At today’s meeting Loretta, Thomas, Tim, Jim, Sandy, Ward,
Kathy, Susan, Yong, Dotty, Elo, Joanne T, Jeanie, Mary, Tom K, Kristina, Geri,
Lisa, Diane, Anna, Joanne K, Mike and me Celeste.
Suggested table topic: Brushes your current favorite ---tell us
anything you want to about brushes and/or palette knives.
Celeste: I have just recently discovered an artist named
Herman Pekel. I watched a DVD where he painted in Australia and he used really
crappy brushes. (Laughter)! He uses big
brushes that are worn out and he makes them work so expressively. I was
inspired by this and I tried it for myself with big brushes. I am showing
recent “daily” paintings.
Dotty: Robert Simmons signet brushes are my favorites. They
last the longest and I like the flats. I have bought one dollar brushes at the
hardware store. Those kind of brushes are great for indicating grass. I am
showing a recent pastel that I did as a demonstration at Dick Blick’s.
Joanne T: I have just graduated to using better canvases-- I
am not up to speed yet on what kind of brushes I should really be using!
(Laughter)! Tim Horn recommended Utrecht 202. I hear a lot about Rosemary
brushes and I will (I'm sure) purchase some of those someday. I am showing
paintings that I did from photo references.
Yong: I do happen to have my watercolor brushes with me---because
I paint a lot in my car. I have had some of these brushes for a very long time.
Some of them are very cheap! I like calligraphy brushes. There are some brushes
that I use for detail and some other brushes are used for a wide stroke. I do
40 to 50% of the whole painting with this brush right here. I got this brush in
high school and I still have it and use it.
For oil painting I use Robert Simmons brushes a lot, but I sometimes
don’t clean them! (Laughter)! I am not picky. Think about this---sometimes
results does not have so much to do with the brushes…… (people can make
wonderful paintings with bad brushes---what does that tell you)! (Laughter)! I
am showing a painting that I happen to have with me that I am giving to an
organization as a donation and also a recent watercolor.
Susan: I like Rosemary ivory flats. I think they're also called ebony? I'm not a brand groupie. I go to “I've been framed” and I get off
brand paint brushes there. Recently I took some of my old oil paint into I've
been framed for store credit.. (They re-sell it). For pastels I use cheap brushes to put in the
initial color wash because sanded paper will ruin your brushes. I’m showing two
recent paintings.
http://www.ivebeenframedpdx.com
http://www.ivebeenframedpdx.com
Kathy: When I think
of a “favorite” brush I think about my $52 brush that I don’t want to use! (Laughter)!
I like things like toothbrushes and Q-tips ---anything that will provide
texture. I’m showing a painting that I did recently of my grand-kitty.
Ward: I think what Yong said is exactly right! If you were
shipwrecked somewhere you'd learn to just use whatever there was there as a
brush! The brushes are not as important as we think. I do have a very
favorite brush that is called Alvaro it's a big bellied strong pointed brush. I
always use it for my signature –it is a joy to use.
My favorite knife is a credit card. I am showing a recent
painting that I did of a giraffe. I will paint this one again because I liked
painting it so much. Also, the painting that I have here on the wall in O’Connors was painted for a friend of mine who has recently moved into hospice.
(How valuable our time together is!)
Geri: I don't know how many of you are familiar with this…
This is a portable water brush. You fill it with water and can take it anywhere
(like in your purse)! It is great for moving inks or color on paper. I am showing a painting
that I did recently on a teabag. I am beginning a project where I will paint on
a teabag every day. I like how the teabag
accepts ink and color…(and it is fun to have to drink the tea)! Laughter!
Sandy: I have been taking classes in watercolor. I have
enjoyed working with brusho and coffee grounds. I am showing two recent
paintings. I also wanted to show you a
couple of paintings that belong in my family. These were done by relatives.
This one is considered “folk art”. It was done in the 1950s. This other seems
to possibly be colored pencil and was done also a long time ago. I just thought
you might be interested in seeing these pieces. (Editors note: yes, thanks,
Sandy! photos are at the end of these notes)
Jim: I like Robert Simmons platinum flats. They seem to last
forever. I want to order some Rosemary brushes. I like working with the palette
knife. The palette knife makes my work more loose. You can’t control the
palette knife like you can a brush, so you’ll get some effects you do not
expect. Also Ward’s watercolor class has helped me to loosen up also with oils! I
have been doing the daily painting project on Facebook. I’ve been painting from
life. Recently Sandy and I went to the beach for our 45th
anniversary (applause)! I am showing some watercolor paintings I did there.
