Category: Uncategorized

Top 10 Art Cities in the United States

Every city in the United States have their own character and vibe when it comes to art.  It is true that large cities and metros dominate in terms of sheer numbers of artists and museums but you’ll be surprised to know that even the smaller cities are moving up the list when it comes to being an artistic centers. Here are ten of the most artistic cities (random) in America.

1. New York City
The city is an art friendly city and known for its diverse contemporary art with regards to medium and styles of the artists. Aside from arts enthusiasts, other artists around the world travel to New York to experience visually stimulating work of art. The city is also the home of some of the major art institutions such as The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Museum of Arts & Design and The Museum of Modern Art.

Christus, Petrus (ca.1410-1475-6). A Goldsmith in His Shop, Possibly St. Eligius (1449), oil on oak panel, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Robert Lehman Collection
Christus, Petrus (ca.1410-1475-6). A Goldsmith in His Shop, Possibly St. Eligius (1449), oil on oak panel, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Robert Lehman Collection

2. Chicago, Illinois
With its eminent architecture, public arts and its arts institutions, Chicago continue to draw tourists in year after year. The art of Chicago is not confined inside their great museums but you can also find them in every street corner and you can’t walk down the sidewalk without encountering art. Major museums with permanent collections and special exhibitions include The Art Institute of Chicago and the Museum of Contemporary Art.

3. Washington, DC
Known to be the land of the free museums, DC is the home of The Smithsonian Institution which offers open admission to all of its 19 museums and galleries, including the American Art Museum, the Portrait Gallery, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Gardens, and the Renwick Gallery, which focuses on decorative art and American craft. The National Gallery of Art and its Sculpture Garden are also a must-see in this perfect art destination.

Smithsonian-American-Art-Museum

4. San Francisco, California
The city houses a variety of unique museum such as The de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park is the only museum in the world to host two exhibits of 200 Impressionist and Post-Impressionist masterpieces from the Musée d’Orsay in Paris. The Asian Art Museum boast a comprehensive collection of 6,000 years of art of Southeast Asian art and history. The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art recently acquired more than 1,100 modern artworks by Lichtenstein, Warhol, Marden, and others.

5. Santa Fe, New Mexico
This small city houses more than 240 art galleries, at least 80 clustered on Canyon Road alone. The Museum of International Folk Art has the world’s biggest collection of folk art with more than 135,000 artworks, crafts, and textiles from over 100 countries. Others include the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, and the New Mexico History Museum. Annual markets also features works of Native American Artists.

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From the Alexander Girard Collection

 

6. Dallas, Texas
Dallas is a must in any Art lover’s bucket list to visit because of its precious art collections. The Dallas Museum of Art features a mind-blowing collection of Renoir, Pissarro, Van Gogh, and Cezanne. A big 19th- and 20th-century European and American art collection ranging from Piet Mondrian to the Hudson River School, and Asian, African, and Pacific art. One of the biggest collections of Spanish art outside of Spain is found uptown at the Meadows Museum, spanning Cubism by Picasso and Miro, Goya and Velasquez royal portraits, and Renaissance altarpieces.

7. Houston, Texas
The Museum District is a cluster of 18 museums, most notably the Museum of Fine Arts, the biggest museum in the Southwest, where an astonishing gold jewelry and artifact collection from Africa, Indonesia, and Latin America is displayed, as well as Roman, Egyptian, and Greek antiquities. The Menil collection featuring a large surrealist collection, starring Magritte, Ernst, and Picasso. Other offbeat art includes the Orange show and the Car Art Museum.

8. Boston, Massachusetts
In a Venetian palazzo-style building with a lovely fountain-filled courtyard, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum displays Italian Renaissance, Old Masters, and Post-Impressionists like Degas and Matisse. The encyclopedic Museum of Fine Arts features the biggest Monet collection outside of France, plus outstanding Egyptian, Nubian, and American art collections. Edgy, innovative art is found in a striking waterfront building at Institute of Contemporary Art.

