Even as the economy is going through a recession, a market for luxury goods and services still exists. While American consumers are cutting back on extravagant spending, they are not willing to give up on indulgences altogether. It is entirely possible to sell your art in this marketplace even in this current climate, as long as you understand luxe buyers and their behavioral patterns, and can then develop and implement a marketing plan geared toward this audience.
I came across this five-part series on Luxury Art Marketing by Ligaya Figueras and Stan Fine, Ph. D. in Art Calendar, the business magazine for visual artists. I found it fascinating to read. It talks about the business of luxury and how to identify and research your target audience; how to posit yourself as a luxury brand; and how to tap into buyer sentiments, as well as some creative ways to increase your market position.
I especially liked the part about how buyers think and the elements of luxury.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Chinese Brush Painting
Today my art therapy client and I read about Chinese Brush Painting while we sat outside in the sunshine at Decatur Park in Olympia, Washington. What a fascinating discovery!
Best described as a "voiceless poem" or "soundless music," Chinese brush painting uses ink and color to paint direct studies of the natural world on paper or silk. It differs from western painting in having no particular concern about light and shade; instead, it uses special brush-and-ink techniques to combine the clear representation of the subject's structure with an attempt to express its internal spirit.
Chinese painting divides into three main subject areas: landscape, figure, and the painting of flowers and birds, which also includes all types of animal and plant life.
As well as being divided into three areas of subject matter, Chinese art can also be divided into two distinct styles - the Meticulous and the Freehand - which themselves developed from the historical "Academic" and "Literati" traditions.
Of all the plants, the plum blossom, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum have become the basis of Chines art because of their beauty and characters. Chinese art has adopted them as symbols of the great intellectual ideals, and the are known as "The Four Gentleman."
We were in awe at the paintings displayed in the book, The Simple Art of Chinese Brush Painting by Qu Lei Lei.
Painting on Silk
Chuen Yue
Best described as a "voiceless poem" or "soundless music," Chinese brush painting uses ink and color to paint direct studies of the natural world on paper or silk. It differs from western painting in having no particular concern about light and shade; instead, it uses special brush-and-ink techniques to combine the clear representation of the subject's structure with an attempt to express its internal spirit.
Chinese painting divides into three main subject areas: landscape, figure, and the painting of flowers and birds, which also includes all types of animal and plant life.
As well as being divided into three areas of subject matter, Chinese art can also be divided into two distinct styles - the Meticulous and the Freehand - which themselves developed from the historical "Academic" and "Literati" traditions.
Of all the plants, the plum blossom, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum have become the basis of Chines art because of their beauty and characters. Chinese art has adopted them as symbols of the great intellectual ideals, and the are known as "The Four Gentleman."
We were in awe at the paintings displayed in the book, The Simple Art of Chinese Brush Painting by Qu Lei Lei.
Chuen Yue
Monday, August 17, 2009
Let Your Heart Dance
I like to receive the inspiring daily quotes from mydailyinsights.com on behalf of AsAManThinketh.net
Today's quote was from an unknown author and I found it delightful. It thought I would share it with you.
Today, let your heart dance.
You will find no shortage of dance partners, as your feet join in.
And your eyes.
And your smile.
And every part of your body and your feelings.
Let your heart dance all day long.
Do you know the author?
Today's quote was from an unknown author and I found it delightful. It thought I would share it with you.
Today, let your heart dance.
You will find no shortage of dance partners, as your feet join in.
And your eyes.
And your smile.
And every part of your body and your feelings.
Let your heart dance all day long.
Do you know the author?
Sunday, August 16, 2009
The Art of Blackberry Picking
My dog Ebony has the art of blackberry picking mastered! This evening a friend and I with our dogs walked the Chehalis Western Trail in Olympia, Washington, with the goal to bring home blackberries.
We scored big time and so did Ebony!
Who said dogs do not see color?
Apparently Ebony knows the ripe blackberries from those not ripe.
I sometimes do not know best when to stop eating the blackberries.
Ebony hung in there, too!
We scored big time and so did Ebony!
Who said dogs do not see color?