Tom: This topic has me thinking about the other topic we had
where you could ask an artist from the past a question. I was thinking about
Jackson Pollock and how he was famous for saying “I deny the accent”. But
that's not true…his work still has accents (even though it is meant to be random).
I am connected to the palette knife. No
matter how intentional you will be there will be what is called the happy
accident with a palette knife! The artist Turner is said to have started the work with a small brush
and ended with a great big brush for flourish. All of his paintings were
dramatic. I did not bring a painting this time.
Elo: I took a online class and the teacher recommended a
Princeton sharp edge paint brush…very useful if you want to do that type of exacting
work. Carol Marine recommends a brush in her book called silver. She uses
brights. I prefer the flats. I bought something called Princeton catalyst and I
wasn’t fond of that. You should not really use a cheap palette knife because
they don’t clean up properly. RGM is a quality knife and Dick Blick has one
that is the same as RGM. I’ve been taking classes with Jennifer Diehl. I am
showing two recent paintings. One is from Jennifer’s metal class and I painted
the dog for a friend of mine.
Tim: For plein air I will grind out one side of a pallet
knife so that one side is really sharp. I will use absolutely any brush that is
available. I am showing a painting I did from a photo reference of a crane. I
took the photo…and I felt so honored (that the bird let me get this close for
the photo). The other painting is from Rooster Rock.
Anna: I have too many brushes and I use too many brushes! (Laughter)! I just started using bristle brushes about four years ago. Prior to
that I was using sables. I like broken edges and I buy brushes at Blick. I buy
professional synthetics. For palette knife I like the line long diamond shape.
I like the teardrop shape as well. Thomas taught me to use palette knife to
keep certain colors very clean. You use the pallete knife to mix the colors
instead of using a brush. I’m showing two recent paintings.
Diane: I like the feel
of sable, but they don’t last. I like flats. I did this painting just last
night.
Lisa: I have an old black and white boar bristle brush
that’s a favorite. All these years later it is in wonderful condition. I love using it. Almost all my paintbrushes are filberts. I had a teacher
who used a cat tongue filbert for highlights. It goes into a really sharp point.
I use that often…like for the highlight in an eye. This is a painting I did
from Tim’s photo reference (thank you Tim) and also I am giving myself
assignments to paint glass and metal. These are all recent paintings.
Annie: James Gurney did a blog post one time on how he had
to paint with a twig. What he painted was fabulous, of course. The consistency
of the paint seems to matter the most to me (not the brush). I am showing a
painting that I did and also a second painting that I did of the same scene using the golden mean. It
got me closer to the scene. I don’t know which of these I like better. I
attended a story-telling class recently. The teacher had us put down some
random paint shapes and then write a caption to it. If you consider doing something like that it
will become a performance piece in a way. It enriches the experience. I felt more meaning in what I was doing.
Kristina: I have brought some Rosemary bushes to show you
---they are brand-new. I will pass them around. (Interjected: “Are you sure
you'll get them back?”) (laughter)! The thing about Rosemary brushes is that
they seem to last forever and never fray, so I'm not quite sure when I’ll use
these new ones. My other Rosemary brushes are just as they were when I bought them.. I
may go ahead and use these for a plein air event. This is a little off topic, but I wanted to show you something that was given to me that is an absolute life-changing
thing (Kristina holds up a metal paint wringer) (laughter! applause)! I am
showing a painting that I did of an anti-social lady in Italy. This poor woman
just wanted to be by herself ---but there I am taking pictures of her and then
painting her.... destroying her anonymity (laughter)!
Mary: Someone once laughed at me because I asked what kind
of brush they were using. I don't know why they laughed at me, but they did. There is that golf club analogy. A lot of
golfers think that the answer is in the golf club.. but the answer is in the
golfer! (Laughter)! I’m fond of the fan brush. And I like a palette knife for
using more paint. I am showing a new painting. I like doors and doorways-- I might do a series of them.
Jeanie: I have palette knives that are 42 years old. I have
things that were given to me and also I have inherited some things. I like the
Rosemary synthetics and Roberts Simmons brushes and I also like $1.99 brushes.
