Saturday, April 24, 2010

The Defining Skills for an Artist - Creativity and Originality - by Annette Labedzki

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The Defining Skills for an Artist - Creativity and Originality

Creativity is the truest essence of artistry. Being creative is the ability to produce something new by applying imaginative skills and original thinking. In effect, creativity breeds originality. Therefore, a work of art depicting a fresh line of imagination (original) in an extraordinary manner can be termed as creative.

Of course, when we are talking of new lease of thoughts & ideas, they tend more to be abstract, seamless, and independent. However, creativity and originality need not necessarily mean something extreme, innovated, and novel. The existing elements can also be added a new edge by being creative and original. This implies that artists can always expand on an idea, which has been used before by adding his own vision to it, thereby creating his own original style. Pablo Picasso clearly drew inspiration from Spanish, Greek, and Roman Art, while Paul Gauguin did so from African Art. Their works can never be confused with their models, as they were unique because of their personal styles.

Tips for Creativity and Originality

A few pointers for having the creative juices flowing include:

· Open Minded - Creative people are generally less conventional and open to new experiences and ideas. Set yourself free. You should not let rules bind your thinking and hinder your imagination. To get creative, it is important that you free your mind from any set norms. Ongoing exploration and experimentation should be the system. Stained glass and manuscript illuminations have always found favor with Paul Gauguin.

· Think Out of the Box - Think unique. Brainstorm; push your imagination to discover new things. Keep yourself triggered to think with even the routine things around. Henri Laurens, who learned ‘Cubism’ from Pablo Picasso, applied its concepts to sculpting and went on to create some amazing masterpieces

· Take Risk –Take chances. The evolution of art over the years vouches of great creative risks taken blended with uniqueness and non-traditional essence. The highly controversial ‘Fauvist’ movement of 1905, though short lived, changed the conventional way the artists used colors in painting.

· Knowledge - Artists need to keep learning and increasing their knowledge, in order to widen their horizons and discover new expressive platforms. Painters, like Gustave Moreau and Van Gogh, drew inspiration from Byzantine enamels and early mosaics. They even studied Persian, Indian, and Japanese prints.

Conscious or unconscious insight, tangible or intangible, practically anything can act as stimulus for an artist. Stay intrigued, curious, flexible, and a risk taker. Mix & portray your own blends and enjoy art!

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Sunday, April 18, 2010

Art Therapy � the Importance and the Tools - by Annette Labedzki

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Art Therapy – the Importance and the Tools

Art Therapy came into existence in the middle of the 20th century. It is based on the concept of visual representations, in order to express one’s feelings. Paints, Chalks, and Clay are the essential tools of Art Therapy. The Therapy actually aims to relax an exerted brain and psychology, in order to refresh it, stabilize it, and make it more receptive. Art Therapy is therefore especially useful for the people who stress a lot at the work place and for those who have mental tensions. In addition, the Therapy also helps people who are slow learners or are mentally ill.

As mentioned above, Art Therapy is beneficial to sustain mental health and emotional well-being. The treatment involves Drawing, Sculpture, Photography, and Visual Art as a vent to expressions. The outcome of the treatment results in extraordinary psychological healing and a considerable personal changeover.

Art Therapy is a collective representation of a creative group of skills in nature. It includes the creative and the expressive art forms such as, Fine Arts Therapy, Sand Play, Clay, Movement Therapy, Psychodrama, Role Play, Writing Therapy, and Music Therapy to name some. Creative Therapy attempts to investigate people’s psychology to find out their fears and the cause of stress. For example, Art Therapy helps stabilize the emotional well-being of the patients suffering from Cancer, HIV, and the other serious medical issues. Art Therapy is usually employed after the verbal mode of expressions such as, Talk Therapy proves futile. The Therapy offers special mileage for deaf and dumb.

