The traditional tools of painting and creating works of art are brushes and palette knives. There are hundreds of versions of each with different sizes and materials designed to create various effects. There are brushes for extreme detail, broad brushes for large strokes and covering lots of territory with formal names like round, liner, wash, angular wash and fan. Then there are various materials for the bristle. And the same volume of variety for knives!
Many painters employ nontraditional methods of painting from twigs, window squeegees, spatulas, makeup brushes, wire, combs and plastic, and the list goes on.
But my favorite is a technique employed by Josep Domenech, a Barcelona artist who paints using pieces of cotton fabric and his fingers. He removes instead of adding, and he aims for synthesis. Apparently, this skill set is a result of having to economize on materials as a student when he experimented with old rags that had been used to polish furniture. Now, he uses cloth of only the highest quality. And his art is amazing!
He has won numerous awards and has shown all around the world. Domenech believes that no artist is self-made but must learn from others.
Me? I gravitate equally between brush and knife, depending on the subject, canvas size and oil versus acrylic, with occasional fingertip use to blend.
Domenech’s work can be viewed at Platinum Living Fine Art Gallery in Carmel, with heavy emphasis on the Fine! Tours by appointment only are available through platinumlivingfineartgallery.com. Expect to see some of the finest art in the Midwest with many artists from Europe and check out my paintings while you are there.
Next gallery walk in Carmel Arts & Design District, see if you can uncover any unconventional items artists have used to create.
Randy Sorrell is a Carmel artist. For more, visit rsorrellart.com.