Apparently Ebony knows the ripe blackberries from those not ripe.
I sometimes do not know best when to stop eating the blackberries.
Ebony hung in there, too!
Saturday, August 15, 2009
History of Oil Paints
It is believed that oil painting has been used since the Middle Ages or earlier for crafts, decorative painting and furniture finishes. The first easel paintings were probably various vegetable drying oils and pigment painted over tempera.
Jan Van Eyck (before 1395-1441) and his brother Hubert have been credited with mastering oil paints. Modern historians have come to believe, however, that oil painting predates the Van Eycks by at least two or three centuries. The two brothers, along with other Late Gothic Flemish artists, are still credited as being the first to exploit the medium of oil painting to its full potential.
Oil painting first became popular in northern Europe and later spread to Venice, Italy, in the fifteenth century. By the early part of the sixteenth century, oil painting had surpassed tempera as the dominant, acceptable painting medium throughout Europe.
The current view of oil painting's development is that of a gradual evolution of techniques and materials rather than the sudden discovery and overnight employment of the new medium.
The advent of water-soluble linseed and other vegetable drying oils can be counted as nothing short of a revolution in the continual development of oil paint.
In the late twentieth century, artists-and society in general-became more aware of the dangers inherent in many long-used art materials. The idea of using solvents to paint with has become less popular. By the late 1980's most secondary schools and universities in the United States had banned the use of solvents in art departments and thus eliminated the use of oils in the academic setting.
Major manufacturers of fine art paints have begun to develop alternatives to solvent thinnable oil colors. Water-soluble oil colors is the "next generation."
Jan Van Eyck (before 1395-1441) and his brother Hubert have been credited with mastering oil paints. Modern historians have come to believe, however, that oil painting predates the Van Eycks by at least two or three centuries. The two brothers, along with other Late Gothic Flemish artists, are still credited as being the first to exploit the medium of oil painting to its full potential.
Oil painting first became popular in northern Europe and later spread to Venice, Italy, in the fifteenth century. By the early part of the sixteenth century, oil painting had surpassed tempera as the dominant, acceptable painting medium throughout Europe.
The current view of oil painting's development is that of a gradual evolution of techniques and materials rather than the sudden discovery and overnight employment of the new medium.
The advent of water-soluble linseed and other vegetable drying oils can be counted as nothing short of a revolution in the continual development of oil paint.
In the late twentieth century, artists-and society in general-became more aware of the dangers inherent in many long-used art materials. The idea of using solvents to paint with has become less popular. By the late 1980's most secondary schools and universities in the United States had banned the use of solvents in art departments and thus eliminated the use of oils in the academic setting.
Major manufacturers of fine art paints have begun to develop alternatives to solvent thinnable oil colors. Water-soluble oil colors is the "next generation."
Friday, August 14, 2009
Water-Soluble Oils
How can oil color be water-soluble? Can it truly be oil color? I thought oil and water do not mix. Is this a misnomer?
Water-soluble oils are the best of both worlds, combining the flexibility of oil painting with the easy cleanup and safety of acrylics. This option for artists has revolutionized the way people are thinking about painting.
All oil paints are made by finely grinding pigment into vegetable drying oils. Oil paint has been popular for centuries for a number of reasons:
* Oil in the paint allows the paint to spread easily.
* Oil can dry to a thin durable film for detailed work.
* Oil provides excellent adhesion for the pigment.
* Oil adds transparency to many pigments.
* Oil provides body to retain brush or knife strokes.
* Oil adds depth to the pigment not possible in its dry state.
The new oils are no exception to these benefits. The difference is that the oil vehicle has been modified to make it soluble in water, eliminating the need for harsh or dangerous solvents used to thin the paint and clean brushes and palettes.
There are four major manufacturers currently marketing the new oils in the United States. Each of them has developed their own formulas and methods of making the paint, which is mixable with water. Grumbacher: Max Artists' Oil Colors; HK Holbein: Duo Aqua Oil; Winsor & Newton: Artisan Water Mixable Oil Color; Royal Talens: Van Gogh H2Oil. Each brand of paint has its own consistency and the mediums offered by one company are completely compatible with paints from another.
