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Posts Tagged ‘pictures’

I read an amazing article by Grayson Perry entitled “How art appreciates - it’s a class act”. In a nutshell he reckoned that art finds its true monetary value from what the experts say. But I can see something more from what he says.

If a piece of art is to be labeled as having any “value” at all it is what is said about it that establishes it as a work worthy of an individuals attention.

In other words … if you see a picture and it relates to you in some way (this can be either positively or negatively) - then you should say so … and write it down.

So once one remark has been made then others will follow … plus other people will look at the work and make their own minds up about it, and they will also read about what you have said … and they will include your critique in their weighing up of the image.

I am not necessarily talking only about financial worth, no, here is a far greater opportunity which is all inclusive, wonderfully mutual, and offers the chance for anyone - and everyone … to add to the worthiness of any piece of art - and eventually to the whole of society. What YOU have to say about a particular artwork is very important … even vital not only to the work, or the artist, or that particular type of work, or to your locality, or to your region, or to your country … but to the World! (I am referring here to the butterfly wing beat theory … if you don’t know about it then you must look it up … it really puts value onto the individual within a world context … fantastic - but I believe it’s true).

Let’s look at this in a bit more detail, first from the artist’s point of view …

If, when you exhibit your art, you value what people have to say about your work (and I don’t mean if you want everyone to love everything you do otherwise you will sulk and withdraw into yourself), and are happy for observers to voice their opinion about it - make sure you have a visitors book easily available for any remarks to be made (remember … even someone who only wants to deface the book is actually saying something about themselves - and their society … and your work might be evoking a challenge to them so much that their only response can be a defensive one such as vandalism - therefore even this has a value in itself - and strangely actually places a value upon your work). These can have a use later on in publicity, and in some cases can be seen as endorsements for your style of work.

If you have a website then a well placed, easy to understand and use, guest-book or visitors book, or comments page are very useful reference points for you and your work. If visitors refer to a particular image then their critique might be worthy of adding to the page that the picture is on. That way other observers can get to read observations coming from different points of view. Of course, if a visitor does not want to be influenced - then they can just simply ignore anything that is written. However, others may well find such additional information from the “man-in-the-street” helpful to them as they try to assimilate what they see. What is written will be of far greater value to them - and to you the artist in may other areas too. And if you are trying to sell your work then a timely encouraging comment from a third party might persuade an otherwise hesitant buyer into making that sort after commitment.

Now from the visitors point of view …

It is a truly wonderful thing to be “touched” by a piece of art in a gallery. When ever I have found myself slowly being drawn into a painting I immediately want to verbalize what I am receiving - I might want to shout or laugh loudly … but more likely I would want to put down in writing a description of what I am seeing, what I am feeling, and what kind of inspiration I might begin to cultivate … and what intention I might want to start getting in motion (which is why I always carry a notepad around with me).

So I would encourage, even exhort, the viewer not to just take a back step and move on to another picture. But rather I want them to commit their thoughts, frustrations, emotions, decisions, resolutions … anything which has come directly from looking at a piece of art, commit these to paper - find the visitors book and, if necessary, fill it with your reactions to the work. By doing this the visitor is rightly placing themselves into the “experts” chair. So any thoughts and points of view are worthy of note. If you have a view on a piece of work then it should be heard.

It is the same - or should be - when visiting a website. In fact it can be easier to make an anonymous comment on the internet. A lot of sites give you the opportunity to make a comment without having to give your name, email address - or any information other than the words you want to type. So if you are that sort of person then don’t be afraid but try to get into the habit of writing down your views. You might actually WANT to reveal who you are or put down your area of expertise … be it the university professor or the “public highway hygiene technician” … because what you say matters … whoever you are.

What will happen here is that as comments are made and attached to a work others will read them and, having viewed the piece themselves, they will make their own point of view whether for or against other comments … and the work will gain its own merit from what is said.

