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Birdman’s Guide to Buying Art Online

January 2nd, 2010

Some of the reasons for buying art online:

These days you can see just about every style of art there is to be seen online in the comfort of your own home or office. This saves you a tremendous amount of time where you don’t have to go walk around a huge gallery, drive a long distance and end up looking at art that you have no idea who painted it, what materials they used, etc. You’ll be surprised how many people just love art and are not experts on techniques, painters’ names or styles. Another benefit to buying art online is the fact that at most online galleries, you will get a short biography on the artist who painted the piece as well as the and their style & price. What if you have a question that isn’t answered at the online gallery you’re viewing? Well in the real world, sometimes finding someone to help answer your questions can take you a tremendous amount of time & there are even times when you won’t find anyone who can help you at all. When you browse online galleries you generally have the option to email the artist directly and then you can have your answer within minutes- depending on how busy the artist is and when they’re checking their email but that’s still a huge bonus over scouring an entire gallery for someone to help you.

Reasons you have for purchasing art:

I’m sure it seems like the obvious thing but in truth many people overlook this point as their basis for buying art in the first place. You have to know WHY you are purchasing art in order to get the right piece. Think about it for a moment, are you buying a painting for someone you love, for your home, for the office decor or maybe as an investment piece? Or perhaps you want to start collecting artwork from a particular artist to build up a nice collection. Each reason I’ve shown you as well as others you might have in mind require a different outlook when you’re purchasing from the style of art, the subject matter to the most obvious- the price. Not too many people want to spend a few thousand on a painting they’re just going to hang up in their living room or hallway but on the other hand, if you’re wanting your first piece of art for investment reasons, you won’t want to pick up a 5 x 7 picture of a fruit salad in a plastic frame. Also, don’t just consider the piece you’re looking for but also the artist, their reputation as well in determining the price of the piece. Naturally, a very well-known artist who sells a lot of their work and is featured in many showings will charge more for their work than someone who’s just beginning in the art world.

What’s more important? The latest trends or Personal Taste?

Let’s face it, we all fall into this trap at some point in our lives- whether it’s to do with clothes, cars and yes, even art. There are so many people who purchase an art piece simply because the style is popular or the artist is very well-reknowned yet they honestly don’t like the piece they bought at all-they bought it just to be “fashionable”. Well speaking from personal experience and as an artist myself I want to give you a big tip that is too often overlooked but it is the VERY reason you should be buying art in the first place- because you love it!!

Don’t worry about the latest trends in art styles or the popular subject matter for paintings or even how the frame looks that the piece came in. First and foremost before going any further in the purchasing process ask yourself this- ” DO I really like this piece?”, “Does it speak to me?” These are the sorts of questions you need to ask yourself before you even talk to the artist. I will admit it, naturally I want people to purchase my work BUT most importantly I want them to be in love with it, to have it speak to them in some form, have it convey an emotion to them that just cries out “I have to have that painting!!” Unlike a car or a blouse, always go with your personal taste and intuition when purchasing any form of artwork.

What sort of medium should I choose?

As you may well know, art comes in so many forms, I can’t even begin to do them justice here but as a few examples: you have watercolors, oils, acrylics, photographs,digital art, statues, murals, etc. Which style is the most valuable or the most respected? The truth is that the medium the artist used to create their painting means very little in the end buying decision if you’re truly in love with the piece. Take for example, I’m going to a site that sells acrylic paintings and even though I’ve never owned such a painting and never really cared for that medium, I find a piece that speaks to me; it has a beautiful bright and bold tropical rainforest scene with a gorgeous flock of birds in the foreground and I’m just in awe of the craftmanship this artist has used. Would I just say to myself,” Mike, you hate acrylic paintings, don’t waste your money on that”? NO WAY in the world would I be this foolish!! Naturally I’d buy this piece because it spoke to me, it gave me something that transcends the paint used or the surface where it was painted on. This is the sort of mindset you have to get yourself into. There are so many wonderful pieces of art that are being created every day around the entire world in various mediums- from acrylic to digital paintings to 3-D images- what makes any of these styles less important than another? Absolutely nothing but your own taste. If you see a watercolor painting and love it- buy it!! if you see a digital painting that speaks to your soul- buy it!! Do you see where I’m coming from here? If you’re brand new to the art world, let me give you a few definitions of some of the more popular styles:

1. Abstract- This is art where the artist an artist either exaggerates or simplifies the form of the subject to attach emotion or other meaning to it.

2. Art Deco- A form of abstract art, this celebrates technical advances of the 1920′s and 30′s. Art deco paintings have a slick, metallic look, they include jarring angles & use machinery colors.

3. Gouache watercolors- This is a type of watercolor that include white pigments that make them thicker & more opaque than other types of watercolor paintings.

4. Impressionist- This type came into being in the late 19th century and include such well known painters as Monet and Renoir. These painters altered their strokes to approximate the effects of changes in lighting on the subject. Impressionism still remains very popular among artists, collectors & art enthusiasts.

5. Pop- Pop art shows contemporary, common objects in a way that makes a statement about modern culture. You might be familiar with the work of Andy Warhol who painted Campbell’s soup cans- he was a pop artist.

6. Realist- Realism art portrays faithful and realistic depictions of subjects; this comes from the idea that any subject is worthy of being painted in and of itself.

