The frame gives a more finished look to the oil painting and helps define the boundaries of the artwork. The marriage of a frame with an oil painting may be harmonious or discordant, enhancing or distracting - a poorly chosen frame can ruin the appearance of the oil painting, while an appropriate one can make it shine.
There are many different styles, colors and price ranges of frames with cheap ones made in moulded plastic and more expensive ones carved in wood. An oil painting may be seen in different frames either by the use of computer-generated montages on the internet, or by physically standing the oil painting in successive frames in a framer’s shop. The final choice of the frame depends on the owner's personal taste, the proposed location of the oil painting, the harmony between oil painting and frame, and the relationship of the frame to the room where it will hang.
With modern art, you may choose to hang your oil painting without a frame. Providing that the stretcher is solid and reasonably thick, then the oil painting can be wired to hang without a frame. This unframed approach to exhibiting modern oil paintings means that the viewer focuses entirely on the artwork itself.
How to Hang an Oil Painting
Materials:
2 eye screws
Woven picture wire.
Procedure:
1) Mark 2 points on the inside of the two side stretcher bars about 25% down from the top of the canvas.
2) Screw the eyes into the stretcher being careful not to apply pressure to the stretched area of the canvas.
3) Measure a piece of wire the width of the canvas plus 6-8 inches.
4) Thread the wire through the first screw twice then neatly wrap the remaining wire around itself.
5) Pull the wire across the back of the painting so it is not quite taut then repeat the threading process on the second side.
6) To hang the oil painting, use an appropriately strong hook, i.e. one that can support double the weight of the painting. The painting should hang as flush to the wall as possible.
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Framing And Hanging Oil Paintings
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Framing Your Art Work
Purchasing framed art to many can even affect the decision they make in purchasing the artwork itself. However art is fairly simple to frame and is relatively inexpensive. Many of the art frames can be purchased to match your décor and/or other artwork adjacent. There are endless amounts of choices when it comes to finding the right frame online or offline.
My personal preference is to purchase my artwork of choice without the frame if given a choice. As beautiful as the painting might be, the artist and myself might have opposing tastes when it comes to framing. If you can find the artwork with a frame you enjoy then that is a bonus. If you are purchasing an unframed work directly from the artist it never hurts to ask if they have a connection to get you a good priced frame. Artists that sell a lot will not purchase frames at a premium price. They usually have a friend or a good business connection that deals with frames, so talk to him or her and see if you can get you a discount. It never hurts to ask.
If you prefer to look for yourself then I’m sure you will agree that there are several professional framers in your area. As with any service or profession some are good and some are not so good. Shop around for the best service, best price, and look for value as you would for any other product or service.
If you know your frames you will not hesitate to purchase an ugly painting as long as the frame is worth the asking price. This is more on the lines of bargain hunting. So for most of us we will not be buying a frame to resell it for a higher value, we are simply purchasing it to enjoy the painting.
Below are just a few tips to help you choose your frame.
Size – Making any sized frame "work" with a piece one must ultimately control the proportions with matting. A wide frame requires more matting than a narrow frame.
Style – by looking at your artwork you will see how the coloring, theme and medium will most often direct you toward an appropriate selection of frames. Generally the frame should go with the theme, medium and style of the artwork. If you are still having a hard time with choosing your frame you can also use the décor of your room in which the piece will hang as your guide.
Type of wood frames will look good on almost any piece of art. We use walnut, cherry, oak, ash, basswood, poplar, and pine - all domestic woods - in our frames. Stained wood can be plain, carved, simple or ornate. And, many wood frames are available in lacquer finishes, faux finishes, and gold or sliver leaf. Metal frames, which work well with certain décor, or with modern pieces and posters is often a good choice
Friday, March 8, 2013
What is a Giclee?
In the French dictionary a giclee (zhee-CLAY) will be defined as meaning “to spray or squirt.” However others might say "giclee" doesn't mean "to spray,” that "Giclee" isn't an infinitive and that it is the feminine of a past participle. So if there is some argument over what the term Giclee means I believe that the intention of the term is to define a printed copy of an original artwork. Giclee is basically scanning the artwork and then using that scan to print it out on a special printer. This printer is not the same as a standard desktop inkjet printer, and is much larger. Giclee prints are a little over a meter wide and are often referred to as a “knitting machine” as they look very similar.
Giclees are produced from digital scans of existing artwork. Also, since many artists now produce only digital art, there is no "original" that can be hung on a wall. Giclees solve that problem, while creating a whole new vibrant digital medium for art.
When printing there are any number of media for example canvas to watercolor paper to transparent acetates. Giclees are better then the traditional lithography in many ways. The colors are brighter, last longer and are so high-resolution that they are virtually continuous tone, rather than tiny dots. The range of color for giclees is far beyond that of lithography, and by viewing in comparison with each other you will find that the details are far crisper in giclee.
