Since moving to Bend I have missed the students I had in 3 sometimes 4 classes I taught per week. I miss the look on their face, their smile and that expression of YES as they accomplished a new technique to their satisfaction. That is the payment a teacher who "cares" loves the most.
I guess this is one reason for my blog. I love to share and I love to give. Both....because I care and maybe, just maybe; what I have to share will help someone out there
My Landscape Dynasty brush kit was put together by Veronica, her staff, and me. Dynasty did the professional photography, printed the insert and put the 4 brushes in a beautiful clear plastic case. I use these brushes every single time I sit down to paint and I truly believe that the brushes and ANY brushes within the Dynasty line are the best on the market for performance and the difference they make in a successful, fun painting. AND they are reasonably priced.
No artist likes the frustration of not being able to "do" something that is really important to them or to the design/technique which they are trying to master and cannot understand why what they are doing is not working. It could be the type, or size of the brush, how the brush is loaded, where the brush is held, how the brush is broken in, bristles flared, etc. for use. Some of these things are never explained in a painting book, pattern packet, etc. So hopefully some of the blog posts on techniques, brushes, etc. will help.
I am also proud of the brush basin I developed for cleaning your brushes as you paint. You will have your brushes longer by taking care of them and washing them as you paint. There are 3 sections to the brush basin. One section has 2 soft, plastic, surgical /gardening/ nail brushes glued to the bottom of the basin, and one brush in another of the 3. I add soap in the 2 bristled section and this is clean #1. I go to brush section #2 and this is clear rinse water. The last section has no brush and this is where I go for clean water. When I am done with a painting session I can clean up quickly. I use tepid water in my basin. If the brush comes loose in one of my brush basins the glue will very easily "pull off" and Welder glue which can be purchased at Lowes will re-glue your brush back into the basin. (This is not an option with Sharon's brush basin as there are bristles top and bottom and when one comes out...it is history. The brush is a mess and so is the basin bottom.) There is a lid to my basin which is slightly recessed so I fold a paper towel to fit and I use this to lay a semi cleaned brush on while I am painting in the event I need it again. The basin is very smooth so it cleans up easily with a Mr. Clean Magic White Sponge. It almost looks new again, which is how some like their basins....
Prior to my becoming a seller on Ebay/ Etsy I recommended Sharon Teal Corays' basin. I had also purchased one of her basins to make sure that mine was different. The item could not, and can not be patented unless the profit is shared with the mfgrs. of the brushes and basins. A lot of legal "fall-de-rol".
I don't know which one of us developed the actual "idea" of the brush in the basin first and who designed/made the basin first (Sharon or Me) , not that it really makes any difference as no "laws" have been broken, but there has been much resentment and anger by Sharon towards me for what she adamantly proclaims was HER "idea" and I had "stolen" this " from her ". She has never once asked me for any type of documentation as to "when" my brush basin idea was "conceived. designed" and made. ( I was a hairdresser and teacher for quite a few years, and next in to medical till I retired so these handy, dandy little brushes were used in both professions.) Probably because there is a 50/50 chance I just might have been first. OMGoodness, what a concept . What I have is date documentation...what she seems to have is verbal documentation which is not substantial in this type of a situation.
Since 2004 this resentment , hostility and anger has accelerated by Sharon and others to the point of what can best be described; in todays' terms, as cyber harassment by her and others whom she has evidently " convinced" that "she" is "most definitely" the "injured party" and have joined in with taunts, emails, blog posts, groups posts (and deletions) to phone calls which I receive early in the AM and late at night. I have no other enemies so it has been pretty easy to determine the reason / if not the source of these irritations and why. It can also be pretty much described as "stalking".
Many of the accusations, quotes, etc. which Sharon posts on her site as pointed accusations towards others I have found are actually pretty good verbal pictorials of herself based upon her actions...even though I am pretty sure she has no idea how her posts are visualized by others in relation to her..... if she did...I don't think she would be posting them.
I have noticed that it is ALWAYS Sharon who has been wronged. People just always seem to be doing things to her. From an accusation of theft in Vegas, the selling of one of her books on Ebay when she accused the seller of copyright infringement to even the proclamation on her blog that she has "toxic" siblings that she has had to alienate herself from. (I wonder what her sibling(s) thought and felt when they read this post from their sister that was written for the world to see?) Some things are just too personal to be posted in such a manner and should be handled discreetly.
Sharon also accused me of stealing her idea of cutting a brush for a need I had in painting Santa beards, mustaches etc. when I couldn't find a brush which was working as I wanted it to. As you can see I "tried" Sharons and I also didn't realize that there was a moratorium on "cutting a brush". It seems she is constantly being wronged by someone. She has stated that I must be a very unhappy person, but just the opposite is the case....and in reality by what she is doing points a direct finger at her unhappiness in life....
The brush to the left is Sharons' Feather Soft Stroke Brush 4/0. No, no, the brush on the far right is not the brush I cut. It is a brush called the Ridge brush which is sold and comes exactly as you see it in the photo. It is a 1/4" Simply Simmons Brush and resembles Sharons feather soft stroke brush. The brush which I cut is in the middle (honest injun) and is sold as a 3/8" Langnickel #7930 Royal Knight Filbert rake. I cut into the right and left sides of the brush (only) to meet "my" needs and use it for wispy lines...in Santas' beard, mustache, grasses, feathers, etc. Can you see how I "copied" Sharons' brush and/or idea? One woman wrote me that she would NEVER think of cutting a GOOD brush in this manner. I looked at her statement as "her loss"..... The brush costs under $7 and now I have a brush that does what I want it to so I don't look at it as a "ruined" brush. If you look at the one I cut I think you can see from the long and short hairs the mfgr. has input into the ferrel and the softness of the bristles that this brush just might do the trick ... I use this brush tilted slightly towards me, load it with inky consistency of paint/water, and touch just the tips of the bristles to the surface. By tipping the brush back towards you and loading the brush well with the watered down paint it acts much like a brush with a built in reservoir and the paint flows freely and easily to achieve these nice fine lines that one is wanting to achieve....at should I say I am trying to achieve.
