Making Handmade Brushes

Today I am preparing for a workshop on how to make your own brushes. I have been making some clay handles, which are easy and fun to make as well as some "ready-mades."

I took a trip down to the Tennessee River and scoured the banks for gnarly drift wood that would make attractive brush handles. I found several cool pieces that should make good brushes with.

The brush making workshop is a one day workshop where participants will learn how to make their own rushes for the low low price of just $10 per brush. I am supplying all of the necessary materials and have collected a wide variety of natural hair to make the bristles from. While I was in Greenville, NC, there was an Outdoor Provision store that catered to fly fishermen. I noticed all of the cool fur and bought a few interesting swatches to begin making brushes with. I ended up purchasing elk, deer, squirrel, moose, bear, and skunk. Believe it or not this was just a few of the selections, but I thought it would be a good starting point. I found that combinations of a few various hairs made the best brush.

This workshop has lead me to an idea for a show here in Lowertown. What if I proposed a show where all of the artist make their interpretation of a brush? Afterwards, have a gallery display the brushes as a group. My hypothesis is that each artist would make an interesting brush, from ordinary traditional to alternative and even conceptual. Seems like it has the potential to be an interesting show and would be exciting to see what the artists in Lowertown would make.