Category Archives: painting

Cinderella’s Hand Painted Wedding Gown is a Work of Art


imagesUnless you are totally disconnected from all types of media, you are probably aware of Disney’s recent release of its live-action romantic film, Cinderella. To say the movie is a success is a gross understatement; the film has thus far claimed about $500 million worldwide. Obviously, there is something about Cinderella that the whole world loves.

While there are various reasons both children and adults adore Disney’s recent epic movie, art lovers are captured by the sensational costumes displayed in the film. The costumes, designed by Sandy Powell, are true masterpieces that, quite simply, bring the film to an unsurpassed level of artistry.

Sandy Powell’s Exquisite Costumes Dazzle Moviegoers

imagesSandy Powell, a three-time Oscar winning costume designer, is no stranger to transforming mere clothing into works of art. To create the costumes for Cinderella, Powell looked to the styles of the 1950s and the 19th Century for inspiration. (These were the time periods that inspired the illustrations for Disney’s 65-year-old cartoon version of Cinderella. Powell drew from the same stylistic eras in order to give the modern Cinderella a distinctly Disney flavor.) Powell commented, “I wanted the costumes to be bold and have an explosion of color as if it were a picture book…but at the same time, I wanted the clothes to be true to each character and believable.”

The Wicked Stepmother Stands Out in Gowns Fit for a Queen

If you think Cinderella’s wicked stepmother was dressed shabbily to express her malicious character, think again. Cate Blanchett, who played Ella’s infamous stepmother, was a human canvas for some of the most stunning displays of costume artwork ever created. Speaking of Blanchett’s character, Powell commented that it is always fun to dress the bad guy, whereas the good guy is typically the most difficult to design for.

Cinderella’s Wedding Gown, an Artistic Masterpiece

While Blanchett’s costumes are remarkable, they in no way upstage Lily James’s costumes  images(James is the young actress who played Cinderella). For the famous gown that Ella enters the ball wearing, Powell designed a beautiful gossamer dress featuring shades of lavender, blue and turquoise. To add to the gown’s enchantment, tiny butterflies were sewn onto the bodice, giving the dress a touch of whimsy.

While all the costumes in Disney’s Cinderella were spectacular, none were more so than Ella’s wedding gown. At first glance, the long-sleeve beige colored gown appears to be somewhat simple (Powell wanted it to express Ella’s innocence). But, take a closer look and you’ll observe painstaking attention to detail. Once the seamstresses were done constructing the gown, “It was given to the artists who intricately hand painted flowers onto the gown. It took 16 people and nearly 550 hours to complete the dress.” Layer upon layer of fabric was hand painted until the desired effect of absolute costume magic was achieved. All things considered, Cinderella’s wedding gown is no less than a work of fine art that will undoubtedly touch fans for generations.

Do you see costumes as works of art? What film features costumes that inspire you as an artist? Share with us – we’d love to hear from you!

Read more Segmation blog posts about art and color:

When Art Sells Art

Fabulous Floral Designs with Painted Counterparts Makes Art Alive

French Floral and Portrait Painter – Henri Fantin-Latour

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Can Elephant Art Save the Species?

Art has been known to increase the quality of a human’s life, but, in some cases, art is saving the lives of animals.

Have you ever heard of elephant art?

This type of art ranges from a photograph taken of an elephant to a picture painted by the intelligent mammal. However, let it be known that elephant art never involves their ivory tusks. Throughout the world elephants are being poached because of their tusks. This is causing the population of African and Asian elephants to dwindle. Much of the time, ivory is used to create works of art. To encourage the growth of elephant populations many countries have banned the importation and sale of ivory.

Other than poaching, elephants are a threatened species because their habitats are shrinking. Because of their large size, elephants need a lot of food, water and land to roam. The development of elephant habitats is cutting in on their space and limiting the basic necessities they need for survival.

What would the world be like without elephants? Many of us cannot imagine this reality and several artists are dedicated to avoiding this threat through creative activism.

