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The Art Store’s Fall Schedule of Workshops and Classes Released
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Best Test Products Discontinued!
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Painting on Leather from Golden Colors
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The Olympic Division of the Arts!
- Mineral & Modern Pigments by Robert Gamblin
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Richeson 75 Figure/Portrait
August brings us a new school year and new Art Store workshops & classes
Our more popular classes have returned for August, September and October. Check our monthly schedule on our calendar to view the entire offerings for September and our August workshop. During these trying times, anxiety is high and we will be doing something about it. Art is in many ways your way to reduce your stresses.Click on the image to the left to view our scheduler
Art Store Workshop Spotlight: August’s NEXT STEP Workshop with Robert Knudson
Mountain Stream by Robert Knudson
Bob returns for a one-day intermediate workshop on how to keep yourself motivated as a painter as well as paint successfully with greater knowledge of value and color use within your chosen composition. Sign up before the end of the day on the 29th of August to reserve your space. Feel free to click the image above to view the full details of the workshop.
This workshop has two signups at this time and will only need two more for it to proceed.
September’s Therapeutic Workshop with Lynn Underwood
Basic to Intermediate Workshop
Our more popular classes have returned for August, September and October. Check our monthly schedule on our calendar to view the entire offerings for September and our August workshop. During these trying times, anxiety is high and we will be doing something about it. Art is in many ways your way to reduce your stresses.
This two-day therapeutic workshop will take attendees step by step through the creative layering
process that includes acrylic paints, collage materials, stencils, stamps, etc.; exploring different techniques and ending with a finished artwork. Students will be encouraged to use the multiple techniques presented and new found skills to express themselves in therapeutic ways. Each step of the process will be demonstrated for you and experimented with throughout this workshop.
Instructor – Lynn Underwood
This instructor received her BA in Psychology and teaching credential from Sonoma State University. She also received her graduate degree in Expressive Arts Therapy and Coaching with an emphasis in Education from European Graduate School, Switzerland. Lynn is also a certified trauma practitioner as well as a certified yoga instructor. She was a classroom teacher inclusive of arts education. As an arts therapist, she has worked with a variety of populations to include abused and traumatized children and adolescents, domestic violence, and substance abuse, and trauma. She has facilitated a variety of workshops to include creative 
expression, positive life changes,team building, and therapeutic art interventions for mental health professionals. Lynn has conducted trainings for organizations inclusive of CA Arts Project and Betty Ford Clinic. In her private practice she works with individuals and groups. This instructor has been a credentialed classroom teacher inclusive of art instructor. She has facilitated numerous arts classes and workshops through various organizations. These workshops have been focusing on expressive art therapy techniques.
All art materials are extra. Supply list can be found here.
If you wish to view more information about this instructor, please feel free to visit Lynn’s website.
This workshop has a minimum of 4 attendees required to proceed. A maximum of 7 attendees is allowed in the studio space.
Expect a one-hour lunch break. We recommend for you to bring a snack and a drink for your break.
Click the image above to reserve your space for this workshop.
An Excerpt from Golden’s Just Paint!
Painting On Leather With Acrylics
Leather belt painted with Fluid Acrylics mixed with GAC 900 in a 1:1 ratio.
Leather companies have been using acrylics to paint leather for a very long time, so it should be no surprise that Golden Artist Colors Acrylics can be used to paint leather as well. Which paint line to use and whether an additive is necessary is dependent upon the type of leather and how it was previously treated. To determine which process will work best for your particular application, it is important to test first on a sacrificial piece or an inconspicuous area of the leather surface.
Surface Preparation
There are a few tips that can make the application more successful. Before painting, wipe the leather with Isopropyl alcohol to degrease, clean and remove any coatings, waxes, or oils that may be on the leather. If alcohol does not remove the coating, it may be necessary to lightly sand the surface with some fine sandpaper.
