Brushstrokes of Genius

My former instructor, Eldon Clark, has a deer-tail brush that he let me borrow in my second term at the Potters' Guild. It was such a cool brush, capable of making swooshes and wooshes, and swirls and whirls. An outstanding brush for sumi-e or calligraphy.

I'd been scouring the Internet since, hoping to find the same brush, but to no avail. Finally, I asked him this past Wednesday (June 24, 2015) when I saw him at the studio where he acquired it. He rattled through his many boxes of supplies but couldn't find it. Then his eyes lit up as he remembered he had yet another awesome brush — also constructed from deer-tail. He produced a bright yellow brush on a bamboo shaft. It was dry and quite bushy. He dipped it in water, and the brush immediately formed a beautiful, long, tapered tip.

"It's handmade," he beamed, "and you won't find a better brush."

He fetched a Tupperware full of cobalt slip from an overhead shelf, dragged the brush through it, and painted the countertop to demonstrate its full range of capabilities. I was mesmerized by the lines he was able to produce. Fat ribbons that seamlessly tapered off into thin lines. He then made a series of birds in flight by laying the brush flat and, with a quick flick of the wrist, pull the brush upward so that the fat little brush stroke sprouted wings.

I asked him where he acquired such a lovely brush. He couldn't remember who he bought it from ... only that it was a potter from North Carolina who was married to another potter who'd conducted a workshop at the Guildsome time ago. He went to a nearby shelf, produced a bisqued pot and turned it over. "S. Lindsay," the potter had written to leave her mark. "Her name was Susie," Eldon said. He couldn't remember how she spelled it.

When I got home, I googled "Suzie Lindsay potter North Carolina." Jackpot!

My search query resulted in Suze Lindsay and Kent McLaughlin at Fork Mountain Pottery (http://www.forkmountainpottery.net/).

I sent Kent an email, telling him about my conversation with Eldon. I inquired about his prized brushes, options and pricing. I specifically asked about the possibility of purchasing a small and large brush. He responded the following day to let me know that the small brush is $12, the large one is $20, and shipping is $6. "Send me a check for $38, and you're all set," he wrote.

Need I say, the check is in the mail?

Deer-tail ceramics glaze brushes. I love the long, tapered point of this brush. I am purchasing a small and large brush like the two shown on the far left. I cannot wait to receive these, but I guess I have no choice. The black bamboo handle third from the left is my favorite handle. Fact: McLaughlin grows his own bamboo, which he then uses to make handles for his brushes.