Atelier Talk: Wear and Tear

I hope everyone is doing well wherever you might be. In New York City it is still not fully post covid, but finally I started to meet people I haven't met since covid, also started to meet lovely new people without face masks. Since I came back to New York City it has been a bit too chaotic but happy to finally post this at the end of the month.

To keep practicing/pursuing something which we find love and are passionate about for an extended time lets us learn so many valuable things about life, society, and the world.  After a while, it often becomes something not just about the specific subject but about something vast.

To me, oil painting is.

Grisaille painting progress Self-portrait
After the 7-19-2022 5:15 a.m.
Believe or not I actually learned the grisaille method on my own after graduating from my art school. Normally I don't stick with a classic painting style but I enjoy mixing different ways of working in my work. 

Today I thought to share something important about life I learned through painting:

A paintbrush will go old and it will wear out from normal wear, and it will tear and fall apart.

No matter what we do or don't do as long as we are using it, it will go bad. The only way I could think of to keep it in a new-ish condition is to not use it and store it in an interior space without sunlight. But that is the same as dying for a paint brush, isn't it? As it was made to be a paint brush not a sculpture or home decor.

It slightly changed how I see the world too. Although I wished it was not true, it is true. We can extend the life of a paintbrush but the condition is not permanent. No matter how we treat it or care about it, this is inevitable.
It is not like a ceramic mug as long as we don't drop it, it will go back and stay in its original shape and condition after cleaning each time.

Some things last shorter than other things when both of them receive the same care and attention. 

If you don't paint, you can think about a teethbrush. With regular use it is recommended to replace every 3-4 months* (or in japan it's recommended to replace every month*).

This is especially true when we are painting and using our brushes regularly.

A brush will die immediately when we do not clean. It will have a shorter life when we store or clean poorly or use it roughly.But it will also go bad with regular uses.

An organism will decay when it dies or stops moving, when fluid stops running inside.  
A manmade object will go old and bad mostly, it seems, always from external stimulus.

Brushes are one of very few things in my daily life that goes bad in a relatively short time and I have to let them go while most things I am able to keep them last for a long time and in fine conditions. 

Grazing the Grilaille underpainting 
Self-portrait After the 7-19-2022 5:15 a.m.
Believe or not I actually learned the grisaille method on my own after graduating from my art school. Normally I don't stick with a classic painting style but I enjoy mixing different ways of working in my work. 

The way we paint can damage a brush too, and can shorten its life, like the dry brushing technique, but it is something we cannot avoid if that is the specific look/effect we are seeking in a picture.

Old brushes still have usage for dry painting and as cleaning tools etc. However the fine tip of a brush isn't a permanent condition and we do need to replace it with new brushes to have the fine tip.

Lately I have been trying to reorganize my atelier setting to be more simple and work effective. A few days ago, I finally said farewell to some of my micro brushes in my atelier. There are still some old brushes in my atelier as I still keep the bigger old brushes, and many more to come as long as I am painting. 

I prefer if everything stays well and lasts for a long time if I could help them, but

I feel this is a good message or truth about different lives. I will be reminded again and again, as long as I am painting. 

A quick Self-Portrait shot in the Atelier before a studio visit 2022.07.28