What do candles, broccoli stalks, and dolls have in common? They were all tools the painter Thomas Gainsborough used! Gainsborough painted quickly and with pizzazz. Some of his brushes were as long as his arm. He used more blue than any other artist at the time. Gainsborough painted dozens of people, but he preferred to paint places outside. Even when he wasn't outdoors, he studied how light casts shadows. He noticed the light on folds of fabric and in fields of cows. Then he used his brush to capture the light for others to enjoy—for centuries to come.