The key to good adhesion of paint to leather objects is applying the paint thinly enough to soak into the leather. If thick paint is used or built up too thickly, there may be an increased chance the paint may crack when flexed. Acrylics are thermoplastics and respond to environmental temperatures. In a cold environment, the paint can become more brittle, increasing the chance of cracking, and in a warm environment, the paint can become softer and tackier. If the paint is thick on the surface, these changes due to temperature could be more dramatic. Our Fluid Acrylic and High Flow Acrylic lines work best in this type of application. These paint lines are thin enough to be applied directly to leather or they could be mixed with GOLDEN GAC 900 Fabric Painting Medium and when properly heat set, the addition of this medium could add flexibility and possibly a softer feel, dependent upon what type of leather, suede, nubuck or deerskin is used.
Painting Options
GOLDEN Heavy Body Acrylics on raw, unconditioned, and untreated leather.
In our testing, we have found some mixed
GOLDEN Fluid Acrylics on raw, unconditioned, and untreated leather.
results, so we have varying recommendations dependent upon what type of leather is being painted and how the leather was treated beforehand. On completely undyed, unconditioned, untreated leather, the Fluid Acrylics mixed in a one to one (1:1) ratio with GAC 900, applied, dried and then heat set, was the most flexible paint film of all tested. On treated and dyed latigo belt leather and garment leather, the High Flow acrylics worked well, soaking into the leather while retaining the feel and flexibility. Painting suede, nubuck and deerskin can be a bit more tricky. Every combination of products we tried
GOLDEN High Flow Acrylics on raw, unconditioned, and untreated leather.
changed the feel of these soft leathers. It is
GOLDEN Fluid Acrylics and GAC 900 on raw, unconditioned, and untreated leather.
crucial to test on similar materials to figure out what will work best and what will provide an acceptable color and feel. We would recommend trying the High Flow Acrylics on their own, or the Fluid Acrylics thinned with a little water, or the Fluid Acrylics with the addition of GAC 900 in a recommended ratio of one part paint to one part GAC 900. When using GAC 900 it is necessary to heat set after it has dried to the touch. Heat setting can be done with a hair dryer on the hottest setting for 7 – 10 minutes.
Painting Shoes
There are many videos on the internet showing how to paint leather shoes and sneakers with acrylic paints. While online tutorials can be informative, what works for one may not work for all. Therefore, it is very important to test for your particular application. There are so many types of leathers out there with a number of different types of treatments, dyes and finishes and no blanket application technique will work for every shoe. Some mixtures are easier to control than others, dependent upon the application technique or painting style. Every artist’s hand controls paint differently, so preference may be personal. In our testing, we found the High Flow paints with nothing added worked the best on the pair of sneakers we painted. The Fluid Acrylic/GAC 900 combination was thinner and remained tacky until heat set and the Fluid Acrylics on their own applied a bit thicker and when thinned with water was a little easier to apply. As it turns out, all of the applications were very successful and all were very flexible. Sock liners may also be painted with a one to one mixture of Fluid Acrylics and GAC 900. When using GAC 900 mixed with the paint, it may feel tacky until it is properly heat set. Please note that heat-setting GAC 900 releases trace amounts of formaldehyde, which may be of concern to those with chemical sensitivities. We recommend providing fresh-air ventilation when using heat-set products. More information about the use of GAC 900 can be found in here in the Fabric Applications Sheet from the goldenpaints.com website: http://www.goldenpaints.com/technicalinfo_fabric.
For durability, protection, and moisture resistance, we recommend applying a topcoat after the paint has cured. There are many options available including acrylics, oils, waxes, silicones and polyurethanes. They are available as brush-on fluids or in aerosol spray cans. We recommend researching what is available, especially from leather specialists like Tandy, Angelus and Fiebing. When selecting a topcoat, it is key to make sure it is compatible with acrylic paints.
So there is no real quick and easy “one size fits all” answer to how to paint leather, but there are many options available and testing is an important first step when deciding which option is right for you. If you have questions or need assistance with your project, feel free to reach out to us at help@goldenpaints.com.
New to the Art Store!
Discover the unlimited possibilities of pattern and
texture with Xiem’s Art Rollers! Each roller is made of high-quality nonstick rubber and is easily
interchangeable with the stainless steel / hardwood handle (sold separately). With over 30 beautiful seamless designs to choose from, we believe these are the best texture rollers on the market and will enhance your appreciation for surface decoration.
Art Roller #1 creates a stamped, Baroque motif. It is both elegant and simple, though it creates rich texture. Great for both potters and handbuilders!
