Monarch Brush Rest TM
Now in two sizes!
Introducing the Monarch Brush Rest. It’s a low tech simple design made to tackle an annoying problem for most artists. I first thought of the idea of a brush rest back in the late seventies. I got tired of trying to hold 5 or more brushes in my hand or setting my brushes down on the edge of a table where they would roll together, or worse fall to the floor. It has gone through many changes since then and this current design seems to work best for most people. I’m still using the original one that’s over 30 years old and it still works and looks great.
The Brush Rest is made of solid oak with a good polyurethane finish. After trying many different species of wood, I settled on oak because it is readily available, renewable and strong. It machines well and has a nice weight to it that helps hold it in place. I briefly considered using different material (i.e. plastic etc.) but that was quickly vetoed by my focus group of fellow artists. The warmth and feel of real wood can’t be matched.
When, and you will, get paint on the Rest, just wipe it off in a reasonable amount of time. For stubborn spots of oil colors, use a little mineral spirits on a rag and it should wipe right off and look as good as new. For acrylic colors you need to be a bit more diligent as these colors dry so quickly. But if you do get some dried acrylic on your Rest, try a little denatured alcohol. In general, paint has a hard time sticking to polyurethane; however, if you let it dry for a couple days or longer it can become very hard to remove…..it happens! Caution!! Do not use acetone or lacquer thinner to clean your Brush Rest. It will ruin the finish.
With minimal care your Brush Rest should last a lifetime. Think about it….nearly all your art supplies get used up. Brushes wear out. Paints, thinner, mediums and canvas get used, but the Brush Rest will always be there, doing its job. Will the Monarch Brush Rest help you make better paintings? Who knows! Will it make your painting experience just a little easier? Absolutely!
Gregory West