Adams always had a eye for the extra-ordinary in nature.  His photography of the Yosemite National Park and natural reserves in and around California is breathtaking. He received his first camera, a Kodak Brownie box camera, at age 16 on his first trip to Yosemite, an event which changed his life forever.

Moon and Half Dome, Yosem… Ansel Adams Buy From Art.com

It is also well-known that Ansel Adams was one fo the greatest environmentalists of the twentieth century. By exhibiting & publishing his art and writings, his presidency over the Sierra Club, Ansel Adams effectively advocated the preservation of America’s wilderness.

Ansel Adams Books

However, besides being a fantastic photographer and an environmentalist, Ansel Adams also was a great teacher of his art.   He did the whole gamet: wrote series of instructional books, taught photography workshops and college classes, and was involved in research. At first, Adams published essays in photography magazines. Then in 1935, he wrote his first instructional book ‘Making a photograph: An introduction to photography. ’. This is now a ‘rare’,photography ‘how to’- book.

Another well-known book by Ansel Adams is ‘The Camera‘. It is a photography classic, which is illustrated with some of the most welll-known photos by Adams.  A second book is called ‘The Print’. And a third instructional manual is called The Negative‘. These three books form the core of the legendary series of technical instructional manuals, first published by And Adams in the early 1950s.

Ansel Adams Workshops & Classes

In 1940 he began teaching a series of workshops, which then evolved into the annual photography workshops he led in Yosemite – Carmel from 1955 to1984.  He taught at the San Francisco Art Institute. There is well known for his work in codifying a method for negative and print exposure, called the Zone System. The zone system is still taught today at the institute and beyond, amongst others as the basis for intuitive photography.

Other Articles Relating to Ansel Adams

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Photography as Fine Art

Timeline of Art History ~ United States & Canada  ~ 1900 to present

Contemporary Art :: Fine Art :: Top Artists :: Art Reviews, Art Fairs & Exhibitions. Copyright , e ART FAIR .com, All Rights Reserved.

This video art clip nicely demonstrates some of the unique nature of graffiti art:
* its illegality bringing the need to work ‘under cover’ and enhancing the importance of signature tags
* it being performed at night, i.e. a time when none is watching, which brings a different mood and reality to the surface
* it being directed by night light, night guards, and the likes
* its need to be completed fast
* its incorporation of unique surface features: poles on a wall, the curves of cars, or hard to reach places
* it being a cryptic street language to communicate with others on the street scene ~ a hard to understand by the general public
* it being a competitive art: to gain respect one has to be prolific (besides skilled & understanding locality)

“I don’t think about art when I’m working.
I try to think about life.” ~ Jean-Michel Basquiat

2 Lives: Graffiti Wall Artist & Graffiti Canvas Painter

Before becoming a famous and an outrageously well-paid canvas painter (style: neo-expressionist), Jean-Michel Basquiat was a celebrity graffiti artist who developed his public reputation as SAMO.

Actually, both Basquiat and his buddy Al Diaz signed their cryptic massages and drawings on the walls of New York with SAMO, together with the copyright mark ©, often a stylized crown above. SAMO was his graffiti tag, a signature, standing for ‘same old shit’. Then, sometime in 1980s, graffiti statements that ‘SAMO is dead’ appeared. It was a time when Basquiat showed up in person in public. He moved into his second life as as artist.

By A. Lee
© copyright A. Lee, http://www.eArtfair.com 2009

Contemporary Art :: Fine Art :: Top Artists :: Art Reviews, Art Fairs & Exhibitions. Copyright , e ART FAIR .com, All Rights Reserved.

Airbrushes were initially used by Man Ray in New York to develop paintings in the year 1917. However, in 1933 in Europe, the fear of Communism was emerging. Because of this fear, the Bauhaus school was closed down by the Nazis.

At this time, most of the leaders in the airbrush movement immigrated to the United States. The New Bauhaus school was eventually started in Chicago; ironically, most often considered the home of the airbrush industry in America.

Since then, the airbrush has been used for a variety of different art forms and projects. From temporary tattooing and commercial art to sunless tanning and cake decorating, airbrush supplies are a fairly large market. Many retailers offer a wide range of kits, compressors, hoses, paints, stencils and tools for your every airbrush need. The popularity of the art movement has taken the consumer industry by storm.