In 1912, Someone Actually Won An Olympic Gold Medal In Painting?!
From 1912 to 1948, the Olympics awarded medals to sculptors, architects, writers and musicians, too.
This week, Olympic medal hopefuls are making their way to Rio de Janeiro with the necessary equipment: soccer cleats, swim caps, leotards, oars. Charging into the Games dressed in Nike swooshes and elastane, they’ll look like the sports stars of Wheaties boxes past.
Over a century ago, the Olympic scene was a bit different.
Musee des Beaux-Arts, Tournai, Belgium
In 1912, some aspiring gold medalists trekked to Stockholm, Sweden, with pens, paintbrushes, clay and sheet music. Because, yes, the Summer Olympics that year allowed artists, architects, writers and musicians to compete in events just like the traditional athletes. So while Hawaiian swimmer Duke Kahanamoku was dominating the 100-meter freestyle race, an Italian man named Giovanni Pellegrini was also besting his rivals ― in painting.
The Huffington Post was reminded of this pleasant bit of Olympic trivia this week thanks to a Facebook commenter. “William Butler Yeats’ brother Jack won a silver medal in the 1924 Olympics… in painting,” the commenter wrote. And sure enough, a look at Olympics results history shows that Jack B. Yeats placed second in the 1924 painting event for his work “The Liffey Swim.”
The first Olympic Games held under the auspices of the IOC took place in 1896. The first Games to include art events occurred in 1912 and continued until 1948. They included architecture, painting, sculpture, literature and music events, all judged by an international jury. According to The Atlantic, rules dictated that the Olympic artwork should “bear a definite relationship to the Olympic concept,” so all epic poetry, musical compositions and oil paintings were required to reflect some aspect of sports. Songs about sports, sculptures about sports. You get it.
The entire concept was the brainchild of Baron Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the IOC, who saw art and sports going hand in hand. “He was raised and educated classically, and he was particularly impressed with the idea of what it meant to be a true Olympian ― someone who was not only athletic, but skilled in music and literature,” Richard Stanton, author of The Forgotten Olympic Art Competitions,told Smithsonian magazine. “He felt that in order to recreate the events in modern times, it would be incomplete to not include some aspect of the arts.”
The finish of a race at the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics. Painters not shown.
So why don’t we talk more about the illustrious art history of the Olympics? Probably because not many artists of note took part. Famous faces like Igor Stravinsky served as judges for the events, but in terms of the competitors, most ― like Luxembourgian painter Jean Jacoby, Polish composer Zbigniew Turski, Swiss artist Alex Diggelmann and Danish writer Josef Petersen ― are less recognized. De Coubertin himself took home a medal when he submitted work under the pseudonyms George Hohrod and Martin Eschbach, and his art is not exactly hanging in the Met.
The reason for the absence of Picassos and Kahlos might have something to do with the fact that while some sports lend themselves to quantitative ― and qualitative ― judgement, many artists have long resisted the parameters of competitive creativity. “The dubiousness of judging aesthetic achievement by committee has been a common subject for complaint ever since awards began proliferating like wildflowers in the last half-century,” Charles Isherwood wrote for The New York Times.
Most likely, the dearth of talent was tied to the fact that “professional” artists were discouraged from competing in the Olympics due to the Games’ amateur status requirement, prohibiting paid artists and athletes from participating.
Olympic art-making ended in 1948. Interest in the events had been dwindling, so organizers opted to replace them with a noncompetitive exhibition that would show concurrently with the Games. Sadly, art medals awarded over the years were deleted from the official Olympic record.
Today, we have only the incredulous comments on Facebook to conjure memories of Olympic artists. Which, for a brief moment, might be enough to distract us from the crisis and doubt plaguing the Rio Olympics right now.
Gamblin’s Buy-Get Promo
Gamblin’s Gamvar is one of the best available varnishes on the market today. If you purchase $25.00 or more of any Gamblin products we will give you a 2oz sample of the original Gamvar product. Please remember that Gamvar original is always gloss upon drying but can be altered with their Gamsol and wax medium.
The new already mixed Gamvar Satin and Matte is now available at the Art Store.
