The Art Of Selecting Your Home’s Art

By Sandy Knoll

Art should be personal. Selecting pieces that you really love should not be influenced by the color of the carpet or your couch. To really make a statement, art should be chosen based on it’s own merits.

You have just moved into a new home. Perhaps it’s your first real home that you plan to invest time and money into decorating and styling. You are eagerly looking for ideas to help make your home comfortable and beautiful.

You have just been looking through a magazine for decorating ideas and admire a gorgeous home that highlighted the owner’s fantastic art collection. You realize that the bare walls in your home create an emptiness that is crying out for attention.

With this sudden urge to fill them up, what are you going to choose for art?

It is not hard to find art - whether you choose originals or reproductions. The variety and diversity of styles is enormous, so where do you begin in making your selection?

Try to purchase art as you would any other piece of furnishing that you plan to have for years. You want to select pieces that you will love and appreciate for a long time - whether you keep your couch or not.

When you admire artwork in a gallery or even in a fantastically decorated home you will notice that it is the art that sets the tone, not the other way around. Artwork should be featured, and not chosen to compliment it’s surroundings.

You will likely find that you are drawn to works that are in colors or themes that suit your home anyway. If you do like traditional decorating styles, it is quite likely that you will been drawn to more traditional styles of artwork as well. The same is true of more modern or contemporary tastes.

Talking to a gallery owner or interior decorator, you may also find them able to give you suggestions on how the artwork could best be appreciated. Using picture lights to illuminate the artwork will add enormously to it’s appeal as well as to the mood of a room.

Your artwork will make a significant statement about you personally. It is well worth your efforts to select pieces one at a time and choose art that truly reflects you instead of filling your walls with mediocre work that you will tire of quickly. By making thoughtful choices and viewing each piece as an investment, you will always find a special place for your art in any home.

About the Author: Sandy Knoll is the webmistress of http://www.frloghomes.com and is a real fan of log homes and everything that they represent. If you have a site related to homes, email her about exchanging links: sandy@frloghomes.com with “exchange links” in the subject line.

Source: www.isnare.com

Technorati Tags: art, artist, selecting artwork, home decor, original art, interior decorator, art investment

Hi and welcome to my new art blog! My name is Michelle, I am a Western Australian artist who specialises in Pet Portraiture and Small Format Art in a variety of mediums, including graphite (black and white), Artists colour pencils, ink, acrylic and pastels.

Small Format Art (SFA) is defined as any type of artwork that has a maximum size of 14 inches (35.5cm) in any one direction. SFA is collectible, affordable artwork that make wonderful unique displays in homes and offices to suit your own personal decor or personality. SFA can be collected by artist, theme, style, color or an eclectic mix to create an eye catching display to suit your own individual taste. They are especially suited for small display areas such as hallways, mantlepieces and desk tops where larger art work would be unsuitable or simply wouldn’t fit.

As an artist with three small chilren, I love Small Format Art because the smaller size allows me to be creative and productive within the limited time that I have available. Although SFA’s can take 50-60 hours or more to complete over many days or even weeks, it is also very rewarding to be able to complete a finished painting in a looser more artistic style in just a day or two!

I love animals and the majority of the artwork I create is animal portraits. As a professional Pet Portrait Artist, my pet portraits are highly detailed and very realistic - if you would like to see examples, they can be viewed on my website http://www.pencilportraits.com.au.

However, with the SFA I create, I find myself drawn more towards less realistic styles that really express my creativity - I really don’t like labels and would prefer at this point in time not to be limited to creating art within the confines of only one artistic ’style’. Many different art movements inspire me and as a result, the SFA that I create is an eclectic mix of styles that might normally be labelled as abstract expressionism, minimalism, surrealism or modern/contemporary with some representational pieces thrown in for good measure! That is my idea ofArtistic Freedom:)

I’ve decided to create this blog as a separate entity to my original blog http://www.petportraitartist.blogspot.com/ for several reasons - firstly, for myself I like the idea of maintaining a visual diary of my work and at the same time being able to record some of my thoughts and emotions surrounding each piece, and secondly the majority of Small Format Art that I create will be available for sale in different venues such as Ebay, Art Wanted, Art Cards Wanted and Art By Us and by listing each artwork here in one place, it will be easier for me to keep track of everything, plus I would imagine it will be a bit easier for those who like to collect my artwork:) If you would like to join me on this journey of dscovery, please add this blog to your RSS feed to recieve notification when new art work is added (simply click on the second orange button on the right that says ‘Feed’ - or if you use atom click the first button that says ‘Site Feed’).

Cheers

Michelle

‘Tall Poppies’ 4″x4″ art squared, acrylic on canvas, 2006

‘Solitaire’ 4″x4″ art squared, acrylic on canvas, 2006.

‘Ginger Kitty’ 4″x4″ art squared, Prismacolor pencils on blue suedeboard, 2006

Michelle

PencilPortraits

As the next step in developing my career, I am planning on doing a series of pure bred dog portraits to sell as open and limited edition prints. I am looking for permission to use personal photographs as reference material (credits for use of the photograph will be given) so if you have, or know anyone who has a purebred dog, I would love to hear from you!

