Brush Up!

Art and auctions go hand in hand obviously. This week I heard about an art auction with a bit of a difference. Firstly it's a charity auction, raising funds for GiGi's Playhouse, a Down syndrome awareness centre with bases in Illinois and Iowa, North America. Secondly the auction is not actually for works of art, but a chance to bid on used brushes, donated by a galaxy of Low Brow stars including Mark Ryden, Josh Agle (Shag), Tara McPherson and Scott Musgrove, to name but a few.

The auction, entitled The Brush Project is being conducted entirely online on eBay and in the meantime the brushes can be viewed virtually at Rotofugistore on eBay and in person at Rotofugi Gallery in Chicago.

The show is being curated by the David van Alphen, owner of the DvA Gallery and himself an artist who creates surreal 70's-reliving kitsch collages under the guise of Netherland. The chosen charity is very close to his heart, being a parent of a young child affected by Down syndrome.

The auction is running now and is due to end on October 6th. Bids have started at a very reasonable $10 to $20, so this could be a great opportunity to bag one of the tools of the trade of a modern master and help a charitable cause while you are at it.

Brush donated by Marion Peck.

Brush donated by Mitch O'Connell.

Brush donated by Jeremiah Ketner.

Brush donated by Derek Yaniger.