A Passion for Creativity

Art Studio Approach

What does an artist’s working space look like?  I’ll be posting some more shots of the studio here. This is the steel rolling cart that holds brushes on top and paints underneath, and it’s where I mix colors.

Many of the brushes in the background are for oil paint. Yes, there are separate brushes for each medium. Love your brushes-take care of them. Good ones are pricey and using them is like playing a beautiful instrument; there is no off-key twang, just harmony and control as you sculpt paint with them. Even less expensive brushes can last a long, long time with care.

In my younger days, I’d let paint dry on brushes. Even after cleaning them, pushing those around on the canvas later was like wading through gritty mud. No matter what hand-eye control there was to muster, the brush could not respond fully.

Let me say it again. Love your brushes!

In working with acrylics, I use a sheet of framing glass on top of a piece of white paper as a palette (it’s actually white palette paper so there’s a coating on it, water doesn’t soak through if it gets sloshed). The white paper gives good contrast for mixing colors. Acrylics dry quickly so I cover them with reused plastic snack cups and just pull out a bit at a time. That way, I can mix a good amount and it’s usually good to go the next day also.

The three jars are filled with water for cleaning the brushes: first wipe off excess paint; swish off excess paint in water; rinse, and rinse again. It’s become automatic between colors or when switching brushes. At the end of the painting session, the brushes are washed with “the Masters” brush cleaner and preserver soap.