I was looking at the brush in my hand the other day and I realized how rough I am sometimes on my brushes. It was a natural bristle brush that was new just a few weeks ago, when it looked like the brush to the far left in the photo.
Over those few weeks, I caressed paint on to canvas. I also pushed paint into the canvas. I ground the paint against the canvas, using a lot of force, to almost burnish the surface. I stroked. I poked. And when I looked down the brush had turned into that poor guy shown second from the left.
I can be rough on my brushes.
For my normal wet technique I use a natural hair squirrel mop like the two shown on the right. It’s a big, soft brush that holds a lot of paint and is a staple in my studio. The brush on the left is new and the one on the right is obviously not. This erosion of the bristles shown here represents about 6 or 7 months of use.
Hard use.
I like the way the bristles whittled themselves down to the angle my hand takes when I normally strike the painting surface. Unfortunately, it has eroded to a point where its capacity to hold paint makes it a hindrance to my technique. So he is put aside and maybe I will find a use for him at some point, so I keep him with my other spent brushes. I could never throw such loyal workers to the trash heap.
I have amassed quite a number of brushes, both well used and brand new, over the years. I have tiny detail brushes that I go through quickly. I have some cheapy brushes that work perfectly well for certain techniques. I have some of my favorite medium priced brushes that I have stockpiled because they’re no longer made. I also have some pretty expensive brushes. I have a set of beautiful Winsor & Newton Series 7 brushes that are handmade with soft, luxurious Kolinsky sable. I’ve had them for about 13 years and have only used one or two of them for a few minutes. They’re lovely in the hand but I never felt comfortable with them and just wouldn’t feel right grinding them roughly into the surface.
So they sit and wait for a day when I’m ready to put them in the game.
Maybe today? Maybe… but probably not.
Redtree Times 