Paul Jackson Kolinsky kayak brushes

I have been trying out the 4 Paul Jackson Kolinsky kayak brushes over the last few months

 The info on Paul’s website says-‘These double-ended brushes are perfectly balanced and weighted for the ultimate painting experience. Sizes: 0/2, 2/4, 6/8, and 10/12. Sold only as a complete set.’

Having a brush both ends is so useful. I have been able to load one side with paint and the other with clear water which makes softening an edge of a wet on dry wash so much easier. I can also load the other side of the brush with a different colour allowing me to merely flip and then continue to paint. Previously I would need to either use two brushes or stop and clean my brush and reload with the new colour for a variegated wash. Thirdly I can load both ends of the brush with the same colour and merely flipping the kayak when one brush runs out of paint. This allows me to cover a larger area with one glaze before the paper goes past its optimum dampness and I need to let it dry fully before rewetting. Lastly I can also have one end of the kayak dry giving me a thirsty brush always at hand to lift any unwanted paint.

The brushes hold a point well making detail possible, even with a larger brush than I am used to, but at the same time they are extremely soft (a quality I really look for in a brush so that I can achieve my ultra smooth washes that I so enjoy creating).  

 I still use my Winsor and Newton series 240 goat hair mop/wash brushes for glazing large areas as I have yet to find a large wash brush that ‘kisses the paper’ as gently as they do without moving the paint on the previous layers around but must say having to use two brushes (one for paint and one for water) feels cumbersome after a couple months with the kayaks.

I also use my existing tiny brushes sizes 002-004 for very detailed work e.g. painting eyes or fur or hair but would happily have a kayak version if one existed.

My ideal brush set? Paul’s 4 Kayaks with an added 2 kayaks- a kayak mop and a kayak teeny tiny brush.

An added bonus… the care instructions the brushes come with are very amusing and make me smile every time I read them. 

Ona

Create-Ted

For all of us that love Teddy bears you might not know that we actually owe huge thanks to an artist for its creation as well as Teds namesake Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt.

For those who do not know the story…On November 14, 1902, Theodore Roosevelt attended a bear hunt in Mississippi. During the hunt, Roosevelt came upon a wounded young bear and ordered a mercy killing because he hated to see him suffer. The Washington Post ran an editorial cartoon created by the political cartoonist Clifford K. Berryman that illustrated the event. At first Berryman drew the bear as a fierce animal but later he redrew the bear making it a cuddly cub. The cartoon and the story it told became popular and within a year, the cartoon bear became a toy for children called the teddy bear.

This painting, while not depicting the event specifically, celebrates the idea behind it…. I wanted to capture the focus, imagination and thought that goes into a painting as the artist brings their ideas to life (quite literally in this case) on the paper.

Thank you Paul for agreeing to be my model for this painting. I really appreciate it and I hope I captured even just a little of your wonderfully creative spirit, and the care and thought you put into each painting you do.

Transparent Watercolour 22 inches by 15.75 on Arches 140lb cold press paper. 

Ona

Pennsylvania Watercolor Society’s 33rd International Juried Exhibition acceptance

I am very happy to let you all know that 'Spinning a Tale' has been selected for the 2012 Pennsylvania Watercolor Society’s 33^rd International Juried Exhibition. This makes three years in a row that I have been accepted into this prestigous exhibition. WOW! Thank you to Paul Jackson who was the juror for selection.

 The exhibition will be held at the State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, PA and will run from November 4, 2012 - February 3, 2013. I hope that those of you that are in the area will be able to go and see this exhibition.