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Photo: Courtesy of Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston

 

9. San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio Museum of Art features Latin American art collection donated by Nelson Rockefeller. Considered North America’s biggest, the museum offers Mexican folk art to pre-Columbian and Spanish Colonial art. The McNay Art Museum, former home of oil heiress Marion Koogler McNay, houses a captivating collection of Post-Impressionist, early 20th-century European and American, and Medieval art. The Blue Star Arts Complex are renovated warehouses that houses contemporary art galleries and artists’ lofts.

10. Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles houses 841 museums and art galleries and that is more museums per capita than any other city in the world. The Los Angeles County Museum of Art which is the largest art museum in the Western United States, the Getty Center (part of the larger J. Paul Getty Trust, the world’s wealthiest art institution), and the Museum of Contemporary Art are some of the sought after museums in this city. A Downtown Art Walk is being held on Gallery Row which is attended monthly by various artists and art enthusiasts.

Learn the Oil Painting Technique: Broken Color

Broken color was first used by Monet and the Impressionists in 19th century French painting, where color was applied in small dabs of paint compared to the traditional method of smoothly blending colors together. This method results in more of a “patchwork” effect, where the dabs render the facets of light on forms, and/or the planes of the forms’ volume, by means of color and value. Broken color has continued to be used in much modern and contemporary painting.

leonid-afremov-paintings-22

Impressionist painting characteristics include relatively small and thin, yet visible brush strokes or dabs, with emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities. Illusion of movement is a crucial element of human perception and experience, wherein the image seems to move in different visual angles.
The length of brushstrokes can vary from painting to painting depending on your mood as a painter. You do not blend any of these brushstrokes. Each brushstroke is allowed to remain separate. Cleaning your brush frequently is one tip to allow a clean color with thick paint. The tendency is that the viewer will “visually mix” these brushstrokes to view a whole image.

Using this method, small quantities of different colour are placed close together. When viewed from a distance, the eye interprets these mixed colours in the same way it would if they were physically combined on the palette before applied to the canvas. The surface area a certain colour occupies determines its intensity.
Another technique is to dip perhaps one corner of the flat brush into one color pigment on the palette then the other corner holds paint of a different color, and then is applied to the surface. There are variations of how to apply the effect but the idea is that the eye blends this and sees an impression of the color suggested.

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The simplest way to create a broken color is to add to any hue a certain amount of its complementary, or a bit of one of the hues lying to the right or to the left of its complementary. This will allow the viewer to mix the colors on their own.

The term broken color may take on a clearer meaning if, for “broken,” we substitute the word damaged or diminished. Strictly speaking, a broken color is one that emerges from a tug of war with other color particles or semi-chromes in its body. The only flaw in the broken colour method is that you won’t appreciate the painting at a close distance. The portrait looks a lot different when viewed from a few metres than a few centimetres.

Image source: Colourful paintings by Leonid Afremov www.demilked.com

Choosing a Frame For Your Canvas Artwork

Choosing a frame can make or break the total look of your canvas art. They should accentuate and add character to your most prized artwork. More than an accessory, frames protects your favourite art from dust, moist and other elements and conserves them for generations. Here are some things to consider before buying frames for your artwork.

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• Where will it be displayed?
Before deciding about what color or texture you want to use in your frame, consider the place where your framed artwork will be displayed. There should be a balance between your artwork, the frame, and the color of the room or wall. The idea is you have to create a backdrop for your framed art and that it should match the other decor that you already have in that room.

• Frame style
There are different types of frames that you can choose from. But the thing is, a beautiful and expensive frame might be over-powering your artwork or doesn’t blend with the character of your painting and the surroundings. Never use frames that are of the same hues as your walls. Once again, you have to balance it out. Remember that you want your artwork to be the center of attraction and not the frame.

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• Never put glass over a canvas art
Yes, you want to preserve your precious artwork so it will last for generations but putting glass over a canvas painting is the biggest mistake that you could ever do. The canvas itself creates that distinct character of your artwork. You don’t want all that texture to be trapped behind glass because it is the reason why images created in canvas is different from other kind of art.

