Edges

I am busy getting paintings ready for the show at the Gordon Snelgrove Gallery in Saskatoon next week. Everything has to be wired and ready to go by Friday. The paintings have been chosen and I am working on the finishing, the signatures, the wisp of white here or there, an added cloud or water drop, or pink glow. As I stand back, I know I have left all my edges raw; they are not painted nor are they stained. Where the panels are cradled birch, I have for the most part left the wood in its natural state. If the artwork is a canvas, I paint only on the front and leave the sides clean, except for the slip of an eager brushstroke here or there. I am not a messy painter and do try to keep things neat.

I have read that visual art on canvas or panel is considered by some to be unfinished if the edges are not painted. Actually, a question I get asked quite often is, “Are you supposed to leave the edges like that or paint them”?

Here is the simple answer, I like them like this.

When I see artwork painted around the edges like wrapping paper, I cringe. I have tried that and it always looks slapped on and inaccurate. When you are trying to continue a scene on an angle around a corner, it just doesn’t match well no matter how hard you try. Some artists grab a random colour, black in many cases, or mix together all the colours on that particular piece and paint all the edges with it. I used black once, and I didn’t mind it on that one panel, the artwork itself happened to be all black and white. But black sure isn’t my go-to when it comes to edges.

When I view a canvas, I spend a lot of time savouring the edges of the work. This give me clues to the personality of the painter. What colour was used for the underpainting (which gives me an idea of the mood the artist was trying to create)? What size of brush strokes were used (which may suggest the type of brush the artist prefers)? How many layers of glaze were applied (how much struggle was involved to get things just right)?

For me, the edges of a painting are a treasure hunt. They are like wrinkles on a beautiful face. What has this painting been through to get here? I just can’t cover them with paint. And the wood cradled panel glows all on its own, and frames my coloured work so well, why would I want to hide it?

How would you like your edges, madam? I like mine raw, please.