Art brushes

After watching more Bob Burridge videos, i decided I needed to use cheap larger brushes as he does.   Hmm... I used to have some.  Gone.   So happily my good friends at Amazon took my order and sent a box of them out the next day.    Oh boy a box of disposable brushes.   

Lying on my art table were some rusty letters I purchased at The Primitive Barn in Linden.  I didnt have a plan for them but knew something would come to mind.... and it did.  Hmmmm....

Paint brushes plus rusty letters equals this.

Nature drawings

Some of my friends bring me things to draw. Or we stop and pick something between the parking lot and the front door of the senior center. Here are some recent drawings.

Vase with flowers

This was meant to be a five minute exercise, ala Bob Burridge.  Man, he can slap paint down in broad colorful globs and spots and before you know it he has a vase of flowers. 

Here I was armed with a paper towels, big brush, fresh paint and an old canvas with some gesso over an old collage.  I was ready to attack. 

First thing Bob does is pick up colors off his pallet  with a crumpled paper towel  and dab them all over the canvas.  One color after another.

 I can do this.  Done.   Didn't expect it to look good at this point (and it didn't). 

On with the next step, taking the big brush loading it up with a lighter color and painting over everything surrounding  a non existant vase and flowers.  You know it works. REALLY.

Then he pops in a focal point flower and does minor tweaking.  Done.  Vibrant, bold, colorful, awesome.   Of course he's done this hundreds of times.    It may look totally spontaneous,  but his skills are refined by repetition and the formulas he developed to obtain this abstract floral look.

Now when Bob does it I like the results.   Not so with my first attempt.    But after hours and hours, for many days of tweaking and changing things, I ended up with a piece I like.   The background has been changed half a dozen times. The flowers have changed colors, shapes, and sizes so many times I lost count.

Now it has my personal touch on it.  Looking at it you wouldnt even guess Burridge's method was used as a starting point.  Thank you Bob.  I loved working on it.     But now I want to back with a timer and see what I can do in 5 minutes. 

Anyone wanting a treat, Google Bob Burridge to see his work.   Or You Tube "Bob's Blasts".   He is delightful

.     I'm a fan.   I hope you like this new piece.