People often ask me  about the translucent “paper” I use.  It’s called Yupo and unlike Mylar, has the ability to hold water-based media on its surface.  Lucky for me, Yupo became available in this country in 1996, so when I was looking for a transparent surface for watercolor, a friend was able to recommend it.  Interesting that I had to find  a new “space-age” product to use with the age-old medium of watercolor.  Yupo has a shimmery, silky quality that doesn’t come across in reproduction.   In the above painting, Psekas, I have overlaid four sheets of Yupo, each painted with a slightly different hue of gold circles.  If you look closely, you can see where the sheets overlap, or don’t.

Yupo is archival, which means it is not supposed to change over time, it doesn’t out-gas any toxic fumes, and according to the manufacturer, it is “tree-free” and 100% recyclable.  Not that I want anyone to recycle my paintings!

About these ads