# Artist Statement

**URL:** <https://www.smartermarx.com/t/artist-statement/308>\
**Category:** Critique Corner\
**Created:** [March 20, 2017, 6:48pm UTC](https://www.smartermarx.com/t/artist-statement/308 "2017-03-20T18:48:44Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![JohnLivesey](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/www.smartermarx.com/johnlivesey/32/172_2.png) [@JohnLivesey](https://www.smartermarx.com/u/JohnLivesey)\
**Post date:** [March 20, 2017, 6:48pm UTC](https://www.smartermarx.com/t/artist-statement/308/1 "2017-03-20T18:48:44Z")

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Feel free to tell me if it is lame ! 😅 (1st attempt)

 ![](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/uploads/smartmarx/original/1X/d98f0608144aff0d7b0666c6e83f6c77e2dac134.png)

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**Author:** ![AWaichulis](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/www.smartermarx.com/awaichulis/32/2859_2.png) [@AWaichulis](https://www.smartermarx.com/u/AWaichulis)\
**Post date:** [March 20, 2017, 6:50pm UTC](https://www.smartermarx.com/t/artist-statement/308/2 "2017-03-20T18:50:51Z")

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It’s great John! --with an awesome photo as well. 😃

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**Author:** ![stella539912](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/898d66/32.png) [@stella539912](https://www.smartermarx.com/u/stella539912)\
**Post date:** [March 20, 2017, 10:09pm UTC](https://www.smartermarx.com/t/artist-statement/308/3 "2017-03-20T22:09:16Z")

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10 coats of gesso? 😮

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**Author:** ![JohnLivesey](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/www.smartermarx.com/johnlivesey/32/172_2.png) [@JohnLivesey](https://www.smartermarx.com/u/JohnLivesey)\
**Post date:** [March 20, 2017, 11:20pm UTC](https://www.smartermarx.com/t/artist-statement/308/4 "2017-03-20T23:20:47Z")

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Yup 🙂 . Do a number of panels at a time too. As take 5 days to prep (2 coats a day).

As I send this message I’m just painting the backs of six boards that recently gessoed so nice and neat 🙂

 ![](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/uploads/smartmarx/original/1X/5fb5adeb9f97e20162570625f9a7b5182a813b67.JPG)

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**Author:** ![Bert](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/www.smartermarx.com/bert/32/419_2.png) [@Bert](https://www.smartermarx.com/u/Bert)\
**Post date:** [March 21, 2017, 7:38am UTC](https://www.smartermarx.com/t/artist-statement/308/5 "2017-03-21T07:38:34Z")

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You did a good job. The most important for me in a reading like this, is to feel if someone stays authentic and close to him/herself, and you did just that 👍

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**Author:** ![stella539912](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/898d66/32.png) [@stella539912](https://www.smartermarx.com/u/stella539912)\
**Post date:** [March 22, 2017, 11:34am UTC](https://www.smartermarx.com/t/artist-statement/308/6 "2017-03-22T11:34:14Z")

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Wow, the backs look great! 😍

I’m curious about the number of coats- do you feel it makes a difference in absorbance or is it more for smoothness?

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**Author:** ![JohnLivesey](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/www.smartermarx.com/johnlivesey/32/172_2.png) [@JohnLivesey](https://www.smartermarx.com/u/JohnLivesey)\
**Post date:** [March 22, 2017, 11:53am UTC](https://www.smartermarx.com/t/artist-statement/308/7 "2017-03-22T11:53:19Z")

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Thankyou. Hopefully the fronts will be good too 🙂

Well less coats would probably be enough to prevent absorbancy but when sanding you want a nice even surface with no risk of going back to the board. I take (probably a bit paranoid) extra step of an initial layer of gac100 to seal the board.

I know that way I have confidence in the panel during the painting process and that they will last long after. You invest a lot of time painting pieces. So you don’t want that work undone by rushing the foundations.