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Archives for November 2013

Framing: Choosing, Fixing & Shipping

Oil Painters of America · Nov 25, 2013 · 3 Comments

With Dave and Jim Fidler, owners, Classic Gallery Frames and OPA President Neil Patterson OPAM

TYPES OF FRAMES:

Dave and Jim FidlerThere are a number of different types of frames.  The Hudson River School has an ornamental and gilded appearance.  The Whistler style has fewer lines.  Both of these styles are price prohibitive.  Currently many people use the Plein Air style which has closed corners, is simple and reasonable.  They are Asian or Canadian made.
SELECTING A FRAME:
Selecting frames differs in various regions of the country.  A recent trend has been to the dark frames.  Frequently a painting with red will work with a gold frame.
Don’t overwhelm the art with the frame.  This can happen by color using a black frame with a soft image or a heavily ornamented frame with a busy painting. A smaller painting calls for a less ornate frame while a large painting can use a more ornate frame.  The frame and painting need to work together. Try to pull one or more subtle colors in the painting into the frame.
Linen liners, sometimes with a gold fillet, give visual relief.  In California, people found that the liners got dirty from the smog.  Liners are generally more contemporary.  There seems to be regional preferences for liners.  Sometimes a fillet is used instead of linen.  This adds another design element and adds to the appearance of the art.
A shadow box (floater frame) can be used to display an object.  These floater frames are shipped with fasteners.  If planning on using a floater frame, the artist should paint the edge of the painting and be sure the canvas staples are on the back, not on the edge.
The current trend is for gold frames.  The galleries love them and they go well on the walls and pick up warm tones.  However, the Expresso (dark) frames are also very popular.  Many galleries like to mix gold and dark frames on the wall.
A ¼” edge is lost on the painting when framed.
Sometimes frames are made by stacking moldings, combining two different types.
An illustration was shown placing a painting in three different frames: wide liner, gold plein air, dark, and floater.
Closed corners are more professional in appearance than joined corners.  However, they generally come in standard sizes.  The joined corners are more flexible in that they can be made to custom sizes.
MAINTAINING A FRAME
FramesSpots on liners may be removed using white bread, rolled up or a sketching eraser.
Sometimes a closed corner opens.  To repair this, the artist can use cans of black and gold and Elmer’s filler.  Fill the crack with filler and sand down.  On the whole frame spray with black (matte) paint.  Then lightly spray gold paint over the frame.  An option would be to just spray the black and gold paint on all four corners.
An alternative method to repair a damaged frame would be to use modeling paste, texture with a brush or sponge and spray with acrylic enamel paint.  The preferred paint would be matte black.
If the artist can get the gallery to buy the frames, they will be more careful.
SHIPPING A FRAMED PAINTING
Place poly stretch wrap around the painting.  Then add the cardboard corners and apply stretch wrap again.  The artist can also use a plastic bag and then add the corners.  The stretch wrap can usually be purchased at a stationery store.    It should be three or five inches wide.
Another method would be to use foam core with rubber bands.  A carpet underlay may be used rather than bubble wrap.
Once the painting is wrapped, place it in a box.  It is best not to ship on a Friday to avoid the painting sitting over the weekend.

Fasten Your Seat Belts He’s a very Jovial Gent

Howard Friedland · Nov 18, 2013 · 1 Comment

Notes from the Harley Brown, Allan Duerr Interview

By Howard Friedland

AllenDuerr and HarleyBrown InterviewAttendees at the 2010 Oil Painters of America National Show in Scottsdale were treated to an informative and extremely entertaining experience. I don’t use the word “experience” lightly, because being in the presence of Harley Brown (a legend in the field of representational art) cannot be expressed by using any other word. Allan Duerr who is the co editor and publisher of Art of the West Magazine had the pleasure of interviewing Harley. These two chaps go back a long way, so there were high expectations in the air, and boy were those expectations met!

