Posts Tagged ‘Fine Art Photos’

Five Great Examples of Collectible Paintings: This Art Mimics the Economic Downturn

January 10th, 2010

Internet art gallery DiscoveredArtists. com reports that art continues to mimic life and, in fact, in some instances mocks life. A growing number of paintings and fine art photos posted to the online art gallery are themed around the current economic downturn.   The artworks range in temper from sympathetic, emphatic reflections on the plight of the common man, to critical commentary on corporate greed, and on the worsening economic outlook. “We always see art that reflects the good times, but crisis, bad news and social and political controversey really seem to stir the creative juices,” said DiscoveredArtists. com’s Brian Walker. It’s no surprise that contemporary artists who by nature are gifted with hyper-awareness and a natural desire to express opinion, are reacting to the economic crisis through their art.    Along with creating new works of art, artists are culling their portfolios for pieces that reflect the recent financial crisis, and especially art that communicates their sympathetic and empathetic themes related to the common man with concerns about credit, unemployment and corporate greed. Walker explains that “We search for talented independent artists and invite them to sell their work in our gallery, so we’re actually a curated site. “But Walker adds that artists have “complete freedom” to choose the art that they add to the site, so the themes and ideas reflected in recently posted artwork are a good indication of what’s on the minds of independent artists. And clearly, based on recent postings, the current economic crisis tops the list. Over the past few months, in sync with growing bad news about the economy, a number of artworks related to the tragedy of business failure and high unemployment, and commentaries on corporate greed and Washington politics are showing up in artists’ galleries. Fine art photographer, Robert Hicks, recently posted No More Credit to his DiscoveredArtists. com gallery. The artist relates deeply with the plight of small town folks who are affected by financial woes.   He writes, “I have been through financial failure in the 80’s when the oil business crashed and took me with it, so I have a personal connection with the images of financial distress, failed businesses, and decaying edifices that once represented someone’s hopes and dreams. Hicks, however, continues with a positive twist to the tragic story of survival, “. . . I also connect with my images of those who try to find a way to survive in tough times – as represented in No More Credit – and find opportunity in the midst of the crisis – as depicted in Cash for Titles.   I understand the rocky road of recovery from financial disaster. “Both photographs are part of a series of black and white images depicting the edifices or other traces left by people on the side of the road, inviting the viewer to imagine the stories evoked by those structures or other mute signs of human presence.   The photos are an invitation to the viewer to use their imagination and write their own story. A completely different temper of the times is expresssed in Politicians on Parade by American Artist, Maggie Stewart.   This might be an artwork with a generally accepted point-of-view, but we certainly can connect the thought behind the painting to recent financial bailouts, and especially to the regulatory failure that lead to them.   The artwork is a small, but powerful 5″ x 7″ monoprint on copper plate, and is a real departure from the usual decorative artwork that this very established artist typically creates.   Clearly an inspired work of art. Unemployment Line by South African artist Grady Zeeman reminds us that the economic crisis is worldwide, and is equally or even more severe outside the U. S.   The artist comments in a description of this artwork that unemployment is at crisis level in South Africa, and that rising costs for housing and food make prospects for many South African families bleak.   The large 36″ x 24″ painting is an original oil on stretched canvas, and is one of over twenty paintings that Zeeman has posted to her DiscoveredArtists. com gallery.   The artist’s mission is to raise awareness of South African issues that affect the lives of her fellow countrymen. Corproate Conscience by Canadian artist Mark Eliuk leaves nothing to the imagination.   The artist makes no comment about the surrealism portrait because the title, and the painting itself speak volumes about his view of big business.   The 11″ x 14″ painting is available on stretched canvas as a limited edition giclee print, signed and numbered by the artist.   The series is capped at 250 and only twenty of the prints are available for purchase online. About DiscoveredArtists. com DiscoveredArtists. com is an online art gallery where independent artists sell work directly to the general public.   All purchases are backed by a 100% satisfaction guarantee, including return shipping.   Purchase original and limited edition wall art, fine art photographs and art objects with a major credit card.   All art is shipped directly to the Buyer from the Artist’s studio.