Mineral and Modern Pigments: Painters’ Access to Color
August 2008
At the heart of all of the technical information that Gamblin provides is the desire to help painters choose the materials that best support their own artistic intentions. After all, when a painting is complete, all of the intention, thought, and feeling that went into creating the work exist solely in the materials.
This issue of Studio Notes looks at Gamblin’s organization of their color palette and the division of mineral and modern colors. This visual division of mineral and modern colors is unique in the art material industry, and it gives painters an insight into the makeup of pigments from which these colors are derived, as well as some practical information to help painters create their own personal color palettes.
So, without further ado, let’s take a look at the Gamblin Artists Grade Color Chart:
The Mineral side of the color chart includes those colors made from inorganic pigments from earth and metals. These include earth colors such as Burnt Sienna and Yellow Ochre, as well as those metal-based colors such as Cadmium Yellows and Reds and Cobalt Blue, Green, and Violet. The Modern side of the color chart is comprised of colors made from modern “organic” pigments, which have a molecular structure based on carbon. These include the “tongue-twisting” color names like Quinacridone, Phthalocyanine, and Dioxazine.
These two groups of colors have unique mixing characteristics, so this organization helps painters choose an appropriate palette for their artistic intentions.
Eras of Pigment History
This organization of the Gamblin chart can be broken down a bit further by giving it some historical perspective based on the three main eras of pigment history – Classical, Impressionist, and Modern. As we look back throughout the history of art, paintings have always been a reflection of the materials that were available to artists.
The Classical Palette: From Dark to Light
At the bottom of the Mineral side of the color chart is the group of earth colors that make up the heart of painters’ palettes during the Classical era of pigment history. This group of pigments, which has its origins in cave painting and antiquity, was central to the oil painter’s palette from the Renaissance through the Classical Era of oil painting up until the first half of the Nineteenth century. This limited range of muted earth colors exists close to the “neutral core” of Color Space.
Classical Palette: Naples Yellow (Hue), Yellow Ochre, Raw Umber, Vermillion (Napthol Scarlet shown here), Venetian Red, Burnt Sienna, Indian Red, Ultramarine Blue (lapis), and Terre Verte.
Limited to this range of the color spectrum, painters depicted form by drawing large contrasts between the darkest darks and the lightest lights, creating the chiaroscuro (literally, “light/dark”) effect so characteristic of classical paintings.
The Impressionist Palette: A Perfect Storm and a Sea of Change in Color
The advancements of the Industrial Revolution of the mid-nineteenth century widened the spectrum of both color and possibilities for artists. From nineteenth century onward, pigments were no longer made specifically for artists’ use but for larger industrial coatings and printing industries. A new range of pigments were made by fusing inorganic materials, such as cadmium, cobalt, and chromium, together at very high heat. Not only did these colors brighten the urban centers of the Iron Age, but they widened painters’ access to color compared to the palettes of the Classical Era. Other inventions of the nineteenth century such as the three-roll mill and the collapsible metal paint tube gave painters the freedom to leave the confines of their studios and paint directly from nature. At the same time, photography was threatening painting’s role of reporting the visual world, and painters were revolting against the tonal traditionalists of the Parisian art academies. These factors culminated into a “perfect storm,” and the result is the oeuvre from the Impressionist movement.
For the first time in history, painters of this period had the pigments available to capture all of the colors of the natural world, expressed in the Impressionists’ interest in pure color. The denser, tubed oil colors made from brighter and opaque pigments lent themselves to the direct painting techniques so characteristic of the Impressionists.
Impressionist Palette: Cadmium Yellow Light, Cadmium Yellow Deep, Cadmium Orange, Cadmium Red Light, Alizarin Crimson, Cobalt Violet, Ultramarine Blue, Cerulean Blue, and Viridian.
The Modern Palette: Another Color Revolution
The end of the nineteenth century gave birth to the field of organic chemistry with applications in the pharmaceutical, dye, and printing industries. Modern organic pigments are made in high-tech laboratories from materials which have central atoms of carbon. These colors are characterized by their greater transparency and their capacity to produce intense tints and mixtures. Color makers not only matched nature’s abundance of color but also improved upon it.