Harley Brown, Allan Duerr Interview 2
Allan Duerr
Harley Brown, Allan Duerr Interview
Harley Brown

Allan: Harley, when did you know that you want to become an Artist?
Harley: I remember a moment, at seven years of age, while sitting on the floor drawing. I knew then that I wanted to be an artist. As I was growing up I was a visual savant, I wasn’t much good at anything else. His mother played the piano and encouraged him to take lessons. He later would become a professional musician.
While mentioning that his father was an artist, he suddenly leapt up and left the stage excitedly to grab a painting that was on display at the front of the stage. It was a painting that his father painted of the actor Ronald Coleman. Showing the portrait to the audience he declared, “This painting is my prized possession”.
From that point on, Harley became more and more animated. He moved gracefully down from the stage to cast his spell on the audience. He just as seamlessly popped back up on the stage to resume his interview with Alan. He made the room come alive.
Allan: Did you ever consider giving up?
Harley: No, I never felt like a failure or a success. I didn’t much care what others thought. I had “Tunnel vision”.
Allan: When did you get the recognition?
Harley: Recognition doesn’t really happen in reality. I don’t think about it. It’s fake.
I did a portrait of Ronald Reagan. I got only one commission from it. Life is fickle. People are fickle.
Harley Brown, Allan Duerr Interview 2Harley then proceeded to tell us about “The Three Harleys”. First he picked up a self-portrait of himself as a young “Serious” Harley. The style and color clearly showed the determination and seriousness in his demeanor. Next he showed us the second self-portrait that was painted later in his development. Cranky Harley the “Hyper-Ego” period. This is the time that he considers a “Tipping Point’ in his life. The Third self-portrait he called “Happy Harley”. This is a more self-assured, jovial look. He said that at this point in his life he says whimsically that he doesn’t “look down” on people for not having aesthetic values.
Allan: You are a member and invitee to Prix d’ West and Cowboy Artists of America. How do you keep the shows and the galleries supplied?
Harley: I have learned to say NO!
Harley BrownTo interject some fun, Harley livened things up with his impression of John Wayne, followed by the same impression only in reverse, as if it was on a film being played backwards.Harley’s huge smile and warmth are infectious and his quick wit and antics were hilarious. He has the ability to convey his enthusiasm and wisdom about art by spicing it up with pithy and humorous stories. One such story was about a time when he was starting out. He was married with kids and was working in a studio in a fellow’s basement. The janitor that worked there became his “Art Dealer”. Harley began painting glitzy pseudo-modernistic portraits with graphic backgrounds and Elvis paintings on velour. To do this, he reinvented himself as the artist “Belenofski”(a pseudonym, the name Brown simply didn’t have the glamour). The problem was that Brown was becoming jealous of Belenofski. It seems that Belenofski was selling his paintings for more money and faster than Brown’s paintings. The people just loved Belenofski! Harley created a life and history to go with Belenofski. Belenofski was a white Russian who was married 5 times. To get rid of Belenofski when Harley didn’t want to paint more of these pot boilers, he had made up the story that Fleur, (Belenofski’s last wife) came back into is life and Belenofski and Fleur disappeared together.
Allan: What does respect mean to you?
Harley: It could be just a little word from a friend. Years ago I had a two man show with Ramon Kelly. Ramon was really established already. The show was in Denver and most of his paintings sold and I only sold one. Ramon said to me “Don’t worry about it, your stuff is just too damn good”. I love giving respect. When I see good work I love telling the artist. Once I was watching a little kid draw. I saw that he had so much talent so I told him “If you don’t continue drawing and growing, I will haunt you!”
When I was young I used to talk a lot about being an artist. One day my father said to me “You’re a big talker; you are just a lot of talk. Make your mind up. I will support you and send you to art school. Sign up tomorrow. If you don’t, I don’t want to hear about art any more”. God bless my father for making it happen.
Harley’s teaching style:
HarleyFrom what I gathered from watching and listening to Harley I can imagine that a student would have to be on his or her toes to capture the essence of what he is saying.  He will interweave topics that are seemingly unrelated to painting such as movies (Harley is a big fan), classical and jazz music (he is an aficionado), what is the best pizza (Harley wants one named after him), etc.  At times there would be those who didn’t like his rambling style and thought that he was “wasting time”. Harley considers them “Spoil sports” and devised ways to “Hunt them down”. The truth is though that Harley was an extremely dedicated teacher. So much so that his classes would go on day and night.
Some things that he stresses are; never put detail in both the light and shadow equally. If the model is primarily in light, keep the detail in the light and not so much in the shadow. The same is true if the model is cast in more shadow than light. Keep the detail in the shadow and then the light side will be bleached out with less detail.
Harley pointed to the work of Donald Teague and Rembrandt to talk about the importance of design and correct values to a painting.  He stated,” Values are an artist’s best friend”. The more you know the values the stronger the color. It’s not just throwing on color.
On another subject, he remembered being shocked by a painting that he saw in London. It was a painting of flags by Jasper Johns.
To make a point he picked up one of his most valued drawings to show to the audience. It was a charcoal drawing that he did years ago of the actor Boris Karloff. He then proceeded to slowly and deliberately tear the prized work in half, and then in quarters, over and over he tore the drawing until it was torn to bits. There was a collective gasp that was heard from the attendees. Harley said “because of the shock value, this spectacle will most likely be the only thing about the interview that will stick in your visual memory.” He called it “Memory value”. We remember the out of the ordinary, the shocking. The Jasper Johns flag painting. The composer John Cage’s composition where he sits by the piano for an hour without playing a note.
Allan: Harley, you have had a number of memorable quotes.