Elephant Parade

Mike Spits’s father was in Chiang Mai when he met an elephant that lost her leg to a landmine. The hospital treating the elephant wanted to give her a prosthetic leg someday but such a surgery would be very expensive. Touched by the need, Mike Spits’s father wanted to help but he didn’t want to write a onetime check. He wanted to create a sustainable fund that could help elephants for years to come. From this desire, Elephant Parade was born. Now, Mike Spits operates the social enterprise on funds brought in through painted elephant statues.

Artists Against Ivory

Operating on the vision of “helping elephants live forever,” Artists Against Ivory creates wearable art including t-shits and jewelry, as well as wall art. Through elephant inspired art, this enterprise raises money and empowers the cause of elephants throughout the world.

Mae Taeng Elephant Camp

Elephant habitats in Thailand were being encroached upon when the Chailert family created a camp to protect the species. Later, they opened a clinic to rehabilitate injured animals. They support the park and clinic by opening their doors to visitors who want to get up close and personal with the gentle giants. More so, they sell artwork created by the elephants. At Mae Taeng, elephants begin painting at the age of three.

Will art save the elephants? We can only hope this genre of art is raising awareness of the threat they face. Embrace the art that comes from elephants and share the art elephants create.

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Joaquín Sorolla – The World-Renowned Spanish Painter

Valencia was center stage for world-renowned artist Joaquín Sorolla. Though the Spanish painter’s career afforded him a life of worldwide travel and notoriety, the passion that fueled his art was his homeland. Through his portrait art and landscape paintings, he explored people, locations and historical scenes familiar to Spaniards and captivating to foreigners.

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Sorolla’s career, like his personal life, seemed very fulfilling. By the time he reached 30 years of age, he had already received national recognition for his artwork and was approaching an era of worldwide fame. In the following years, his work was exhibited in art capitals like Madrid, Paris, Venice, Munich, Berlin and Chicago. When he was only 40-years-old, he was donning major awards and became known as one of the “western world’s greatest living artists.”

His list of accomplishments is great but, when realizing he started life as an orphan, born in 1863, the heights of his fame seem that much greater. Joaquín Sorolla was only two years old when, it is believed, his parents passed away from cholera. At that time, he and his sister went into the care of his maternal aunt and uncle.

Whatever obstacles he faced were quickly overcome as he showed much artistic talent by age nine. At 14 he was studying art with teachers Cayetano Capuz and Salustiano Asenjo. His first awards started coming at age 15, from the Academy of Valencia. This may have been the reason he was able to travel to Madrid when he was 18 to study painting at the infamous Spanish Museum, El Prado.
After dedicating some time to his studies, Sorolla served in the military. But by age 22 he was freed from his duty and found himself painting in Rome, Italy. He followed this trip with a long stay in Paris where he was likely exposed to modern paintings by Jules Bastien-Lepage and Adolf von Menzel.

In 1888, Sorolla returned to Valencia to marry the daughter of photographer Antonio Garcia. Before long, he and his wife, Clotilde, had three children: Maria, Joaquín and Elena.
Sorolla’s career took him and his flourishing family to Madrid. It was there that his career began to take stride. During this era of life, his art was predominately focused on social subjects and historical happenings, as well as concepts that were considered mythological and oriental. He painted these works on large canvases and began to showcase them around the world.

It could be said that Sorolla had a “big break” in 1893 when he submitted his work to the World’s Columbian Exhibition in Chicago. From there, in year 1900, he displayed art at Paris Universal Exhibition. Later, he was asked to showcase artwork at the Hispanic Society of New York, which would take Sorolla’s work on a tour of the United States. As a result of this honor, Joaquín Sorolla was invited to the White House where he sat President Taft for a portrait.

In 1911, the Spanish painter was asked by the Hispanic Society of America to create a large piece of art displaying the customs and cultures that existed in various parts of Spain. Sorolla would spend the next eight years of his life consumed by this project before suffering a severe stroke.
Three years after his stroke, Sorolla passed away on August 10, 1923.

