Distractions & Messy Work of Fresh Solvent
The Art of Distraction or is that Inspiration
Waking up to a beautiful snowy morning. This is it, the day that won’t run away from me, a painting day, or so I vowed once again. But this, and other days before it go the same way and distraction has become the art and my inspiration is becoming my procrastination.
My creative morning begins with the realization that the bird feeders are empty. Hungry birds are waiting and moments after refilling they come in droves. The cardinals, jays, woodpeckers, chickadees, juncos, sparrows and finches all appear and I get caught up in their morning dance.
Suddenly, a bird so swift I couldn’t quite see it darted in, grabbed a junco and was gone. A kestrel I assume and every other bird vanished along with my morning. Time to head to the itty bitty room that is my current studio.
I haven’t painted birds so far, but maybe they will appear in a future project.
Fresh Gamsol
I am so excited to have some fresh Gamsol! It’s been over a year since this product has been available in Canada due to product labeling issues. We sell other great odourless thinners including TriArt and Mona Lisa but for me the Gamsol partners with other Gamblin products I am already using and I am long overdue to replace the solvent in my tin.
Did you know you can keep reusing your solvent over and over? Read on to find out how.
The airtight brush washer is by far my favourite way to deal with my solvent. The built in brush screen wipes the excess paint off your brush and allows all the sediment to fall to the bottom. It has been a year since I have cleaned it out. Pull out the brush screen, clip the lid on and give it a great shake. 
Pour the sludge mixture into a glass jar.
Once you scrape and wipe all the excess out you are ready to add fresh solvent and you are good to go. Keep the sludge jar! The paint sediment in it will fall to the bottom leaving clear usable solvent on top that you can pour back into your container.
My creative day didn’t quite go as planned but with fresh solvent, my palette ready and an under painting done I am sure tomorrow will be more productive. These tasks are a way of clearing my mind and getting the creative process underway. Distraction can be inspiration, and inspiration can be distracting... hopefully it will come together eventually.