What is a Mahl Stick?

A mahl stick is a stick or thin pole used as an aid in painting. It’s particularly useful when working on a piece where the paint is still wet and you want to avoid touching the surface accidentally. Using the stick allows an artist to brace their hand while painting detail, taking the strain off the shoulder. The mahl sticks we use were purchased at the Container Store in San Diego. They actually were designed to be used to remove hanging garments from a high closet rod. To purchase one just CLICK THIS LINK. We like them because the crook at the end hooks over the top of our easel, making it very easy to use. When not in use the bottom end rests against the palette as  you can see above. The setup is arranged so my palette is directly in front of the easel. The palette is a piece of glass on top of a white board, similar to the white of the canvas. This arrangement is much more efficient than if the palette was to my side, I don’t have to twist back and forth each time I mix or get paint. When mixing my colors I can immediately see how they will look on the white canvas because of the white under the glass. By the way, we were watching a Spurs basketball game while painting. GO SPURS! And yes, we won! Hugs, Mikki Senkarik