Once again, developments in pigment technology widened painters’ access to color and expanded creative possibilities. Unlike pigment families on the mineral side of the color chart, which shift in value from light to dark (i.e. Cadmium Lemon to Cadmium Yellow Deep), modern organic colors shift in temperature from cool to warm, such as Phthalo Green (cool) to Phthalo Emerald (warm). This temperature bias of modern colors is conducive to creating a Spectral Palette, which incorporates a warm and cool for each of the six hue families. Thus, the colors included in the Spectral Palette occupy the most space around the perimeter of the colors wheel, giving painters the greatest color mixing potential within Color Space.
Modern/Spectral Palette: Hansa Yellow Light, Hansa Yellow Medium, Hansa Yellow Deep, Mono Orange, Napthol Scarlet, Quinacridone Red, Quinacridone Violet, Dioxazine Purple, Phthalo Blue, Manganese Blue Hue, Phthalo Green, and Phthalo Emerald.
The biggest difference in the characteristics between mineral and modern colors–and arguably of most interest to painters–is how these two groups of pigments behave differently in color mixing. Below are two different reds, the mineral Cadmium Red Medium and modern Napthol Red, each mixed with Titanium Zinc White.
As shown above, the mineral Cadmium Red Medium “greys down” and loses its intensity as it is mixed with white, compared to the modern Napthol Red, which retains its intensity in its tint. This difference will hold up for any mineral vs. any modern color. Mineral colors, in tints, shift in VALUE and CHROMA. Modern colors shift only in VALUE and retain their high CHROMA. This difference will also hold up during color-to-color mixing:
Mineral colors are suitable for painters that are interested in capturing the colors of the natural world and the effects of natural light. Modern organic colors are appropriate for painters who want to make high key color mixtures. Modern colors are also more transparent, giving painters high key colors in all hue families for glazing or indirect painting techniques.
As we take a look at these three color palettes representative of the three main eras of pigment history, we can easily see how advancements in pigment technology have widened painters’ access to color.
Painters today enjoy history’s greatest access to stable, lightfast pigments. There is no reason for you as a painter to settle for a palette that doesn’t meet your artistic intentions.
If you would like to receive our color chart or have any questions about choosing a palette of colors that meets your own artistic intentions, please feel free to contact us.
Sincerely,
Scott Gellatly
Product Manager
Gamblin Artists Colors Co.
MINERAL COLORS:
Cadmium Lemon
Cadmium Yellow Light
Cadmium Yellow Medium
Cadmium Yellow Deep
Cadmium Orange
Cadmium Orange Deep
Cadmium Red Light
Cadmium Red Medium
Cadmium Red Deep
Alizarin Crimson
Manganese Violet
Cobalt Violet
Ultramarine Violet
Prussian Blue
Ultramarine Blue
Cobalt Blue
Cobalt Teal
Cerulean Blue
Cadmium Green
Cobalt Green
Viridian
Chromium Green Oxide
Emerald Green
Naples Yellow Hue
Gold Ochre
Yellow Ochre
Raw Sienna
Burnt Sienna
Brown Pink
Transparent Earth Yellow
Transparent Earth Orange
Transparent Earth Red
Asphaltum
Caucasian Flesh Tone
Venetian Red
Indian Red
Olive Green
Terre Verte
Raw Umber
Burnt Umber
Black Spinel
Mars Black
Ivory Black
Van Dyke Brown
MODERN COLORS
Hansa Yellow Light
Hansa Yellow Medium
Hansa Yellow Deep
Indian Yellow
Napthol Red
Napthol Scarlet
Mono Orange
Transparent Orange
Perylene Red
Alizarin Permanent
Quinacridone Red
Quinacridone Magenta
Quinacridone Violet
Dioxazine Purple
Indanthrone Blue
Phthalo Turquoise
Phthalo Blue
Manganese Blue Hue
Phthalo Emerald
Phthalo Green
Permanent Green Light
Sap Green
Cerulean Blue Hue
Chromatic Black
Where do you see art in your world?
Olympians aren’t the only ones competing in Rio this summer. Brazilian street artist Eduardo Kobra (aka Kobra) is also attempting to break a Guinness World Record with his latest mural.