There is absolutely no obligation whatsoever to purchase the original artwork or any of the prints created from the reference photos, but if you would like to a discount would be given as thanks for giving me permission to sell prints of the artwork I create from your reference photo.

Obviously some photos will be more suitable than others - because I work in a very detailed and realistic style, I do require photos that are clear and detailed, without any camera distortion and of course of dogs that are a good representation of their breed. The other requirement is that the person giving me permission must be the copyright holder of the photograph - generally the person who took the photo is the copyright holder.

And just in case you you are wondering, I have absolutely nothing against mixed breed dogs, its just that prints of mixed breeds are unlikely to be saleable, especially in the main venue that I will be selling them on.

Thanks!

Michelle

This is my latest commission, a graphite portrait of a gorgeous black Labrador Retriever. Hasn’t she got the sweetest looking face? I’m very pleased with how this turned out although getting good digital images of graphite work is near on impossible!

This scanned image is about the closest I can get to the original, although alot of the delicate shading in the original is not evident, particularly in the highlighted areas.

Labrador Breed Information

Labrador Retrievers are a loving, affectionate, intelligent breed that is one of the most popular dog breeds in Australia. Highly intelligent, loyal, willing, good natured and excellent with children they are ideal companions for families. Labradors are easily trained and need to be treated as one of the family, otherwise like many breeds they can become destructive. Labradors are medium sized energetic dogs that need a fair bit of excercise. Their smooth short haired coat, which can be black, yellow or chocolate in colour, is easy to groom and they should be bathed only when necesary. They have a life expectancy of about 10-12 years

Labradors originated in New Foundland where they were originally known as St John Dogs or the Lesser New Foundland (Newfoundland’s are another breed of dog). Labrador is a peninsular in north-eastern North America situated between Hudson Bay, the Atlantic and the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Labradors were originally developed to assist the fishermen in towing in nets as well as working in the snow and ice. These dogs were taken to England where they were bred as gun dogs and retrievers. Labs are easily trained and their intelligence and lovely disposition makes them very suitable for work as guide, service and customs dogs.

If you would like to be notified of updates to my blog, please click on the orange buttons in the colum on the right to add this to your RSS Feed (atom and feedburner) or enter you email addy and subscribe to recieve updates into your mailbox.

Michelle

Technorati Tags:graphite, drawing, canine, portraiture, pet portrait, labrador retriever, pet portrait,

Or maybe I should have spelt that jewellery, jewelry or jewellry. LOL who knows, and does it really matter - I’m sure you know I am talking about, no matter which way I spell it.

I thought I would post a few bits of my Art Jewellery, although I have had a brief hiatus from creating jewellery lately, I can feel my muse heading in that direction of late:)

The first photo below is a Sterling Silver, Turquoise and Red Coral bracelet that I made for my Mum’s birthday in June. All the silver work, coiled links and clasp are hand forged. I just LOVE working with sterling silver and gemstone beads.

This second bangle is based on the wire weaving techniques taught by Brazilian Artist Eni Oken, and is probably my all time favourite. As I was working on it, the piece named itself ‘Amazon Sunset’, the turquoise focal bead represents the depths of the river, the faceted amazonite - the endless blue sky, the orange aventurine is the setting sun leading to the black onyx of a moonless night sky lit only by the silver twinkling stars. Its a hefty bangle - not for the faint of heart, but it is this style that I am being pulled to create…just gotta finish the Christmas Pet Portrait commissions before I let myself get distracted!

I probably should post some piccies of the jewellery pieces I have made that have won awards. One day. As a full time mother of three, and with working from home there just never seems enough time to do everything I should be doing. Which of course is why the housework never gets done - or at least it sounds like a good reason:)

I do have a temporary website for some of my art jewellery if you would like to see some more, the url is http://uniquelychelle.dgshosting.com/

Cheers

Michelle
http://www.pencilportraits.com.au

If you have ever tried taking a photo of your beloved pet, you probably already know that it is not always as easy to get the perfect shot. Whether you are taking photos to add to your family album, or a trying to get a great shot to use as reference for a pet portrait, hopefully the following tips will help!

The number one tip for great looking photos is take them from the subjects level - for pet photo’s, that may mean laying on the floor! By taking the photo from the pet’s level, you will avoid the camera distortion that makes some photos look like caricatures.

Use natural light if possible, no flash or artificial lighting. The best outside photographs are taken on overcast days with light cloud so that there is plenty of light. If it is sunny, position your pet in the shade and take the photos with the sun behind you. Don’t take the photo in direct sunlight as this will make your pet squint (not to mention get impatient).

If you do need to take the photo inside, take it near a window that allows plenty of natural lighting, and try to avoid using the flash. Take the photo with your back to the window with the subject facing the window.

