Art vs. Commercial Art - We all need to eat

"Creating" is one of the things that characterize an artist, but that term is rather ambiguous. We have the need to bring out what we have into our heart, our mind and our body in a different way. Sometimes people like our works and others don't, as well as we create works that are fantastic for everyone except us ourselves.

The problem raised in this post is that an artist also needs to eat. Based on the fact that everyone needs to pay their bills, rent, mortgage, food, etc., we find the great and terrible obstacle that must be faced by every artist and that is: earn a living with his/her art (it should be clarified that some artists have some styles and make works that are for the taste of almost all audiences, so these lines don't really involve them).

It is quite difficult to make a living with art, at least if we talk about the kind of art that comes out like a whirlwind of our interior and that makes us unique. As this is difficult, then we start working as commercial artists, making illustrations, drawings, pictures, photographs, among other things, that people in general consider nice or pleasant to have at home. People don't usually like to have a dramatic scene hanging on their wall, even when that scene speaks from inside, performs a social or internal criticism or establishes clarity to certain principles. Buyers prefer, in general, to see something that doesn't make them think too much and if it's so that has to take their thoughts to something positive, even if this is inconsequential in fact .

Then we have a great dilemma, we want to earn our living as artists with what produces our intellect and our spirit but we must adapt to the rules of consumption and "create" according to the buyers taste. Are we artists still doing this? Are we betraying ourselves? Is there a limit? Is there a balance between our artwork and our style and what we adapt to sell? Should we separate the type of work we make? I would say that depends on each case, but in general we should separate things.

We shouldn't change completely our style to fit with a fashion or a special buyer. It is our own style, the one we use to narrate and show our creations, the one that gives us an identity. We can't betray ourselves so much. So, how do we deal with it? Well..., let's continue working with our own and personal creations while creating a different line of works that we could call "commercial" but never let other people get confused. Otherwise, art itself is devalued and becomes a simple decoration product or a brand sale, among other things, but it isn't what it should be anymore: "a soul true expression".

I put myself as an example since criticism must begin at home. I have different lines of work, many ..., but I think that few of them really express art, even if some others can be considered like that for the rest of the world.

This is one of my commercial works, even this style can have some heart on it, but it is what it is:

And this is one of my paintings, perhaps it hasn't  so much details as my commercial works but it comes from my soul:

So, what is important here is to separate concepts, areas and works. We have to be conscious about our changes and the reason that leads us to make one or other kind of work. We should not lie to ourselves, our commercial work can be wonderful and even performed with a perfect technique but it's not coming from the original fire that burned our heart when we started with art. 

Nothing better for an artist (at least for those who aren't famous) than earn a living with commercial art but, please, never forget why you started in art, what took you there, what you felt when expressing yourself, in short, do not lose your identity and the way to yourself.

When art reflects emotions

Hello friends! Today I want to talk about art, experiences and emotions. I think there is a great variety of artists, they are so varied as people are and, even when experts try to define and put them into categories, sometimes it is very difficult to reduce a style to simple words.

We have reached a point where it seems that art should only reflect those good and simple things of life, as if we had forgotten that we are something more than that, that we are made of experiences, emotions and feelings, and that it is these internal and immaterial issues brought to paper or canvas that really defines us as artists.

I have always admired those who have the ability to show in images what happens inside themselves or inside other people since they have the sensitivity of being able to appreciate things beyond the obvious. Either through colors, elements or lines used, these artists transmit us something different, something that comes from their own inner elaboration and often from their heart. What is an artist but who releases his/her inner questionings through a painting and allows us to see a personal own vision of the world through it? No matter how good you are with a pencil or a brush, if you don't put a little of your heart in what you do you only reproduce the evident.

We have Adina Art's works as an example of this. She, as an artist, offers us her idea about the facts of life showing us that a line is more than a line and that a color is more than that in what seem to be innocent compositions but that lead us to question ourselves about our experiences and feelings, yet without being exempt of great beauty. Adina does not delve into the drama, she uses the symbolic elements and leaves us enough freedom so that we can go further and reach our own conclusions.

I have chosen three of her works to show you, those that have personally been more representative to me, but it would not be fair that you only see these, as her work is more extensive and varied than what I can show in this article. So, I invite you to click on the images to really appreciate the work of this sensitive and great artist.