By Sarah Freeland

For more information, tips and reviews on airbrushing and airbrush supplies visit http://www.airbrush-supplies.net

Contemporary Art :: Fine Art :: Top Artists :: Art Reviews, Art Fairs & Exhibitions. Copyright , e ART FAIR .com, All Rights Reserved.

Defining Art from Form
“Any work that aspires, however humbly, to the condition of art should carry its justification in every line.” – Joseph Conrad

When you finally decide on a course of action, all the usual psychological blocks are bound to occur. Where shall I begin? Have I a right to make a choice, based on any sensible guides? Is a piece of ceramics a work of art? Is a piece of Tiffany glass? Is a rug designed by Matisse? Should I buy a painting… a print… a drawing?

There is no crystal-clear answer. As I have tried to indicate in foregoing chapters, you are dealing with your own personal reactions, as well as with certain rules and laws which are vague, at best.

One of the first muddles that need clarifying is the sharp line often drawn to set off arts from crafts. I cannot see why these two should be so summarily opposed to each other. How can anybody decide at first blush that a man who has a sense of form, an eye for color, and a definite quest for the beautiful is producing only a vessel – if he spins a lovely pot on his wheel, applies glowing glazes, and fires his work to produce a handsome jar glowing with a jewel-like finish? Yet there are critics and collectors who would dismiss the man’s work with a snobbish shrug that it is a fine example of the potter’s craft… but as a work of art there is no room for it.

Why, I ask, this strange, if fine, distinction? Is it because the jar is intended for functional use and the higherbrows believe such a pragmatic approach precludes it from joining the upper world of “fine arts”?

Let us go back almost 3,000 years to a Greek potter in his workshop as he formed a vessel for oil or wine. The term “vase” is now applied to most of the early Greek ceramic pieces; but their original purpose was functional… for everyday use. On such vases we see indications of an entirely new way of looking at things by the artist. He was no longer hidebound by the old style he had inherited from earlier Egyptian forms. Yet there was still the same regard for a sharp outline and exact symmetry. So vases from this period are not only valuable for their beauty of color, dimension, and proportion; they are esteemed for their obvious role in shaping a new course for the artist to follow as he broke the shackles of a hardened past. Yet it is clear that the objects as originally created had a humble purpose indeed. Such intent has not lessened their artistic validity or value.

Let us go even farther back into history. Museums which own objects from the Sumerian period display them proudly. In the University of Pennsylvania Museum there is a gold cup used by Queen Shu-Bad of Mesopotamia. It has a graceful form, a delicate gold color, and intricate decorative fluting. Obviously it was designed to provide the queen with a drinking vessel. Is it therefore less beautiful than it would have been had it lacked practical purpose?

The same will naturally apply to the pottery tomb figures of the Ming dynasty in China… to T’ang glazed pottery… to the heroic bronze cats and baboons of the Egyptians. Recently I saw a cover design for the bulletin of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, showing a drawing of an Incan Empire Poncho, made about 1500. It was an almost pure design… with cubes of black and white. At the top was a reverse triangle of deep brown. I have seen many paintings of the abstract school which could have hung side by side with this poncho reproduction.

So I say: judge by the results and forget the notion that one can always erect a false fence to separate the beautiful from the functional. If the object is beautiful to you, then it is worthy of your collector’s eye and instincts. This attitude can open up many new fields to you – for example, the folk arts.

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Contemporary Art :: Fine Art :: Top Artists :: Art Reviews, Art Fairs & Exhibitions. Copyright , e ART FAIR .com, All Rights Reserved.

By Larry M. Lynch

The Questions

When a reader wrote, “Recently I have taken an interest in photography and am taking a photography class at a local community college.” She then asked, “How do I get my artwork noticed by someone who can do something about it?”
She added that her art, “… is something that I am very passionate about and I want people to see and hear my message through my art.” Questions like, “who do I show my art to?” and “How do I get my work out there?” are common to myriads of amateur and professional photographers and artists alike. Since “a picture can often be more powerful than someone giving a speech”, an important question for many is how do I get my work noticed?

Although photography is not my principal occupation, I do use it almost daily as a supplement to my university English EFL teaching and writing. I’d suggest trying these approaches to help get your photography “out there”. If your work is not on display it can’t get noticed by those who may be in a position to allow you to benefit from your skills, insight and vision.