• To frame? Or not to frame?
Canvas prints can be equally striking without a frame. If you have not quite got the budget for a good frame, this may be an excellent alternative. Big prints work best without any frame because they will look smaller than they actually are when they are displayed with frames. Small prints most probably need framing and you can always make them look larger by putting a mat.

Framing your canvas art doesn’t have to be expensive. All it takes is a little research and a lot of imagination. Ask and window shop around to your hobby stores to see what’s available before making the final decision.

Image source: www.ursulahobsonframing.com

Best Online Art Galleries for New Artists

1. gallerytoday.com
They have been in the business since July 2003 and have been connecting buyers and collectors with artists all over the world. They sell masterpieces of famous artists but don’t get intimidated. They are open to newbies and can help you find your niche.

Image source: http://www.gallerytoday.com
Image source: http://www.gallerytoday.com

2. art-3000.com
This online gallery is open for all artists and photographers who wanted to showcase and sell their work of art. They started as a small group of artists and decided to invite other artists to join them and created a network of various artists, buyers and enthusiasts. Registration is free and they do not charge commission on sold artworks. How cool is that?

3. saatchionline.com
Saatchi online is derived from London’s famous Saatchi Gallery. They created this to allow artists to display their work to art lovers even if they are in different parts of the world. It also serves as a support group for artists who are aiming for international audience.

4. newbloodart.com
Founded by fine arts graduate and art tutor, Sarah Ryan in 2004, newbloodart.com was created to help emerging artists sell their masterpieces to the general public. This online gallery also serves as a tool for the founder to communicate with other artists most especially with the young and new ones to help them, in a way or another, to launch their careers.

 

Stompin' At The Savoy by Shelly Bedsaul Image source: http://www.ebsqart.com
Stompin’ At The Savoy
by Shelly Bedsaul
Image source: http://www.ebsqart.com

5. annameenaghanart.com
Created by a contemporary artist, she believes that art should be accessible to anyone and that it ought to be talked about. This free online gallery welcomes all kinds of artists to display their artwork in her website and sell them without any commission. The website is also very interactive wherein clients can leave comments and can personally get to know the artists.

6. ebsqart.com
ebsqart is the social media for artists. Aside from a portfolio site, this online gallery also serves as an online community for artists wherein they share opportunities and even new skills. This is a site where famous and new artists merge and talk about their passion for art. Various artists around the world can freely showcase their work on the site where art lovers can easily browse on them.

Canvas Art: Horizon Lines

In the Arts community there are certain terms that are used for determining where painting will take place.  A term that I love hearing from fellow artists is “Horizon Line”.  When I first heard this term, I immediately thought of a sunrise over a nondescript beach setting.  I knew that it was incorrect but I had no idea what the term meant so naturally, I Googled it!  For my fellow lay artists that are new the world of Fine Art and painting on canvas allow me to help you become familiar with one of the most important terms you will use throughout your career.

The Horizon Line means “eye-level” or as Ask.com’s puts it:

In ‘real life’, the horizon is where the land (or sea) and sky meet. In painting perspective, it’s the level your eyes are at, an imaginary line to which things recede. It’s important to know where it is if you’re painting a realistic scene, and it needs to be put in straight, as you need to apply perspective rules to the objects in relation to this.

Seems pretty cut and dry, right?  That’s because it is!

Just know this term and how it relates to your relationship with canvas can help you determine the amount of canvas you will need to complete projects and commissions!  Think about it: Once you’ve determined your horizon line, or eye-level perspective, for a landscape painting that features a barn and a roost of chickens you’re halfway done with your creation… you just have to paint it!

Horizon lines are also important because they aide you in deciding the size and shape of the canvas you will need to purchase to make a certain idea work.  For example, you may be commissioned to paint a portrait of a client’s child or parent.  For this type of painting, a canvas size of 18″w x 24″ h would be a good start.  Knowing this size will help you determine where the horizon line needs to be for the portrait.