Find your style in photography - 2 - Beyond Perfection

Some photographers show us reality in such an exquisite way that they make us wish things were like they show us. It is an elaborate hyperrealism that provides an added touch of beauty, which comes from their own eye and camera.

Let's see what are the most distinctive features of this type of work, regardless of the special talent of each artist:

1. The right moment: not any moment, just the perfect one.

2. The light that inspires exactly what we want it to: depending on the light we'll get different kind of emotions, sometimes we just find the proper moment for shooting while others we look for that.

3. Perfect element's combination: we have different elements or just one but, how and where do we place them? We'll get completely different results depending on the combination.

4. Perfect balance: balance is one of the most important things in photography, that makes the eye go in one direction or another,  gives relevance to the total composition or to certain elements and may change the general meaning.

5. Capture exactly what you want to capture: when we work outdoors it's possible that we capture what we can, but patient and an experienced eye take us where we and how we want. 

These simple tips usually make the difference between a simple landscape or a paradise one. Have you ever seen a photograph of an incredible place you've visited once but that appears to be more exciting and beautiful than what you've seen with your own eyes?, that's called "talent".

As an example of this, I want to show you Luigi Morbidelli's artworks. It's actually difficult to choose just one of his photograph as they are all beyond perfection. His work is error free and goes a step further by spicing the image with his own talent which adds beauty to everything he captures. Luigi is a landscape but also a food photographer and I can assure you that his photographs of food make what he shows more palatable than reality itself. If you click on the images you'll be able to enlarge them and see his complete gallery, which I strongly recommend. You can also know more about him at http://luigimorbidelli.wixsite.com/photography . Through his photos we can learn what  really a professional work is and how important are both talent and experience. Enjoy it!

Find your style in photography - 1 - As gentle as a cool breeze in summer

We all know that there are so many styles of photographies as photographers, but the matter is: did you find your own style? as in painting, it will make you stand out from the others. 

Art often reflects not only what we see but what we are, not only by the elements that we show but how we do it. Through our camera we can get the same scene transmit different sensations depending on how we capture the image. Besides, we have post production tools which help us to get what we really want. But it isn't so easy as we think. Some say that if they had a good camera and photopshop they could get anything they want, but that's wrong..., we can't get it if we have no talent. You can spend endless hours in front of your computer without achieving what you want as it's not just a matter of working with technology but, as usual in art, to know how to do it and what we exactly want to get.

I want to show you Leif Sohlman's artworks as an example of this, he is a photographer mainly working with nature photography such as birds, animals and landscapes. He has a personal style, not only because he's mostly focused on nature but on the way he captures it. Sometimes it's difficult to know if his works are photographs or paintings since he adds his personal touch which brings us to an emotion that goes beyond the image itself. It's like a cool and gentle breeze in a special universe of nature where a peaceful environment takes us to pleasant sensations, even when it's sometimes broken by some details as a dramatic sky it simply reinforces the peaceful scene below.

His special mood on pictures makes us distinguish his ones among others. Leif is a perfect combination between great eye and great hand, he subsumes the right place and the perfect smooth that increases reality making it become magic. I invite you to click on the images below to enlarge them and know more about the fantastic work of this great artist.

Outdoors Beauty

Back to photography, there is so much to say about this even when the basics can be found on any site today. As we know there are many kind of photographers, some work in a studio taking care of each detail and element of their composition as they want to show an accurate idea of what they have in their own mind, others make photographs and then digitally produced them either by taking only some of the elements or the composition as a whole, and others go out to look for beauty in order to capture it with their camera. Any of these styles is valid and can have an amazing final result.

When we go looking for the beauty of the environment we must be flexibe and be aware of what we have in front and that will change from a moment to another because of the light, wind or movement of what we want to capture. What do we must consider when capturing images outdoors?