Five Viable Approaches

1. First, try to get your work up on the web. Use your own website or a blog. Use a photo to introduce a short commentary on your specific topic. For a type of example look at some of my blog postings at: http://bettereflteacher.blogspot.com Be sure to look at all the photographer websites you can find to inspiration and ideas, but don’t copy. Always be original.

2. Then, look into photo banks that accept freelance work. Do a Google search and you’ll come up with plenty of them. Read through their guidelines and submit accordingly. If you need specific recommendations on this do a targeted search inside the general search results. If you’re still really stuck, e-mail me and I’ll try to help.

3. Next, enter photo shows, competitions, media works display shows and contests. Winning or placing even in a small local event or contest can get your work noticed quickly and at high levels. Check local photo shops, schools and the media for listings of these events. Participate in as many as you possibly can. Each and every week, month and year have your work entered or displayed somewhere, somehow.

4. After that, try working with writers who could use your photos as art to accompany their articles, posts, reports, books, etc. and get some of your photos published. The more exposure by different means, in different media on and offline that you can get, the better. Try unique ideas for exposing yourself and your work to a broad-based public and focused groups. Print your business cards, flyers and brochures on the backs of selected photos. Offer them framed for display in company lobbies and reception areas. Use any other ideas you can come up with. Carefully read photography guidelines available online at newspaper and magazine websites. Follow submissions recommendations to the letter.

5. Fifth, Keep shooting. Keep practicing and growing in your craft. You’ll get better and grow. This will show in your work, but don’t wait until you’re “better”, start pushing, and showing your work now. It’ll be a great incentive for you to continue to forge ahead. I’d like to see some of your work myself. Let me know when and where you get your blog, website or other online display up and I’ll personally check it out and give you further comments.

Winston Churchill Said It Best

Finally, in the words of the late Winston Churchill, “Never, never, never, never give up” Keep on with what you love no matter what anybody else says about you or your work. You work to express yourself and that’s paramount to your success. Do everything you can to get your photography out there, get noticed and start making money and otherwise reaping some benefits from your skills, insight, and vision.

I hope these suggestions help. Good luck.

Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an English language teaching and learning expert author and university professor in Cali, Colombia. Now YOU too can live your dreams in paradise, find romance, high adventure and get paid while travelling for free.

For more information on entering or advancing in the fascinating field of teaching English as a Foreign or Second Language send for his no-cost PDF Ebook, “If You Want to Teach English Abroad, Here’s What You Need to Know”, immediate delivery details and no-obligation information are available online now at: http://bettereflteacher.blogspot.com/

Need professional, original content or articles for your blog, newsletter or website? Have a question, request, or want to receive more information or to be added to his articles and teaching materials mailing list? Then contact the author at this website for a prompt response.

But how are bronze and other cast sculptures made? It’s not like there’s a chunk of metal and the sculptor chisels away at it. Casting is a little more complicated than the other two types of sculpture. It takes a team of several people, a foundry, and a 10 step process that has been around since 3000 B.C. When completed, you will have a work of art that will be around for that same amount of time into the future.

In a nutshell founders reproduce in bronze a sculptor’s plaster original. The process is a back and forth system of molding until the final mold is made to withstand molten bronze. This is how it goes:

1. The sculptor creates a model, usually plaster, to send to the foundry.
2. Using elastic material in a solid container, the founder makes a mold of the model.
3. The mold is used to make a model of fireproof cement that will serve as the core of the bronze during casting. Iron shafts are inserted to make sure it remains stationary within the mold.
4. The surface of the core is worn down, creating a narrow space between it and the mold.
5. Melted wax is poured into the mold, filling the space between it and the cement core. The mold is then removed, revealing the core shape covered with a layer of wax. The artist’s signature, the casting number, and the foundry stamp are imprinted in the wax.
6. A network of conduits is created to allow the melted wax to run out of the mold when it is heated. Later the conduits will also be used to pour in the molten metal.
7. A second mold is created of fireproof clay. When it is sufficiently thick, and throughly dry, it is heated, both to melt the wax and to harden the clay.
8. The fireproof mold is then covered by an exterior mantle of fireproof cement.
9. The mold is fired at high temperature. Molten bronze (2850° F) is poured into the space formerly occupied by the wax. After the bronze cools, the mold is broken to reveal a bronze replica of the model.
10. The conduits and other protuberances are removed from the bronze figure, which is then finished with chisels, polished, and treated with chemical solutions to give its surface the desired patina.

