New goodies

Guess what! Bright Idea is finished! I'm waiting for it to fully dry so that I can put a coat of Liquin on  it (to seal and finish it) before I unveil the finished piece. Stay tuned! In the meantime...

I love new art supplies! After finishing Bright Idea I decided to take a little break from painting on metal and give some other surfaces a shot. So, I headed over to Forstall Art Center and got a couple new things to try.

First up- this lovely artist panel. Already primed and ready to go. I like the deep profile (it comes in a smaller profile as well). The surface isn't as smooth as metal (what is?), but it's smoother than canvas. Plus, the fact that it doesn't give and flex like stretched canvas will preserve the painting over time.

I also got this Birch panel. It's got a deep profile like the artist panel. It would actually be fairly easy to make yourself- it's basically a shallow box, but time is at a premium for me right now. I love how smooth it is- almost as smooth as metal. Look how pretty! Plus I like that if I wanted to I could let some wood show through in parts of my painting. The downside is that you can't use oil paints directly on wood (it degrades over time), so it needs to be primed. I think I'll use some clear Golden Matte Medium to prime. So, I'll try these out and give y'all a full report.

P.S. I also got a new filbert brush. Not that y'all REALLY care that I got a filbert. I just like saying the name. It makes me feel like I've given my tools a nickname. Maybe I'll come up with nicknames for some art supplies as well!

What about everyone out there? Are you trying something new? What's your favorite thing to paint on and why? Do you nickname inanimate objects (like Filbert)? You're not alone. Let's chat!

Shop local

I just heard a crazy statistic. For every $1 spent at a local store, 45% goes back to the community compared to 14% from big box stores and 0% from online stores. I guess it's not really that crazy. It makes perfect sense when you think about it. The numbers just make it hit home to me.
My favorite art supply store here in Birmingham is Forstall Art Center. Everyone who works there is truly knowledgeable and helpful. Plus I never feel like they're trying to sell me on things I don't need. Alabama Art Supply is another great one here in town with an equally knowledgeable and friendly staff. I've found that the prices at both these places are competitive with big box stores (like the one that starts with an M and the one with the initials HL) and actually have a better selection.
The fact that 0% goes back to the community from online stores is really major to me. What a huge impact it could have if we all shopped locally! Admittedly, the online stores can be cheaper and as artists you probably don't have tons of loose change, but even buying some of your supplies locally can make a difference. And just think, you as an artist are a local business, in a way. Support the community and it will come back around.