Today I am writing this blog to answer the many problems I see and hear. Every day someone is picking up the brush for the first time and they have many problems. First of all, we all know of the 2 guys who got this technique started, one guy is very popular and they sell a lot of supplies every year. The problem is both "original" companies don't make the same quality or even the same formula of the products the "original" guys used.  What is even worse is the ones who are changing the supplies don't paint or they are just now learning. Tell me, would you want someone to do surgery on you that is just now learning? or would you prefer someone that has been doing it for 10 years successfully? Now the name on the products the "new" guys I mean "old" guys wink, wink, are making might have a name that has been around for 30+ years but the product under the name is not! We're one of the only companies producing art supplies that are designed much in the same way the "original" guys would have used. My mediums are produced to work for oil painting in our technique ( wet-on-wet). That is why the folks who start with us have better success! My brushes are designed for oil painting not painting walls like the other guys who sell their line of brushes. If you want to have success you need the right equipment. We have one of the oldest formulas on the market because it hasn't changed! I created my mediums in 2014 and put them on the market in 2015. You might ask how is that the oldest when the other brand was on the market in the 80's?? that is because the formula has changed about every year since 2014, My medium has stayed the same and actually does its job! My signature mediums are made for our technique. That is why they work! Others are worried more about the marketing term of "non-toxic" than how your painting comes out. That is why their mediums do NOT work! I am worried about how the paintings look if I was worried about toxic mediums I would switch to acrylic or water mix oil paints. I use old school oil paint.  The bottom line is just because the name is original doesn't mean the product is! I designed my products because of the "original" companies changed the quality and formulas. I could see the results from their products in my work and I wasn't happy. I want you to have success, that is why I created Brandon Thomas Art and Brandon Thomas Art Supply.  Even though my brand/name hasn't been around that long, we have the best supplies for wet on wet oil painting! 

As many of you know my favorite palette is the wood palette, but why? Many folks ask me why not glass, or plastic? Now Glass is a great palette for the lazy artist and I do have a few glass palettes I made for my lazy days :) but the wood palette just has a warmth and personality that glass and plastic just doesn't have. As an artist sometimes its hard to get inspired sometimes, but when you have an old stained up wooden palette it's like an old friend you can see the times you spent working at the easel from the old ghost of paint stains that build a patina over time and it can get the gears in your creative mind moving. People are attracted to wooden palettes, because you can see the artist in the palette from his/her past works and years from now people will look at that old palette and just stare, wondering what painting was created from them old paint stains, or left over paint that wasn't cleaned off etc.. A wooden palette is a masterpiece in its self! I have had many of my old palettes bought from me at art shows because the patina and the beauty  it has! Has anyone ever hung up an old plastic or glass palette? Or offered to buy one from any artist? It has no life! A wooden palette  at one time was a living tree, and you can see the life in the palette through the grain! Does a plastic or glass palette have that? You might say its distracting etc.. I have never had that problem so I don't know why people think that or claim that . Wooden palettes are a little work but they are worth it! My palettes we build here at Brandon Thomas Art are seasoned like the old masters palettes and will give you a patina overtime and is just beautiful ! Many say that wood palettes suck the oils out of the oil paint, but if its made currently and seasoned correctly you will not have that problem.  
TOP photo is my old studio palette I made in my wet box.  

Monet's wood palette!