The Shane Wolf Brush Set

Shane Wolf is a direct heir of the momentous turning point in Art that was the Italian Renaissance: the representation of the human body in all its realism and glory. Through him, we can clearly grasp the might of several centuries of pictural heritage. The painter’s style is inspired by both academic classicism that venerates both beauty and poise as well as inspiration from a very contemporary posture that conveys a ferocious twist to contorted flesh. 

Movement contributes equally to his realism, and imbues his painted bodies with life. With no other painter does the word “dance” so spontaneously spring to mind: a sumptuous rhythm emerges, commanding the body to step back before returning in a powerful surge to the stage that is before our eyes. 

There is something magical that gives life and such striking presence to Shane's works of art. His paintings no longer appear to be just a simple representation, but part of a unique reality placed within our grasp. This realism is epitomized by the fact that Shane only paints from live models – a millennia-long tradition that has become very rare amongst contemporary artists. In his own words, "Working from Life should be priority number one. Everything else flows from there."

"The first time I put my hands on some Rosemary brushes was fairly early on in my career. I had been using another brand at that point, not yet knowing what really good brushes were. THEN came my first Chungking Rosemary brushes, and just like a good wine that has aged perfectly, it all made sense: the feel of the brush was more "mature" and "rigorous", permitting me to be bolder and more agressive if need be in my paint application. Then I discovered many of their other brush ranges, which allowed me to handle paint in very diverse ways. I STILL paint with all of those original brushes, a solid testament to their construction and durability.

Years later I had the pleasure of getting to know the Rosemary Crew, and just like their products they are completely delightful, wonderful, well-balanced, and made in England! There is no need to look elsewhere: all the brushes you could possibly need are right here, and they are the best." Shane Wolf 2024

Just a few words about my set:

If you paint BIG, or are thinking about painting BIG, this set will get you rolling! There are of course a few small sizes here for drawing and details, some mid-size workers and finishers, but also the all-important BIG sizes to really slap some paint around. Enjoy!

START YOUR PAINTING WITH:

Bravura Filberts 

I love the Bravura filberts for my initial sketching and linear lay-ins on the canvas. They hold the paint long, thus allowing me to spend more time looking at the canvas and the model, and less time loading the brush from my palette. They are also nice and tough, so my heavy-weave linen canvas doesn't tear them up. I use the size 0 to start my smaller paintings and the size 4 for my bigger pieces.

BUILD MOST OF YOUR PAINTING WITH:

Series 2025

Aaah the Chungkings, my first Rosemary love! These are my work horses, and create about 75% of the entire painting. They are tough, and have the right amount of spring AND stiffness for either heavily-loaded strokes or for more dry brush strokes. I always like flats for their chiseled and planar language: they seem to make more decisive strokes than other brush shapes, and I like this for the bulk of my painting. And always size UP your brushes to stay true to the largeness and simplicity of complex forms!

FINESS AND FINISH YOUR PAINTING WITH:

Series 279

Once I have nice, thick, juicy paint everywhere, there comes a time when finer, softer strokes are necessary. This is where the amazing Master's Choice brushes come in to play. If 75% of my painting is executed thickly and boldly, then the remaining 25% is all about the subtle, fine-tuning of the piece. The Master's Choice has that perfect balance of softness and spring that will caress a thick layer of paint with the most delightful whisper, placing just the perfect amount of thinner paint right where it belongs. These brushes can also be used practically dry in a manner similar to a fan brush by knocking down any excessive paint thickness or brush texture that can sometimes be annoying.

The size 3 is for those small detail areas, and the size 10 for larger passages.

FINESS AND FINISH YOUR PAINTING WITH:

Series 278

This Master's Choice filbert is a good, intermediate size that gives a different, softer shape to its finish when compared to the flats. I like to have this in my lineup because inevitably the planar language of the flats will be too much in some areas, and a rounder stroke will marry wonderfully with the flat understrokes.

NOW SIGN YOUR PAINTING WITH:

Evergreen Pointed Rounds

How many brushes have I used (and then cursed) to try and find THE perfect brush to sign my paintings?? TOO many! This is such an important part of the painting process, yet so few painters talk about what brush they use when signing. Well here you go!

This set contains 9 brushes (all on Long Handles): 

BRUSH TYPE / SERIES	SIZE
Bravura Filberts	0	4	11.5
Bravura Filberts	4	9.5	22.5
Evergreen Pointed Rounds	2	3.6	16.7
Series 279. Masters Choice Long Flats	3	5.8	18.6
Series 279. Masters Choice Long Flats	10	20.2	32.0
Series 2025. Chungking Long Flat	12	24.8	38.6
Series 2025. Chungking Long Flat	16	34.5	46.1
Series 2025. Chungking Long Flat	20	48	53
Series 278. Masters Choice Long Filbert	7	13.9	25.9