The work, entitled Etnias, covers more than 30,000 square feet of a formerly abandoned warehouse in Rio’s newly reinvigorated port district. Using a wild quiltwork of brightly colored geometric shapes, it portrays the faces of five indigenous men and women from five continents. (The five Olympic rings inspired the number of subjects.) The portraits depict the wizened faces of members of the Mursi, from Ethiopia; the Kayin, from Thailand; the Supi, from Europe; the Huli from Papua New Guinea, and the Tapajos, from the Americas.
“I wanted to show that everyone is united, we are all connected,” says Kobra. A healthy sentiment in this time of chaos and tension, in Rio and beyond. The project is an extension of his series called “Peace Outlooks,” featuring figures like Malala, Martin Luther King, and Nelson Mandela.
Kobra and his team of four guest artists whitewashed the building, marked a grid pattern on the concrete, and then, supported by seven hydraulic lifts, used more than 1,500 liters of colored paint and 3,500 cans of spray paint to depict the 50-foot-tall, 620-foot-long artwork. According to spokesperson Mirella Rossini, Guinness’s judges will choose how to categorize the painting when they inspect it in a few weeks’ time, but the piece could soon be recognized as the largest spray painted picture in the world.
Kobra, a Sao Paolo resident, has created works in more than 20 countries, including portraits of John Lennon, Bob Dylan, Tupac Shakur, the
Brazilian artist Eduardo Kobra stands next to his huge mural representing the five continents, at the Olympic Boulevard, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on July 14, 2016.
Dalai Lama, and even Yoda on surfaces like smokestacks, industrial facades, parking garages, and apartment blocks. He got his start as a teenager when, after being arrested for vandalism (not for the first time), a judge recognized his talent and sentenced him to paint a mural on a police station wall.
The mural has become an important part of the port district’s “Olympic Boulevard,” a 1.9-mile strip in the city center that during the Games is hosting movies, live music, bars, food trucks, and nightly fireworks. The area was recently bolstered by the removal of a three-mile-long elevated highway, the addition of a new light rail system, and the completion of Santiago Calatrava’s space-aged Museum of Tomorrow—a structure with a long, cantilevered white roof that looks like an airplane wing or a dinosaur mouth.
While the Games’ planned public art projects were abandoned for economic reasons, some artists have still managed to install pieces. They include two giant building-top sculptures of Olympic athletes by street artist JR and Mariko Mori’s Ring: One With Nature, a 10-foot-wide acrylic ring (inspired by the Olympic rings) perched over a waterfall in Brazil’s Cunhambebe State Park. Funds for Olympic Boulevard—an initiative organized by the city of Rio and paid for by private sources—helped pay for Etnias, which Kobra completed on July 30 following three months of 10-hour work days. Truly Olympian.
Now Kobra’s waiting for Guinness, which will send a representative to judge his work in the coming weeks. “I didn’t prepare the wall for this purpose,” he says, referring to the world record. But now he’s “counting the minutes for the team to get to Brazil and evaluate the panel.” If he gets his wish yet another World Record will fall in Rio—albeit after the games leave town.
M.Graham Buy – Get Promo
Buy a 5oz tube of M. Graham Titanium White Oil Paint and receive one 1.25oz tube of Azo Coral*
To view all the great offers on the Back to School Promotion feel free to see our past post by clicking the flyer image below.
Local Artist Spotlight
A blog share from one of our customers and local painter, Dane Chinnoock
Progression of an Oil Painting
The final piece–Beautiful Desolation 8″x18″ Oil with Palette Knife
I am most often inspired by nature, moments that stop me in my tracks, scenes that I emotionally respond to and can’t stop thinking about. I turn the idea over and over in my mind, considering any modifications I might make for composition. Once I am ready, I begin with a sketch and proceed with the painting, careful to keep the essence of what I felt as I work. This painting was a particularly dramatic storm I just happened to catch after driving for hours down an isolated dirt road north of Prescott. I watched for nearly two hours as it grew then exploded onto the terrain, it then waned into what I knew would be another amazing Arizona sunset. I felt the vastness, the almost haunting allure of this lonely Arizona terrain and I wanted to capture that sense of desolate beauty on canvas. Some of these paintings are hard to see go because I have very fond memories of these places. This painting just sold, but I’m glad someone else was struck in the same way I was by this amazing scenery.