- be patient, things are not waiting for us but we have to wait for them. For example, there is a special moment to capture a sunset and if you are not patient enough you could miss the special second that makes it magic.
- be creative, you can find a new way to capture what you want. Let's think that you wanted to capture an animal roaring, you imagined it with the animal in a particular position, its head leaned with wild eyes..., but that's not possible and you get tired of waiting, perhaps you should change your own position and think in another approach.
- be perseverant, if not today, tomorrow or next month we'll achieve what we want to capture. We all wanted to take that lovely scene of a mother with her cubs, but you arrive there and the mother is gone or the cubs are not close enough, anything can happen, don't get dissapointed just wait or come back later.
- be reasonable, and aware of how reasonable it can become your idea. We may have an idea too far from reality, we get stressed and start to doubt about about our ability, remember that sometimes we can't find what we want just because it's not the right place or the right way. Evaluate your purposes.
- have thousand eyes and take into account the eye of the camera sees different to yours.

Today I want to show you Aimee L Maher's photographs, she is a great example of what I'm telling above. Her awesome photographs of nature remind us how magical a camera can be when we have talent. Click on the images to enlarge them and visit her gallery and biography.

More than canvas

There are some artists who don't just reveal their imagination in their paintings but on the material they use as well. 

There are more materials to use beside canvas and paper such as wood, boards and metal among others. A material that an artist uses to paint on shows what he/she wants to say since it has its own characteristics that go beyond a simple way of presentation telling us about the inner meaning of the artwork.

We should all try to experiment with this as if we were playing trying to bring out even more of our creativity.

Today, I want to introduce you Abelone Petersen's work. She's an artist who works with different materials as she says in her biography: "I create many subjects and designs with a variety of mediums. The most exciting to me are the three dimensional paintings I create on the stones I find riding my Spirit pony here in BC Canada. The earth created these 'sculptures' long, long ago. This brings a spiritual realm to my work, a connectedness to all life. It is here I feel the closest to 3D design principles of sculpture combined with colour theory to bring forth the illusion of my vision within the stone."

Click on the image to enlarge it and visit her gallery. You can find more of her artworks at  http://abelonezone.com/

Find your style in oil - 1 - Magical Spots

As there is so much to talk about finding a personal style, we better start using numbers and separate them.

Let's imagine that we are in front of a landscape, there are thousand of ways to paint it but each one will determine different reactions in those who see our painting. There is a particular style that is based on (larger or smaller) spots which determine the element's shapes, as well as lights and shadows. When the painting is seen at a distance it seems to have much details, however it is not like that since it is a visual effect. It is what happens with Impressionism, for example.

Is it easy to make this kind of artwork? Of course not. Unlike hyper-realistic work, the artist must have a special ability to know what the final result will be. How can we make that what seems to be a group of simply spots at close range could look like a perfect flower in the distance? We need to have a clear idea of what we are painting, and a great knowledge of form, light and contrast of the elements. We also need to get carried away, realizing that what we see with our eyes should not necessarily be reflected on the canvas as it is, since art painting is partly capture our own assessment of what surrounds us. Moreover, the human eye tends to complete itself the missing parts, and by doing this each observer will have a subjective view.

This is a very artistic style and plays with lights and contrasts that highlights the shapes more than others. It's neither easy nor simple, it's very complex, but if you like this kind of style it will be very pleasant to develop once you get the technique and ease. Anyway, remember that it is not only about what we like but what we feel when developing a style.

As an example of this, I want to show you Katerina Iourashevich Ricci's artworks. She developed a wonderful and lovely style that, at least to me, inspires some kind of tenderness as if what she paints had gone through her personal filter of beauty and vision of the world before capturing it on the canvas. Click on the images to enlarge them and visit her gallery, which will not dissapoint you.

About oil. Do you have a personal style?

Let's talk about oil paintings today. Do you use oil? Do you have a personal style? Some artists create beautiful works, but they fail giving them a personal touch, which is essential if we want others recognize our work at just seeing it. No matter how good we are, if we don't get to define our work with a special style we'll never be truly appreciated and our name will never be truly recognized.

When an artist sees a landscape, for example, she/he highlights certain details in her/his mind, details that the artist usually takes into account in each work of the same characteristics. Moreover, when painting, the artist will surely choose a range of colors, a texture, a type of individual brushstrokes which make the difference.

We can talk a lot about personal styles, we've already done in fact, it is an inexhaustible subject. Today I want to show you Judy Jones artworks, she works with oil and acrylic and her art stands out because of its freshness, perspective, colours, lights and contrasts, which make her works perfectly recognizable. She usually works with realism but leaves the door of imagination open, making of each element a particular and undeniably personal creation.