I have recently been painting with Winsor & Newton's brand. Having fun!
Water-soluble oils are the best of both worlds, combining the flexibility of oil painting with the easy cleanup and safety of acrylics. This option for artists has revolutionized the way people are thinking about painting.
All oil paints are made by finely grinding pigment into vegetable drying oils. Oil paint has been popular for centuries for a number of reasons:
* Oil in the paint allows the paint to spread easily.
* Oil can dry to a thin durable film for detailed work.
* Oil provides excellent adhesion for the pigment.
* Oil adds transparency to many pigments.
* Oil provides body to retain brush or knife strokes.
* Oil adds depth to the pigment not possible in its dry state.
The new oils are no exception to these benefits. The difference is that the oil vehicle has been modified to make it soluble in water, eliminating the need for harsh or dangerous solvents used to thin the paint and clean brushes and palettes.
There are four major manufacturers currently marketing the new oils in the United States. Each of them has developed their own formulas and methods of making the paint, which is mixable with water. Grumbacher: Max Artists' Oil Colors; HK Holbein: Duo Aqua Oil; Winsor & Newton: Artisan Water Mixable Oil Color; Royal Talens: Van Gogh H2Oil. Each brand of paint has its own consistency and the mediums offered by one company are completely compatible with paints from another.
I have recently been painting with Winsor & Newton's brand. Having fun!
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Art Trivia
Did you know........???
Leonardo da Vinci spent 12 years painting the Mona Lisa's lips.
On 3rd December 1961 Henri Matisse's painting Le Bateau was put the right way up after hanging upside-down for 46 days without anyone noticing at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, America.
During his entire life, artist Vincent Van Gogh sold just one painting; Red Vineyard at Arles.
Picasso could draw before he could walk, and his first word was the Spanish word for pencil.
Impressionism was given its name from one of Monet's pictures, Impression: Sunrise.
In 1961 Georges Braque was the first living artist to have his work exhibited in the Louvre. In addition to painting, Braque also designed stage sets, costumes and illustrated books.
Paul Klee once described his drawing technique as "taking a line for a walk."
American artist, Andy Warhol, was a fashion illustrator for Seventeen Glamor magazines.
Leonardo Da Vinci invented high heels.
Frederic Auguste Bartholdi use his mother as the source of inspiration for modelling the face of his most famous work, the "Statue of Liberty."
People have been painting things for the past 20,000 years, but it wasn't until 1880 that you could purchase ready mixed paints.
The invention of collapsible tin tubes of paint in 1841 allowed the Impressionists to paint outdoors all day. Before that, an artist had to squeeze paints stored in sacks made from pig's bladders. According to Renior, "Without tubes of paint, there would have been no Impressionism."
Leonardo da Vinci spent 12 years painting the Mona Lisa's lips.
On 3rd December 1961 Henri Matisse's painting Le Bateau was put the right way up after hanging upside-down for 46 days without anyone noticing at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, America.
During his entire life, artist Vincent Van Gogh sold just one painting; Red Vineyard at Arles.
Picasso could draw before he could walk, and his first word was the Spanish word for pencil.
Impressionism was given its name from one of Monet's pictures, Impression: Sunrise.
In 1961 Georges Braque was the first living artist to have his work exhibited in the Louvre. In addition to painting, Braque also designed stage sets, costumes and illustrated books.
Paul Klee once described his drawing technique as "taking a line for a walk."
American artist, Andy Warhol, was a fashion illustrator for Seventeen Glamor magazines.
Leonardo Da Vinci invented high heels.
Frederic Auguste Bartholdi use his mother as the source of inspiration for modelling the face of his most famous work, the "Statue of Liberty."
People have been painting things for the past 20,000 years, but it wasn't until 1880 that you could purchase ready mixed paints.
The invention of collapsible tin tubes of paint in 1841 allowed the Impressionists to paint outdoors all day. Before that, an artist had to squeeze paints stored in sacks made from pig's bladders. According to Renior, "Without tubes of paint, there would have been no Impressionism."
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