Take photo’s from a distance of 6ft or less. You want your pet to be the main object in the photo, not the surroundings, so zoom in and fill the viewfinder with your pet’s image. This is really important if you are taking a head shot, as you really want to see the eyes and facial expression clearly.

Make sure you allow some space around your pet in the viewfinder so you don’t accidentally chop off an ear or a nose!

Take as many photos as you can, a digital camera is excellent as you can keep taking multiple shots in the same pose to give you a good range to choose from.

When taking photos of pets, enlist the help of another person to stand beside you and get the animals attention with a toy or treat. A shot of the head looking forward and slightly to the one side usually makes a more interesting phot enlargement or pet portrait than a full side-on profile pose - try to take the photo from an angle that shows both eyes (for dogs and cats).

Photos that capture the subjects personality and character are important. Be patient and be prepared to spend a fair bit of time, possibly over more than one photo session. Dog’s in particular will sense if you are getting frustrated or grumpy, and this will reflect in their demeanor. Try to make it fun – toys and treats usually work!

Always keep a camera handy and know how to use it in a hurry - candid shots can often truly capture the personality of your pet, but you usually don’t have a lot of time to get your camera organised before the pet moves!

These two photos of Jess are examples of good close-up and detailed reference photos. I took these photos following all the advice I have have listed above - so you can see these tips will help:)

Of course, some pets are easier to photograph than others - I have taken several hundred photos of my own dog Tia, a black Shar Pei (you know the dog’s with all the wrinkles) and only one is suitable for use as a reference for her portrait, so I shall keep trying for some better ones.

Happy snapping!

Michelle

http://www.pencilportraits.com.au

Well so much for daily posting! After a full week of all five of us having an awful gastro, then hubby being hospitalized for four days (unrelated but serious medical condition), I was finally able to pick up my pencil yesterday to do some more work on a graphite commission. I am reasonably happy with the way it is progressing, considering it is a difficult reference photo (the nose, muzzle and lips are a solid black blob when they shouldn’t be - its a brown Rhodesian Ridgeback dog and the photo has very little definition of the eyes). Unfortunately the dog has gone to the Rainbow Bridge so additional photos are not possible.

I will post a photo of the piece later, I did take a couple of shots but the camera batteries are going flat and they didn’t work. In the meantime I am off to do some more work on this portrait.

Bye for now!

Michelle

www.pencilportraits.com.au

I am very proud to announce that I received a number of awards for my artwork in the show I entered over the weekend - seven awards in fact!

I receieved First and Second for my two entries in the class for Painting/Drawing - Animals/Birds; First and Third for my two entries in the Painting & Drawing - Any Subject class, A Third in the Painting & Drawing - Portrait class, First in the Article of Silver Jewellery and Third for my entry in the Article of Beading class:)

I am feeling pretty pleased with myself as this was only the second show I have ever entered:, and like I mentioned before, the other artworks were something special!

Definitely a GOOD day!

Michelle

http://www.pencilportraits.com.au

…or so I am told. I definitely need to develop more I think! I have entered some of my art and jewellery in a local art competition this weekend. Judging was yesterday but I will not find out until tomorrow how I went. Mind you, after the glimpses of the really outstanding artwork that I was able to see when I dropped mine off I am not expecting any awards at all, I just can’t wait to have a good look at the other artwork!

I managed to do a little more on Amarok’s portrait, havn’t taken a pic of the updates as yet, I think I probably need to do a bit more before there is anything really noticeably changed. The white fur on her muzzle is still not to my liking - it has lots of colours, creams, greys and blues but it still hasn’t got the depth that I am aiming to achieve. Time for a bit more painting I think. If it fines up later today I might be able to get a better photo of the portrait.

Bye for now!

Michelle

Yay for me, I’ve finally joined the rest of the world and started my own blog. LOL, I really have NO idea what I am doing, but I guess I’ll learn as I go along, right? I’m not sure that I can manage to update daily (probably don’t have that much of interest happening in my life on a daily basis), but I think I can manage acouple of entries a week:)

Actually, one of the reasons that I have finally created a blog is to keep a bit of a diary on my artwork, not so much the pet portrait commissions that I do, but on my personal choice artwork. Not only a visual diary, but also as a bit of a record of the thoughts and emotions that go into creating an artwork. I know that many artists who work by commission end up loosing their enjoyment of their art because it becomes a job just like any other, so I am setting myself a personal challenge to produce at least two pieces just for me every month. I’d love to be able to do more, but my style is highly detailed, realistic and very time consuming, so two pieces is a realistic goal at least for the rest of this year.

On the other hand, I’m determined to teach myself how to paint with acrylics and pastels, both of which should be much quicker than my main mediums, graphite and colour pencils (no, not the kind you had in primary school!). So when the kids go back to school in February and I have a little bit more time, I’m might just up the challenge to one piece per week. LOL - I don’t think I will ever be one of these artists who can create a painting in a couple of hours, unless of course I start going abstract!

But for now, I guess I should have a bit of a wander around and work out how to set this whole blog thing up so it looks halfway decent!

Cheers

Michelle
http://www.pencilportraits.com.au