So while the top artists are busy vying for that hallowed multi-millionaire-and-totally-famous-artists kind of place - the rest of us can get on and work, and receive a much more valuable encouragement … that of the humble, if not down-to-earth, endorsements from our fellow human beings.

Don’t be afraid … be truthful … tell it like it is … and watch what happens.

When attempts have been made to describe a work of abstract art many people have used words like “feelings”, “emotions”, and “soul”. I think these words are clues to what is actually happening within both the viewer and the artist.

The world of art and the environment of the mystical go back a long way together with many facets in common with one another - one being that they both seek to look into a deep unknown - and then seek to manifest it into this physical world by one means or another.

Therefore it is understandable that a non-representational picture can be difficult to comment on. The viewer might be “moved” by the artwork, but they may not really know why. I believe it has something to do with their sleeping soul being gently (or violently) shaken into a specific awareness. The earthy physical body may have very little understanding as to what might be happening, so they are left to struggle in explaining a spiritual concept from a physical point of view.

However, as an artist who has acquired (and lives by) a little understanding of certain spiritual aspects, here are my offerings of what I believe happens when a viewer comes across a mystical abstract painting.

In order to do that I want to present the whole episode from all aspects:

The Spirit

One of the Spirit’s major intentions is to bring spiritual understanding into the physical realm. One way to do that is to enter time and manifest a potential opportunity for a receptive body. That receptive body can either be the person being offered the opportunity - or the messenger of it. If they are the messenger then there are many ways in which that message can be put across … and one of them is by producing a provocative illustration or allegory in the form of an abstract painting.

The Messenger

… Or Artist in this case … Or more specifically an artist who is prone to take note of their own inner enigmatic visuals. Once inspired the artist then sets about translating these visions into a personal style of depiction. I think it is quite probable that many an artist will be unconscious of what exactly they are putting down upon the canvas … all they might know is that there is an urgent complusion to work with particular colours, or in a specific style.

The Art

A personalized manifestation of the inner visuals … portrayed on board or canvas - or any other handy appropriate medium at the time. The artist lets the visual take shape in their mind and allows for interpretation into the physical world … which results in an artwork of surreal allegory, or be-riddled story, or just a simple abstract presentation of specific colours or shapes. Each element of the art will include (or be) a potential key ready to allow the appropriate viewer entrance into its intriguing yet creative environment.

The Viewer

A receptive observer viewing the art may initially have an indefinable affinity with it. They are perhaps first emotionally drawn to the image before them. And as their thoughts begin to trigger other thoughts, gradual realizations start to become apparent … gaining strength until they acquire a personal creative understanding seen only by themselves but which may eventually involve others who come into contact with them.

The Gift

The originally unknown vision now begins to unfold its truth within the receptive viewer. This can be in many guises … a simple affirmation … a personal revelation … a specific spiritual, mental, or inner encouragement … an energizing edification for a hungry or floundering soul … offering a sense of contentment within a challenging situation … This gift can be as simple or as complicated as is required for the viewer. Its influence can be timeless - remaining relevant over a period of days, weeks, months, or years.

So the next time you seek to produce a piece of art or decide to visit a gallery do not hesitate or dwell upon any lack within you … rather open your eyes (after all they are supposed to be the windows of the body) and prepare yourself to either see in order to create - or see in order to receive.

Right now Panic At The Disco is one of the most influential and original bands on the world music stage. The Panic At The Disco sound is unique and virtually unmistakable with everything from the winding rhythm to the fast and full lyrics blending together to create a sound you can’t help but get sucked into.

Their touring and recently released debut album has given this band a pretty decent fan base. The Panic At The Disco album is consistently full of fast paced and hard hitting music that sounds like no one else’s and is always true to their original selves. As any fan will tell you, these guys just won’t disappoint.

Besides the amazing instrumentations that forms their music there is something more that makes this alternative rock group standout. This something is their words. Panic At The Disco lyrics are easily distinguished from anyone else’s because of their rich descriptiveness and their hard hitting style. Panic At The Disco lyrics are written into a catchy and captivating meter that makes you want to absorb every word. And their lyrics are almost always sung out with a not so subtle hint of malice.

