My new BFF brush!

When I was 8 I got a new pair of shoes, black patent leather. Yes, they were wonderful. I slept with them next to me so that if our house caught on fire I could grab my new shoes and jump out the window. I had my priorities.

This week, I have a new brush: mongoose. It's Raphael, Kevrin, size 14 filbert. It has a lovely taper with just the right amount of hairs extending up past the tip of the brush to feather edges just so. Just right. It has a good weight, nice length. OMG I love this new brush.

I also bought a fitch brush, a flat size 10. It seems fine, not as stiff as the mongoose, but a little more so than sable.

I've got the usual (large) assortment of bristle brushes. Some hold up well, others look like they've been electrocuted, with bristles sticking out every which way. I've got a few sable but they wear out very quickly. For example, I bought two at Utrecht in mid-January and already I believe the bristles look shorter.

I did read an interesting post on brushes on Matthew Innis' blog, Underpaintings (right here) about a company in England that still makes brushes by hand. Rosemary brushes, right here. Worth trying, the prices are good, and they have sable, chungking bristles, various synthetic and yes, mongoose.

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