7. Surreal- Surrealism, is a very cool approach to art; it features objects that look or act unnaturally or are depicted together unexpectedly; this is similar to a dream.

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The Meaning of Art

December 18th, 2009

When I refer to “art” here, I am referring specifically to visual art, and more specifically to painting because that’s what I do. But I’m sure it applies to other forms of art as well. Art can have very concrete, literal meaning to it—the more representational a work of art is, the easier it is to attribute a meaning to it. Everyone understands realistic representations of things from real life—for example, paintings of trees—when looking at one, you can say, “It’s a painting of trees, and trees are lovely to look at—that’s the obvious purpose of this art; no mystery there. ” This is why purely abstract art tends to appeal to a smaller audience. It is common to want to know what you are looking at so you can place a literal meaning on it. But art, even art that is fairly straightforward in its subject matter, has a larger and deeper meaning that goes beyond the literal. This larger and deeper meaning is not intellectual in nature—it is emotional. All you need in order to “get” art is to look at it and become fascinated, motivated, influenced, impressed, inspired, or otherwise stimulated by it. All you need is to feel a connection to the art. Most people do feel a connection when looking at art (not all art, of course, but the art that particularly appeals to them personally. ) Putting this feeling into words can sometimes be difficult, but just because you can’t always explain it in concrete terms does not mean it’s not real or important, and it does not mean you are missing anything. If you look at a piece of art and feel nothing, all it means is that particular piece of art is not meant for you. If you look at enough art, you will learn what you like and what has the most meaning for you. The artist has the job of living, feeling, and processing her unique experience and then finding a way to express that to others. The viewer may or may not get the same feelings that the artist meant to express—and that is okay. One of the fun things about art is how different people interpret it differently. Art is the physical manifestation of a mysterious human force: imagination. If it sparks your imagination or puts you in a certain mood, then you “get it. ” And that’s nice…But how does all of this apply to real life? What is the point of art—what is its use? Well here’s where choice comes in. Once you look at enough art to realize what you like, what you connect to, you get to make the choice to surround yourself with those things that inspire you and help you in your life. The trick is to figure out what you really, really love—when you find it you will know. If you realize that a certain shade of red makes you happy and energized, making the conscious choice to put something of that color in your living room so you see it every day will, in theory, make you a more happy and energized person. When your spirit feels heavy and sad, art can help lift you out of that. When you feel bogged down by apathy or lost in painful frustration, looking at art can bring you back to yourself and help you keep going. Deliberately creating a mood in your immediate surroundings can help you to create the life that you want, in a very tangible way. This interpretation of art’s meaning is obviously the result of my optimistic, existential outlook on life. I try to apply my energy—mental, emotional, physical and spiritual, towards personal transformation and growth. But art has a myriad of uses: it is used as a tool for psychological healing, a symbol in spiritual rituals, an impetus for political or social change, an expression of inquiry, a form of entertainment, evidence of status or identity, a reminder of what’s important, and most commonly, a simple celebration of beauty. You can decide what meaning art may have in your own life. It’s up to you! So, what does art mean to you? How will you choose to use it?

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Modern Canvas Art: Three Factors That Make Up A Good Masterpiece

October 14th, 2009

Learning about the medium used to produce modern canvas art as well as knowing about the transitions incorporated in the artwork is just a mere introduction of the subject matter.  There are still other factors to allow you to totally appreciate the difference it may bring to your life and home.  If you are really a lover of art, you know that there are things to tackle in this particular artistic concept.  Want to learn more about the other factors to make up a masterpiece in modern canvas art?

There are actually three factors leading to the creation of beautiful artworks in this particular terminology.  These factors create variations as to the colours, styles and applications of the finished product.  Each has distinct characteristics and descriptions you should be able to know more about.

Three factors in modern canvas art

Modern canvas art are those that are produced in the most recent times.  It is thereby important to look into the changes it went through to produce high-quality output.  In this regard, you have to pay closer attention to the following factors:

Ideas or theme.  The ideas or the theme of modern canvas art depict more of your specifications as a client than what the artists have in mind.  Whilst you may collaborate with your chosen artist before the work will start, more of the ideas come from what you ideally have in mind.  Of course, in order to make it a real contemporary artwork, ideas are more of modern ones.  This is the real essence to its cognisance as a good masterpiece categorised in this subject.  In order to be able to have an in-depth understanding of modern canvas art, it is also best to look into how it evolved and how its history began. Techniques.  Modern artworks make use of different techniques in production.  The word technique refers to the number of brushstrokes used in the masterpiece in order to come out with the client’s specifications.  Oftentimes, single brush strokes are favoured by artists because it produces the art piece in lesser time than the usual.  If you will look into how traditional artists like Van Gough or Da Vinci produced their own collections, you will see that they have allocated much of their time – perhaps a week or a month – to produce a single masterpiece.  In modern art, it is more of producing more artworks in a day. Technology.  Since it is a modern artwork, expect that modern canvas art is injected with different technologies to make the workload easier.  Two and three-dimensional models are captured with the use of other equipment to bring colour and life to the collection.  Often, computers and printers are of great help in production.

These three factors are very essential portions of modern canvas art.  They actually define the simplicity and convenience of doing the artwork.  They also depict the speed of doing the entire collection.  Now, you may say that modern canvas art indeed created a transition from the traditional works of art you have always been mesmerised about.




By: Luke Wildman

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