Art Imitates Art

Art © Ellen Blonder

Brush handmade by Isabella Kirkland

One of the most unusual gifts I have ever received is this hand-made brush made by the extraordinary artist Isabella Kirkland. The startling thing about it is that the hairs of the brush are taken from her cat Dandelion's shed fur. The brush is even named "Dandy #12" since it's the twelfth brush she has made in this series.

The hairs are aligned precisely and glued in place on the black bamboo handle; when the brush is dipped in liquid the brush comes together in a beautiful fine point. It feels much softer against paper than a sable brush but holds a surprising amount of paint. 

To finish off what was already an incredible amount of meticulous work, Isabella hand-lettered the name on the side of the brush and topped it off with a perfectly sized carnelian from a local beach.

I tried it out in my watercolor sketchbook on a sketch of olives; then I painted the brush itself. It felt like making art imitate art. 

Thank you, Izzy. I will treasure this always.

Freiburg 1981

© Ellen Blonder

My sister Julie just told me they're going to Freiburg, Germany, this summer, which prompted me to find my sketches from my overnight stay there in 1981. We stayed at the Kreuz Gasthaus, and the building at the bottom was outside our window. The  five-inch-long room key impressed me enough to sketch it. The chickens in the backyard produced the eggs for our breakfast. I hope it hasn't changed.