Art Unboxed Fabled Sable
They say that at one time, the Kolinsky Sable was worth more in weight than gold. Once watercolorists valued it above any other brush, now synthetic brushes have been designed which mirror it’s features. I’ve never owned one so I could not say, but I can say that the synthetics I use amaze me at what they can do. In today’s art unboxed I’d like to talk about the advancement of art supplies, and art itself.
My number twelve brush, which was not expensive at all, mirrors features of a brush that costs much more than I would be willing to spend. Today they make water mixable oils that are saver. Acrylics that dry slower for those who want the feel of oil, but the benefits of acrylic. Advances can be as simple as mechanical pencils for someone like me who doesn’t enjoy sharpening pencils.
New papers, new paints, new tools to draw, paint, or sculpt something are readily available in this day and age. I even saw an electric potter’s wheel for around twenty dollars the other day. Yet for all of the advancement, none of it will make art without us. The greatest advancement for making art, is still taking the time to do so.
A dear friend asked me the other day if pencil was my medium of choice. While I love to draw currently it’s my medium of convenience. It’s readily available. My current project was suggested by my wife, a sketchbook to pass down to our son.
In it are everything from watercolors to marker, Yul Brynner to Red Hulk. Some things he enjoys now, others he may or may not enjoy later. What I believe and hope that he will love, is that his Dad made him something special. That’s what art is really, or I believe should be, an expression of love.
As a Christian, I believe art reflects God’s love, for what we draw or paint, whether landscape, portrait, or still life, are copies of what God made for us. Second I believe that art is best when it’s made to show someone else love or appreciation. Finally I believe that it can convey a message of love even to strangers, or people we have not yet met.
The interesting thing is, a Kolinsky Sable isn’t even a Sable at all, it’s a weasel. Somewhere along the way, someone found an unexpected value in it. The same is true in art. I’ve seen art made with a pencil, and art made out of a pencil. I’m not sure what inspired the artist who first carved something out of pencil, perhaps it was because pencils were more readily available than clay. Today, his pencils are worth much more than many sculptures, and in doing this he did what I would have thought impossible, he advanced the pencil.
Advancements in art can range from making the materials more easy to use, to making them more readily available, or advancing art by sharing it with more people. One of my favorite recent art advancements is my electric eraser, it’s interesting how a tool for taking away, has added so much to my drawing. Of course, taking away is a big thing in art, from composition to drying times, taking away can add so much.
What’s your big art advancement lately? Is it a new tool, or perhaps it’s a new practice of drawing something every day. Advancements, big or small, can make a huge difference. For example, synthetic brushes are something that a Kolinsky Sable would be very thankful for.