Completing their often imitated style are there collection of short films. Panic At The Disco videos are so highly stylized that they are almost impossible to put into words. Their music videos capture the essence of their songs better than most and the blatant and in-your-face imagery compliments their lyrical style quite well. Make no mistake, Panic At The Disco videos aren’t flashy commercials full of over-choreographed dancing and eye-candy. Their music videos are pieces of modern moving art, full of intriguing characters and situations.

Panic At The Disco was formed a few years back by a group of high school friends who shared an interest in all the same kinds of music. What began as imitation became evolution and creation until they had their own unmistakable sound. Panic At The Disco has based itself in Las Vegas and are finally on the road touring the country on their own.

When you are producing flower landscape oil paintings, keep in mind the short canvas blend life of oil paints. If you are producing an oil painting of a flower landscape and you need to make a change that isn’t immediately effective, the best thing to do is wipe it off with your paint rag and start over. This will work for the first 24 hours after your painting, as oil paintings take this long to dry. In fact, it’s important not to make too thick a first coat or you’ll never get your oil paints to dry.

One important piece of oil painting advice is to clean your paint brushes each time you change colors. You do this by first wiping as much paint off the brush with a rag as you possibly can and then inserting the brush into the paint thinner. Not only will this get more oil paints off your brush, but will extend the life of your thinner as well. Swish your paint brush around in the container of paint thinner, then dry it with your clean paint rag.

When the first layer of your flower landscape oil painting creation is finished, wait 48 hours before you start on your second paint application or you’re going to end up smearing the work you already did. In the meantime don’t leave your oil painting somewhere hot or humid. Make sure that its location will protect it from getting accidently scraped, smooshed, smeared, or touched at all.

Should you have a lot of paint left on the palette and you want to use it when you start your flower landscape oil paintings again, scrape the paint together with your knife. Next put a small amount of paint thinner on a cleam paint rage and use it to clean the rest of your paint palette. Plastic wrap is great for covering the paint that is leftover. Make sure you wrap it tightly though.

It’s important as well, that until you start again with your flower landscape oil paintings, that you replace the lid on the container of paint thinner and set it aside, no matter how cloudy it looks. The paint thinner will settle and the pigment that is part of the paint will drop to the bottom of the container.

Clean thinner will settle at the top. The next time you go back to your flower landscape oil paintings you’ll only need to pour that top layer of clean paint thinner into a new and clean thinner container, and wipe the pigment off the bottom. You then pour the good paint thinner back into its original thinner container and you’re ready to start your flower landscape oil painting project once again.

It is amazing how the art world seems to have taken a hold of general society. Many more individuals are inclined to forgo reprints and posters and start collecting their own unique art pieces for their homes and offices.

Are you interested in starting your own collection of original art? If you do not have thousands of dollars to spend on famous original artwork then you may wish to consider some other ideas and sources for your art pieces.

One avenue to consider, especially if you have not spent much time cultivating your tastes, is to rent art from a local gallery. You can have an original piece from local artists for a fraction of the cost of purchase. You can also trade in your selection for new pieces which may be refreshing in a business environment, or even a smart way to select art for personal enjoyment if you are not sure which pieces will suit you long term.

Another avenue is to go to local art schools or check your paper for shows by student artists. Here you can buy original pieces by up-and-coming artists for much less than established artists. It also allows you to invest in the growth of local talent, and possibly make an investment that will appreciate enormously in value should the artist truly excel in their field.

If you have an artist’s community in your area - studios that are rented by local artists, you may also find that they hold open houses during the year. You may find artwork on sale as they promote themselves through this avenue. It also gives you a chance to speak with the artist and get a real history on the work you select.

Often art collectors are interested as much in the career of the artist as they are in their work. Finding an artist that moves you may cause you to consider collecting from a single artist rather than creating a diverse collection. Following the career of a new artist may give you a more valuable, as well as meaningful, collection down the road.