You can find some examples of her work below, just click on the image and you'll find more details. I invite you to visit her profile as well where you'll find her gallery.

And seeing this artworks I remind you: it's not just about painting but creating as well. Enjoy the visit!

The magic pencil

Some painters have problems to determine the best medium to use in order to show what they want to express and capture in their works. There is just something that I feel completely sure about and it's that it doesn't exist the best medium. The best medium is the one that makes us feel better with our final work and the one that makes us enjoy all the procedure. 

On the other hand, some times artists complain too much about not having the perfect materials. I could be the best example for this, I'm always complaining about the paper or canvas quality, about brushes and about all other kind of materials perfection..., and that's why when I see some people artworks I arrive to the conclusion that sometimes we lose sight of creativity in terms of materials.

A good artist is able to create amazing works simply with a pencil and paper, and when I say it's just simply I don't mean that it's easy , but that we should just only need those materials.

There are some great artists who perform their work with pen and paper and they are able to show the details and magnificence of a complex work done with other sophisticated materials. 

Paper and pencil, that's all, plus talent and creativity.

To illustrate what I comment I want to show you Maria Boklach's artworks. Her portraits have a perfectly defined style that combines realism with contemporary vision. Her works have a striking and powerful detailed realism while adopting a contemporary fresh air that renews the idea of what we consider a portrait. 

I encourage you to click on the images to see her galleries and know more about this young and excellent artist who delights the senses with her wonderful works.

When a photograph captures the soul

Let's go back to photographs, this incredible new way of art since the last century. We can talk a lot about it, but this time I want to focus on creativity & soul. 

There are some photographers that trap the spirit of the person or situations that they are shooting, people that are able to show the inner mood of anything that comes in front of them. They see what others don't. Let's imagine a portrait, we can make a piece of art of it or just a simple photo and that depends no only about the light, contrasts or other features. They just have talent and that's not something that anyone can study in any University.

I personally love photographs that go beyond being simple pictures.

Today, I want to show you Sotiris Filippou's work, who is one of the best examples about what I'm telling above.  He catches the 'spirit'. As he says in his biography "Photography is a way to express the secrets people don't see", and that's true.

In invite you to visit his complete gallery, just click on the images or visit his wonderful site: www.shot-iris.com . If you want to follow him you can do it here:  https://www.facebook.com/SotirisFilippouPhotographer/

Great sense of beauty in watercolor

Talking about the different mediums to paint, let's introduce to watercolor. One of the things that have always caught my attention about watercolor is the spontaneity that the artist need to express the idea. 

Those who develop this technique should be very clear about what they want to express and how. Imagine that you want to paint a flower, it is not as simple as it seems, you must have perfectly in your head the image of what you want to express, you have to know in advance where shadows and lights are, since you don't have much time to think once you put the brush on paper. This needs lot of experience and hard work before starting to achieve a good painting. 

This is not like oil or acrylic that if you get wrong you can wait (in general, sometimes not...) and correct it if you changed your mind or if you just made a mistake. With watercolor you get exactly what you do at the moment. So, think for a while before start working, that would avoid you some headaches. 

Giving shadows and lights to a watercolor painting is a real art, and as the name itself says "water" is much important, not too much, not few... You can get fantastics works with this medium, but take your time experimenting first.

There are some artists that perfectly know what they want to show and achieve it, thats Jasna Dragun's case. She is a flower watercolor painting expert, although her paintings are not limited to that (she works with different subjects and mediums as pastels or acrylic and is an incredible photographer as well). 

I invite you to see her paintings below just as an example of the great work that you can get with effort and, why not, talent.

