Wow, received a sale catalogue from Jerry's Artarama not long ago and they had a great sale on hog hair filberts and flats. That's what I use, mostly filberts but flats are great for straight lines when doing boats, roof eaves, etc. 14 brushes for $35...not bad at all. They are cheapo brushes but with some quality in them. I don't use expensive brand name brushes since I'm pretty hard on them....so many swishes in the turpentine when cleaning them and they've had it. I've used a good brush cleaner and conditioner before but you know I don't really like spending time fixing brushes, I'd rather paint with them until they've had it and then I either keep them in a seperate can until I need that beat up brush for wild natural grasses that go every which way.
I'm not real big on buying the most expensive stuff for art since art really isn't about what you create it with....it's about what you sign your name to....not what you used to sign it. I know....lots of artists can give you all kinds of details about why they buy expensive stuff. Seems to me they are just going to pass that on to somebody and guess who that is?
Impressionist painters used to paint on wood scrapped from old packing crates when times were tough money wise...you and I can't afford one of those paintings so that's the lesson...it's not about what you use to make a painting, it's about how well that painting looks to the person who buys it or just stands there and enjoys looking at it. My French Companion I built from scrap pieces of wood in my garage and two brass plated piano hinges bought at Home Depot cost me about $6 to make and the paint for some great paintings have been mixed right there....and it still works fine and will be around loooong after I'm dead and gone and hopefully in the hands of some other painter.
My French Companion is well seasonsed now.....
3 comments:
Hi Ron! Your post on the thrill of a whole fistful of new (and inexpensive) brushes made me smile. I recently bought a selection of new brushes and I find myself reluctant to use them. They look so nice sitting upright in the coffee can...all clean and perfect! I reach for one of my old ones instead! What's wrong with this picture?
How often I've found myself caught up in the idea that if I only had (insert here such things as a new easel, Old Holland paint, more expensive linen, a bigger studio, etc) my painting would be so much better! You hit the nail on the head on that one too. It's easy to lose focus on what really matters - the results.
And now you have me looking at that nicely done French Companion/Mistress and thinking hmmmmmm......
Great post, super blog. Keep up the wonderful painting!
Bruce
Hi Bruce,
I do the same thing...keep using the worn brushes. Then I'll start a new painting and out comes a new brush and I'm amazed at how good a brush with long straight hairs feels, hahaha.
It's easy to get caught up in all of the stuff that goes along with art that we all feel we need to do good work. We need practice, dedication some vision a heck of a lot more than another trip to the art supply store.
If you can cut plywood, use a hammer, and install a couple of hinges with a screw driver you can build a French Companion in a day. I use mine now instead of my old painting palettes. I keep it in a spare refrigerator in the studio overnight to keep my mixed paints wet until the painting is done...works great!
(i)Thanks Bruce(/i)
Hi Ron
Can you inform what are the additional paints(from your standard pallete you use)
Thanks
ly
as usual I'm very impressed from your paintings.
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