You may also finding interesting pieces in antique shops, markets and consignment stores. Always keep your eyes open for artwork that appeals to you and do not be too concerned with the value. Art is always subject to individual interpretation and only you can decide if a piece is worthy of your investment.

Do enjoy immersing yourself in your art collecting. Whether it is simply an occasional hobby or becomes an ongoing passion, art is an extension of our imagination that is one of the few truly human pursuits - it fills no need other than emotional - and yet has an impact that intrigues and fulfills us like no other.

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1. First decide what sort of impression you want to make with “pictures”. Do you want to be fashionable and arty or do you want to display family photos, nostalgia or personal interests? If you wish you can include all of the above, but you may make a better job of it if you have designated areas for each. For example you may want to make a statement with an impressive single abstract piece in your living room, while in the hall or dining room you could display more personal items. There are no rules as such, but try to harmonise your displays so that they do not compete for the viewer’s attention. If you can try and rationalise where and why you hang each item. Ultimately you will get more out of each piece and your guests will sense yours to be an organised and methodical household.

2. Keep your choice of art in proportion to where you will hang it. If a picture is too large it will look cramped and suffocated, if it is too small it will look lost and insignificant. Many people think that if there is room for a picture to squeeze in between the mantelpiece and the ceiling it will work there. Not so, you must allow the space around the picture to become part of the framing too. All surrounding space must be balanced and equal.

3. Never try to save money by forcing a picture into a frame that neither suits it, fits it or displays it to the best advantage. A cheap frame is a false economy for you can end up with a dreadful result that simply looks “make-do”. Compared to furniture and flooring, pictures can often be thought of as of minor importance in the grand scheme of the room. This is not so at all. Think of a picture as the Tiara on the Bride or the Cream on the Cake. It is the finishing touch that will often turn into the major focal point of the room. If it looks denied its full potential splendour &ndash so will the room.

4. Always consider the picture first when framing it and not the d

Since the days when cavemen began drawing on the walls &ndash everyone has, at some point, displayed art in their home. In the beginning it was probably something we painted ourselves at kindergarten, aged four and a half, for mum to proudly display on the fridge in the kitchen, developing in our teens to the picture of the girl scratching her bare bottom on the tennis court or, in our later years, a genuine impressionist painting by an elephant called Tojo, purchased while on holiday in Thailand. At some point we have all fallen in love with an “image” and chosen to decorate our abode with that “must have” picture which momentarily amused or inspired us.

So, “art” for the home is nothing new. What is new is its’ abundance. Art is much more available now than it has ever been and the variety of things to choose from has never been more diverse. These days we can buy images of anything from architecture to erotica. We can buy it easier too. There is art on the internet, in furniture stores, high street galleries or even at the multiple outlet retailers who tempt us with their range of mass produced “two year tops - skip fodder”. We are literally spoilt for choice of things to buy.

But what should we buy and where should we buy it? Anyone can hang a picture on the wall, it’s easy. Buy something suitable, bang a nail in the wall, hang it up &ndash job done! But that, dear reader, is as far from the truth as it is possible to get. In my opinion there are just three types of people who buy art. Those with genuine artistic appreciation and an eye for real talent, those who find it hard to make a distinction between creativity and an unmade bed and, probably worst of all &ndash the decorists. What are “decorists” you may well ask &ndash and so you should, for you might indeed be one of them.

Decorists are that happy band of picture hunters who never go shopping without their little bag of accoutrements. This essential selection of undeniable criteria can include many and diverse items. But those most commonly in place in their “art trappers bag” will be a swatch of curtain material, a piece of wallpaper, piping from the edge of a cushion, a lump of laminate flooring or the front of a draw from the new kitchen units. These people are to be helped and understood, for they are not responsible for their actions. They suffer from a condition you could call “refititis” which is usually caused or at least irritated by watching too many telly “experts” telling them that a piece of MDF painted the exact colour to match those items in their bag, is as good to hang up in your home as something genuinely artistic that employed real talent in its creation. Pretty though that may make your home, shallow is what it makes you.

