The Artist Inside All Of Us

I firmly believe that all people are born artists. Everyone can
remember how, as children, we all loved drawing,
finger-painting, etc. The wonderful thing was, we didn't care
what others thought of our efforts, we were just having fun!

Somehow, as we age, we often lose that creative innocence and
exuberance, and in the process, lose a very gratifying part of
our lives. I see people every day that are unhappy and don't
know why. I believe that if they could "rediscover" a creative
outlet of some form, it would so enrich their lives that they
would return to it again and again. Often I hear adults say, "I
can't do that! I can't even draw a straight line!". Well, the
straight lines don't matter; it's the curved and crooked ones
that are more interesting!

I personally have never had any formal art training. Neither has
my husband, Kris, or our daughter-in-law, April. We all three
just need a creative outlet to help us stay sane, and now here
we are! When you browse through the Artisan Shops on Ruby Lane,
you will see many very talented Artisans with different forms of
artistic _expression. Each and every one of them is exquisitely
beautiful in their own way, and all are uniquely different. That
is the wonderful thing about art. What you create is a very
personal part of you, and that carries over to your work. There
are three of us that contribute to our shop.

I started painting fifteen years ago. I had always wanted to
paint, had never pursued it, and literally just woke up one day
and said, "Today I start painting!" I did, and two months later
sold my first piece. Next thing I knew, I had a custom artwork
shop going out of my home, and later, opened a brick and mortar
store that I had for over a year, until my mother became ill, so
I went back to painting from home. Kris started out designing
book covers in elementary school for extra money. April started
out scrap-booking about two years ago, and has taken off with
her own designs and techniques. I also work in ceramics, clay,
and jewelry, and have sold items through wholesalers in Texas
and Colorado. All because I decided I wanted to paint! Go ahead,
give something a try! "If you can dream it, you can do it"!

Reproduction Rights for Fine Art

You paid $10,000 in 1989, for an original painting at a gallery in Santa Cruz, California. Now it's 1999 and your friend wants to use a reproduction of your art in an advertisement of their landscape business in a garden magazine. She asks you if she may do so and you respond,: "Sure. It's a beautiful painting." This is no problem under California law? True or False?

False. Under California Civil Code 982, when a person buys a work of fine art, the reproduction rights remain with the artist or the artist's heirs, legatees, (persons taking under a will) or personal representative until it passes into the public domain unless there is an express written agreement otherwise. When you make prints of your artwork and/or use reproductions of it, you are infringing on the artist's rights and the artist has a right to be compensated. If you anticipate such a use, it is best to request the reproductions at the time you purchase the artwork. Usually, artists will grant such rights unless they have intentions to make prints for their own purposes.

Fine art and right of reproduction defined...

Fine art is defined as any work of visual art, including but not limited to, a drawing, (including an etching, lithograph, offset print silk screen, or a work of graphic art of like nature), crafts (including crafts in clay, textile, fiber, wood, metal, plastic, and like materials, or mixed media (including a collage, assemblage, or any combination of the foregoing art media). Right of reproduction is defined as including but not limited to, the following: reproduction of works of fine art as prints suitable for framing; facsimile casts of sculpture; reproductions used for greeting cards; reproductions in general books and magazine not devoted primarily to art, and in newspapers in other than art or news sections, when such reproductions in books, magazine and newspapers are used for purposes similar to those of material for which the publishers customarily pay; art films, television, except from stations operated for educational purposes, or on programs for educational purposes from all stations; and posters, billboards, films or television.

The exceptions listed above where the artist's right to reproduction is NOT infringed are consistent with the "fair use" doctrine of copyright law where a person has the right to use an image for educational and critical purposes.

When you said, "Sure" to your landscape friend, you gave away a right to reproduce that you did not have. However, it is the responsibility of the landscape friend to ascertain that you did actually have the reproduction rights and it is she who will have to compensate the artist unless you have deliberately misled your friend in some way as to your ownership of the right to reproduce. Remember, however, that laws vary from state to state. Check your local state law regarding its right of reproduction.

Encaustic painting (or layering with wax!)

Encaustic painting is painting with heated beeswax to which colored pigments are added. In an era when collage is being explored deeply, encaustic is a natural medium, since it allows both painterly explorations of color and the possibility of embedding objects and layering. The technique has been around since (at least) ancient Egypt, when it was used to create mummy portraits.

