hey there fast food...wait for me, or how to properly clean you art brushes

I am so glad I found the ultimate fast food that is also healthy for you, because what a wild week this has been.

Do you ever have those run and meet your self in the middle weeks? I do.

It was fun to join my oil/watercolor pals, even if I didn't join in and paint. I did get my brushes cleaned properly. If you had seen my brushes "before"you would know how happy that made me.

I confess, I have painted for years, mostly alone, without any classes until just the last couple of years .
I love you , whom I've learned much from ...Jeanne, Virgia, Bob...you know who you are :-),
well so does anyone who reads posts from this blog and goes to check out your websites.

I 've envied other students who had nicely cared for brushes. I did all I knew to do,
I think Virgia had been wondering just how to approach me concering them, and she decided to take pity on the poor dears, by making the most of a class time when I forgot to pack some stuff to work on. I quite frankly could say the dog ate it , well perhaps a goose or goat? on a farm it happens, although this time it really didn't. Class time without something to do. I suggested Virgia check out my materials to see if I needed anything for my next project.

Not only did she painstakingly go through my 40 year old stash ( some even have sentimental value :-) ,what can I say, when you live with critters, well your value/vision changes perhaps ?

Now I know how to properly clean and care for one of my best friends in the oil painting world,
my brushes...

You wash them with soap, ( dish soap) is fine. Then you RINSE and rinse some more, I capitalize, because I didn't rinse them right, even though I thought I did. Rinse means squeaky clean and no soap residue, or the hairs become brittle and break, JUST like your own hair. Umm where was I when everyone learned that one ? I use to always wonder why my hair would go through spells and become brittle and break off. I couldn't find any rhyme or reason. Years ago I even resorted to taking vitamins for my brittle hair, nope it didn't help. I did rinse and often with cold water brrr. , but evidently the impatient gal I can be, didn't rinse enough.
Now I won't end up a bald old lady ,sitting in a rocking chair ,mumbling over some battered art brushes some day. Thank you ,Thank you ,Thank you.

Brushes saved, their lives lengthened, they are feelin' good...Now when they are dry
do you know what comes next?

Drum roll please... you add a touch of what else, but Vaseline. You kind of rub through from the base to the tip so the hairs are all coated and in place...

Kind of reminds one of the FONZ ...

Now you have the basics for brush care 101 at farm funnies. Lets go paint...

Since I didn't have a picture for this post, check out this video about wolves, I love this video and the Celtic music/song , Let it inspire you to love life, every day.

It is called what else but Celtic wolf song, enjoy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cq_VeUMtyzU