There are only two rules to apply to the purchase of a picture for personal use in a private home.

1. Buy what you truly like to look at.

2. Spend what you can afford.

Such rules can, of course, be greatly extended but, simplistically, these are the two that really determine the purchase of most pictures sold today. What is more important is to understand what a picture is and what it does for you and your home. This is a topic that should provoke the whole picture industry to book a hall at the N.E.C. for a national debate, but here it is as I see it:

- The only place you should buy your pictures from is a specialist gallery &ndash or the artist?

That’s generally sound advice. In both cases you can ask pertinent questions relating to the “art” and you should be able to expect a “sensible” answer. But watch out! Both can be biased and both are hungry to take your money off you. So, listen and take their advice with caution. Beware of the “independent” galleries that I call “Pubs”. These purport to be selling quality art that “you simply must be collecting right now”. What they are really doing is trying to shift their stock of sole supplier, industry dictated, over priced limited edition prints by artists who, once their day in the limelight is over, may be as worthless as that tennis player scratching her bare bottom. Essentially, there is nothing wrong with buying such pictures, the artistry is mostly excellent and very worthy of being featured in your home, so long as you are aware that what you are buying is often a “fashionable piece” and like your hair style in your wedding photos, may look bloody ridiculous in years to come. Whether you are told, with all genuine intention, that “this is a good investment”, choose not to believe it. The advice may well be right. But don’t take the risk. Stick to the two rules, if you like it and can afford it buy it.

- Pictures are much cheaper at the superstores.

Yes, they certainly can be &ndash and for very good reason. Now, call me a snob if you like but for the same reasons I don’t go to Spain for my holidays to sit on a beach full of thousands of other overweight fat English people, I don’t buy pictures from a pallet in Ikea. I simply don’t want to make my personal space exactly the same as everyone else’s. If I had been born a Cow or a Sheep I’m sure I would have walked away from the rest of the Herd or Flock to stand on my own. But, same rules… if you like it, there’s no one on this planet to say you can’t have it. Just don’t invite me round for dinner.

- I only buy original Oil Paintings.

Very good, you are on the road to enlightenment and freedom of expression. However, you must be careful here too. There are original Oil Paintings and, wait for it, original Oil Paintings. You must be sure of what you are buying. Any oil painting is worth only what someone is prepared to pay for it. I tell my artists that a fair price to start from when pricing a work is double the amount it cost in materials and the sum amount of the hours it took to paint it, determined of course by the amount the artist expects to earn per hour. Any increment after that is essentially a grey area and inextricably linked to the quality and skills of the individual artist. Something you might choose to argue in your negotiations before you buy. This type of artwork is at least “honest” and “original” so our two rules apply again. The other type of Original Oil Painting is a very different story. I only need to say two words of warning, “Far East”. China, Taiwan, South Korea etc are all wonderful suppliers of “Original Oil Paintings”. They are very nice, painted by talented hands, but far from unique and even further from original. Many such paintings travel along a line of workers for each to add their individual bit, be it clouds, trees or rippling stream. The same rules apply &ndash so long as you know “what” you are buying.

To Summarise

Shop at a reputable gallery, listen to what you are told with your ears open, ask plenty of questions, never allow yourself to be “sold” a picture, only buy pictures not promises, unless you are an expert don’t expect to buy as an investment, try to resist buying from a stack of identical pictures on a shelf, purchase strictly by the two rules and as you do, remember one last thought. The pictures on your wall tell others more about you than you might think. Consider the pictures you or your friends own now. What do they tell you about the people living in that house? Are they sporty, humorous, well travelled, pretentious, old fashioned, modern, driven by the herd, spontaneous, lovers of safe recognised artists, cultured or haven’t they got a clue? You be the judge but for what ever reason, do allow yourself to enjoy your chosen art whatever it may be and to yourself be true. After all, your taste in art is as individual as you are &ndash or it should be.