Tools of the Trade...

Many artist's studios can look like a mixture of alchemy and chaos!

 Recycled glass jars filled with leftover glaze, custom paints and solvents.....dented coffee cans stuffed with brushes and grainers.....

...but not all tools of the trade are so abused.....

Some tools are works of art in themselves....boxed brush sets in satin lined boxes.....sticks of ink with wonderful embossed designs for calligraphy....

Specialty brushes of fox, badger and squirrel fur with lacquered handles of bamboo or exotic woods....

These fabulous brushes I picked up from the Fortuny Museum in Venice and have the distinctive Fortuny pattern on the handles.

Well, those fabulous brushes need something to rest on while painting.....

I love the turquoise multi brush holder I found in an art gallery but also think older ash trays(especially of the "rat-pack" era) work great to hold a wet brush.

The Ming Dynasty elevated art tools to fine art. This scholar's brush cup is an intricately carved root base.

Another Ming dynasty brush cup with detailed stand carved to mimic the shape of the root.

Artist palettes can be made of exotic woods with exaggerated curves to fit against the body for long periods of time without tiring the arm.

But most tools of the trade end up covered in drips of paint and solvents creating a mosaic design of past experiments and projects.

These tools allow me to do what I do...create!