Horizon lines also come in handy when explaining abstract artwork to clients and individuals the love you but may not necessarily understand your art!  I’ve found that by helping those individuals that are unaccustomed to viewing some of my own abstract artistry to focus on the eye-level starting point of my work, they’ve developed a firmer grasp on what I’ve been painting all of these years.

In a nutshell, that is how the Horizon Line can help you as a canvas artist save yourself more time for creativity and less time priming for a canvas purchase.

Until next time, stay informed by keeping a bookmark on CanvasLot.com’s Blog!

How To Make A Canvas Your Own

http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs29/f/2008/054/a/f/paint_box_by_Utzel_Butzel.jpgMany of us enjoy canvas art.  We frequent art galleries, employ or commission artists to create a one-of-a-kind masterpiece for our home or office, and even go well out of our way to gain inspiration from the most revered artwork in far-and-away cities states and countries.  So what happens when we decide that we can paint just as well as any famous artist, and forgo the cost of paying someone else to create art for an empty wall in our home?

After many hours of forced creative concentration and a few art supply store expeditions, we decide to make a canvas our own!

Now that the power of self-sufficiency and creativity has been mustered up, where do we begin?

I will tell you, my friend!  Here are a few suggestions I have for you as a burgeoning self-taught artist that is interested in mastering canvas for your home office and/or living spaces!

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1.  Visit CanvasLot.com and purchase bulk pre-stretched canvas at a discounted, wholesale rate.  Since Canvas Lot offers top quality canvas at the most affordable prices online, you can’t go wrong!

2.  Select a few of your favorite colors of oil-based paints – be as wild or as subtle as you’d like to be!  Since I am a sucker for loud colors, I recommend a happy marriage of turquoise and chocolate brown for just about any canvas.

3.  Using two coats of paint on every sides, paint all of your canvases a solid color.   Then, take a step back and let those beautiful solid panels of paint dry!

4.  After the paint is dry, the fun can begin!  If you’re artistically inclined but pressed for time, the simplest form of canvas mastery is to take multiple colors of paint and smear them on your canvas surface without thinking about placement or horizon lines: just go for it!  With this style of free-flowing creativity, you will be amazed at the abstract art you can create for your home and living space!  If you’re not too keen on free wheeling brushstrokes and lines, create a simple stencil instead and paint inside the lines with a paint brush or art sponge.  Some of the most popular stencils of today are birds, flowers, stars, and even the old stand-by happy face!

5.  Let your paintings dry!  If you are using an oil-based paint as I recommended you will need to allot for a longer dry time than with most other paints.  As the old adage goes: good things come to those who wait!

As you can see, these five simple steps to making canvas your own can take up very little time and money.  Canvas Lot will help you expedite the creative process by cutting your drive time to an art supply store, too!  So get started, Picasso!  Your canvas awaits!

Fredrix Artist Canvas

your image titleFredrix Artist Canvas is one of the world’s most well-known art supply companies that sells high quality art supplies, canvas, paper, and notebooks.  But why should you, the beginning artist or seasoned veteran, choose to purchase canvases made of Fredrix materials from CanvasLot.com?  Because of both companies, you are going to receive the best quality pre-stretched canvas at the best discounted prices from companies that are locally established.  Pretty cool, eh?

Founded in 1868 by entrepreneur E. H. Friedrichs, Fredrix has been the go-to art supply company for beginning artists and is now being brought to you through the online shop of CanvasLot.com.  Fredrix canvas material is primed with acrylic gesso, which creates an excellent surface for your oil based painting needs!

According to ARTTalk.com:

Fredrix shops all over the world to find the finest artist grade cottons, linens and blends, which are all woven to their rigid specifications. Thousands of years before what we now know as artist canvas was available, cotton and linen (flax) were being used in many ways. For instance, the linen used to wrap mummies in the ancient tombs of Egypt was created over 6,000 years ago. It was part of their unique burial method and, along with the dry climate of the desert, preserved the linen. The Shroud of Turin, believed by some to be the shroud in which Jesus was wrapped after his death over 2,000 years ago, was also linen. These examples speak volumes of linen’s archival qualities.

