BlogHer - art - Comments

Thanks for the clarification!

Elana Centor — Wed, 13 May 2009 05:34:17 -0500

What I should have said is that the idea of of using small paintings to market an artist's work took on a new dimension when Duane Keiser started the Painting A Day genre. It is the painting a day genre that is new..and one possible by creating small paintings....

Also interesting article today in NYT about art market "recalibrating"

elana
Blogher Contributing Editor,Business&CareersFunnyBusiness

Miniature Art is Not New

Seaside — Tue, 12 May 2009 14:30:32 -0500

I enjoyed reading this but was dismayed that miniature art was presented as a new genre or idea. The first great miniature portrait painter was Hans Holbein (1497 - 1543). Obviously, more needs to be done to promote this beautiful art form so that people are aware of it.

There are numerous societies around the world dedicated to contemporary miniature artists. The Miniature Artists of America is one such society in the USA. Museums and galleries have hosted shows dedicated to this form. My gallery is currently hosting our 18th International Miniature Art Show.

Miniature art does not always equate to miniature prices. It takes just as much talent and time to create a true miniature painting as a large one. These are exquisite little gems of art that draws the viewer into a personal experience with it.

Mod Collage

BetsyIckes — Mon, 11 May 2009 20:16:40 -0500

Thanks! I really appreciate it!

Very Nice!

soldier85 — Mon, 11 May 2009 20:12:41 -0500

Those were so neat! Very creative and beautiful pieces.

-*soldier85*-

Great idea

Candelaria Silva — Mon, 11 May 2009 17:33:58 -0500

I don't think it's selling out to create small painting that are more affordable. It's a great way to make the owning of original art accessible for people who want original work and not prints. It also helps cultivate clients who may be in the financial position at another time to buy larger/more expensive pieces. A friend of mine started doing small work a couple of years ago prompted not just by affordability but because some paintings were calling out to her for a small format.

Art is in the eye of the beholder and I applaud artists who find a way to continue to do work they love and earn money. You can't eat dreams.

I've supported beginning artists and art students for the affordability.

Nice post.

blog.candelariasilva.com

examiner.com/x-2478-Boston-Domestic-Issues_Examiner

Good and plenty!

Give me affordable art

CEEBEE — Sun, 10 May 2009 23:34:55 -0500

What a wonderful idea. I cannot affort expensive art but I will spend $50 to $400 on art. When I have to spend hundreds or thousands on a new transmission, I always treat myself to a small piece of art. Why is there always money for a brake job, but not for art?

Not all of us have huge expanses we could fill with large pieces, but everyone has a place for a small original painting or photograph. As we shop at Target, and Costco in our everyday lives, it is life affirming and very healthy to buy some small art. Support the artist, and support your soul.

Surrounded by art

Candelaria Silva — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 21:14:46 -0500

I live surrounded by art, a lot of it purchased from emerging and seasoned artists who participated in an Open Studios event I directed for 9 years in the Roxbury section of Boston. I was also lucky enough to barter my services leading a retreat for an artist in Boston, Paul Goodnight. And, I fell in love with a piece once that I would see at a gallery over the course of a year. I decided that if it hadn't sold the next time I went in there, I would see if the owner would allow me to do a payment plan. It took me two years but I got the piece and every day when I walk into my house, I'm lifted. One of my favorite pieces ia a tiny dragon fly purchased for $20 from a student artist. He made it out of found scrap metal. It rests on a window sill and thrills me when I see it. My mom bought ceramic tiles decorated with Picasso images from a Goodwill when I was very young. I used to look at them all of the time and I think the beauty and therapy of being surrounded by art hit me then.

Thanks for this post.

blog.candelariasilva.com

examiner.com/x-2478-Boston-Domestic-Issues_Examiner

Good and plenty!

Wow. That's the nicest thing anyone's said to me all week.

Karen Walrond — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 09:18:32 -0500

Thank you so much, Viriginia!

---

Karen Walrond is a writer and photographer in Houston, Texas. Read/See more of her life at www.chookooloonks.com

I think art

Virginia DeBolt — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 08:43:47 -0500

is the best thing you can buy anytime, anywhere. It feeds your soul. But, I gotta tell you, Karen, when I need a dose of art I like to go to your blog and look at the photos.

