Christmas cometh

so Christmas is drawing near once more

and we are left with a choice

to spead the usual crass commercialism

or

for a change

we can spread some culture instead

Art

a truly individual gift

(and no this is not a lame attempt to sell my shit ..

in case you hadn't noticed I'm not big on that side of things myself)

but

for every household of every budget

and with very little effort

there is an artist within your budget

they can be found on web sites

on twitter

hell even on face book

take a stroll to your nearest collage or university

look through Craig's list

or just type in a search

as a present Art is the gift that keeps on giving .. all year round

and just think about it ..

the thrill of the hunt...

finding just the right piece for your special some one

the satisfaction of not only presenting your loved ones with a very unique one of a kind gift but not having to worry about some bugger duplicating your idea

(unlike those 5 pairs of socks 6 sweaters and 3 ipods that you got last year)

whether its a portrait to spread the love

... a landscape for some peaceful contemplation

or something more thought provoking..

your gift of art will not only be a declaration of your appreciation but will be a talking point, a conversational piece for them for years to come.

(and they got it from you.. how cool is that)

tell your loved ones they are a one of a kind original .. just like your gift

how many gifts do you know that has so much love,care and dedication put into every stage of its creation such as an artist puts into their work?

and we've not even mentioned the warm fluffy feeling you get yourself with helping out a struggling artist

or the bragging rights you get with becoming a "patron of the arts"

galleries are fine and all well and good.. but nothing compared to talking to the artist them self

would you rather rely on some "expert" to tell you what a piece represents

(some of what they thought mine represented were so far out it was funny)

or would you rather know for sure .. straight from the horses mouth ?

(not to mention the fact buying direct from the artist not only ensures providence and correct interpretation it also ensures that a huge percentage isn't taken out by the gallery... more bang fer yer buck as it were)

so whether your budget is for $20 or for $2000 give the gift of culture this year

go out and find an artist

heres a short list to get you started

http://www.art--for--sale.com/

http://artquest.com/index.asp

http://www.myartspace.com/artistView.do?sortby=featured

http://www.dailypainters.com/

http://barbaraspaintings.blogspot.com/



Prints

so.. i've been asked recently and in the past if i had every considered making posters or prints of my stuff to sell

short answer yes iv had some printed, usually though it was sold after id enhanced it

(because my stuff isnt really designed specifically for posters)

as far as just straight prints

im more about folk enjoying art than i am about money

if some one wants to print out a copy of one of my paintings that they like then iv no objection to that at all,

(just let me know first so i can edit it to make it more print friendly)

i dont need paid for them to do all the leg work of down loading, finding a printer, paying the printer, then framing it themselves...

if the painting they like is too low a dpi to make a clear print ill even try to get a higher dpi for them if i can

(ill look into making a high dpi page specifically for that if you want but it will probably load really slowly)

and yes i hear folk scream about intellectual property rights, and i see folk frothing at the mouth because i dont mind folk printing my stuff for free but you know what...

art should not be only for the elite,

it should not be there for only the rich to enjoy,

art should be accessible to all... rich, poor, working class alike
and you know what...
its mine to do with as i wish
id much rather sell low or give it away to some one i knew enjoyed/connected/heard the piece
than sell high to some one who only wanted it because it matched their sofa

 

 

 

my view on art is ...

it is created for a purpose,

that purpose is to communicate, if its locked away in some collection that no one sees, or if its bought merely because it matches the decor or as an investment

its not getting the opportunity to fulfill its purpose

to communicate

its voice is not getting heard

it is effectively gagged

 

 

 

 

if some one was to take a digital copy and print it out

it does not detract or degrade the original work

it does not cost me anything in materials or time

it merely adds to the voice allows that piece to communicate to more people

why should i object to that?

 

 

and knowing folk are connecting to a piece, enjoying a piece, sharing a piece is more than payment enough for me in so far as a straight print goes.....

i only ask that

they let me know... cuz hey its handy to know which are the more popular pieces it helps me to grow and improve

and that they have my name attributed to the print because hey i can be as egomaniacle as the next guy ;-)

id also ask that you do yourself a favour and talk to me first if you really like a particular painting, just drop me a line with a note about which you like, what your preferred price range is, what time line your looking at. if the original is out side that range, or if im not wanting to sell the original, ill look into the possibilities of if i can do a copy within the price range and time requested, or let you know if a print is your best option

so with all that in mind i guess i better go look through what iv got and see what i can make print ready huh

(see.... so much that just wont print well if shes blown to poster size so fair amount of work to do to ready them)

some links you may find handy if your into getting your own posters printed

http://www.photoworks.com/shop/wall-art

http://www.onlineposterprinting.com/Poster-Prints.html

http://www.shutterfly.com/prints/large-format-prints

http://www.zazzle.com/posters

https://www.posterbrain.com/cart.php

and for those of you who feel uncomfortable just using a file for free
(and yep im assured some do)
i thought i might try something along the lines of this
if some one knows a better site please let me know

create & buy custom products at Zazzle

iv never had anything printed, as of yet, by this company so please let me know if the prints turn out ok

as soon as iv increased the d.p.i of some of my pieces and uploaded them i will purchase a test piece and let you know how it turned out