In 1955, Jasper Johns used this technique to create one of the first of his flag paintings. The Metropolitan Museum of Art describes the process:

“The painting consists of three separately stretched panels of cotton fabric joined at the back: the forty-eight stars area; the seven upper stripes to the right of the stars area; and the long area of the six stripes below. The painting is predominantly in the wax-based medium of encaustic. Johns worked on each panel separately, first laying down the overall flag design in charcoal. After applying a thin ground of unbleached, translucent beeswax, he built up the stars, the negative areas around them, and the stripes with applications of collage: small cut-out pieces of newsprint, other paper, and bits of fabric. He dipped these into molten beeswax and adhered them to the surface while the wax was hot. He then joined the three panels and painted over the entire surface with short, deliberate strokes of more unpigmented beeswax and touches of white oil paint.”

I have been poking around the internet, gathering more information on this technique. The most fascinating bit that I have found so far is a 12 page booklet titled, “Examples of Stencils and Masks” by Linda Womack from the 2008 National Encaustic Conference. Linda is the author of a book on the topic, Embracing Encaustic (which I have not seen yet) and the teacher of a recent workshop at the John C.Campbell Folk School. She has posted lots of exciting photos of the workshop on her blog.

The Second National Conference of Encaustic Painting at Montserrat took place June 6-8, 2008. Several bloggers have posted their comments on the conference, including an online presentation of the talk, “Encaustic with a Textile Sensibility” (Thanks to Joanne Mattera for this list!):


* Linda Womack’s Embracing Encaustic: Conference, Day 1; Conference Days 2 and 3; Linda’s Critique with Kay WalkingStick)
* Judy Wise’s blog: Encaustic Conference, Part 1; And Judy’s close encounter with Norman Laliberte
* Deanna Wood’s Artist Emerging blog
* Nash Hyon’s Encaustic Process blog
* Supria’s Encaustic Musings blog
* Daniella Woolf’s Encaustifiberopolis blog, which features an excerpted look at her talk “Encaustic with a Textile Sensibility” She begins, “I opened the door to encaustic from my perspective as a textile sculptor. The encaustic “medium” energized my work, and forever changed me.”

I’m not sure that I am ready to take the plunge into encaustic, but the layerings give me some inspiration for ways to take my acrylic paintings and textiles!

Art appreciators are now at a budget savoring oil painting reproductions

Art has always been an element in the lives of people at all stations of life irrespective to the ages, the recent study has depicted that it has been difficult for those without considerable wealth to afford great art. In terms of providing value, very few things add to life the way art does and this is why so many quest after such fine art pieces as oil paintings.

However, due to the price of such paintings being so high due to the labor involved in their production, average people were often left having to appreciate such art only in a museum setting. And for those who love Oil paintings, a new site is changing all of this. The average consumers now has access to oil paintings reproductions of a higher level of quality than ever before. The web is well known to be an innovative place where prices of many things are able to be reduced, and for the first in the time in the history of art. Instead of mere posters, these new oil paintings look just like the real thing, but due to the efficiency of their production they cost much less. A wide range of artists and styles are presented to viewers which allows them to own impressive reproduction art sure to add to their lives in an aesthetic and inspirational sense. The site offers a large selection of artists ranging from Van Gogh to more recent contemporary artists and encourages not only free shipping, but also prices that are half or more off the standard prices seen in today's art galleries where the vast majority of paintings are sold.



Far from mere prints, these reproductions are hand painted and of museum quality, ensuring that buyers are getting the value they had hoped to obtain when purchasing a painting. Those who want a meticulously recreated version of some of the world's top paintings ranging from Mona Lisa to The Scream can now afford to have their own.

Oil Pastel Techniques

Painting can be a very overwhelming process, particularly if you are just starting out. In such a scenario, oil pastel painting could well be the respond to the question. Pastel painting is easy to create and not disordered like the other forms of paintings; in fact it is fairly easy to start with. And while it might seem that you can go on to other forms of painting having mastered this one, you really don't require to. This is because using oil pastel techniques can turn the paintings into real masterpieces, while allowing expressing effectively.

Oil pastels are the perfect selection one can make if drawing is their first love. Since oil pastel techniques do not need the use of water or brushes or any other such (sometimes messy) contraptions, the artist can continue to draw and at the same time, get the look of a painting in his work.

Oil Pastel Techniques

Choosing Pastels

The first thing that requires to be done is choosing the pastels. There are several brands in the market that recommend these pastels in different sizes. Some is going still up to 120 shades or more in a set. However, if you are now starting out, opt for a set of 24. These will be sufficient, for they supply all the shades necessary for experimenting and yet there aren't too many to confuse you. After considerable practice, however, one can move on to a wider variety of pastels.