Holbein’s Buy – Get Promo
Purchase (3) 15ml Holbein Artist Watercolor tubes and receive a Holbein Gold 1/2” One Stroke Brush FREE!*
*while supplies last
&
Why is picture framing so expensive? The Joy Factor Part 2
Pop art! This style of framing is definitely post-modern, mixing bright colors and traditional sensibilities. Framed professionally, it looks awesome and would not be out of place in a home or a museum.
Why is picture framing so expensive? Part 2
How about the “joy” factor?
Picture framing is so expensive! We hear that a lot. As framers it makes us feel kinda sad, because it means that we are not doing the best job we can to explain what goes into building a hand crafted frame for you. We pour our heart and soul into creative designs that enhance what’s in the frame while still protecting and preserving it.
So let’s talk about that joy factor for a bit!
Picture frames add uniqueness:
Hey, what makes you, you? Just like showing up to the dance in the same dress as somebody else – we don’t like being a clone of the next person. We want to be special, we want to be unique. So when a framer frames for you, they can help bring together fashion, style, timelessness and whatever it is that makes your frame-able item special! Sure, sure. The little black dress, just like the little black frame, is a classic (read: safe) choice, but it never makes the headline.
Look at all the colors! Textures! Yummy. Professional picture framers have hundreds of options so you’re not limited to flat, wimpy, dull frames.
Silkscreened poster from a special event – the poster has a unique border shape and the professional independent framer cut a triple mat to follow the curves in the art. Cool!
Picture framers live in a world of colors and textures, fabrics and papers, wood, metal, and glass. Our lives are spent obsessing over the little details and learning how to pull all of those elements together to make a stunning picture frame presentation!
We want your art or collectibles to last, and look super awesome too. After all, when you frame something it’s so you can enjoy it for longer than a few months, right?
One of the highlights of a framer’s day is working with someone on a lovely or sentimental project and seeing tears of joy when our clients see the finished work.
Joy, that is what a framer brings to your life!
A daughter found her daddy after 35 years of searching. He passed away not long afterwards. Mementos of Dad were professionally framed by an independent framer. It showcases dad’s photo and commemorate his life’s work. UV filtering Art Glass, silk, and an ornate bronze frame pull it all together.
Because really, when you frame with us, it is ultimately all about you. YOUR life, YOUR love of art, YOUR house, YOUR fashion, YOUR family, YOUR story!
Framed by a professional… a one of a kind ceramic tile skull and cross bones, framed in a bony frame. Deadly awesome!
This collage is all about a brave service dog! Photos and news articles of its life in a star spangled frame. Nothing off the shelf about this picture frame! 12 window openings cut into two mats = not gonna DIY that.
Dollar for dollar, the joy of a beautifully framed and displayed item lasts a lifetime and is relatively affordable when you look at it that way. Especially if you compare it to the latest gadget that cost hundreds of dollars (not to mention paying for wireless service), will ultimately get dropped, shatter, and become obsolete in a year. Plus a really great frame doesn’t need your email address, list of contacts, and access to your Google account!
Custom framed bandana from Reverend Horton Heat concert, in a unique handmade triangle shaped frame. Looking sharp! Made by a professional framer.
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading –
Stay tuned for installment #3 in the Why does framing cost so much? series!
Wedding invitation A handmade letterpress wedding invitation is enhanced by a hand-embellished mat. Little hearts are drawn onto the mat to play off of the heart on the invitation itself. This is the kind of art professional framers do for a living! We make your frame-ables look good.
LIMITED SUPPLY ON HAND
Bestine and Best Test Rubber Cement is no longer available from our suppliers or others. The manufacturer is no longer producing these products. We however do have a few items left from them and will be selling out shortly. Elmers produces a suitable replacement for the rubber cement. No manufacturer at this time makes a comparable for the bestine solvent.
Where do you see art in your world?
Some you cannot unsee….
Some you cannot unsee….NYC parks department stated after finding this sculpture in one of their parks : “NYC Parks stands firmly against any unpermitted erection in city parks, no matter how small.”
