Latex paint flexible?

molamola

I have a friend who just did a fine art painting using some sort of latex as a ground. She then painted her somewhat thick oils over the latex. I don't want to atagonize her by asking exactly what paint she used.

I'm thinking it's not good craft to paint oils over 'latex' as the oils could eventually peel or crack.

Am I correct?

thanks in advance,

Mm

slickshift

Though you do have a valid point (it could be an issue in some circumstances), there are some latex products that are commonly used as an underbody for oils

molamola

Thanks for a quick reply!

I have been considering buying a painting from this artist, but I think I won't because she's vague about how she does things. I don't want to pay for something that has a limited lifespan.

And I see I goofed with my first post, oops, I'll be more careful in the future. Such a great place! I just bought a house that was built in '72, it needs everything! I might have some questions...

Cheers,

Mm

Nestor_Kelebay

I really don't see a problem applying oil based paint over a latex paint on a painting.

People apply oil based paints over latex primers all the time.

It's true that if this were a working surface, putting oil over latex isn't a good idea because that's putting a hard film over a soft one, and the result is that the hard film will be more inclined to "chip" off if it gets hit or impacted by something hard.

But, a painting isn't a working surface. You're not going to be storing pots and pans or stacks of dishes on it, you won't be walking or doing things on the surface of the painting.

In my view, what this artist has done is no different than putting oil based paint over a latex primer, and that's common. I'd only be concerned if this were a working surface.

Git

I know nothing about painting, but I did a quick google search. Go to this page and scroll down to "priming the canvas". Could this "some sort of latex" be Gesso?

preparing a canvas

dorothyolive

In art school we coated the canvas with Gesso. Applying oil paint directly on the canvas can actually eat through the canvas. I believe that the Gesso was latex based. None of my paintings has had problems with cracking or peeling, even after being stored in extreme temperature conditions. I wouldn't worry about the oil on top of a latex coated canvas. This method is used by most artists.

molamola

Gesso is specifically designed to be a ground. I'm thinking a bright red latex could be a slick surface without 'tooth' to hold the paint.

Nestor_Kelebay

You mean a GLOSS red latex could be a slick surface without tooth to hold the paint.

A dead flat red latex would have tooth like a crocodile.

molamola

Absolutely. This person ran a framing shop for twenty years, then started painting four years ago, self taught. Tooth and other mechanical needs of painting, the craft of painting, needs to be learned from books or a quality teacher. I've asked twice what kind of paint is the ground, and not gotten a satisfactory answer. Someone who's even just glanced through Mayer or any other technique book would know, but not a self taught painter relying on other un-knowlegible people selling art supplies or house paint.

End of rant!! I once was asked, by a very sweet old lady, how large portrait of her grandchildern could be fixed. It looked awful. Broad areas of black that were cracked and peeling. Very sad. And unnecessary.

OK, thank you for your post,

Melissa