My original art is executed on a number of supports, and each one affects the look of the finished painting in remarkable ways.

I started painting on 140 pound watercolor paper but have changed to using 300 pound watercolor paper almost exclusively for it's toughness and durability - it is a lot heavier paper, 100% cotton, archival and a joy to work with. Nothing else looks like watercolor paper, and it has a brush-feel unlike any other support.

I also use treated Masonite for some paintings, particularly those that I intend to collage. The Masonite, which is made by compressing wood fibers with heat alone (no glue), is a tough, durable, renewable surface. I always prime it with an acrylic medium to prevent any interaction between the board and the painting.

One of my favorite supports is Claybord, a commercially prepared Masonite board with a bright white, slick surface comprised of kaolin clay. You can often tell when I use it - I stand it upright, wet it and apply paint very loosely so it drips and cavorts and makes interesting patterns for the underpainting.

I occasionally use canvas, too, as manufacturers have begun making good watercolor canvas products that receive watermedia much better than traditional gessoed canvas did.

Every paint I use is very high quality and has the highest lightfastness available. It's important to me that my work not fade or change unduly over time; though keep in mind that any painting hung in direct sunlight will fade. 

I am a mixed watermedia painter, which means I use watercolor, acrylic, casein, gouache, watercolor pencils, pastels and chacoal in any and all combinations to achieve what I am after in a piece of work. I also use specially prepared art papers for collage occasionally, along with some acrylic mediums to create texture.

I spray works using pastel with a light fixative that does not destroy the quality of the pastel but fixes it so it does not flake off the painting and interfere with the matting. Works on Masonite or Claybord are finished with several coats of Golden Satin UVLS spray, a tough, acrylic varnish that protects the work from ultraviolet light.