I like mixing business and pleasure - it shows us the working side of a culture as well as the tourist attractions.  The town of Nuremberg in Germany is a postcard medieval town sitting on the crossroads of east-west and north-south European trading routes, making it a centre for traditional skills like brush-making and gold-beating for centuries.  So as well as seeing the amazing Renaissance art in the old city, I wanted to visit my friends at da Vinci Defet, brush-makers par excellance.
 

I was amazed that over 10,000 fine artists' brushes are made by hand here every day.  The silence of concentration from a couple of dozen brush-makers is interrupted occasionally by the gentle hum of agitators and the tapping of brass cases on the marble work benches, a beat somewhere between Dixieland and marching music!  I was not so surprised to learn that to become a Master Brush-maker (yes, there is a school in Nuremberg for this), takes longer than studying for a MFA.

Although synthetic technology since the 1960s has supplied reliable and inexpensive brushes for many painting techniques, natural hair burshes still out-perform them in some applications and remain important tools for the serious artist.  These hairs have been used in Western painting at least since the Renaissance, and come from Siberia and northern China, where the extreme winters produce sturdy hair in the sables (a type of ferret) and black squirrels.

Natural hair brushes must be made by hand.  The hair is too fine, and the static charge that builds up in it is unsuitable for machines.  Many hog-bristle and synthetic brushes are also made by hand, depending on the type and shape.  Many shapes must be hand-made - extra fine pointed brushes, dagger stripers and filberts, for instance; one reason why these shapes are more expensive than flat brushes - they take longer to make.

There are different qualities of natural hair.  The most expensive and valuable soft brush hair comes from the male winter tale of the sable mustela sibirica and is called Tobolsky or Kolinsky after the Siberian river valleys.  Hair of other species of sable, such as Asiatic weasel, or the female animals, is not as fine and springy so sells for about half the price.  Unfortunately, the purity regulations are abused more and more, and some call this second-grade hair 'Kolinsky', but the difference is soon realised by the artist!

While natural hair and high-quality bristle brushes are hand-made, many more brushes are made using semi-automated production.  Some early machines were developed for easy jobs like fitting handles, but very high-tech machines, specially designed and made by da Vinci, produce over 3 million mainly synthetic fibre brushes a year.  I was not allowed to photograph these unique machines, but can tell you it was fascinating watching the renowed German manufacturing brilliance in action!

Da Vinci invest a lot of time and money into developing new fibres, not only to replace expensive natural resources, but also to suit new styles of painting.  Their unique blend fibre technology produces synthetic brushes that hold far more fluid than standard synthetics, making them particularly suited to fluid acrylic techniques, ink and varnish applications, and as economical watercolour brushes.

Now there are new fibres on the near horizon, as da Vinci develops special synthetic fibres that mimic as close as possible the natural hairs.  They wanted my opinion on a couple of these prototype brushes they were testing; one of which performed so closely to squirrel, even the way it floated open in water, that it completely fooled me.  I needn't feel bad - it also fooled a brush-maker of 20 years experience!  Another was so fresh, they hurriedly fixed a handle to it so I could take it home with me to try in my studio.  I can't reveal too much about this one, except to say it works really, really well.

Staff Pick

Whether sketching in the environment or in the studio, virtually every artist has a need for some watercolours, and our staff love the moist watercolour 'pans' from Schmincke.  Their Akademie sets are affordable and suit both beginner and advanced painters, especially when we have them at a very special summer price!  The 140gsm paper in the D&S Sketchbooks punches above its weight and handles watercolours well; so grab both, find a seat in the shade with a good view, someone to bring you refreshments, and paint away the day!

Staff Tip
We often get asked about frizzy brushes.  Often this is due to scumbling (or dry brushing) with synthetic brushes, which just won't cope.  Hog hair brushes are better suited to this.  However, after washing, hog hair brushes tend to 'fluff open'.

Here's an old tip for dealing with both kinds of frizzy brushes.

To deal with hog hair brushes, give them a thorough cleaning using da Vinci brush cleaning soap (which will condition as well as clean), paying special attention to where the hair meets the ferrule, shape the brush and tie a thin strip of cotton round the brush head.  Thin ribbon is ideal.  This will ensure it dries in shape.

For synthetic brushes, after cleaning, one can steam the hair over a boiling kettle or dip the brush head into just boiled water for several minutes before tying it in shape in the method above.  Watch your fingers, children!  Make sure it's just the synthetic hair that is in contact with the water, not the metal ferrule, as otherwise you can ruin the brush.

Don't forget:  the way to save money on good brushes is to look after them.  Don't leave them in the water, and always promptly clean using da Vinci brush-cleaning soap - it's magic!

In the Headlines

Last year ended with the usual delightful chaos of back-to-back art shows!  Graduating students from tertiary institutions and community art centres proudly exhibited their year's work in a huge variety of creative endeavour.  Gordon Harris supports many of them with awards that will help them continue either in their studies or in the wider art community.

It wasn't just the students busy with exhibitions - many galleries put on group shows of past and new work, to look back on the year and forward to the next.  Johl Dwyer, our busy manager of Gordon Harris Symonds Street, exhibited his work in a space above Auckland's K'Road that usually houses the studios of ex-AUT students and some of our Newmarket staff.  Johl's work combined plaster, Golden's plaster-additive, Aerocolor and gold leaf to produce gorgeous colour-field works.

Golden Convert

A year ago, we visited Michael Shepherd, a world-authority on 17th Century Dutch Masters, to talk about his recent conversion from oils to Golden acrylic colours.  In December we caught up with Michael to see how far he'd been able to push them.

"The pigment loading is spot-on," said Michael, "and using Golden Heavy Body, Fluid, and Open acrylics, I'm able to finish large paintings in just 10 days.  I'm absolutely sold on them."

Classes - Revitalise your creative self
Michael Shepherd has been sharing his incredible knowledge with students through classes by Artsight, one of several art class providers listed on our News & Classes page on the Gordon Harris website.

One of the other tutors featured there is Donna Steel, who has been teaching right through the difficult year her home town of Christchurch has experienced.

"I've had the privilege to work with students in schools that have been hit hard with the earthquakes, and it's been great to see how those students have found different ways to express themselves through art!"

Donna will be teaching Painting & Mixed Media for Teens in the evenings at Papanui High School this month, as well as a class for adults.

In Wellington, tutor Morag Stokes is joined by visiting guest artist and art educator from the UK, Sandra Rowney, to teach the exciting possibilities Open Acrylics from Golden offer.

Wendy Walls Give It A Go and Mix More Media classes start in February.  Wendy's studio is beautifully set on a ridge overlooking rural south Auckland - a very inspirational place to create!

These classes are a great way to revitalise your creative self at the beginning of the year!