Do you ever talk to you Art Supplies?

Art Letter #10

Welcome to the 10th Edition of Art Letters! These are weekly notes from my studio to yours. Read the 9 that came before here. Some of them are tips, some are heartfelt, and some are utter nonsense like this one :)

Do you talk to your paints? What a strange question, right? Do you talk to inanimate objects? Of course you don’t. But I bet you do. I certainly do.

How I talk to my Acrylics:

I know you so well, I almost take you for granted. I can control you with my eyes closed. Let me watch this show while I slather you on this canvas. You are basically “my bitch”. I certainly know how to make you look good. I don’t say this enough anymore, but I love you. Deeply.

How I talk to my Watercolors:

Please, PLEASE co-operate. Don’t run away into places I can’t catch up with. You know I admire you. You also know I’m afraid of you. You know my heart beats with anxiety (the good kind) when I’m with you. You KNOW I want to control you. But I know you don’t want to be controlled. You are your best self when you have a mind of your own. We are slowly becoming friends, and I love it :)

How I talk to my Oils:

I understand your uniqueness. I promise I will not compare you with your water based cousin (The “A” word). I will not complain about how slow you are, but will try to find the beauty that you bring with being slow. You teach me how to be patient. I will not complain about the smell you fill my studio with, but I will love feeling like a mad scientist experimenting with oils and chemicals to make something beautiful. I love you for your ability to mix and blend with one another and make something so beautiful, that I surprise myself with my ability to paint with you. I love you for who YOU are. Not who you are like, or who I want you to be like.

How I talk to my Colored Pencils:

I loved you when I had time to while away. I don’t, anymore. I loved you when I was in love with realistic portraits. I’m not, anymore. I loved you when I was building up a variety of stock in my studio, because you were so beautiful to own and touch. I don’t obsess over that so much anymore. You still bring color in my studio and I guess I still love having you around.

How I talk to Gouache:

What even are you? People say you’re like watercolor, but I am convinced you are a dry medium. You can be beautiful but I will continue to admire you from a distance. I don’t think I wanna get too close.

How I talk to my Graphite/Pastel/Charcoal pencils:

Itchy-Scratchy-Itchy-Scratchy-Itchy-Scratchy. Too much friction, my ex-loves!

If you want to get pieces such as the above in your inbox every Sunday, type in your email address below :)