Brush Reviews, And Advice – The Rigger/Liner Brush

Award winning artist, Kate Steenhauer discussses the importance of lines.

Drawing is at the root of Steenhauer’s work. Her style is quick with successive markmaking and intense and loosely-drawn lines amalgamating on the surface of each body of her work. As the fine detail aims to create character, gesture and movement, the overall design aims to evoke a harmonious atmosphere.

Kate has won several awards including a Royal Scottish Academy Award and exhibits regularly at the Royal Scottish Academy in Edinburgh, the Mall Galleries and Royal College of Art in London.

Her work is in private collections as well as purchased by the Maritime Museum of Aberdeen and Angus Council in Scotland.

I am an award-winning artist living and working in Scotland. I am dedicated to building a record of life behind Scottish industries and landscapes using printmaking and oil painting.

In my oil painting I have used Rosemary’s paint brushes, in particular the Shiraz rigger brushes, for the last 5 years. My oil painting technique applied to very rough surfaces puts significant demands on these brushes. The layers of paint are built up through various types of markmaking where the density and movement of lines give a sense of form. In my figures I strive for fluidity. The people are drawn loosely, aiming to capture the essence of their activity, emphasising movement in dissonance to the heavy machinery or rigid structures in my paintings of Scottish industries and landscapes.

Rosemary’s riggers lend themselves greatly to this way of painting. The brushes withstand rough textured surfaces, maintaining their shape and spring, allowing for control and accuracy. They have a great filling capacity to aid my expression, giving a long-lasting, rewarding flow on the rugged wooden panels. The various sizes of the brushes allow a great flexibility in paint application enabling me to work in various scales of panels, giving me a brush stroke ranging from an extremely fine line to a more spontaneous broad mark. The quality of the rigger brushes is very high making its use an enjoyable experience.

Images courtesy of Kate Steenhauer.
See more of Kate’s work at: www.katesteenhauer.com

For more information visit our website by clicking here. We hand make rigger brushes for oils, acrylics and watercolours.