Floral Art is Always in Bloom, Never Needs Watering

December 21st, 2009

Floral ArtLovely Buds Most Popular Choice of Artists, Fine Art Photographers Art gallery marketplace www. DiscoveredArtists. com reports that portraits of flowers are second only to landscapes in popularity among artists and art buyers. Floral and botanical artworks range in style from anatomically correct fine art photos of wide open blooms, to wild abstract and surreal art composed of smatterings of color suggestive of buds, leaves and stems.   Media formats also are widely varied.   Art gallery images of flowers and plants range from fine art photographs to hand painted watercolors and oils, and even to dried flowers that are pasted into montages and collages. But, three main categories of floral art are most popular with artists and art buyers. They include fine art photographs, traditional oil paintings, and classic watercolors. Fine art photos typically are photographed at high resolution in extreme close-ups.   Artists use special, macro lenses to magnify and capture the tiny details of a flower’s anatomy and hold it in sharp focus.   Capturing a drop of moisture on a petal, a spec of pollen on the stamen, or a flower’s delicate filaments in exactly the right light is what creates a magnificent artwork prized by the artist and by the art buyer. When professionally enlarged for use as wall art these photographs can be striking, and are especially popular with interior designers, collectors, and of course, flower gardeners.   Limited editions of these artworks signed and numbered by the artist heighten the value and the excitement in owning them. But, floral artworks that are printed on stretched, wrapped canvas are quickly becoming the most popular format of home decorators.   This format combines the look of a traditional oil painting with the impact of a fine art photo, and is especially effective for showcasing floral art.   The method called Giclee processing preserves the color and detail so important to the artist and the art collector. Study in Blue by fine art photographer Kevyn Moss is a triptych on canvas.   The digitally enhanced photograph depicts different personalities of the same flower type with a variety of fascinating shapes and textures.  The subject of the photograph is a blue waterlily of the family Nymphaea.   The three separate artworks measure 14″ x 37″ when hung as shown.   As an example, a floral artwork on canvas like Study in Blue will sell for around $250.   Fine art prints on paper typically sell for under $50. While fine art prints effectively capture nature’s intricate details, traditional oil paintings are a close second in showcasing the color and texture of florals and botannicals.   Hand applied brush strokes that create lifelike, colorful copies of complicated blooms continue to challenge artists and to please art buyers. Much study goes into learning how to paint a flower.   Each bloom is unique, made up of a number of different complex parts, soft, rounded shapes and subtle shades of color.   The learning process prompts many artists to paint series of the same type of bloom in the same position and light over and over again.   Each painting in a series becomes more accurate and more striking as the artist perfects his technique. Praise by fine artist Stephen Hackley is a beautiful bright gerber daisy, painted with a view of a flower we don’t normally see.   The oil on canvas is an oversized 60″ x 48″ of the bloom which in the words of the artist “has her petals outstretched, acknowledging life and singing out to whoever will hear. ” On a different level in intensity than oil paintings like Praise, watercolors can be the most abstract of popular types of floral art.   Watercolor artists typically paint in an impressionist style where details are less important than the impression or the idea of the artwork. Watercolor paint and the process lends itself to blurred lines and muted colors, and is especially apropriate for painting natural subjects.   Its delicate transparancy is well suited to images of equally delicate, transparant petals and leaves.   But, when combined with pen and ink a watercolor can show as much or more detail as an oil painting.   Illustrators who use watercolor to enhance pen and ink drawings of botannicals create highly prized, collectible artworks by integrating impressionism with technical drawing. Grace is a 16. 5″ x 22. 5″ fine art watercolor by artist Patrice Dobyn.   The painting won third place in a juried competition for its color and composition.   The artist’s works sell in the range of $300 to $400 for an original watercolor like Grace, which is hand painted on acid free paper. With lovely artworks like Grace and a passion to recreate the color and shapes of natural flowers it’s clear that floral art will continue to be most popular with artists and with art buyers.   The varied shapes, vibrant colors and uniqueness of each bloom offer a wonderful challenge to artists.   And, for art buyers, owning or collecting floral art creates a year round bouquet that never fades or wilts.   A floral art gallery is always in bloom and never, ever needs watering. About DiscoveredArtists. comwww. DiscoveredArtists. com is a marketplace for buying and selling original and limited edition artworks.   Independent artists sell directly to the general public.   Prices are set by the artists and artwork is shipped from the artist’s studio.    All major credit cards are accepted.   Artwork may be purchased online and is backed by a satisfaction guarantee of a full refund plus return shipping expense.

