Matisse MM36 is permanent, flexible water-based ground, with a high tooth finish, for canvas, board, wood panels or paper. High Tooth Gesso dries to a bright white, matte surface that provides much more €œbite€ and absorbency than a standard gesso, making it a recommended ground for encaustic work or as a soft and oil pastel primer.

While it is possible to make your own encaustic gesso, to prepare your substrate, it can also be a time consuming, messy and expensive process. Homemade encaustic gesso must also be used within a few days as it susceptible to mould growth.

In response to this problem, Matisse has created MM36 High Tooth Gesso (Encaustic). This unique product provides an easy alternative to creating a surface for encaustic painting. Used straight from the container, High Tooth Gesso dries to a white, matte surface that provides much more €œbite€ than standard gessoes. More importantly, it is water-based and contains no acrylic resins that would make the surface too smooth and refined for the application of wax. Although pre-treated encaustic painting boards are available, using Matisse High Tooth Gesso allows the artist to customize the surface sizing of their project and is also more economical.

The techniques and methods of encaustic painting are many, and the use of Matisse High Tooth Gesso caters for them all and ensures that your artwork will remain stable for as long as possible.