Eggshell Mosaic Jewelry Set
By: Linda Hollander. Published in “Craft Ideas” Spring 2014 issue and courtesy of Jacquard Products
Printer friendly PDF: Eggshell Mosaic Jewelry Set
Vibrant alcohol inks paired with white eggshells make for beautiful mosaic art to wear and display in your home. Gift this set to a special friend or relative for a truly unique present.
Note: Please feel free to mix your own colors!
All these products on the supplt list can be found in the Art Store!
Richeson75 Competitions
Now is the time to submit your artwork to the 2016 Richeson75 Figure / Portrait competition! Entries due August 29th.
Jack Richeson & Co. is a leading manufacturer and supplier of high-quality art materials. As part of our mission to support the visual arts community, we operate the Richeson School of Art & Gallery and have created the Richeson75 International Art Competitions. The Richeson75 competitions are meant to offer a venue in which established and emerging artists may show their latest, best work to a wide and appreciative audience. The 75 finalists for each regular contest will exhibit their work in our beautiful Richeson Gallery and in the online exhibit. The Richeson75 online competitions also reach a wide audience with online exhibits of the 75 finalists’ work. All Richeson75 competitions are capped off with the publication of a collectible, limited-edition, full-color, hardcover exhibit book: These books include work of the finalists, and also feature other meritorious entries from the competition. Jack Richeson & Co., Inc. underwrites large cash prizes for Best-In-Show and generous prizes of Richeson art studio furniture and materials for each contest cycle. Please see the prospectus for each show for specific rules and details.
Most questions can be answered by visiting their Richeson 75 website by clicking the image above.
90‐Year‐Old Vandalizes Crossword Artwork, Then Claims Copyright on the Result
She followed the instructions.
NÜRNBERG, GERMANY: When a 90‐year‐old retiree visited the Neues Museum Nürnberg in July, she may not have been planning to create a new artwork, but now her lawyer claims that that’s exactly what she did.
The woman, known only as Hannelore K., filled in an empty crossword in an artwork by German Fluxus artist Arthur Köpcke that bears the instruction “Insert words!”
Ms. K. took the artist at his, ahem, word. The authorities call it vandalism; her attorney, Heinz‐Harro Salloch,according to the Suddeutsche Zeitung, now says that Ms. K. now holds the copyright over the “augmented” work, and that when the museum repaired it, it violated her copyright. Besides, argues Salloch, Ms. K. has only increased the artist’s fame, and thus the work’s value.
Salloch, of the firm Holtkamp Bongard Salloch, furthermore claims that since the Fluxus movement was all about the idea, not the precious object, K.’s act of following the artist’s instructions clearly demonstrates that her knowledge of the Fluxus movement is superior to that of museum staff. The aggressive lawyering echoes that of Cecilia Giménez, the amateur restorer who overpainted a 1930 fresco of Jesus at a small church in the Spanish town of Borja in 2012. The botched restoration of the flaking fresco was hailed and mocked worldwide under the moniker “Beast Jesus,” and ended up drawing thousands of tourists. Giménez managed to claim a cut of the profits. It remains to be seen if the city of Nürnberg will experience a similar influx of tourists in the months to come.
Local Artist Spotlight
Example of Jan Marc “The Janimal” Quisumbing’s political cartoons
“West Coast” Art Director Drawer of Monkeys
He is a graduate of the Mason Gross School of the Arts _Rutgers University (BFA Graphic Design), former editorial cartoonist of his college newspaper and publisher of The Filipino Asian Bulletin (a bimonthly newspaper from 2000-2009). He always wanted to be Spider-Man but decided that if you can’t be them, draw them. His very supportive and talented wife Gioia are most proud of their greatest collaboration, Fernando aka Pogi Boy.
Pronto Comics’ motto of “If one succeeds, we all succeed.” resonates very deeply with Jan Marc. He’s honored to have the opportunity to help foster the talent of new artists as Pronto Comics’ art director.
Follow him on FB: The Janimal Draws Twitter: @janimaltweets Instagram: thejanimaldraws or on the WWW at thejanimal.com
You can email him: artdirector@prontocomics.com
Time to Blow our Own Horn!
Cowboy Poet Society Annual Event
For the Cowboy Poet Society’s 29th annual event, the Frame & I donated the framing on the commemorative poster seen around town. This print is available from the organization and was originally painted by local artist, Marcia Molnar.