I like the “bad brushes! I am currently working on a large painting.
Joanne: I like the teardrop palette knife that I just bought
at Muse! (I've just come from the Muse store closing sale). I like the Princeton
Silverbrush and I will go to a house brush type thing if I want to cover a lot
of canvas in an expressive way. I like the Egbert. In workshops the teacher
will always want you to use the brush is on their list. I recommend you follow
those lists when they give them to you! (You’ll better understand them and what
they are teaching if you use their tools). Recently I facilitated the Aimee Erickson
workshop. I got to do this painting in her workshop.
Thomas: I am back from Mexico! I missed you all! (Laughter)! (Editors
Note: We missed you too!) I get to paint with a guy named Billy O’Donnell. He
is on the circuit and his nickname is Billy-o. He said something that really
stuck with me: “If you use more than two
or three brushes you’re insecure”. Well, ok I guess I am a little insecure... but
I get his point. Because you can use a brush --just one brush in so many
different ways that it is almost like having 4 brushes. You can use the corner
of the brush --you can roll it in different directions. There are endless
things that you can do with one brush that will emulate many different brushes.
Just try to use the biggest brush that you have that will get the job done.
Sometime ago I started really thinking about surface quality instead of trying to “render” everything. I am a big advocate for the Rosemary
brush. The ivory line is indestructible. The mongoose brush is a favorite but
it is not sold in the United States. If I were on a desert island I would want
a filbert. When people say that they
make a flat into a filbert…they are missing something about the original brush.
All brushes have “flags” –that is what picks up the paint. When the brush is
worn the flag is missing. I was painting with Roos Schuring one time and I
didn’t have my brushes. I asked her if I could borrow one of her brushes and
she dug around in her kit and gave me a purely horrible miserable brush (laughter)! But I
learned a lot that day (from that brush). It was a good experience. I recommend the Brushwork Essentials book
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01ENYMAYM/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1
I am showing a recent
painting.
Announcements:
Tonight demonstration with Scott Johnson OSA (7pm)
Next Thursday (March 9) Demonstration Joanne Radmilovich
Kollman 11am
Art on the Boulevard Michael Lindstrom Impassioned First Friday
Painting drawing March Facebook challenge
https://www.facebook.com/groups/388196271546348/?hc_ref=SEARCH
https://www.facebook.com/groups/388196271546348/?hc_ref=SEARCH
Susan Kuznitsky pastel workshop March 11 and 12 one spot left
Max Ginsburg Workshop (April) OSA
OSA juried show Saturday take in
The moment you have been waiting for! The Prospectus for
the 13th Annual Plein Air Event at Maryhill Museum of Art in Goldendale WA is
open for application! Details are listed in the prospectus! Mike Hernandez will
be the Juror and workshop artist for this year! painting below by Mike
Hernandez.
Anna Lancaster at
Celebration of Creativity March 2-5
Muse store closing
Hilarie Couture Fort
Vancouver talk this Saturday
Joanne Kollman Friday life session with Catherine Friday 1-4
pm
Susan Kuznitsky, Michael Orwick, Ward Stroud, Brenda Boylan,
Joanne Kollman and others classes at OSA:
Joe Paquet is going to have a workshop at OSA in a year
It will be a seven
day workshop (Feb 2018)
Thomas Kitts Florence plein air September 9-16
Oregon outdoor
workshop dates will go up late June July and August
http://www.thomaskitts.com/p/blog-page_22.html
Our friend Mark David Larsen's paintings for sale n the SE Artwork (Mark passed away in October)
The Drawing Studio: 3614 SE Division St
Portland, OR 97202 https://seareaartwalk.wordpress.com/special-dedication-of-the-2017-event/
Our friend Mark David Larsen's paintings for sale n the SE Artwork (Mark passed away in October)
The Drawing Studio: 3614 SE Division St
Portland, OR 97202 https://seareaartwalk.wordpress.com/special-dedication-of-the-2017-event/
Thanks to everyone for the wonderful surprise today (the
group presented Celeste with a new Strada easel and a gift certificate). Just a fantastic surprise---!
Next Meeting March 9, suggested table topic is: "Color studies"--have you done a color study prior to the "real" painting? If yes, why...if no, why? What has been your experience with Color Studies?
Syfert family (heirloom) art:
Syfert family (heirloom) art:
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