Harley Quotes:

  • “An artist’s greatest attribute isn’t skill it is attitude.”
  • “I had average talent, I worked my butt off”.
  • He then screamed,
    “I WANT TO BE AN ARTIST – Not for the money.
    TO MAKE ART!”
  • “Draw everyday from life not just photos.”
  • “Value drawing is the artist’s best friend. Be religiously faithful to values, it will take you to another level.”
  • “There is a moment when you are on your own.”
  • “Allow your sub conscious to do the work.”
  • “The painting is finished before the artist knows it is.”
  • “Feel the portrait’s heart beating.”
  • “Leave well enough alone.”
  • “Learn the rules first then say,’the heck with it!’”
  • “Go as close as you can to Mother Nature.”
  • “Be yourself! You won’t become the artist that you want to be
    until you become yourself. That takes time.”
  • “James Dean was influenced by Brando, Brahms by Beethoven.
    We are all influenced.  You will get to the point when you don’t think of other artists. You will let it flow and let it pour out of you. That’s a magical moment.”
  • Harley told us about his two imps. One imp is on his left shoulder and one on his right shoulder. One imp whispers “put that in the painting” the other good imp implores “No, No, No, Don’t do it!” The first imp hollers “SELL, SELL, SELL!”  The other shoulder good imp advises “Have fun and explore”.
  • “My hope is to live in a little log cabin, some trees, a creek, listen to the birds and have a few shows. If I never sell another painting I could be happy.”

I know that this OPA member will not soon forget this “jovial gent” and his sometimes-outrageous ways of communicating his love for art and artists.

 

Legally Protecting Your Artwork

Susan Abma · Nov 11, 2013 · 1 Comment

Attorney Bill Frazier, who specializes in art-related legal issues, spoke to OPA artists at the national exhibition in Fredericksburg, Texas.

He told the audience that it is very important to have a written agreement rather than just a verbal agreement with their galleries. A number of artists ran into serious issues, and resulting losses, when galleries went bankrupt and the artists’ works were considered to be assets of the galleries and not the artists. “Every artist and gallery should have some kind of written agreement about the artwork.”