Today, the memory of Joaquín Sorolla lives on in art history. Unfortunately, some of his admirers believe he is not as famous as he ought to be. Aside from his little notoriety in the new millennium, the Spanish painter far surpassed the life that most orphans lived at the turn of the century. From his birth in 1863 to death in 1923, Joaquín Sorolla used his natural talent, drive and skill to promote his art and native land for the world to see.

However, this post is meant to recognize his artist style and some major pieces. For those who want to read more of Joaquín Sorolla ‘s story, visit this link: http://www.segmation.com/products_pc_patternset_contents.asp?set=SOR . Also, Segmation is proud to offer 34 digital Joaquín Sorolla patterns. By downloading these paint by numbers masterpieces, you can emulate one of the most fascinating artists who ever lived.

Enjoy the 34 Joaquín Sorolla Spanish patterns. Segmation has for you and continue to learn and celebrate the life of a great artist.
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Joaquin Sorolla – Life

Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida

Sorolla and America

Read more Segmation blog posts about other great artists:
Robert Delaunay, Blazing a Colorful Trail

The Reluctant Educator and Revered Artist, Emil Carlsen”

Thomas Moran – American Landscape Painter

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The Reluctant Educator and Revered Artist, Emil Carlsen

Study in Gray

 

The work of Emil Carlsen is respected, revered and praised. Known as one of the greatest American landscape and still life artists, Carlsen is said to have mastered the art of painting.

In his book about American still life painting, Painters of Humble Truth, William Gerdts discloses what he believes is the secret behind Carlsen’s talent. “What makes the painting beautiful,” Gerdts’ writes, “is Carlsen’s sensitivity to arrangement – large shapes are juxtaposed with small flat forms and tall ones, their outlines are often united in refined harmonious curves.”

Another art historian, Richard Boyle recounts Carlsen’s approach to still life. “His paintings are beautifully crafted and delicate of surface,” he says. “He was concerned with ‘ideal beauty,’ as well as the beauty inherent in the subject.”

Emil Carlsen created natural flowing designs that were complimented by his use of atmospheric light. He also had a keen sense of how to apply paint to canvases so that the forms he painted became dramatic and involved. In addition, Carlsen had an eye for detail which shown in his technical style and decorative flair.Bald Head Cliff - York Maine
Even though he was a celebrated artist, Carlsen had trouble supporting himself with earnings from his artwork alone. Throughout the years he taught at many design schools in various parts of America and dedicated himself to the development of aspiring impressionist artists. While this was in line with Carlsen’s passion, it was far from the career he envisioned for himself.

Emil Carlsen (1853 – 1932) was born and raised in Denmark. He was interested in becoming an architect and studied architecture at the Royal Academy in Copenhagen. In 1872, he came to the United States and, before long, found himself in Chicago, Illinois. There, he worked as an assistant to an architect. The architect, Lauritz Holst, would later leave America for Denmark and give Carlsen his studio. This contributed greatly to the progress of Carlsen’s skill, which subsequently landed him a teaching role at the Chicago Academy of Design.

Feeling as if there was more to learn, Carlsen left Chicago in 1875 to visit Paris, where he would study under Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin, a famous French still life painter. Upon his return to America, instead of going back to Chicago he landed in New York where he set up a studio and tried to sell his still life paintings. At the time, however, he did not find much money in this. In 1879, he abandoned his New York studio and took up engraving to make ends meet.

Then, in 1883, a breakthrough happened for Carlsen when his work was exhibited at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. This led to a trip to Europe in 1884 where he would continue to study and sell his work. In 1885, two pieces of Carlsen’s artwork were featured at the Paris Salon.

Even with these major successes, Carlsen still had trouble making enough money to live on. After Paris, he spent time teaching in San Francisco before moving back east where he would teach at two prominent art schools: The National Academy of Design and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts.

Personal success awaited Carlsen at the turn of the century. In the year 1896 he married Luela Mary Ruby. They gave birth to a child named Dines Carlsen in 1901. The family of three would make home in the studio and encourage Dines’ artistic abilities.

