The Brush Project

In a stroke (no pun intended) of supreme awesomeness, The Brush Project is bringing some intensely special artifacts from artists into the hands of art collectors, and all for a great cause.

See, The Brush Project has collected the old, discarded brushes from a number of notable artists. Each of these has been signed by the artist, encased in a clear box, and is currently being auctioned off for charity. I’m a huge proponent of turning potential trash into treasure, as evidenced by my unsettling lifestyle. For those who purchase items from these auctions, it’s the equivalent of owning a prop from a film, or a home run baseball – except somehow more intimate. Like a rib, only slightly less essential and infinitely more replaceable.

Most people who read this blog know that I’m a painter by night and whenever my spare time allows. I have cups full of dead brushes lining my art table, and even more have found their way to landfills somewhere. When you paint as roughly and intensely as I sometimes do, or plow through fine detail brushes that have only a few fragile bristles, there are a lot of casualties. They are tools, but they’re tools that we develop relationships with.

It’s kinda like owning a computer, or having a girlfriend. There are things they are great at and warrant you keeping them around instead of shopping for a replacement. There are tasks that seem to make them function not as well, or things that they won’t do at all, and sometimes, they just crash, and you fear that the huge investment you’ve made in them has just completely been wiped out. Paintbrushes are similar – you have favorites, you spend a lot of time with them, you know that some are better at certain things than others, but they’re all beautiful in their own way. And sometimes, too many bristles splay in too many different directions, and you just can’t do the same things with them that you used to. Oh, and for all of these things? You’re probably better off if you don’t share them with other people – but only two of them can contract viruses.

So, while original artworks from these artists are beyond the range of attainable prices for most people, owning the brush that has created countless excellent artworks and which has been cradled lovingly by the artist of your choice is suddenly attainable – kinda like owning Kerouac’s typewriter, or Ansel Adams’ camera.

While the Brush Project website explains it better than I could, all profits go to ‘GiGi’s Playhouse‘ and Down Syndrome awareness. Some artists have opted to include original prints, and even an instance of an original painting, but as a way to become a little close to the artists we love, it’s a beautiful thing that takes an almost nonexistent sacrifice to create good. Check out the auctions now, which are live for a few more days.