Empty Gallery
Check to see that a gallery is displaying your artwork and make sure your contract states that the artwork is not an asset of the gallery.
Image courtesy of aopsan at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Among the items that should be in the agreement, Frazier recommends that the contract clearly identifies the artwork, medium and size, and that it also stipulates who pays for framing and advertising, whether discounts may be offered and who absorbs any discounts the gallery may offer to a client, and what would happen in the event of a bankruptcy. He said to be sure the contract states that the artwork is not an asset of the gallery. Most states have consignment laws that deal with this relationship. This is important because otherwise, he said, the laws that govern most other products in retail establishments also govern art. Above all, he added, “When you have an agreement presented to you, make sure you understand the terms of the contract before you sign.” To protect yourself against losses, Frazier said to “keep up with your galleries. Go to the gallery – make sure they are showing your work. The bottom line is: this is a business. You are producing a product.”
Copyright
For full legal protection, include your name, copyright symbol and year of completion on every image and on every web page.
Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Frazier also discussed some of the common misconceptions with copyright. He said that while many artists believe their signature on an artwork is sufficient, “for full American legal protection put the copyright symbol on the front of the image. You do not have to, but I recommend to my US clients that they do it.” “The only term that is legally sufficient is the word ‘copyright’ or the copyright symbol: ©.” “It is still not going to keep anyone from stealing anything off your website, but it’s better than nothing.” To avoid internet piracy, he said, “The best you can do is try to have a standard practice on your website of using the copyright notice, which is your name, copyright symbol and year of completion on every image and on every page.” He recommended artists check the website FBI.gov for more information on intellectual property theft. But in order to sue for copyright infringement, it (the piece of artwork) has to be legally registered with the copyright office, said Frazier. More information is available on their website at www.copyright.gov. He also reminded the artists, “One thing to remember about copyright (law) is that it changes frequently.” And, he adds, you have five years to file for copyright registration from the date of completion of the artwork.
Frazier also cautioned the OPA artists to be careful if selling their work by auction. “A lot of problems occur for artists at auctions. I suggest you never participate in a ‘without reserve’ auction.” Then, he adds, “if the auction house does sell it below the reserve price, they have to make up the difference to you.” A ‘with reserve’ auction is one in which there is a reserve price below which the artwork cannot be sold.

Montana attorney Bill Frazier specializes in art-related legal issues representing artists, galleries, collectors and museums. He is author of more than 350 articles for national art and legal publications, including a regular column in Art of the West Magazine.

Perception

Mr. John Hulsey · Nov 4, 2013 · 2 Comments

We are currently reading two fascinating books about human development and the evolution of art: The Social Conquest of Earth by E. O. Wilson and The Age of Insight: The Quest to Understand the Unconscious in Art, Mind, and Brain, from Vienna 1900 to the Present by Eric R. Kandel. While each author offers different but mutually supportive discussions on the rise of perception, self image and cultural myth-making, they are both sharing with us different aspects of the latest scientific discoveries in the fields of human development and cognition.
Mystics have told us for centuries that what most of us experience as life is an illusion. They assert that we do not see life as it is. Rather, we impose our biased interpretations on everything that touches us and that our particular, personal vision guides our actions and reactions.
Recent research by cognitive scientists has also determined that our brains are wired to deduce general, global patterns from whatever limited, local information we can gather and then to try to form a reliable, predictive pattern or picture of the world from which we can operate. This ability to think in the abstract is a sign of higher intelligence, and is at the very root of art-making. Furthermore, we each tend to assign high value to those random events which seem to support a view or pattern which pleases us and a low value to everything else. In essence, we are seeing through personal-colored lenses.
Because the whole is too large for us to see well normally, we have evolved to operate with this illusion of certainty, each forming our own unique view of the world. Our deviations from each other’s views may be slight, or they may be great. We all accept and share certain facts about the largest phenomena in common, like gravity, the seasons, orbits of the planets, and so on. However, there are an innumerable amount of details about the world that we individually may not agree upon, that are open to interpretation. Enter the Shaman, the mystic and the artist.

"Moon Road" by John Hulsey
“Moon Road” by John Hulsey
"Queen of Snows" by John Hulsey
“Queen of Snows” by John Hulsey
"Morning Meadow" by John Hulsey
“Morning Meadow” by John Hulsey

So, if life is partly an illusion, what does that mean for the visual artist? Number one is good news – since everyone has a slightly different perception of the world, each artist, by definition, must create unique work. The trick is to be able to thoroughly tune in to and assign high value to one’s perceptions about the world, and then have the courage to express that unique view in one’s art.
Surprisingly, it is also ambiguity that makes great art. A certain amount of ambiguity in an image allows viewers to participate in the artist’s world-view while simultaneously imposing their own interpretations. Mr. Kandel writes, “The meaning of the image depends on each viewer’s associations and knowledge of the world and of art, and the ability to recall that knowledge and bring it to bear on the particular image.”
When looking at art, our brains are using our pattern-making architecture and our memory to extrapolate familiar, personal associations from the image, and in a sense make it part of our own experience. In this way, great art always possesses the potential to become a unique experience for each person.

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