Virginia DeBolt
BlogHer CE
Web Teacher
First 50 Words
@vdebolt

I LOVE the idea of buying your kids art!

Karen Walrond — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 19:55:08 -0500

What an awesome idea! I've bought my daughter one piece of art, but I really should consider buying her mar -- that's a great idea.

Also, instead of matting and framing all of Alex's art (because my GOD, the expense of doing all of that) -- I actually have bought Alex pre-stretched and framed canvases and acrylic paints occasionally, and let her have at it. Much cheaper, and already framed -- something else to add in your arsenal!

Karen Walrond is a writer and photographer in Houston, Texas. Read/See more of her life at www.chookooloonks.com

my art collection...

Her Bad Mother — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 19:43:38 -0500

is the result of the same practice as your friend Josette's - I make a point of seeking out art when I travel (and that means travel anywhere, even if it's just out into the rural reaches of Canada), and I follow the same rules: only original work, and only what I love.

When the kids came along, I adopted another practice: for every birthday, I would buy them a piece of art, something that made me think of them or that I think they would love (as children or in the future.) Something that they can keep and use as the basis for their own art collections. (I define art broadly here - vintage globes are as much art to me as is limited edition photography or original paintings.) My kids are very small, so these pieces don't mean much to them now (although my three year old adores the original mixed-media work depicting a friendly robot with an umbrella that was her first 'piece', given to her on her first birthday) but my hope is that it will grow into a tradition and that it will teach them to value art as both beautiful and sentimental.

(And, of course, I keep all of their art, and have had one or two things matted and framed, and you'd be surprised at how many people think that Emilia's splatter-work is school of Pollock ;))

I used to travel a lot with my old career

Mata H — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 19:28:02 -0500

And what fits in a suitcase easily? Art. Plus, I always was captivated by certain images. It is true, as you said, that if you are true to what really moves/touches/grabs you, it will all make sense when assembled in your home. Outside of the collection of Inuit sculpture that I have (mostly shamanic and Sedna pieces), the rest of the art in my home is based on what I love. If I cannot get it out of my head, then it is calling to something deep inside, and I consider acquiring it. I did not say "buying" because I have also traded for art...objects, work, etc. Tag sales and auctions can yield lovely things, too! I bought an etching at a tag sale for $25 that I got tired of and had it auctioned off for $200.

While this is not a blog, I love the work of Laura Marshall and have a couple of her pieces. One of them is here.

It is all about making art a priority -- it does not have to be expensive. Ebay can be a source. That is how I first found Laura Meseroll who has a blog at the link. (and a painting in my house.)

~~ Contributing Editor, Mata H. also blogs right along at Time's Fool

When I first began collecting art ...

Alanna Kellogg — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 17:15:15 -0500

a moment of revelation came when being introduced to the collection of a labor lawyer. His collection, truly a 'collection' rather than an assemblage, centered on work. Whether water color or oil or quilts or sculpture or bronze or oooor ooooor, each piece represented the work of human beings. It stunned me, his focus. And while I've never found my own such focus, some day, maybe I will.

Alanna Kellogg
Kitchen Parade &
A Veggie Venture

Hi there

mashadutoit — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 07:09:13 -0500

I'm a lecturer in new media, and I teach a lot of the stuff you are learning...as for how I started my career...

I just jumped in the deep end. Got a computer, got a job designing a Flash website (just started getting literate on a computer) and just winged it, learning as I went.

I actually find it quite weird teaching these things to students, as I constantly find myself thinking - "why are you waiting for me to tell you how to do stuff...when I was learning, I just had to FIGURE IT OUT FOR MYSELF!" which probably just means I'm getting old and crochety.

Welcome

Candelaria Silva — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 16:38:32 -0500

I will share your website and the shutter sisters site with a good friend who's a photographer.

Our parents often caution us because of what they think they know rather than what they know about our ability. I'm on the Boston Foundation for Architecture board and went to a design retreat a few months ago filled with architects. They said that math skills and skills around spatial relations (I think that was the term) were important requirements for being an architect.

Design - good, useful design is important to well-being.

Welcome. (I did my first post as a contributor today, too!)

blog.candelariasilva.com

examiner.com/x-2478-Boston-Domestic-Issues_Examiner

Good and plenty!