wood panels, canvas and sculpture as a base for paint and other materials that are applied over it.
For Southern Jewels I used gesso on 140 lb watercolor paper to provide a slick surface for the watercolor paint, allowing for fun texture and easy lifting of the paint for the white flowers. Gesso can also be used for stamping, glue, glaze, a transfer medium stencil paste and pastel ground. If you haven't tried gesso yet you should run right out and get some!