I give directions on my blog for others to cut a filbert rake in the same manner as I did be it a newly purchased filbert rake or one they might have in their "stash"... I DO NOT sell the brush.... and I have no intention of doing so. Why should I when it can so easily be cut yourself? To the best of my knowledge there is no patent on Sharons' brush, but even if there was....as you can see, there is not much of a "likeness" when you compare the one I cut and hers. Sharon has cut down a fan brush....I have cut down a filbert. The brands, type of brush, and the actual cutting and finished look of mine vs hers is ENTIRELY different and not the least bit similar in my book.
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Sharon also did an expose' of my painting abilities on her older blog which she has since deleted...in which she named the Design, Magazine, Month, Page and even went as far as to provide my name in the blog for easier identification to her readers. She then proceeded to negatively critique, , etc. the design, and my painting ability. If anyone would like a copy of this post I would be more than happy to provide it to you. I have quite a portfolio. It seems she is constantly being wronged by someone; or so it is written . She has stated that I must be a very unhappy person, but just the opposite is the case....and in reality by what she is doing points a direct finger at her unhappiness in life.... I have noticed that since this blog post she has gone into her blog and deleted nearly all of the negative posts.....hmmmm.
There is no way I have ever, or will ever attempt to "compete" with Sharon artistically. Her painting techniques, designs, etc. are very much different than where my interests lie so I have been unable to really pinpoint the reason for her hostility and can only relate it back to the brush basin. My sales on my Etsy site for the brush basin and to private parties are relatively low compared to the " thousands" that Sharon documents she sells so I don't interfere with her sales.....unless, unless....... she doesn't sell thousands and I do sell more. So why....why has she felt the need to do the things she has done, and say the things she has said? Why the intense hostility on her part? I paint mostly from photos which "I" take and tend to be more of an impressionistic painter on the edge of realism so that I know I won't ever be "rightfully" accused of any type of copyright infringement by anyone. I respect an artists' copyright clauses but I also realize that to sell pattern packets, books, be published in magazines and to teach techniques can result in a similarity. But then I think isn't this what the artist is trying to do? To help another learn their particular technique? I create and or compose my own art and am able to document most of my designs. I have MANY mentors who have taught me so much and to whom I will be forever grateful. Yvonne Kresal, Chezza, Jamie Mills Price, Ros Stallcup, Dorothy Dent, Roni LaBrae, Jerry Yarnell, Kay Quist, and those that I continue to look towards for more learning on my journey. I have learned from Sharon that I must cover my bases in everything that I do and in everything I say.... because of accusations. I need to be able to document everything and I guess for that I should be thankful...because I know I am within the right parameters. I have never had another artist accuse me of anything....ever. I read copyrights and I either contact the artists for special permission....OR I stay completely away from books, pattern packets etc. if the copyrights are so confusing with mumbo jumbo.
It isn't worth the hassle ....
Some of the visitors to my blog are back door visitors. They come in the back door and then erase themselves as they leave.... so that others don't know of their "involvement" or maybe actual interest. I have had to remove the pleasurable "comments" section from my blog options because of the nasty comments that have been left for me....kinda like a a juvenile tagger...only these taggers are women who "should" know better but seem to delight in this type of activity. Sad that they have nothing better to do with their time, these Christian women. I still proclaim that if you are truly a Christian you don't have to tell anyone you are, and no one else needs to say you are, it is just "known" by actions and words that "you are". Proclaiming just doesn't work in my book.
After taking several leaves of absence from the Yahoo Brush Bunch group I have had to put myself on "read only". Most recently I have taken the necessary steps to have my home phone disconnected and purchased cell phones for both my husband and myself. I am not pleased with having to make this choice because with hearing aids a cell phone is not the best of options for me, but it is what it is. Now it is time for those who have been drawn into this matter , to make a decision based on both sides of the story now that mine has been "told". Hopefully things will begin to taper off and stop.... I have pretty much done everything I can do to protect myself and my family from any future victimization.
I am sorry that I have had to address this issue on my blog where persons who are not involved are aware of what has been going on; but it had progressed to the point where I knew it was time I took a stand to defend myself. So this is kinda a "TO WHOM'S IT MAY CONCERN" blog post.
Bottom line: the brush bottomed basin works great and really does prolong the life of your brushes...especially that dried up paint that sometimes can build up at the ferrel of your brushes if you don't clean as you paint. I have left water in my basin for as long as 2 weeks and I am pleased to say I have only had one brush loosen up; but remember the brush in my basin can be reglued and adhered as securely as when you first rec'd the basin. I have cleaned the basin with hot water and have not had the glue weaken or soften. It is not that I recommend leaving water in the basin or cleaning with hot water, it is simply that I am saying doing so has not resulted in any problems......but it might or could . I don't make any guarantees....to do so would be foolish.
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