All the while Carlsen taught at design schools, even though he would have preferred to spend his time painting. He eventually joined the Macbeth Gallery in New York which was known to represent American Impressionist artists. This marked a changing point in Carlsen’s career. For the first time he was able to live on the money he made from art sales. As Carlsen increased his success with solo exhibits, he was able to stop teaching at art academies.

Still, the successes of Emil Carlsen go far beyond his financial standing. He influenced great impressionist artists like Guy Rose and won numerous awards. He received a gold medal in the Louisiana Purchase Exhibition, the Samuel T. Shaw Purchase Prize at the National Academy of Design, and a Medal of Honor at the Pana-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco.

However, this post is meant to recognize his artist style and some major pieces. For those who want to read more of Emil Carlsen’s story, visit this link: http://www.segmation.com/products_pc_patternset_contents.asp?set=EMC. Also, Segmation is proud to offer 29 digital Emil Carlsenpatterns. By downloading these paint by numbers masterpieces, you can emulate one of the most fascinating artists who ever lived.

Enjoy the 29 Emil Carlsen Patterns Segmation has for you and continue to learn and celebrate the life of a great artist.

Source:

Emil Carlsen

Read more Segmation blog posts about other great artists:

The Visionary Work of Gustave Moreau

Thomas Moran – American Landscape Painter

William Merritt Chase – American Impressionist Painter

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The Reason Why Barns Are Red

The sky is blue, grass is green and barns are red – right? We often associate red with the color of barns but today, a barn can be painted any color. However, years ago farmers could not choose the color of their barns.

Why is the Barn Red?

red-painted-woodAt first, the red barn was not fashionable. It was the consequence of using a sealant to coat the barn’s wood. Centuries back, farmers could not go to their local hardware store to purchase sealant. Instead, they often used a linseed-oil mixture to protect the wood. It created a paint that dried quick and protected the barn for years to come. Linseed-oil has been described as having a “tawny” color, which creates a brownish orange hue when dry. The oil alone would not produce the flaming red shade we see on barns today, but additional ingredients mixed into the lacquer intensified the red undertones.

Sealant Mixture Created Red

In the linseed-oil mixture, farmers often added milk and lime. In addition, they added a rust (or ferrous oxide). Rust was useful to farmers who wanted to strangle fungi, mold and moss before it could grow on their barns and decay the wood. Other than rust, some farmers added animal blood to oil mixtures. The wet paint would go on brilliant red but dry and remain brownish-red.

red-barn-in-autumn-fieldThe red barn was not intentional, at first. But once farmers started to see the effects of this linseed oil mixture, they seemed to like how the red barn contrasted the traditional white farmhouse. By the time paint made its way onto the scene in the middle to late 1800s, red was a popular shade. It was also the most expensive but farmers didn’t seem to care. Red had become the mark of the barn and many were willing to pay for it. It wasn’t until whitewash became cheaper than red paint that white barns began to appear.

Today, farmers have the option to seal and paint their barns almost any shade. Some stick with the traditional red. Others use colors to identify the purpose of the barn.

While farming has come a long way, the red barn seems to be frozen in time.

Read more Segmation blog posts about the color red:

Red Artwork is Worth Fortunes

The Color Red and its Many Meanings

All About the Color Red – Sensational Color!

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The Artist Who Wants to Banish Fear of Color

kafe fassettKaffe Fassett has often said that his mission in life is to “banish the fear of color.” He plays with rainbow hues the same way a painter mixes shades on a palette, using needlepoint, patchwork, painting, knitting, and ceramics to create a veritable feast of color.

An exhibition of his work, titled “The Colorful World of Kaffe Fassett,” is on display at the American Museum in Britain until November 2. Laura Beresford, the exhibition’s curator, describes the show as “textile art.”

The spectacle begins at the entrance to the exhibit area, where knitted strands decorate the garden lamps and multicolored pom-poms hang from an aged tree like jewel-bright fruit. Once inside, the visitor is treated to even more dramatic visual treasures: a royal red Chinese vase presides over other scarlet-hued creations, a deep blue patchwork rug replicates Turkish tile flooring, and crisp green vegetable patterns (from artichokes through onions to cabbages and leeks) are woven into cushions with startling detail.