So there you have it. An artist can have their sculptures cast in bronze by sending it to a founder and paying them to do all the hard work. After all, you’ve done the easy part by creating the object in the first place. It must be interesting to see the final result, one of your own sculptures actually made in bronze, to be around forever.

Article by Daniel Kretschmer
Dan Kretschmer keeps a daily blog at www.vincesear.com. (Original title: ‘how is a sculpture made?’)

Selection of brushes is personal and is based upon needs and level of investment desired. Because a paint brush will only last as well as it is cared for, proper cleaning and storage of brushes is probably even more important than the decision of what brush to buy. Because no matter how wonderful a brush is, if it is abused it will quickly be discarded.

Types of Paint Brushes

The hair of the brush is what primarily denotes what type of brush it is and it’s purpose. Although natural hair brushes usually cost more, they do not all create the same results. Sable hair brushes are probably the most popular brushes. They are soft haired brushes that move the paint easily and keep their point. Sable brushes are great for watercolor.

Hog hair is also used to make brushes, but has a very different effect with media. Hog hair brushes are stiff brushes for heavy paint and will leave brush strokes behind. They have split ends and hold more paint and are used in oil painting.

Synthetic brushes are also common for artists to use. These are generally less expensive, but still produce quality work. Paint brushes are an artist tools and several different types are needed depending on the project and desired result sought. More expensive brushes keep their shape after a stroke and do not fishtail or bend when paint is applied to paper or canvas and therefore have a more professional result. Less expensive brushes may be suited for some jobs, especially when used in crafts and with products like glue. The other factor identifying a brush is the handle. Traditionally long handled brushes are used for oil painting because the artist is standing at an easel. Shorter handled brushes are for watercolor and acrylics because the artist is sitting and painting in greater detail.

Cleaning and Care for Paint Brushes

Because how well a brush is cared for effects how long the brush will last, extra effort put in to properly care for these important tools will be well worth the time. All brushes will eventually wear out and will then need to be replaced, but lengthening the span of time before that is necessary will help the budget. Cleaning is crucial to extending the life of a brush.

Each brush should be cleaned immediately after use. Use a mild soap and clean in the palm of the hand. Rinse thoroughly and when water runs clear, lay the brush flat to dry. It should not be left vertical to dry as this will cause water to be pulled into the handle and will ultimately cause the handle to loosen and the brush will no longer be usable. Paint brushes should never be left sitting in a glass of water. Other than the effect it will have on the handle, it will crush the bristles. If the brushes are soaked, use a brush container that will suspend them and only fill the water to soak the bristles and not the ferrule or handle. After the paint brush is cleaned and dried it may be stored upright, or in a flat brush holder.

Cleaning brushes is not only done at the end of a painting session, but should be done as needed. As a person is painting, effort should be made to keep paint away from the ferrule of the brush, but inevitably will naturally be drawn up the brush. As the paint gets close to the ferrule, it should then be cleaned. This is to prevent the paint from getting under the ferrule and drying there. Natural hair brushes also need to be conditioned on a regular basis. There are paint brush soaps that come with conditioners in them, or conditioner can be bought separately.

Make the investment of brushes one that will be used wisely. The results that a good paint brush produces are worth the initial cost, but only if the effort is made to care for them and extend the value of the investment.

By: Emma Snow. Emma Snow is a creator at Craft Kits http://www.craft-kits.net leading portals for crafts and creative individuals.

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The first tip is probably the most important. When you are drawing, draw from a good source or reference. For instance make sure that your photo is a really high quality. Make sure that the photo is big and clear, and not a lot of different lighting sources. Choose a subject that is interesting to you. If you want, a good idea is to draw something of one of the masters, like Beugereau. If what you are drawing doesn’t hold an interest for you, you won’t do as good a job on it, you’ll have less patience, lose interest and never finish. But again, make sure that your reference is high quality because if it’s not, you’ll end up with garbage.