Lithography prints use tiny dots of four colors--cyan, magenta, yellow and black; to fool the eye into seeing various hues and shades. Colors are "created" by printing different size dots of these four colors.
Again Giclees use inkjet technology, but more sophisticated than your desktop printer. The process employs six colors--light cyan, cyan, light magenta, magenta, yellow and black--of lightfast, pigmented inks and finer, more numerous, and replaceable print heads resulting in a wider color gamut, and the ability to use various media to print on. The ink is sprayed onto the page, actually mixing the color on the page to create true shades and hues.
Giclees were originally developed as a proofing system for lithograph printing presses, but it became apparent that the presses were having a hard time delivering the quality and color of the giclee proofs. They evolved into the more popular form over lithography’s and are now the cheaper and more common way to make a copy print. They are coveted by collectors for their fidelity and quality, and desired by galleries because they don't have to be produced in huge quantities with their large layout of capital and storage.
In addition, Giclees are produced directly from a digital file that is created by scanning the original. This will save generations of detail-robbing negatives and printing plates, as with traditional printing.
View our Fine Art Gallery at
www.houseofcachet.com
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
What Is Abstract Art? One Artists Point Of View
So many people must be asking this question all the time ... and not getting satifactory answers because I keep seeing articles on the subject.
So, to add to the mix, I thought that, because I am an Abstract Artist, I would give my answer.
First lets see what the official version has to say. The second definition of "abstract" in the Concise Oxford Dictionary says "Idealistic, not practical; abstruse; (Art etc.) free from representational qualities" And it is this last description I want to look at.
That which is free from representational qualities is a picture (or other type of art discipline) that does not depict any recognisable image such as a figure, building, or sky. There is no purposeful reference to anything physically particular. Jackson Pollock, for instance, was one of the first abstract artists and produced the finest of examples... take a look at this: www.nga.gov/feature/pollock/painting.html
If you study this image closely it will soon become apparent that he randomly dripped paint onto a board laying flat on the floor. And if you read up a bit about him you will find that he even suspended paint-filled cans above a board, punched holes in the bottom of the can, and allowed the cans to swing, or be nudged, the paint slowly dripping to give a totally no-representative image. The important thing to remember here is that he had no intention of producing any kind likeness to anything physical whatsoever. So this style of art is truly an abstract work.
The difficulty comes when a piece of art is produced in a very loose and, even, child like way. Some might regard it as abstract. Here is an example of what I believe is NOT abstract art: go to www.guzzardi.it/arte/ then on the left side click on "Artisti Ceris" then click "D" go to the fourth name from the bottom "Jean Dubuffet" and click "Art Brut" there you will find three images of his work ... each one depicts roughly painted figures and faces, and although the left hand image looks like imageless lines I do believe there are faces to be seen there (Don't get me wrong - Jean Dubuffet produced many abstract works ... in fact that is what he was most famous for ... it's just that these examples are not).
Some might call these Dubuffet paintings semi-abstract - but I do not. For me there is no such thing - either the picture does not represent anything ... or it does - no matter how basic.
Another puzzle might be the later works of Mark Rothko. Look here: http://www.nga.gov/feature/rothko/late7.shtm Some might argue that a basic rectangular shape could be regarded as a representational image. But you need to read about his life and philosophy to understand that he was not painting rectangles but what has become known as colour fields. The scale of his massive works and the fact that he gave up even titling his pieces should dispell any possibility of his work being anything other than the purer form of abstract art.
I would like to finish with one of my own enigmatic examples: www.ablot.com/passion3.htm in which I have sort to "portray" the idea of deep or spiritual movement. Such an explanation is, of course, dangerous in that I have used words like "portray", "spiritual" and "movement" - all of these have associations ... but not necessarily physical ones! It is my belief that there is a relationship to be had with my spirit ... and it is the purist form of abstraction. You can find out more about that in my blog on my website.
The only other thing to say here is that the abstract artist is seeking to put on canvas such non-figurative "imagery" as emotion, thought, the greater self, anarchy, and total randomness ... to name but a few. And I intend to examine these "non-figures" in a bit more detail in my articles starting with "How to produce an abstract image - Part 2" You will be very welcome to come along and read it!
Monday, March 4, 2013
What Makes Art Valuable?
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.
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Where And Why – The Smart Buy Art
Since the days when cavemen began drawing on the walls – 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 – 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 – the decorists. What are “decorists” you may well ask – 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 – 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 – 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 – 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 – or it should be.
Saturday, February 23, 2013
You Must Be An Artist
“...Meet this solemn question with a strong, simple ‘I must,’ then build your life in accordance with this necessity; your whole life, even into its humblest and most indifferent hour, must become a sign and witness to this impulse.” - Rilke
We are, all of us, meant to create. We are creat-ures, thus it is evident in the world around us that as a spider spins a web, a bird builds a nest, humans are possessed of a spiritual and biological mandate to spin and build a world of beauty and function. The human distinction is the ability to make symbols. Symbolism is the art of investing the world around us with meaning by expressing the invisible or intangible through visible or sensuous representation. This is the simplest, the least unsettling definition of art and creativity. From this definition, we have come to believe and to thoroughly accept without question that art belongs to those who paint the paintings, write the words, and mold the clay, into those representations of the intangible and the invisible. Art has therefore been divided into those who do and those who don’t.