The author of more than thirty books, Kaffe Fassett has hosted TV and radio program for the BBC and Channel 4 in the UK, where he currently resides. In 1988 his design and color work was the subject of a one-man show at London’s prestigious Victoria and Albert Museum, marking the first time a living fabric artist had a dedicated show there. The same show went on to tour nine countries. He has designed stage props and costumes for the Royal Shakespeare Company and exhibited his quilts, knitting, and needlepoint at the Modemuseum Hasselt, Belgium in 2007. Not surprisingly, his autobiography is titled ‘Dreaming in Color.’
kafe fassett 1Among the items on display at the American Museum is a knitted bodice and skirt with flowing and dotted sleeves that he created with UK designer Bill Gibb, walls of hand-knitted sweaters made from silk and alpaca, and a vibrant full-sleeved coat that Fassett knitted after seeing Rudolf Nureyev in a ballet of “Romeo and Juliet.” The exhibition also includes Fassett’s pen-and-ink drawings from 1964, which hang in a room dedicated to artwork from the 17th century.

Fassett, whose self-proclaimed motto is “When in doubt- add twenty more colors” has even made his famous craft-related quotes part of the exhibition. They have been printed on posters and hung on a multicolored wall, silently reminding visitors of the philosophy that drives his vision.

The American Museum was founded in 1961 to showcase American artwork and crafts. Situated inside a 19th-century manor, it features wood-panelled rooms full of handcrafted furniture from Connecticut or Massachusetts. A collection of more than 250 patchwork quilts provided plenty of color to offset the neutral shades of the Shakers.

When asked about future exhibition dates and details, Fassett smiles affably and shrugs his shoulders beneath a multicolored shirt. He wears a purple sweater tied around his neck and deep green corduroy trousers. This vagueness about date and place is understandable from an artist who turned his back on black and white long ago and has remained staunchly faithful to a playful color credo.

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French Floral and Portrait Painter – Henri Fantin-Latour

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Office Paint Colors and Effective Employees

Office Paint Colors and Effective EmployeesMuch thought goes into choosing the right interior wall color for a home. Often times, the paint color reflects individual preferences, décor choices, and whatever mood the homeowner wants to incite. This is an important decision; after all, a person spends a lot of time at his or her home.

However, in one week, the same person may spend an equal amount of time at an office – and sometimes more. Therefore, shouldn’t office paint colors be chosen with the same consideration?

Rather than simply going with drab gray or off white, office paint colors ought to be chosen to compliment company culture, office décor, and the business brand. When trying to create a productive ambiance, picking the right wall color is of high importance.

Wall color not only compliments the company identity, it has an effect on employees. Office paint colors have been known to raise energy levels, encourage positive attitudes, lift moods, and influence work behavior.

Below are three color options and combinations that are known to have a positive effect on a workplace.

Green and Blue

What do you think of when you walk into an office or home that is painted with green and blue colors? Often, people respond that this color combination helps them feel peaceful. Shades of green and blue are often seen as tranquil and can rid an environment of excess stress. Also, green is known to be easy on the eyes, and may even lessen the amount of eyestrain employees are exposed to from working on computers.

Yellow and Orange

When working in a high energy environment, yellow and orange wall paint colors are known to “stimulate and energize employees.” For obvious reasons, these boisterous colors promote a unique zest for life and business. A greater benefit of painting an office yellow could be its effect on memory; yellow is said to help employees remain mentally sharp with memory recall.

Red and Pink

Similar to yellow, walls painted with the color red may also stimulate memories, as well as “increase brain wave activities, heart rates, and respiration.” While these characteristics may not be conducive in all company cultures, it can have a significant impact of high energy firms. Pink, on the other hand, is a unique office wall paint color to consider because it has an opposite effect in evoking feelings of relaxation.

Is your office (or home away from home) painted with colors that affect you and your coworkers in positive ways? Have you walked into an office and immediately felt “at home”? What wall colors do you think work well in office environments?

Coming Soon: 

Choosing the color for your brand is a very big decision for all small business owners. The right color can lead to business success. The wrong color can cause headaches.

