Brush Work/Play

One thing came to mind when I was painting tonight, that the brushes I use are important but not that special. What I mean is that for the most part they are inexpensive Chinese bristle and for the price of a tank a gas these days I could get enough brushes to last me a couple of years. Here are some brushes I used today. The second and fourth from the left I made myself. Liz Sparks showed me how to make brushes. Another point is that what I do with the brush is more important. It's the wrist action, the angle of the pot to the hand/brush, the point where the brush touches down, and the direction that the brush is pushed or pulled that gives brushwork its vitality or lack of. With the brush stroke, as in the repetition of throwing on the wheel, there is always the hope that the next one will be better than the previous. Skill is very important to me. Someone commented how easy the painting looked to do in the video. If you do anything for 20 years you will get either bored or better. When one is engaged and enthralled with learning he/she becomes skillful. When one is bored its time to move in the direction of interest whatever that may be. "Follow your joy" is what I advise a student when I am asked what they should do next.

Anyway, here are some pictures from today's work/play. The first is what I would call a good riff. The second is a group of jars that are ready to glaze.