The reinstatement of art into every one of our lives, both in our ability to receive and to recreate it, is to return to living with meaning. Creativity is, like evolution, like all growth and change, an irrepressible force in nature. Thus far, only humans have attempted to turn away from this call, and a case can be made that it is this turning away that is the cause of so much of our pain, suffering, and longing. This suffering, however, is the result of confusion and misdirection, not hapless circumstance.
Art, like science, philosophy, and civility, is our best defense against the insupportable weight of all that we don’t know. If we could disperse the weight among us citizen artists, come up with a more inclusive outlook, we could lighten the formidable load of ignorance. In the broadest sense, art is a response in whatever form it takes--an expression of the love and beauty and terror as it is given to us through the visible bounty of Nature—that pulls us further out of the mire. Creativity is anything that fosters that indwelling spirit, any creation or activity that advances the progression of the unimpedable energy of growth that is life. The replication of that love and beauty, the balm that soothes the terror, or the release provided by the recognition of that terror, is our task, is the way of art and creativity, a whole-some response to existence.
Whether you are a fireman, a pathologist, a babysitter, or a banker, you must be an artist. Must be means, first of all, the recognition of this as your identity, as in, “Oh, you must be an artist...” Secondly, must be makes it imperative. You must respond to the dignity evolving out of creaturehood toward a greater man, toward God, and remain fearless as well as awe-struck by the vast implications. In the meeting of this challenge, you will be recognized by a light in the eye of those you encounter, as extraordinary.
The commitment to creativity, like any other commitment, will become an integral, necessary, part of our life once we realize that not only does our art spring from and define the core of, yes, our own identities, but more importantly, that it is an expression of that which is greater than ourselves. Thus who we are becomes linked with the world, and it is given meaning and purpose by what we do with this link. Creativity is the purveyor of meaning.
We begin with a sense that there is something within us that must act and express. We begin by going beyond the sadness we have experienced at having this something repressed, discouraged, buried. We begin with the thin person with the fat body, the sober, healthy being underneath the addict’s skin, the lover inside our neglected hearts. We begin with the hope and the longing of the creative force within ourselves.
Friday, October 12, 2012
Popular Art Galleries Of London
In this article, I write about some of the different art galleries which people can visit when they are in London. I would very much recommend that you make time during your trip to have a look around some of the places mentioned, as they are sure to add to your experience of visiting the capital city of England.
In this article, I write about some of the different art galleries which people can visit when they are in London. I would very much recommend that you make time during your trip to have a look around some of the places mentioned, as they are sure to add to your experience of visiting the capital city of England.
London is fast becoming a very popular weekend break destination with its long history and many attractions. As well as all of the most popular tourist attractions, such as Big Ben and The Tower Of London, there are number of quality art galleries which people can and should also visit.
The art galleries which I would recommend people to visit in London:
Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace
This gallery shows various pieces from the Royal Collection including famous works by Leonardo and Vermeer.
Their have been many additions to the amount of items on display after a recent extension. I personally like viewing the jewels that are on show, which are very impressive. The whole place is steeped in history and some of the pieces of furniture on display are not only worth huge sums of money, they are also extremely old and superbly maintained.
The National Gallery
There are a number of superb and famous paintings at the National Gallery including:
The Ambassadors
A Woman Bathing In A Stream
Virgin And Child With St Anne And John The Baptist
Rokeby Venus
The many paintings in this gallery date from 1260-1900.
National Portrait Gallery
This gallery opened in 1856 and houses many paintings and also some very famous portraits such as:
Margaret Thatcher
Germaine Greer
Shakespeare
Horatio Nelson
The Serpentine Gallery
This happens to be my favourite gallery as it tends to show more contemporary artists. It is located near Kensington Gardens and is a must in my opinion.
Tate Britain
Many people believe that this gallery has the best collection of British art in the world.
This gallery offers a free guided tour and there are films every day of the week.
Some of the paintings on show at the Tate Britain are:
Sancta Lilias
Flatford Mill
Norham Castle, Sunrise
Elohim Creating Adam
Pink And Green Sleepers
The Tate Modern
This is a fairly new gallery which is located on the South bank of the Thames.
It shows modern art from early 1900 to the present day.
As you can see there are a number of galleries which people can choose from. The ones I have mentioned above are among my favourites, however there are many more which people can also visit including:
Kenwood House
The Dulwich Picture Gallery
The Royal Academy
I hope you enjoy your time in London and find these art galleries as interesting as I do.
Popular Art Galleries Of London