Here is what I posted. I tried to keep it as reasonable as possible.
I am currently having problems buying paint brushes made from Kolinsky hair (which comes from the species called mustela siberica). After researching the problem on the internet it has come to my attention that the US Fish and Wildlife Service has stopped these shipments by insisting that the Country of Origin Document be on a CITES form. I fail to understand why this decision was made when the old documentation provided by UK and European sources was okay before. According to NAMTA the information is the same so requiring a new form makes little sense to me. I fail to understand why this documentation issue cannot be worked out and the supply of Kolinsky brushes restored. My sources in the US are completely out of stock of the brushes I purchase on a regular basis. This is beginning to have an economic impact on Art suppliers in the US which is never a good thing and impacting my ability to pursue my hobby. Believe me there is a huge difference in brushes and you are keeping the supply of premium and highly sought after brushes off the US market.
I would recommend that any painter in the US that can't purchase Kolinsky paint brushes from their favorite local dealer send something similar (please don't copy exactly what I said it will probably get tossed out as spam). You can find contact form here:
It was either this or poor Hobbes is going to start losing fur!
A note of warning; this post does not have anything to do with cruelty to animals. I simply want to get brushes that are already in production back into distribution in the US not to discuss the moral or ethical viewpoints of how those brushes are made. I will delete posts that try and start that discussion. Hobbes is not in any danger of being shaved anytime soon. Besides his fur would make a poor paintbrush. The top coat is nearly waterproof and the undercoat is much to fine.