The relaxing sessions of Art Therapy may include the likes of Movement & Music Therapy. This Therapy enables you to execute your thoughts into expressive gestures with the rhythm of the music. Teenagers prefer Art Therapy to reduce their mental stress due to personal problems and over learning. Art Therapy can prove especially fruitful for high school children, who usually do not reveal their emotional upheavals. Art can be used as a medium of free expression for their burdened emotional self, as the teenagers are generally quite accustomed to this art form. The Therapy comforts and heals the students and they tend to increase their learning skills after the treatment.

Use the Play Therapy to cheer your children. Art Therapy helps young children bring out their feelings and emotions through drawing and painting. With the help of crayons and paints, kids can express millions of words through their artwork.

Your fears and desires become known when you undergo an artistic healing process. Art Therapy treats your fears well and you can achieve a new lease of emotional life. The Therapy is used to heal emotional conditions, including Bipolar and Posttraumatic Stress Disorders. Art Therapy helps people improve their mental and emotional health, while also increasing their self-awareness and cognitive abilities. It makes a perfect treatment for those who have experienced mental trauma and emotional abuse. It serves as a platform for these sufferers to let out their emotions through creativity. True Art Therapy offers the best form of emotional purgation.

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Sunday, April 11, 2010

Invitation To Our Gala Opening Reception - by Annette Labedzki

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A Personal Invitation to Join Me at Our Gala Opening Reception

JUMP START at the Roundhouse

An Exhibit of New Works from 52 Artists

Thursday April 29thPublic Viewing   11am-10pm

Opening Reception & Art Sale 7pm-10pm

(In Yaletown at the corner of Davie & Pacific)

Art Walk

Studio and Artists’ Galleries

Saturday & Sunday, May 1 & 2 11am-6pm

Kitsilano | West Point Grey | Dunbar | Kerrisdale

For more information click:

www.artistsinourmidst.com

                                                   Click here for our Map

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Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Top 10 Art Galleries of the World - by Annette Labedzki

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Top 10 Art Galleries of the World.

 

Art galleries are ideal platform for displaying visual arts, be it painting, sculpture, or photography. Art galleries are a collected culmination of endurance, time, effort, and tastes of many generations, in order to depict the diverse arts and cultures of various ages. Therefore, be it contemporary or traditional Fine Arts, art galleries house all. Promoting emerging artists of all ages, art galleries give them too a chance to flaunt their artworks, at times amidst internationally renowned artists. Committed to excellence in art, the top 10 art galleries proffer you a rich, memorable experience. This article tries to picture the top ten galleries of the world.

 

1.     Musee Du Louvre, Paris. The Louvre of Paris is one of the most visited art museums of France. From its beginning as a royal fortress to the public gallery that we see today, Louvre, with it architectural superiority and one of the most stunning artistic collections, has dominated Paris ever since its establishment. The artworks on display in this art gallery have a universal appeal that strike a chord on all their spectators. Some exceptional paintings the museum houses include, Jacques-Louis David’s "The Coronation of Napoleon," Hyacinth Rigaud’s "Louis XIV," and Leonardo da Vinci’s "Mono Lisa" & "The Virgin on the Rock."

 

2.     The National Gallery, London. London's National Gallery is an enthralling exhibition of the Western European art, where history is depicted and is well preserved. Founded in 1824, the art gallery houses a rich collection of over 2300 paintings belonging to 13th to 18th century. The gallery has always been a centre of criticism and controversy for not planning an effective management of space & on policies considering the preservation and the restorations of the artworks. Some imperative artworks are, Leonardo da Vinci‘s "The Virgin Of The Rock" & "Burlington House Cartoon," Raphael’s "Portraits of Pope Julius II" & "The Madonna of Pinks," and Michelangelo’s "The Entombment" & "The Manchester Madonna."