When preferring these pastels, always look for their appearance. Pastels which are broken down or have small craters and holes in them are of poor quality. Always select a set that is even and shiny. Pick for artist quality pastels; as opposed to student grade ones. Student grade pastels tend to be really waxy and make it harder for blending. In spite of all this, it is mainly through experimentation that one can establish the type of pastels that interpret their style best.

Choosing a Canvas

A canvas is the surface on which one will draw their paintings. Choosing a surface that will best portray the artist's skill is therefore very essential. There are several varieties of paper present in the market. Different artists select different types of paper, according to their needs. Many artists prefer using pastel paper that is of weighty grade. The cause being that it has a scratchy surface that holds the pigments of oil pastels. Some others choose the normal oil painting canvas because of its raised grain - this makes it perfect for grabbing the layers of oil pastel. Some other alternatives of canvas paper are sanded paper, archival paper, hot pressed paper and cold pressed paper.

Sketching the Painting

Once your paper and pastels are in place, you can initiate sketching the painting. The pressure of strokes and the roughness of the canvas are the two most important things to remain in mind when starting to sketch. The pressure that we use will choose the intensity of colors. More the pressure used, more intense the colors and vice versa. Similarly, a smooth surface of the canvas will result in a less broken appear as opposed to a rough surface.

To start with, sketch the drawing on the canvas paper with a lead pencil. Let the sketching be in gentle strokes and not with pressure, so that it does not cause indents on the page. If indents are formed then that section of the paper gets a depression and when you paint, the indented part won't catch the color, thus giving the entire painting an uneven look.

Next, recognize the color that you want to use in a particular area and sketch over the penciled lines with it. Then, fill in the color in the whole area. The first layer of color needs to be laid down on the canvas later. Since this layer is light, it might provide a transparent appearance and you might be able to see the canvas through it. However, this 'transparent' area on the canvas will be covered by successive layers of colors.

Layering

Always has a clear idea of what the final product will be, before start painting. There are some techniques using oil pastels that can create a work of art. They are so easy that they show to be useful oil pastel techniques for older beginners:

Different Tones

Layers can be included in different ways, either by adding light colors over dark or dark over light. However, it has been noticed that it is easier to revolve dark colors into light rather than the other way round. It is simpler to keep the white areas in the painting free of any pastels to provide that whitest white feel.

Using the Side

Using the side of a pastel crayon will permit to cover a broader area of the canvas, thereby retaining an amalgamated feel to it without causing a displaced effect.

Using Linear Strokes

Linear strokes (lines) can be applied for drawing outlines, adding details, hatching (drawing lines, especially parallel lines for engraving and marking) and cross hatching. This allows controlling the shapes and saturation of the colors improved.

Even Tone

It is essential to maintain an even tone if one wants to keep a particular area dark or extremely light. In this case, darker colors should not be shaded with lighter ones or vice versa. They ought to be colors of a like tone.

Using Turpentine

Turpentine is applied to soften or flatten a painting. So, when one needs to merge pastels together on paper, oil pastels become very soft and start to dissolve when you dip them in turpentine. Thus, they can be manipulated according to the wanted density. Alternatively, the tip of a brush can be immersed in turpentine and then used to drag the pigments across the canvas - this will form washes. Likewise, several layers of washes can be created this way. The intensity of the colors can be varied by varying the quantity of turpentine used.

'Sgraffito' Effect

The 'sgraffito' effect is a technique whereby the color beneath is revealed by scratching the top layer of the color. It plainly means 'to scratch’ and to do this, a razor, a knife or the other finish of a paint brush can be used.

Ghostlike Effect

Using a razor to scrape areas in a painting will guide to a ghostlike or fuzzy look. Sometimes, the addition of too many layers can provide the painting a very heavy look; this can be resolved by using this technique.

Cotton Swab

When one adds layer upon layer, it might lead to a very disjointed appearance. To solve this, one can apply a cotton swab or the fingers to blend the different layers. This will then offer the painting a very wholesome feel.

Correcting Too Many Layers

Adding too many layers in the painting can deliver the canvas unable to grab any more pastels (muddying the surface). In case this happens, one can use a dry cloth, wrap it around a finger and then wash out the affected area.

After one has finished painting, it should be permitted to harden. The time taken for the painting to harden will depend on the amount of layers that are used in it. The life of the painting can be expanded by adding a fixative to it. Also a mat spacer can be added, so that you can enclose the painting with glass, without it affecting the pastel.

