Tag: fine art
Galleries set the stage with food, wine and music.
Galleries set the stage with food, wine and music. Inviting the public to participate as special guests as they mingle, engage in conversations and share ideas. And of course…meet the artist.
It’s a funny thing all the time and work it takes for artists to line up a show that when it comes down to attending the opening reception it’s a sudden…dreaded obligation. Personally I could never get comfortable with just hanging around and mingling with my family much less with a bunch strangers and I consider myself seasoned. The questions? Like what does one say at these things? What does one do? How does one look? If I dress modern I should have dressed more retro and if I dressed retro I should have played it safe with contemporary. At my last show I saw that we had some commonality of wearing tweed referring to the other artist that shared my show so I was thinking I was safe.
Most artists that I encountered defy the stereotype that we know as unsocial and are usually eager to talk about their work and themselves as they stand in the fore front. I am so stereotypical when it comes to talking about my art. I can talk about anything even the weather for hours but when it comes to my work which I’m passionate about I’m short, succinct and all preparedness is nowhere to be found.So I was reading about some artists that go to great lengths of being late, or not showing up at all and or last having someone else show up in place of them. My first thought was why didn’t I think of that. I have to admit I was a half hour late for my show only because a bridge was out and the road was under construction so I had to take a detour in a city that I’m not too familiar with anymore. Did I mention it was also raining. The other artist was fashionably late an hour.
Most importantly what I discovered was that no one buys anything unless they have an emotional connection to it and that I’m the one that needs to make that connection happen for them. So some where and some how? I need to work on getting my passion across to the viewer and forget about sounding esoteric or elite.More often than not people want to see the artist only a few want to talk to them.
I want to conclude by saying I must have done something right aside from showing up because in the end I had finalized a couple of sales during my Danceworks showing in october 09.
Looking back before taking that leaping forward.
As a passionate or most times obsessed artist I always have to reflect back on what I painted in the past and relate it to what’s on my plate now. I earnestly try to strive for a higher level of execution or thought. Having said that I still believe that ‘ I myself do nothing the holy spirit accomplishes all through me.’ William Blake. I went back to 2010 in an earlier blog but felt the need to go back one more year to 2009. Great things happened that year sometimes it never hurts to relive and relearn. I started the year out working on some portraitures. My top 10 for 2009.
1) Oil painting portrait 24″ x 36″ ‘Deana and Reid’
2) Oil painting portrait 24″ x 30″ ‘Jeff and Gloria’
3) I lined up an art show at ‘ The Dance Works gallery’
4) Grava gallery: put on display “Layla” throughout the summer.
5) Co-written and published 1st e-book.
6) Finished a nude figure painting in oils 30″ x 40″ for sale $2,500.
7) Worked on series for up coming show: Started (2) large paintings 24″ x 30″ called soul-searching and finished up the 11″ x 14″ smaller version of soul-searching.
8) August/pool party at The lighthouse: Displayed and delivered portraitures.
9) October: Gallery night opening at The Dance Works art gallery.
10) Flew to North Carolina for a wedding stayed at the Hilton. Took a lot of photographs plan to do a large painting of the boardwalk. I have new ideas about flying. Thank God it was only an hour flight!
My top ten paintings a year in Review 2010
1) The year started out with the sale of two paintings at The Dance Works art gallery. The show started in October and ran through the beginning of January.
2) Reworked ‘The Lilly’
3) Started taking my photography to a higher level.
4) I started preparing for my artist video. Release date will be in 2011.
5) I scheduled to do a speaking engagement at the local elementary school on career day. It was very enlightening.
6) Displayed art work at The Smith Brothers Coffee shop in Port Washington.
7) Also had work on display at The Last Drop of Coffee in Shorewood.
8) Worked on getting the Zazzle store up and running.
8) MIAD had an Art Sale for alumni/faculty/and students.
9) Most important completion and delivery of portrait called ‘GRANNY’.
10) Started preparing three new canvases.
Why you should frame your art.
There are two reasons why we have art frames on paintings. They can protect art, of course, but most importantly they can aid to their attractiveness on display.
Since the very early days of painting, frames have served to enhance the visual beauty of art. Pictures were hung on walls and they became furnishings. The first frames were often works of art themselves. They were large and elaborately carved and decorated wooden frames. There was a practical reason also. The frame framed the picture. In other words, it created a boundary that enclosed the image and separated it physically from the surrounding wall.