You can see more about Jasna Dragun cliking on the images or in her blog: http://jasnaart.blogspot.com

Regarding this artist, just to reinforce the idea that watercolor is not as easy as some may think, she traveled throughout Europe as a member of the cultural and artistic society 'Metkovic'. In Zagreb, she is included in the joint work and activities of the group of artists gathered around of the Museum Prigorje, Sesvete. The first solo exhibition of paintings and drawings 'Impressions'was in the Gallery 'Kurija', Zagreb. She participates in several international and group exhibitions, juried exhibitions in the United States, VIII, IX and X International Exhibition 'Women Painters' in Majdanpek, Serbia, 5. Zaprešić Watercolor Biennal '09. / '10., and 6. '11. / '12. At the International Exhibition and Competition in Contemporary Art, Lituanian ArtWeek, Vilnius, Lithuania, won 1. place in the landscape category and 3. place in the watercolor category, participated in the AIR / HMC International Artists and 9 x 12 cm, the exhibition in Budapest, Hungary, the members HDLLU group exhibitions and solo exhibitions at the National University, Zagreb, 2011. Participates in international art contest-exhibition Confluence'12, in the Galerie Art Eterne, at the Lalit Kala Akademi,New Delhi (India), III. „VoVa”- MINIArt 2013. The international biennale of miniatures, Vonyarcvashegy, Hungary (8/2013). Won 2. place at the V. International Exhibition and Competition of Contemporary Art at the ST.Petersburg's Art Week, Russia (7/2013). 2015 The XVII International Exhibition and Competition of Contemporary Art in Moscow, won second place in the category of still life. She also participates in the International Exhibition 'Moslavačke miniatures'. Another technique that draws attention and which complements her artistic view of the world is a photo and so participates in the TIAS: BIENNIAL, INDIA, International Photography Show, 2014, in Virsa Vihar Art Gallery, Jalandhar, India. 

Large involvement in many solo, group and international exhibitions and has brought numerous awards and the last solo exhibition at the Library of the City of Zagreb 'Tin Ujević' showed works with higher boiling artistic concept executed in watercolor. 

As a member See.Me organization participates in a spectacular show and an international gathering talents from 100 different countries: The Story of the Creative in New York City in the summer of 2013. Also, her works have been presented in the mass of animated collage on one of the largest buildings on the Billboard in Times Square the heart of New York City in the summer of 2014, also her image is digitally displayed in the Louvre Paris celebrating the Exposure Award in July 13th, 2015 among 190 countries of the world. 

As well, she published in the book Croatian Neretva's Bulletin 2 / '10., 4 / '12., WWAB (International Dictionary of Artists) and in the 'Costumes in the Neretva Delta over the centuries.' She is the member HDLLU (Croatian Association of Visual and literary artists), Zagreb. 

What we see and what we get

Many people who want to devote themselves to photography or just enjoy making photos don't know that what we see is not always what we get as a result. Some have the ability to see something simple and make it extraordinary while others sometimes fail to capture the best picture of what their eyes see.

We must transform our eyes on lens, we need to understand what will be the vision of our camera.

I will show you some simple tips that some may consider obvious:

- We have a beautiful landscape in front of us, but it can be rebutted if we take it completely. Which is the most attractive frame of all we see with our own eyes? So, pay attention to the capture that has the best composition of elements.

- We may have found the shot that best represents what we want to show, but has this the proper light? Maybe there's another shot that doesn't have such a good composition but whose light causes a more attractive effect.

- When it's about moving objects, that's one of the most difficult kind of photographs. The shot can't be before or after what we need, besides that it must be a clear and accurate capture and not a blur one.

- Be focused... (yourself, not just the camera).

We find many beautiful pictures that actually  could have been wonderful if the photograper had taken into account a few details.

Today, I want to show you Chandra Nyleen's work. This artist shows us how to take the details into account for a perfect picture. She has many photographs in movement that excellently capture the scene, as well as different landscapes which she has managed to make the most.

Click on the images to know more about Chandra Nyleen. You can also see her works at : http://1-chandra-nyleen.pixels.com/index.html

When the magnificence of nature is shown through a camera

We have a camera and the desire to capture beautiful images but that is not enough. There are many ways to take pictures, and those who do not perform this task in a professional way can consider that it is easy, but it's not...

We can gather 100 people with the same type of camera in the same place and none of them will take exactly the same photograph. It's about "eye", talent and creativity. Some photographs not only show the object that has taken the camera but beyond, they pick something that goes beyond words and explanations and that is inherent in what has been achieved through the image, a particular image that is different though thousands have seen it before, because it has its own soul. 

Some photographers specialize basically in nature, everyone can take a picture of a flower or an animal, but some of these specialized photographers have the ability to show it splendidly, simply through the eye of their camera, their own eye, which can see what nobody else can.