Wow!  That is fascinating!  Not only is Fredrix wildly popular in the art world, it is apart of an extensive history that dates back centuries… impressive!

your image titleWith so many options to buy quality canvas online, CanvasLot.com is your best budgeting bet for your buck because of its use of Fredrix canvas.  All canvases are hand stretched with the Fredrix’s carefully woven duck that allows for a smooth and absorbent surface.  This means that you’re paying for pre-stretched canvases pulled and primed by hand as well as allowing yourself to be apart of history by painting on the world’s most popular surface!

Now that you’ve learned a bit more about Fredrix and the history behind your brand new painting surface, visit the Canvas Lot site to purchase your piece of the pie!  CanvasLot.com offers multiple size options to fit your painting needs.  You can also order multiple canvases at discounted, wholesale rates that will please your financial sensibilities and keep your pocketbook plump with savings!

Cotton Duck Canvas – All Its Quacked Up To Be?

CanvasLot.com strives to provide all artists and individuals who use pre-stretched canvases for projects with the best product they can offer.  What you may not know is that the material used to create your brand new blank canvases is a traditional, well-known textile called cotton duck canvas.  Let’s explore this remarkable textile that is as rich in its historical uses as it is beautiful hanging on art gallery walls!

This material has been a tried and true textile for the arts community since the sixteenth century!  It gained popularity in Italy, one of the world’s most well-known places for Fine Art and modern design.  Although it is known that panel painting was used most commonly and widely throughout Europe, duck cotton began to make its move within the Arts community as the centuries rolled on.  Today, cotton duck canvas is the common textile used to stretch into a canvas for artists all over the world.

Oftentimes, duck is un-sized, and its uses are determined based on weight.  For those of us outside the textile industry, the material duck is known as “canvas” and is commonly used to make fashion accessories such as shoes and handbags.  Did you know that it is also used to make shower curtains and sails?  What a versatile textile!

The editors of Wikipedia have the most comprehensive explanation for those of us that need information in lay terms:

A numbering system is used to describe the various weights of duck cloth, based on the weight of a 36×22-inch piece. Weights below 19 ounces are called numbered duck. The grade of numbered duck refers to the number of ounces subtracted from 19 for a 36×22-inch piece of fabric. For example, a piece of #8 numbered duck with dimensions of 36″×22″ weighs 11 ounces (19 − 8 = 11); those above 19 ounces are called naught duck.[2]

Numbered duck is nominally made in weights from 1 to 12, but numbers 7, 9, and 11 are no longer used.

[Retrieved on July 18, 2012 – Gerilyn Hayes]

your image titleAnother point of interest to you should be the good company that CanvasLot.com is keeping with renowned Fredrix.  Fredrix has been an art materials and canvas supply company for over one hundred and forty years!  That’s quality you can believe in, and one that I recommend for artists in need of bulk blank canvas purchases.

So it’s true!  Cotton duck canvas really is all it’s quacked up to be!  To purchase your very own canvases at discounted, wholesale prices visit CanvasLot.com.

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Art Promotion For Canvas Artists

Attention all canvas artists who need a online promotional overhaul!

You’ve gotten your pre-stretched canvas from CanvasLot.com.  You’ve painted and painted your well-measured ideas.  You’ve told your friends and your family about your masterpieces.

What’s next?  Online promotion, of course!

If you do not know where to begin, I am here to help you!  As you can see, CanvasLot.com is not only a place to purchase the best quality canvas for your buck but a hub of relevant information for artists just like you!

Well, here are the details in a nutshell… take notes!

