Painting With Poison Sumac

Finished or unfinished, it's very pretty and I'm sorry to hear about your discomfort. But I thought you were somehow using the poison sumac as either a brush or crushed for a dye or paint or something. Now THAT, I thought, is interesting.

Commendable. Beautiful piece. And congrats to your students and their success, great news.

Poison Oak out here is bad enough, but I have heard that Poison Sumac is a lot worse...so sorry and hope you heal soon.

Nikolyn, really funny because that is what I thought at first, also.

Thank you Nikolyn,

If you think painting with brushes made from Poison Sumac was interesting how about blisters breaking between my fingers and sticking them together so that I couldn't move them separately...now that's interesting. Also my hands blew up so much the following days that I couldn't even get my wrist brace on. Right now I am typing this with 10 of those little buggers on my hand.

Thank you James,

Since I caught this awful condition, I have been wondering how the en plein air artists do it. I think they have caught this condition and worse. As for me I will take my studio with the music and protection from the weather for my art.

Am I right in remembering there's no practical way to tell the difference between poison and staghorn sumac until the berries come in?

Joshua, I don't know. I only know what my Doctor told me when he prescribed Prednisone for me. I told him I thought I caught Poison Ivy and he told me what I had wasn't Poison Ivy but a very bad case of Poison Sumac. I had a hard time talking with him because my lips were swollen. From here on in Joshua I intend to learn the differences between Poison Ivy, Poison Sumac and Poison Oak and how to identify them. I looked so bad that my wife was afraid to get near me.

"Quickie" ... with a handicap, Harold S.?

Okay, I'm quitting art now, since this clearly proves that I have neither the talent nor the skill for it. (^_^)

Hiya Robert,

The trick to being a "Quickie" is I spend a lot of time in my preparations before my class. I make no drawings on my panel so I don't have to concentrate on painting up to the lines and in most cases I paint with brushes that are around 3" wide.

Hal, it's amazing to me that with those 4 brushes you can create such a spectacular painting, that's what I call dedication!

Hiya Mario,

The brush at the bottom of this photograph is the oldest and also my favorite brush. It fell apart in one of my demonstrations so I picked it up from the floor, held it to the handle with my left hand and finished the painting. It ha s been repaired with epoxy glue and being used in my demonstrations again. It came in a package of 4 at Home Depot which I paid around $3.75 for. So, don't believe that the more you pay for a brush makes it a better brush. It's the old ones that give you the texture for trees and bushes and it's we older artists that use them. :)

"trick" = talent + skill

If we view all artistic talents and skills as a set, then I am the empty set, by comparison.(^_^)

I did okay in math, you see.

You did this with a king-hill case of poison sumac and 4 inch old messed up housepainter brushes? I surrender.

Do you have any online videos of you teaching painting?

Robert, you are too modest. I wish I was as accomplished as you are with the digital world but I'm not. Sometimes it's better to focus on the positives and not the negatives. Once you do that doors will open for your talents Robert. I can see your art on book covers, science fiction would be a natural for you.

I am amazed at what Mike Savad can do with his computer programs and what Guido Borelli or Crista Forest can do with brushes. But as for me, I think my calling was to keep a lot of artists busy with work, which I did when I was working full time as a Creative Director and Art Director. As for now it's my time to share with others all I have learned and to appreciate what I can do with a brush and a few colors so my family will remember me.

Cheryl, as of this time I don't but I have been thinking along those lines.

Ok, well, keep me posted if you ever do that.

Very cool, Harold!!! Love your new work.

Hal,
Please post them all!
What initially grabbed me about painting was watching a weekly demo by my high school art teacher...I was in awe, loved Fridays and I just bet your students feel the same way!
Stunning new offering, my friend!

Thank you Cheryl, I will do that.

Thank you Lisa.

Hiya Marlene,

You are right Marlene. My students would rather watch me paint then paint. Right now I paint my demonstrations about once a month. Some of them want me to paint every other week. Since I have two different classes in two different locations this becomes a problem for my old bones. The setting up and taking down of my very heavy easel and standing on my feet each time for two hours is getting to me.