Next, begin your drawing with your outline. Different artists use different methods for this. Also, time is a consideration, so whether you use a grid method or do it by eye, make sure you are accurate. Of course, the grid is going to be more accurate but time or environment may not allow for this method. Also, as you gain more experience you may go by the eye more often as well. Block in and remember that you don’t want to add in the fine details yet. Don’t get caught up in working on an eye and all of the lighting and shapes of the eye at this point. Avoid finer detail till later.

Then you can start to divide the light from the shadows, hitting the core shadow outline hard making a distinct value difference between light and shadow.

Then go over it with a towel or cotton balls. Never let your skin come in contact with the paper because your skin is made of oil and it will cause great ugliness to appear on your drawing! Instead use a piece of paper under your drawing hand to help you avoid this. Some artists use gloves made for drawing as well. Try and hit the shadow hard and then after you have gone over with a towel erase out some highlights and make the core shadow darker.

You can start darkening shadows make sure that you are using your referenc to figure out where these are exactly. You may have to do this several times till you establish the value you are after.

Not all of the shadows are going to be dark. Never forget where your light sources are coming from. This is extremely important. Look for where the shadows are falling in direct relation to where the light source is coming from.

Start adding the finer details to your drawing.

Blend in light spots and identify the highlights in your subjects hair. A very beginner mistake is to draw each and every strand of hair. Hair needs to be treated as a mass. Remember this and your hair will turn out more realistic than ever before.

Once you feel you are done, you are almost done. What? Well when you are working with graphite, it can be extremely messy and you may need to do some major clean up of smudges. Use a kneaded eraser to lift these.

Take your time with your drawings and you will begin to see that these techniques can be really beneficial. Anyone can learn to draw, it takes some patience and willingness.

The pavement drawings have included both renderings of old masters plus a wealth of original inventive pieces of work. We all have to live, and sometimes, Julian takes on corporate advertising projects.

Whether you like his work or not, whether you call it art even, it is neat to see this time-lapse video of of how chalk artwork is created. See Julian Beever creating the Aveeno Fountain of Youth chalk drawing in Union Square, NYC on 01/15/07.

As an artist myself, I have found that whenever I choose quality artwork, somehow the artwork gains a new dimension of worth. I find that I am mentioning little quality factors to buying candidates that just help things along.

Of course, potential buyers have to first find the work and love it. Then, they need to be coached to actually purchase it. It can be scare decision for some buyers, as there is sometimes not much to go by other than their own personal taste. Their taste is of course of overriding importance, but they are not always sure of that.

So, when I can bring in ‘quality’ features about and around the art, it helps clients feel comfortable that the art will last, and that they are making the right purchasing decision. Professionalism simply triggers trust, which is a prerequisite for sales.

While I still shop at my local art supplier, I have to say that I’m finding Blick Art Materials , an online merchant, of greater and greater value. Their range of products embraces quality artist supplies. Artists may know Dick Blick Art Materials to have a complete inventory of brushes, canvases, books, ceramics, scrapbooks, educational materials, printmaking, painting, display boards, crafts and audiovisual equipment.

However, they also have a wide range of products that suit art galleries and the self-displaying artist at fairs. Here are some favorites at Dick Blick:

Storage

Archival Storage Cases These practical storage cases provide superior protection and easy access to artwork, prints, photographs, slides, and other valued pieces. Acid-free linings and acid-free glues are used in the construction of this case. It has metal latches, corner protectors, and a plastic carrying handle. The bottom of the case has rubber, non-skid feet.

Display Books

Prat Laser Refillable Spiral-Book Protect and display your documents in style. A black, semi-rigid leather cover opens to reveal an innovative spiral binding system that allows for easy opening and page turning. It has a 20-page capacity. Included are 12 top-opening, archival, acid-free polypropylene Cristal laser sheet protectors, adaptable to current technologies, such as digital imaging, color photocopies, and laser copies. Deluxe black paper inserts are also included. Additional page refills are available in packages of 10.

Print Rack

Academy Ambrosia Print Rack An attractive, hardwood showcase for studio, gallery, art fair — or take it anywhere. Durable and sturdy, the Richeson Academy Rack opens to hold numerous pieces of all sizes. Assembly required.

Browse Blick Art Materials deals on the site. They often have specials. Well worth a visit! FREE SHIPPING on orders totaling $200 or more

Dick Blick is one of the primary suppliers of mail order art supplies in the United States, and in addition, has over 30 stores throughout the country.