How to Find Real Art for Home Decor: Artists Look to the Internet as the Next Big Thing for Art Sales

December 20th, 2009

CHICAGO, IL  A growing trend among independent artists is evident in the number of artists who are selling paintings, sculpture and fine art photos on the internet. Chicago based DiscoveredArtists. com, an internet marketplace for buying and selling art, reports that more than four-hundred artists have joined their online art gallery in the past sixty days. These international, independent artists are following a growing trend among artists who are searching for a better way to sell their art.   They’re looking for an alternative to selling at art shows and to relying on art galleries to represent them. The cost to exhibit work at art shows, according to many artists has skyrocketed over the recent summer season.   And, traditionally, artists have relied on art galleries to represent them.   But, few artists are able to get galleries to sell their work and, even those who can, are often frustrated by the high commissions that galleries attach to each sale where an artist receives only half of the selling price. So, many artists are looking for a better way to show and to sell their art, and they’re looking to the internet as the next, big thing.  Established artists as well as emerging artists are flocking to the internet to promote their work and sell their artwork online to the general public more efficiently. One of them is veteran artist, Richard Black, creator of Smokey the Bear and illustrator of the legendary advertising icon, Mr. Clean. The internet-savvy artist started his career long before plastic keyboards were invented, but was quick to embrace the world wide web as a place to show and sell his art. Black, who is an eighty-something, teaches at a local university, paints every day and regularly uploads finished paintings to his online art gallery. Like most artists he has had to acquire the technical skill to photograph and create high resolution images that are so important for successful e-commerce art sales. Of course, internet generation artists like fine art photographer Crina Prida are a natural for showing and selling their work online. Prida who is a medical student, lives and works in Cluj, Romania and has only been a serious photographer for two years. The artist has already won a number of local competitions, but more important, she is gaining internationl exposure by showing and selling her work online. Starting artists like Prida who promote themselves on the internet are positioned to create a much larger following for their work than previous generations of artists ever could hope to cultivate. And this is why artists are flocking to show and sell their work online. Self-representation in what is now a world-wide art gallery is a trend that is quickly changing the art world, and how artists go to market. And, it’s a positive change for art buyers, too.   Real art is now more accessible and more affordable to the general public than ever before.   For the first time in history artists have a practical way to show and sell their work, and buyers have a practical way to find and buy real art.   The internet is a worldwide art gallery a thousand times larger than the Louvre and much easier to browse. Veteran artist, Richard Black, creator of Smokey the Bear and illustrator of the legendary advertising icon, Mr. Clean uploads his fine art oil paintings to his virtual art gallery at DiscoveredArtists. com.   Black, who is an eighty-something, teaches at a local university, paints every day and sells his work online.   He ships paintings directly from his studio in Ohio, USA.   His online art gallery has more than two dozen original paintings available for sale.   This painting, titled Africa is an 18″ x 24″ original oil on stretched canvas.   VIEW LARGERCrina Prida lives and works in Cluj, Romania and has been a serious photographer for only two years.   Starting artists like Prida who promote themselves on the internet are positioned to create a much larger following for their work than previous generations of artists ever could hope to cultivate.   This fine art photograph is one in a series of photos titled Circus Set available in Prida’s online art gallery at DiscoveredArtists. com.   The artwork is approximately 16″ x 16″ and is priced at $150.   The artist ships directly from her studio in Romania. VIEW LARGERAbout DiscoveredArtists. comDiscoveredArtists. com literally searches the world for talented artists who produce collector-quality, decorative art.   The artists range in experience from starting artists to established artists.   But, it’s not about the artist . . . it’s about the artwork and the value to the buyer. DiscoveredArtists. com’s marketing team advises artists on how to display and describe their work, but artists independently set their own prices. Paintings are shipped directly to buyers from the artist’s studio, so there is no middle man, gallery markups or handling fees which helps keep prices reasonable.