HOW TO CREATE A SIMPLE PROMOTION CAMPAIGN FOR YOUR ONLINE ARTS BUSINESS IN 3 EASY STEPS

No. 1 Determine your goal – Developing your fan base!
A good starting point to your brand new online promotion campaign is to determine your goal, which in this case would be to develop your fan base.  Although you may have the support of many friends and family members, your ultimate reach should be to potential buyers of your artwork.

In order to do this, create a buzz!

No. 2 Create a Buzz Online!
If you are living in the 21st Century, you are most likely a social entity on the beautiful beast we all know as Facebook.  By using this amazing social networking resource, you can create a buzz about your canvas art by premiering your art on your Fan Page (if you do not how an art business page please visit www.facebook.com/help/pages/getting-startedand, if you’re feeling particularly entrepreneurial, create a release date for your new big art piece.  Think of it as a virtual lifting of the veil!

The Facebook Fan Page is the one place where you can post photographs and images of your artwork other than your website.  Also, you can encourage your regular site visitors to “Like” your artwork on Facebook!

That’s what I call a win-win, my friend!

No. 3 TELL EVERYONE via Your Social Network
We’ve already determined your goal to develop your fan base into a more financially generous demographic, created your own Facebook Fan Page where new fans can enjoy perusing your virtual wares, and picked a release date for one or more of your prized pieces.  The next, and final, step to this online promotion campaign is to tell people about it!

Facebook is probably the best social network to start telling your virtual audience about the release of your unveiled canvas art piece, but don’t forget about Twitter and Pinterest!

I highly recommend that you create at least five Twitter feeds per day to keep your audience abreast of your big reveal – this creates anticipation for your art’s big moment.

I also recommend using Pinterest as a source of advertisement and promotion since you can develop an interactive fan base that can re-pin your artwork onto their social networking space.  It creates double exposure for your business!

SIMPLE IS AS SIMPLE DOES
As you can see, online promotion for canvas arts businesses, whether freelance or fine arts professional level, can be quite simple.  If you have the proper social media tools and know-how you can promote every aspect of your business without a hitch!

For more cool tips about Art and Arts Promotion for Canvas Artists, stay bookmarked to CanvasLot.com’s Blog!

Best Online Communities For Canvas Artists

If you are an artist who loves the rush of feeling paint smoothly cover the surface of canvas, you’re probably anxious to share your passion with the world.  If you do not know how to go about doing this, especially as a canvas artist in the beginning stages of your career, you’ve come to right place!

I am going to share a secret with you to help your art be seen by an international audience!

Ready to learn more?  Great!  These websites are hosts to my top choices for the best online art communities for canvas artists!

RAW Artists –  Raw Artists is an excellent international community for canvas artists because this company is hip, young, and fresh with a keen eye for exceptional talent!  What’s even better is that anyone with a passion for canvas art can sign up and begin showcasing their work on the RAW network.  If you’ve been dying to have your art shown in public arenas, RAW has a space for you at one of their amazing monthly events.  More information is available on their website.

 

deviantART – deviantART is much like Facebook or Myspace, where you can create a new social identity that helps you exhibit your art in a virtual setting.  This community is particularly beneficial to canvas artists because the network enables artists to develop a following of fans that are also artists!  From graphic designers to black and white illustrators, deviantART is a community of people that virtually display their wares for money.  Visit their website, and remember to purchase your bulk canvas on the way!

 

Blue Canvas – If you have yet to visit Blue Canvas, I highly encourage you to do so.  You’ve been searching a community that provides you with an outlet to feature your canvas art for a while now , and Blue Canvas is one of the premier networks to help you!  Artists and art lovers are welcome within this community that also has its own quarterly publication that specifically features its members.  Best of all… it’s FREE to join and you can begin posting your artwork as soon as you register.  Visit their website to begin showing the world your canvas art!

GET STARTED TODAY
These are just a few truly wonderful artists communities on the world wide web that will help you exhibit your artwork to a large audience, and build a loyal following!  Make sure you adhere to the community policies, as each social network has their own set of standards.

Until next time, keep your bookmark on CanvasLot.com’s Blog!

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