Wolf Kahn tells it all and product problems

cradled birch panels prepped for landscape or figure work

 I'm experimenting with painting surfaces for more work with acrylics and oils. Our local independent art store, Art Media, has sold out (!) to Dick Blick this month. In the meantime, they had some great deals of cradled birch panels. Inexpensive and beautifully crafted and a DEAL! I bought many. You can see them in the top photograph, prepped with gesso and layers of acrylic paint. What a joy to work on these! 

I also bought a number of boxes of cradled wood panels from Cheap Joe's when they were on sale. I prepped them with gesso without a problem. Then, when I slopped on some acrylic and water and worked to create a somewhat abstract ground, something happened. 

The gessoed surface took the water and lifted in wrinkles as you can see in the second photo. 

Now I don't know what to do. Should I sand it down and re-apply gesso and see if I can get it back to a flat surface? Go ahead and work over the top of the wrinkles?What would you do?

Wolf Kahn always makes me consider how I can become a better painter. In his lecture, "Six Good Reasons Not to Paint a Landscape," I am challenged by his call to not making "wall furniture" with my artwork. I hope that you feel likewise inspired when you listen to his words here!

"Art is any object that's created to elicit feelings. If doesn't do that, it doesn't really do its job." -- Wolf Kahn

Thanks to Elio Camacho for sharing this lecture on his Facebook page.