There are photographers who make art and are able to show nature in all its magnificence as no one else can do it. Capture the beauty and complexity of nature requires great sensitivity and only a true artist can do it.

Today, I want to show you Evie Hanlon's work. She is an Australian photographer and artist that delights us with her wonderful photographs that capture the essence of what she wants to show. She is a true artist who shows her vision of nature beyond what the simple eye can see.

You can click on the images to see her complete gallery, and I suggest you to pay attention to her drawings as well, which have a magical touch.

If you want to know more about Evie Hanlon you can visit this link: http://www.redbubble.com/people/eviehanlon?ref=account-nav-dropdown

The pleasure of being an artist

Back to oil painting. There are several ways of using oil and each one gives us the opportunity to show something different. Whether it's of realism, surrealism, conceptual, abstract or impressionism, among others, each serves to express ourselves in different ways and, moreover, fits our personality. Sometimes it's not easy for those who begin with painting determine the style that best suits their needs.So we should ask the following questions:

 - What I want to show?
- What it is the most important of what I want to show?
- Are lines what should prevail?
- What I want to show is best achieved with spots?
- Are contrastsrelevant in the subject?
- Is the softness of shapes and vanishing which enhances the idea?
- Are colors important or I prefer to enhance the central figure?

Once we have answered these questions we find it easier to know how to start and where we're heading.

Today, I want to show you Marla McPherson's artworks. She is a painter and photographer as well, but I'll talk about her paintings now. Marla express herself in vibrant colors and conveys the peace and beauty in her artworks basically through an impressionist style that characterizes her. She has no doubt about the above questions since she gets exactly what she wants to show. It seems natural to her the use of colors to capture the idea of beauty as well as a splendid use of shadows and lights that enhance her works.

 As Marla McPherson says in her biography: "I find each time I work I take a spontaneous journey into the unknown. Every time I pick up a brush, palette knife or shoot photos with my camera, I experiment with the power and relationships of color, line and form. I feel very fortunate to be an artist because of the pleasure and excitement I get to experience from this process of continual rediscovery. "

Painting and create are real pleasures, no one can be an artist without feeling it. Recreate the world according to our own look is a privilege. So, let's be as Marla, let's enjoy our work knowing that comes from the depths of our soul.

 Click on the images if you want to see more:

Three important tips on photographs

Three important tips on photographs

There are lot of important issues regarding how to take a good photograph, but we'll focus on three of them right now.

The first one is the kind of shot we want to make. We can make a panoramic view, a close up, among others... Depending on this we'll give a different meaning to the photograph.

The second item is about composition and elements. We don't need many elements to compose a good photograph. Sometimes only a couple of elements give a better idea of what we are trying to express while a variegated and confusing set of elements only distract the attention.

The third and final. What is the focus or center of the photo? Whether dealing with just a couple of elemementos or more, we must define a spotlight, a specific point at which the view is directed. Otherwise we run the risk that the viewers disperse their attention.

As examples of these tips, I want to show you George Martinez's photographs, in which you will see how these principles are respected. George Martinez's photographs are totally correct and take us directly to the idea of what the artist wants to express, he doesn't distract the attention, he perfectly knows which is the best shot and he is able to express his idea with a couple of elements without disturbing the viewer's attention.

You can check his gallery to see more of his artworks.

What about digital art?

What about digital art?

One of the most representative contemporary artworks are digital arts, more than what we can assume. Since the technology on which it's based is really new we can only talk about this style from the recent decades. 

One of the most important details of digital art is to highlight contours, contrasts and spots, becoming some kind of abstracts at times. Personally I would say that we should create a new category for this type of creations. Moreover, the world is divided in two, between those who are fans of this technique and those who reject by not considering it traditional. Like all new things, it will require time to take their own personal space.

Regarding this style, today I want to show you  Keshava Shukla's artworks. He is an artist that offers us in his digital works a recreation of shapes and contrasts, similar as we could get with acrylic. Simple and complex shapes that transmit the idea of the figure without any noise that could disturb the main concept.

Here below we have some examples or his digital artworks. On the other hand, Keshava Shukla works with traditional techniques as well and I could not resist to share with you one of his artworks made with pastels, which has a symbolic style that seems to me, personally, extraordinary.

You can visit Keshava's gallery clicking on the image.