Our new Opus Cradled Panels have been created with you, the artist, in mind! What exactly is a cradled panel? A cradled panel is a painting support, whereby a piece of wood has had other, narrower, pieces of wood glued flush to the back edge of the itself. This process creates extra support or a ?cradle? for your painting surface that adds extra depth and dimension. Opus Cradled Panels are available in two depths, 3/4" and 1 1/2".

The smooth surface of the wood refracts light differently than canvas, making colours more brilliant and vibrant. With its stable and consistent surface, it's perfect for smooth blending of colors, fine brushwork and detail. Your panels need to be finished with a good primer or gesso before painting on them. It is also a good idea to put a sealing layer on the inside of the panel, with gesso, to prevent any possible warping that can occur when the top sealing layer is drying. Unlike hardboard that has been processed and reconstructed, plywood and other solid wood panels still have their cell structure intact and the harmful lignins and wood tannins could affect a painting if not sealed correctly. Opus recommends using Golden's Polymer GAC or artist quality gesso to seal panels for water-based painting and Gamblin's Oil Painting Ground or Traditional Gesso for use with oil paints. The use of the cradled panel doesn't end with oil and acrylic painting! It is also an excellent support for artists who like to work on paper. You can easily take any work on paper, glue it to the gessoed or primed panel using Opus Wood and Paper Glue and then seal it with a spray varnish. Both the Winsor & Newton and Golden spray varnishes are excellent products. Alternately, glue your favourite paper onto a panel first, and then work on your drawing or mixed media piece.

To top it all off, the Opus Cradled Panel offers new and exciting possibilities for creating or displaying your artwork. Pair the Opus Cradled Panel with the Opus Canvas Frame, to create a shadow box frame. Take a page out of Joseph Cornell's book and create a series of assemblage or collage pieces, using FW inks, decorative papers and found objects. Display keepsakes and collectibles or strange oddities found in out of the way locales or in your back yard. To display artwork on the topside of the panels, you can hang your panel on the wall as is ? eliminating the need for glass and framing. Try priming the sides and continuing your image around the edges, or painting or staining the sides a solid colour to bring the eye into your art without a frame or leave it plain.

We had a blast realizing the potential of this product, and you can too. The options are only limited by your imagination!

? Painting support for any medium ? oils, acrylic and watercolours on paper.

? Paint directly on the surface or glue any paper to the panel.

? The Opus Canvas Frame and the Opus Cradled Panel can be used in conjunction with each other to make a shadowbox frame.

? Two of the Opus Cradled Panels can be put back to back with a simple hinge to create a custom wooden box.

? Prime the underside of your panel, to help prevent any possible warping that can occur when the top layer is drying.

? Mount works on paper onto primed Opus Cradle Panels with Opus wood and paper glue or Letraset adhesive sheets.

? Prime the sides of your Opus Cradled Panel and extend your painting over the edge of the painting surface.