 

3.     Museo Del Prado, Madrid. An art gallery in the capital city of Spain, it displays the stupendous & the royal Spanish anthology. It has an elaborate collection of approximately 5000 drawings, 2000 prints, 2000 decorative & work of arts, and 1000 coins & medals. The gallery houses one of the finest collections of Spanish paintings, especially by Diego Velázquez, Francisco Goya, and El Greco. The artworks are, Velázquez’s "Las Meninas," Francisco de Goya’s "La maja desnuda," Roiger Vander Weydon’s "Descent of Christ from Cross," "Self Portrait" by Albrecht Durer, and Hieronymus Bosch’s "The Garden of Earthly Delight."

 

4.     The Metropolitan Museum, New York. This North American art gallery has a colossal collection of about 2 million artworks and is considered the largest in its genre. The collection includes but is not limited to, classical antiquity & ancient Egyptian art; sculptures of European masters; American ("Portrait of George Washington" by Gilbert & works of Winslow Homer, George Caleb Bingham, & John Singer); modern art; African; Asian (Chinese calligraphy and painting including Nepalese and Tibetan works); Oceanic (Australian Aboriginal Rock Paintings); Byzantine & Islamic (miniature painting from Iran & Mughal India); & Greek & Roman (Euphronios Krates & Amanthus Sarcophagus) art; and a wide assortment of the musical instruments of the world.

 

5.     Sao Paulo Museum of Art, Brazil. Sao Paulo Museum of Brazil in Latin America is a prominent building that houses an exquisite collection of Latin American works, dating back to World War II. Some of the artworks in the gallery are, Raphael’s "Resurrection of Christ," Rembrandt’s "Self Portrait with Golden Chain," Brazilian art (Nicholas Tarsilao Amaral) & Brasiliana, Latin American (Torres Garcia, Gilbert Stuart), & North European paintings.

 

6.     National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne. This gallery is one of the oldest and the largest in Australia, displaying over 63,000 artworks. The art gallery also conducts an art school, which has turned out to be an Alma Mater of many renowned Australian artists. The art gallery includes the works of Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Marco Palmezzano, and Rembrandt.

 

7.     State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow. A famous pool of Russian fine art in the world, this gallery exhibits the ranges from "Theotokos" of Vladimir & Andrei Rubler’s "Trinity" to the monumental "Composition VII" by Wassily Kandinsky, and "The Black Square" of Kazimir Malevich. The art gallery also possesses a fine collection of socialist realism sculptures such as Yevgeny Vuchetich’s Iconic statue of “Iron Felix.”

 

8.     National Archaeological Museum, Athens. An extended collection of artifacts from the archeological locations of Greece, covering prehistoric art to late antiquity, this great museum is an ideal place for the students of archeology. Established in 1829, the museum is an imposing Neo-classical building, which was quite popular in Europe then. It displays a wide range of prehistoric art, sculpture collections, Santorni findings, Stathatos collection, Vlastos collections, Egyptian art, and Near East antiquity.

 

9.     Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney. This public gallery in Sydney exhibits Australian (settlements to contemporary), Asian, and European art. Some famous works on display in the art gallery are, Ford Madox Brown’s "Chaucer at the court of Edward III," Streeton’s "Fire’s on." Other Australian works displayed are those of John Glover, Arthur Streeton, Rupert Bunny, and Roland Wakelin.

 

10. Vatican Museum in Rome. In the 16th century, Pope Julius II founded this Roman Museum, displaying a huge collection of Roman Catholic Church. The notable collections of the art gallery include Caravaggio’s Entombment, Leonardo da Vinci’s "Portrait of Saint Jerome," and Raphael’s masterpiece, "The School of Athens."

 

     

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Monday, April 5, 2010

100 Awe-Inspiring Artists You Should Follow On Twitter - by Annette Labedzki

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Hi Annette,

We just posted an article, “100 Awe-Inspiring Artists You Should Follow On Twitter( http://graphicdesigndegrees.org/100-awe-inspiring-artists-you-should-follow-on-twitter/ ). I thought I’d bring it to your attention in case you think your readers would find it interesting.

I am happy to let you know that your profile has been included in this list.

Either way, thanks for your time!

Cheers,

Amy Cook

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