Painted ladies...

Until I manage to get the shots off of my camera and phone, my Budapest post will have to wait until Saturday I'm afraid

So instead, today I shall talk about painted ladies...

( Reflections on Beauty)

My mother and I are planning to paint her hall over the festive period, so the other night I looked out her paintbrushes. Yikes! there was not a useable brush amongst them. I think my darling Father just left them all in a jar to dry out with the paint still on them. I don't know if I can salvage them but I shall try.

I wish I was even half as talented and imaginative as San Franciso based artist Rebecca Szeto who gives new life to sad old paintbrushes by creating the most wonderful paintbrush portraits...

(Bad Habits)

(Geisha)

In a poetic twist of fate, end-of-life paintbrushes are whittled down and sculpted into artwork . Tools that were once used to create artwork, now bear the face of female portraits largely inspired by women of the Renaissance period and other female figures of art history.

Szeto, who previously worked as a faux finisher, uses her skill and background to create playful objects that question our notions of beauty and value; trash and treasure. “The slow and repetitive nature of whittling becomes a meditative activity,” says Szeto. For her the build-up of paint layers helps define their ultimate form as she reflects “on the idiosyncrasies of each individual brush.”

(Honour)

Explained  her work, Rebecca says - "These works play with notions of re-forming beauty and value, offering a critique on consumerism, women's work, and a curious entanglement of class dynamics in Leisure & Labor - Trash & Treasure. 

I love them all but think my favourite has to be (2B )below which reminds me of a Klimt portrait.

 Maybe instead of trying to save my mums poor old brushes I should just send them to Rebecca instead...

Queen Marie

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