Tools & Talismans #39 Faith Evans-Sills
I’ve gathered a few of my favorite tools together in my painting studio. At the top, there are my oldest paintbrush and palette knife; both have been with me since college and have layers of wear showing their history and mine. Below that is my gesso brush, which is important to me as I use it to prime each new canvas, so it’s a symbol and reminder of new beginnings and fresh starts. Next I have included my favorite colors in my favorite paints; turquoise acrylic paint, and hot pink gouache.
I’ve recently been exploring pastel & charcoal drawing within the layers of my paintings, so included here are two pastels (I can never get enough turquoise), upon a favorite ceramic crescent moon dish of mine. The crescent moon shape grounds me with its reminder that everything changes, I keep this dish in the studio and often burn incense on it. There is a glass of water, one of the tools that I use the most, I am constantly either drinking water, creating paint washes for my canvases, or washing out my brushes.
Next there are a few pieces from my personal altar: a small cobalt blue vase that I bought from an artist many summers ago in Maine, in it I keep three found blue jay feathers, all of which have appeared to me at significant moments. The feather has long been a symbol of mine, reminding me to release what is no longer serving me, and that’s a good lesson for me especially in the studio. Finally I have included a large quartz crystal that I found recently, after searching for a while for a large crystal piece for my studio, this one spoke to me with it’s beauty and simply the feeling of it in my hand when I sit and think. There is something very right about it for me, where I am right now.
— Faith Evans-Sills, painter & mixed media artist
Tools & Talismans is a personal painting project where I document {in watercolor} the tools and talismans of 100 different women — creators and healers, thinkers and makers, wordsmiths and visionaries. Join me for a year of Tools & Talismans — I'll be sharing a new painting with you every Wednesday.
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