This is one of those that look better close up. Small and far away, it just looks like a really nice photo.
It takes a lot of skill to paint convincing jpeg compression artefacts
That’s striking. The colors and her expression really tell a story. It’s so weird to see modern tech in oil, but I think the headphones are perfect.
I wonder how the aluminium affects the appearance. Also - that sounds difficult to paint on.
Once primed or prepared as you need, it’s basically the same as painting on any other board - but it’s very lightweight and very smooth and completely non-absorbent (which may be a pro or con, depending on what you’re doing).
Most of the benefit is for storage or long term archival reasons - it won’t warp through humidity, it doesn’t expand or shrink with temperature, it can’t rot, it doesn’t need retightening or adjusting in anyway. It weighs significantly less than a wooden panel of equivalent thickness, and insects, moisture or any particles at all can’t get through the back of it.
It should be no easier or harder to paint on than board.
Interesting. So once it’s effectively gesso’d, it’s as easy as painting on canvas… but much more long term stable/archival. Are people moving to aluminium more then? Is it cheaper than stretched canvas?
This is a remarkably beautiful painting nonetheless.
You don’t see a lot of it about. I think it’s more expensive than the others generally, but there’s more variation in quality.
A lot of people chase the romanticism of “oil on canvas”, and they’re probably right to, as I think people generally find it “feels more proper” - and the difference might swing it for a sale or exhibition opportunity.
So for example, looking at Jacksons Art Supplies in the UK a 30cm x 30cm aluminium board is £20-£30. That’s a flat, uncradled panel - so if you wanted to be able to hang it professionally, it would need either a frame or a split baton or other hanging method bonded onto the panel. Much easier to do that before you paint, of course - as you can fully clamp it together.
You tend to see a lot of photography work printed on di-bond sheet - which is a pair of thin aluminium sheets sandwiching a sort of foam core. You’ll see 50 of those for every painting on aluminium - though obviously this depends on what country/city/level of exhibition you’re working on/in.
For comparison, a cradled, smoothed wooden board would be about £8 (cradled means it already has a frame for you to screw gallery-quality fittings into).
An uncradled 5mm MDF board, £15 for a pack of 5, so £3 each.
Canvas obviously varies massively - from an art supplier, you may pay £8 to £70 for a 30cm x 30cm Canvas, depending on cotton/linen or fineness of the material.
You can also get 5 for £5 off of Amazon or a craft shop, and most people won’t know the difference or care.
Thanks for the very informative replies. Appreciate it.
You’re very welcome. It’s nice to see some art-nerd questions on here :)
Thought this was a photo! Very beautiful piece
