Yupo? Don't Mind If I Do

"Remains of An Empire" Watercolor on Yupo Synthetic Paper

"Iris Dance" Watercolor on Yupo Synthetic Paper

"Canyon Dream"  Watercolor on Yupo Synthetic Paper

Artists for years have used things like panel, board, canvas, and paper on which to create their work. As a watercolor artist the traditional substrate I thought I was supposed to use was paper, specifically watercolor paper.  Watercolor paper is cold or hot press, and comes in weights like 140 pound and 300 pound.  It is designed to work with watercolor pigments and water, absorbing these and in many ways limiting the freedom to correct and just let the colors and thoughts flow when creating a painting. It's something I got to used to as a watercolor artist and I always dreaded the need to make a fix on paper.  And then came Yupo.

What the heck is Yupo?  If you look at the site Yupo Synthetic Paper, YUPO is"...100% recyclable, waterproof, tree-free Synthetic Paper with attributes and properties that make it the perfect solution for a variety of marketing, design, packaging and labeling needs..."  Which sounds fairly technical, ecologically great, a little daunting, and makes you wonder how it can be paper if its, well, plastic. No matter.  As an artist all I care about is how to apply brilliant colors to Yupo,  how I can try to control and manipulate it, and how in the end I basically have to let it do what it wants with my watercolor applications. Which is where the best fun and the best results happen.  Sometimes it's good to loose control if the results are good for you.  

Visit my website and take a look at some of my work -- and see if you can spy the pieces I have painted using Yupo.
Krys Pettit Original Artwork