Acrylic Painting

The first acrylic paint was magna paint which was generated by Leonard Bocour and Sam Golden in the year 1947. This paint was ultimately reformulated in 1960 and is the basis of all the acrylic paints and acrylic painting techniques. Acrylic paints are fast drying paints, that are primarily made up of acrylic polymer emulsion and have pigments suspended within the emulsion. The specialty of these paints is that they get reduced with the help of water, but once they dry they turn waterproof. This characteristic of the paint has been significantly used in many different abstract acrylic painting techniques. Another well-known feature of these paints is that they dry up very quickly.

Acrylic Painting Tips and Techniques

Painters and artisans are almost never out of ideas, when it appears to acrylic painting techniques.

Preventing the Paint from drying

The quick drying of the acrylic paint is often believed to be a drawback of these paints. These paints also dry faster than the normal oil paints, when utilized on a canvas surface. The technique to prevent the acrylic paint from drying at a quicker rate is spraying it lightly with water. This keeps the upper surface of the paint moist and you can easily alter parts of this surface. Some artisans also use pallets that preserve moisture. In cases where such pallets are not available, sheets of grease-proof paper or wet color paper can also be applied.

Creation of Fluid Paints

Diluted types of acrylic paints can be easily used for glazing and washes, which have a more fluid texture. Water and paint can be used in proportion to create suitable fluid textures. The mixture of paint and water is generally known as a 'glaze'. The proportion of water and acrylic paint can be changed to create different textures. Some of the prominent textures are opaque glaze and the translucent glaze.

Depth

Painting glazes are other very generally used acrylic painting techniques, where the glaze is made by diluting acrylic paint with the help of water. This mixture of water and paint is used to add a depth to the painting. The 'debt' is achieved in the painting by making a translucent glaze that can be painted over the main subject of the painting, which gives a 3 dimensional form to the painting.

Pour Painting

Pour painting is one of the most creative of all the acyclic painting techniques. The paint is initially diluted with water. The mixture of paint and water is then artistically discharged over the canvas. In some paintings this method is used to give passive finishing touches to the painting, where the subject of the painting has already been finished. Some very skilled painters have used pour painting as a medium of painting, instead of using pour paint to provide the finishing touches.

Islamic art

The term Islamic art not only explains the art created specifically in the service of the Muslim faith (for example, a mosque and its furnishings) but also characterizes the art and architecture historically produced in the lands ruled by Muslims, produced for Muslim patrons, or created by Muslim artists. As it is not only a religion but a way of life, Islam fostered the development of a distinctive culture with its own unique artistic language that is replicated in art and architecture throughout the Muslim world.

The lands newly occupied by the Muslims had their own preexisting artistic traditions and, initially at least, those artists who had worked under Byzantine or Sasanian patronage continued to work in their own indigenous styles but for Muslim patrons. The first examples of Islamic art therefore rely on earlier techniques, styles, and forms reflecting this combining of classical and Iranian decorative themes and motifs. Even religious monuments raised under Umayyad patronage that have a clearly Islamic function and meaning, such as the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, demonstrate this amalgam of Greco-Roman, Byzantine, and Sasanian elements.

Only steadily, under the impact of the Muslim faith and nascent Islamic state, did a uniquely Islamic art emerge. The rule of the Umayyad caliphate (661–750) is frequently considered to be the formative period in Islamic art. One method of classifying Islamic art, used in the Islamic galleries at the Metropolitan Museum, is according to the dynasty reigning when the work of art was formed. This type of periodization follows the general precepts of Islamic history, which is separated into and punctuated by the rule of various dynasties, beginning with the Umayyad and cAbbasid dynasties that governed a vast and unified Islamic state, and concluding with the more regional, though powerful, dynasties such as the Safavids, Ottomans, and Mughals.

With its geographic spread and long history, Islamic art was inevitably focus to a wide range of regional and even national styles and influences as well as changes within the various periods of its development. It is all the more remarkable then that, even under these circumstances, Islamic art has always maintained its intrinsic quality and unique identity. Just as the religion of Islam embodies a way of life and provides as a cohesive force among ethnically and culturally diverse peoples, the art produced by and for Muslim societies has basic identifying and unifying characteristics. Perhaps the most significant of these is the predilection for all-over surface decoration. The four basic elements of Islamic ornament are calligraphy, vegetal patterns, geometric patterns, and figural representation.