As the idea of paintings as furniture began to spread, the frame became such an essential element of the entire package that the art was not considered complete until it was framed. The frame often time was more art than the painting itself. The framer was an artist in his own right. One part of his art was the carving and decoration of the frame and another was the matching of frame and picture to create a harmonious whole.
Framing changed dramatically with the introduction of lithographs and prints. These were either original works or copies of works printed on paper rather than actual paintings on canvas. Little was understood about preservation at first and although the art prints were being framed in a similar fashion to oil paintings at first, it was soon realized that certain protection was needed. It also became common to use colored matting to frame the image inside the wooden external frame.
As the lithograph or print became more and more popular, the art of modern framing was developed. The external frame became more than just a frame for the image, but also the platform that allowed glass to cover and protect the image and matting to enhance and create an inner frame. The use of matting inside the outer frame became another art form. Colors in the mats themselves were matched to colors in the art work to create a unified visual image. The mats, the image, the glass, and even protective backing and mounting material was all held together by the frame.
Today, the major reason for the use of frames with art is still the original one. The frame isolates the art from the surrounding environment making it a unified piece. With prints, the frame still serves as a platform for the glass, backing, and matting. Of course, the major reason for a frame from a practical point of view is that we have become so used to them that no hanging picture would look natural without one.
Aazdak Alisimo writes about art framing for ArtFramingGalleries.com.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Aazdak_Alisimo
visit my website at http://www.cedarlodgeportraitstudio.com
Reminds me of The Scream by Edvard Munch.
The red dress…This is a painting that I did some time ago and it still remains to be my favorite.
It was during a transition time for me when my life took a different direction. More importantlyI started painting.
this painting remains a bit of a mystery. A moment in time.
This is a small 11″ x 14″ expressionistic acrylic painting. It is loosely executed. This might look like a sad painting but it’s meant to be courageous. For sale $350.00.
Visit my website at http//cedarlodgeportraitstudio.com
I love the smell of turpentine as it lingers in my studio.
I rummaged through some old paintings today. I get inspiration when I see these works how there so fresh, new, and spontaneous. I see the freedom that came with painting what ever was presented right there in front of us. We did the best that we could or knew at the time. The art instructor would walk around looking like Wyatt Earp helping us to paint, to see and understand when areas were working or not. The thick smell of turpentine and oil paint saturated the room instilling a memory forever.
Great expectations
I painted this week and the time was not short and succinct like usual but 
long and enjoyed checking the clock only in amazement that the alarm was still set. The creative process always surprises me.
I dropped off some paintings at a local coffee shop Tuesday they had room for two pieces for 2-3 months and will call me to rotate the work unless they sell first. It was one of those spontaneous decisions to go there where I had not showered and was wearing a pair of ripped jeans. I have been told that’s the way I’m suppose to look you’re an artist. As artists do we sometimes live by different rules?
I love this line ‘What could it mean that picture of the world. But when it’s true, we recognize it in ourselves, in others. We recognize it, like love, completely undeserved. ‘From the movie: Great Expectations. He’s in New York and the curator tells him to paint something or go back home.
This is going to be a significant year for me.
I have this artistic and personal freedom.
My goal is and always was to have a paragraph written about me in the art history books.
I have a plan and through this blog it will unveil step by step the life of one artist.
Internet going places where no artist has gone before
I was told if you want to be a great artist go to New York City, but the way it looks now you don’t have to go to New York City, the world can come to you. Virtual galleries and virtual art shows are the vehicle of the future. There is a lot of good information covered in this book. As Artists we are all at different stages in our careers and in our lives I’m writing this as it unfolded for me. What I have recorded here is what I discovered and learned and I want to share this information with people who are interested in becoming a successful artist, it’s valuable for everyone who wants to get exposure as an artist on the internet. The internet is the future. It has not been around as long as one may think. A successful internet business has been around maybe seven years not very long when you really think about it. The internet is still new and cutting edge.
Here’s a place where artists are coming together, talking, sharing their ideas and creativity. A new movement, a universal global salon, all you have to do is log on and your there. Easy! Come visit http://stores.lulu.com/store.php?fAcctID=4097877
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