Tagged: acrylic painting

June 15, 2013

Best Online Art Markets to Sell Paintings

With the digital age, canvas artists are now harnessing the power of technology to start their art business. Finished paintings are professionally photographed and uploaded to an online art gallery to hopefully interest potential buyers and generate sales. With hundreds of online art galleries and auctions out there, here’s a list of the best of them to help you start.

Artmajeur. Artmajeur is one of the largest finest art gallery in the world, featuring the best contemporary artists. Established in 2000, it displays over 2 million original pieces and has sold over 150,000 art works. You can sign up for free and start networking with other artists. Artists in Artmajeur are ranked by popularity using visitors’ and page views. (www.artmajeur.com)

Artnet. Artnet offers a wide range of information and transaction services for artists. It has an extensive collection in its database of Fine Art, Design, and Decorative Art which provides information on the market and pricing trends. The site features 1,700 galleries around the world and displays 170,000 art works. (www.artnet.com)

Artsy. Artsy features artworks from famous galleries, museums, foundations, and private collections worldwide. It displays the largest collections of contemporary pieces and it aims to make world art accessible to the people. (www.artsy.net)

Artspace. Artspace is an online platform for fine art and design, featuring an extensive selection of curated artworks from leading museums and artists around the world. It aims to help people discover and collect fine pieces of art. (www.artspace.com)

Artwanted. Artwanted is a large network of artists and online galleries. It serves as a community and a place for selling artworks. The site promotes members and gives informative feedback on their work, helping artists to hone their craft. (www.artwanted.com)

Fine Art America. Fine Art America is the leading marketplace for buying and selling artwork around the world. It provides various sales and marketing tools to help artists build their brands. (www.fineartamerica.com)

Deviantart. Deviantart is the world’s largest online community for artists in various genre. The site primarily caters to contemporary artists from fan art, digital art to animation but it also offers its services to painters. It has over 25 million members and artists can submit their works and connect with other members. (www.deviantart.com)

Etsy. Etsy is an e-commerce website launched in 2005 where artists can sell their works. It is a bustling marketplace where you can buy and sell handmade and vintage items, including paintings in different medium and even art supplies. (www.etsy.com)

Imagekind. Imagekind displays millions on canvas art, framed wall art, and photos. It is a platform where artists can share and create their works and buyers can purchase museum-quality framed art. (www.imagekind.com)

Paddle8. Paddle8 is an online auction site, giving artists and buyers a platform for transacting business. It offers low-cost themed auctions, getting 6% commission from artists and 12% from buyers. It also offers benefit auctions for non-profit institutions. (www.paddle8.com)

Zhibit. Zhibit offers user-friendly tools which help artists create their own websites, build their art business, and connect with other members in the community. It offers the lowest rates, for as low as $49/year, in its subscription plans. (www.zhibit.org)

Image source: www.fineartamerica.com

June 14, 2013

Jackson Pollock: Master of the “Drip” Technique

“It is only when I lose contact with the painting that the result is a mess. Otherwise there is pure harmony, an easy give and take, and the painting comes out well.”
– Jackson Pollock

Jackson Pollock is best known for revolutionizing the world of modern art with his unique abstract techniques, specifically the drip painting technique. Born in January 28, 1912, Paul Jackson Pollock, more popularly known as Jackson Pollock was a major influence in the abstract expressionist movement. He studied under Thomas Hart Benton, an esteemed painter and muralist, before exploring abstraction expressionism. Pollock died in an alcohol-related car accident in December 1956. He was 44.

The “Drip” Period

In 1936, Pollock attended a workshop by Mexican muralist David Alfaro Siqueiros in New York City and this is where he was introduced to the use of liquid paint. He used paint pouring as a technique and he began painting with his canvas laid down on the floor and the “drip” technique was born.

The “drip” technique is a combination of Pollock’s body movements, flow of paint, gravity, and paint absorption. It was a technique which merges the controllable and uncontrollable factors in painting. Pollock moves around his canvas while dripping, pouring, splattering paint onto it until he’s satisfied with the result.

Pollock’s paintings became famous during the “drip” period, between 1947-1950. The Life magazine published an article on Pollock in 1949 which asked, “Is he the greatest living painter in the United States?” that made him distinguished in the art world. His exhibition in the sames year at the Betty Parsons Gallery sold out and he instantly became the best paid avant-garde painter in the US.

Here are some of Pollock’s most famous paintings during the “Drip” period:

Full Fathom Five is one of Pollock’s earliest drip paintings. The top layers consist of poured skeins of house paint, creating a lace-like image. Pollock used a brush and palette knife to build up the underlayer of the painting.

Number 1 is the masterpiece of the drip technique. This is one among Pollock’s largest works, pulsing with energy, with an intricate web of hues that suggests speed and force.

Composition (White, Black, Blue and Red on White), 1948 is a great example of Pollock’s “drip” technique or flung paint. When Pollock was creating this masterpiece, he placed his canvas on the floor and painted in a rhythmic, undulating style. This piece represents pure abstraction, a painting with no focal point and thus making all areas of the painting important.

Image sources: www.biography.com and www.jackson-pollock.org.

June 13, 2013

A History of Acrylic Painting

echo-of-a-scream-1937 — Echo Of A Scream

Acrylic painting is a relatively modern medium in painting. Acrylic offers versatility, immediacy, and durability. Acrylic is known for producing bright colors, sharp lines, can be used on various surfaces, and it can be mixed with other media. It gives artists different approaches to express one’s creativity.

Here is a brief history of acrylic painting:

1901
In 1901, a well-known German chemist, Dr. Otto Rohm developed the first synthetic acrylic resin. He published his dissertation on the polymerization products of acrylic acids. Rohm secured in 1915 a patent for polyacrylic ester as a paint binder used in drying oils in industrial paints and lacquers. Initially intended for industrial use, acrylics caught the attention of artists due to its features: quick drying, adheres to any surface, even sheen, and no base coat necessary.

1920s-1930s
Mexican muralists explored these synthetic mediums and experimented with acrylic paints. In 1936, David Alfaro Siqueiros, a Mexican muralist founded a workshop in New York City to experiment with acrylics and its different methods of applications. He used acrylics in his famous painting, Echo of a Scream, in 1937. Jackson Pollock attended Siquerios’ workshop and later used synthetic gloss enamel paints in his art which uses dripping and pouring techniques.

1940s
Acrylics were made available to modern painters. Leonard Bocour and Sam Golden offered mineral spirit-based paints called Magna. Well-known artists including Barrett Newman and Mark Rothko experimented with acrylics in painting.

1950s
Rohm and Otto Haas introduced the first acrylic emulsion specifically designed for paints. It became the foundation for all contemporary artists’ acrylic emulsions. By 1955, water-based acrylic paints were made available commercially on the market.

1960s
UK art supplier George Rowney first introduced the brand “Cryla,” and artist’s acrylic color.

20th century
Acrylics became the center of modern art movements and form. This is the time when artists were exploring pop culture, photorealism, abstract expressionism, and pop art. American artists such as Andy Warhol and Helen Frankenthaler were attracted to acrylics since it provided an ideal medium for these movements. Acrylics provided artists limtless artistic expression and creativity. Artists can achieve different textures, consistencies, and color depths.

Image source: www.wikipaintings.org