Table of Contents:

1. Cleaning A Rock Hard Oil Paint Brush

2. Do We Fight For Peace Or Against War

3. My Little Buddha – A Lesson In Noticing

 

1.0 A dried, rock-hard oil paint brush doesn’t have to be the end of its life.

In this post, I share a calm, step-by-step method I use to restore oil brushes that many would consider ruined—using simple, accessible cleaning products and a little patience. If you’ve ever picked up a forgotten brush and felt that sinking feeling, this guide may save it (and a few others) from the bin.

Read the full article and share your favourite solution to this age-old problem:

https://peteonart.substack.com/p/how-to-clean-and-save-an-oil-painting

 

 

2.0 Do we fight for Peace or against war?

What has this got to do with art? Absolutely nothing, think of it as the art of living so that we can live joyfully and do more art. I apologise I had to let it out there!

What does it really mean to “fight for peace”?
In this reflective essay, I explore the crucial difference between fighting against war and fighting for peace—and why that distinction matters more than we might think. Rather than positioning peace as something enforced through power or opposition, I suggest it begins with individual choice: how we live, what we support, and what we refuse to participate in.

The article invites us to imagine a world shaped by everyday acts of care—toward one another and toward the natural world—and asks what might change if we collectively chose compassion over compliance with systems that perpetuate harm. Acknowledging the complexity and difficulty of such a transition, it ultimately poses a simple but challenging question: what would happen if peace began with us?

👉 Read the full article and join the conversation: Will you fight for peace?

https://peteonart.substack.com/p/should-we-fight-for-peace-or-against

Woody Guthrie words and music. As necessary today as it was in his day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFctwi5Tswg&list=RDIFctwi5Tswg&start_radio=1

 

3.0 My Little Buddha – A Lesson In Noticing

I once picked up what I assumed was a cheap framed print from a box of unwanted art at a church hall.

It turned out to be an original charcoal drawing of exceptional quality.

For months, it sat unnoticed in a corner of my home. Only later, when I looked more carefully, did I realise what I had found.

It could easily have been overlooked. Worse — it could have been thrown away.

This small experience reminded me of something important for all collectors and lovers of art:

The most meaningful discoveries often require nothing more than attention.

I’ve shared the full story — and the quiet lesson behind it — in today’s post.

Read the full story here→ https://peteonart.substack.com/p/my-little-buddha-the-quiet-art-of

If today’s reflection spoke to you, I would love for you to stay connected.

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There is always space for you here.