Experienced painters will have several brush styles and sizes to choose from throughout their work on a painting. Depending on the medium and surface, different brushes work better than others. The types of hair or fibers that make up the tip of the brush are very important in the ease of painting and the price of the brush. In general you can choose natural hair, bristle, synthetic fibers, or blends of synthetic fibers with natural fibers. (more…)
Guide To Knowing Your Paper Weights
To determine paper weight, manufacturers either weigh one ream, 500 sheets, of paper or one sheet of paper.
Weights may be expressed in grams per square meter, gsm, or pounds per ream, lb. Thicker paper weighs more, so when looking for a thick paper for watercolor or other art project choose one with a higher weight. (more…)
How to Choose The Right Brush
Think of your paintbrush as a tool. You need the right tool to get the job done. You wouldn’t use a rake to dig a hole in the garden, so take the time to start with the right paintbrush. The end effect of the painting will be better when you know which brush to use when. (more…)
Leading European Art Gallery Plans Showroom In NYC
New York City wins again, being chosen as the home city of a new Hauser and Wirth contemporary art gallery. Hauser and Wirth already has prestigious showrooms in both London and Zurich, and their newest addition will be located on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Slated to open in September, it is sure to draw a crowd from among the modern art purveyors of the Big Apple. (more…)
Culture And Art For Children: How Does It Change Their Perceptions?
Children are natural artists in a way, usually diving right into the finger paints and chalk with abandon, unafraid of what anyone will say about their finished masterpiece. They are future Picassos. They draw without fear, paint everything in sight, and believe that their painting deserves to hang in the front entry of the home forever because it’s the most beautiful thing ever created. In a way, every child is right! (more…)
Tattoos Are Becoming Mainstream – But Are They Art?
Art employs many different canvases. Some artists use music, others write poetry, still others use paint on a variety of media to convey their image or story. Still others use the human body as their backdrop and draw their pictures with a needle and ink. Yes, these are tattoo artists, and their work is becoming more prevalent. Many artists employ the basic stock images many people associate with tattoos that have been around since Grandpa got a heart tattooed on his bicep when he was in the armed forces. But tattoo artistry has taken on a new dimension in recent years. (more…)
The Joy And Sadness Behind Native American Art
Native American art portrays life from the perspective of the artist. In particular, Native American art embodies both the joy and the pain experienced by a people group as a whole. From the days of freedom when their lives were governed by seasons, weather, and the passing of time, to the days of repression when their lands were encroached upon, their game slaughtered, and their freedoms taken away come the images, poetry, songs, and drama that defines Native American art today. (more…)
What Makes Something ‘Art’? Beauty Really Is In The Eye Of The Beholder
The answer to the question, “What makes something art?” can be as varied as the people who would ask it. To some, nothing can be considered art unless it is esthetically pleasing, such as a painting of a vase of flower one might hang in a dining room. To someone else, a piece must convey some meaning or insight in order to bear the title “art“. But what about photos of the Holocaust? Deep meaning is definitely conveyed, but esthetically there is no attraction. Or consider a drawing of a bumblebee on a rose: beauty is evident, but what is the deep meaning there? Yet, to still another person anything at all could be considered art if it was created for the purpose of bringing enjoyment to the person or people who experience it. (more…)
Modern Art Being Replaced By More Alternative Forms
Modern art has always had a reputation for being unusual. Really, almost anything can be considered “modern art” if one applies that title to it. Piles of tin cans, twisted metal, even used paper towels have at one point or another all been coined “modern art” and garnered odd sideways glances if not true admiration from gallery visitors. But these days there are even more sources from which modern artists can extract their next gallery display. Consider the post-it note! Or left-behind bullet casings! (more…)
Alternative Art, Or Just Graffiti?
Ordinarily, painting or drawing on walls, buildings, sidewalks, cars, trees, street signs, or just about anything else that isn’t a canvas or obvious art project would be considered inappropriate. Children are taught from the time they are young that they should color in their coloring books, draw on their paper, and paint on a canvas. But what about when an artist uses a larger “canvas” such as public property that doesn’t belong to them? Obviously scrawled obscenities or gang insignia would be recognized as inappropriate, but what about when the finished drawing is actually esthetically pleasing?
The truth is, there are thousands of exquisitely done pieces of art on building walls, buses, sidewalks, and trash dumpsters in cities all over America. But the artists will never be paid or even positively recognized for their creativity, in fact, if recognized at all they will likely go to jail. Graffiti is graffiti, whether it is an amateur rendition of stick figures playing baseball or a Van Gogh quality still-life painting…it doesn’t belong on property that does not belong to the artist.
Unfortunately, the question of “art or graffiti” becomes difficult to answer when one allows the quality of the piece to be considered. People are permitted to decorate their own property with art all they want, but not someone else’s, and certainly not property that is considered public domain. “Art or graffiti” is not a question answered by “quality” but by “ownership”. If it’s not yours, don’t decorate it.