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Frans Hals – Dutch Portrait Painter

www.segmation.comFrans Hals – Dutch Portrait Painter by Segmation SegPlay PC released (see more details here)

Frans Hals (c. 1580 – August 26, 1666) was a master portrait painter and one of the most gifted artists of the 17th century Dutch school. His fresh, lively approach influenced the way future artists handled large-scale group portraits.

Not much is known about the life of Frans Hals. He was born in Antwerp sometime around 1580-1581 to a Dutch family living in Flanders. His father was a draper, and the family fled the city when it was conquered by Spain in 1585, moving to Haarlem in Holland where Frans Hals would spend the rest of his life.

Hals studied painting from 1601-1603 under Karel van Mander, who had fled Antwerp at the same time as the Hals family, and in 1610, was admitted to the Haarlem painters’ guild. He started working for the city as an art restorer and in the same year, married his first wife, Annetje Harmansdr. The couple had two sons, but Annetje died during the birth of their second son.www.segmation.com

The paintings Hals produced before the age of 30 are unknown, but his first important commission was painted in 1616: a life-sized group portrait known as The Banquet of the Officers of the St George Militia Company. This work led to other, similar commissions throughout the 1620s and 30s, which are among the artist’s finest productions. He was at the height of his artistic popularity during those years.

Hals was doing well and in 1617 he remarried. His second wife, Lysbeth Reyniers, had been hired as nanny for his two children. It is rumored she was eight months pregnant when they married and the couple went on to have eight children together. In fact, Frans Hals was a lively character with the reputation of being a womanizer who liked to have a good time. That might have been one of the reasons why, despite his success as an artist, he was always short of money.

The paintings produced in the 1630’s tend towards simple compositions and bright colors. These give way to cooler tones and by the 1640s a dramatic change can be seen in Hals’s works. His brushwork was bold and free and the colors became monochromatic tones of blacks and greys. His most important work of this period is the 1648 portrait of René Descartes.

Although Hals was elected chairman of the Haarlem painters’ guild in 1644, his manner of painting was starting to go out of style and he was losing customers. With a large family to support, Hals changed his style in a bid to remain popular, but to little effect. He worked as an art dealer, and acted as art tax expert for the municipality. In 1652 he was taken to court and declared bankrupt. He had to sell his belongings and was left destitute, relying on a stipend from the Haarlem municipality to survive.

When he was 84 years old, Hals painted two of his greatest works, Lady Regents of the Almshouse and The Governors of the Almshouse, considered to be among the greatest portrait works ever painted.

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William Merritt Chase – American Impressionist Painter

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American Impressionist painter William Merritt Chase was born on November 1, 1849, in Williamsburg, Indiana.

His parents had six other children after his birth. William’s father, a businessman, decided to re-locate his family to Indianapolis in 1861, when Chase was twelve. In Indianapolis, the young man was hired by his father to be a salesman.

www.segmation.comChase’s artistic talent was not necessarily nurtured in his childhood. He received early training from Jacob Cox and Baton S. Hays, artists who were self-taught. Though Chase had very humble beginnings, studying under non-notable teachers, he would mature to become a famous impressionist painter.

William Merritt Chase joined the army only to be encouraged by his teachers to seek further artistic training. He received this advice, and in 1869 moved to New York to study with Joseph Oriel Eaton. Soon after, he began studying at the National Academy of Design. Lemuel Wilmarth, pupil of Jean-Léon Gérôme, taught Chase during his time at the National Academy.

Although he grew rapidly under the tutelage of excellent art instructors at the National Academy of Design, Chase moved to St. Louis in 1870 to help support his financially struggling family. He did this by selling still life paintings. While in St. Louis, he was involved in the local art community. He won prizes and awards for the excellence of his works. The time spent in St. Louis was something of a springboard for Chase’s career, as it gave him an opportunity to exhibit his works and showcase his rare talent.

Chase’s artistic talent was evident to all, including the elite and upper class of St. Louis. These wealthy individuals favored Chase and provided a way for him to live in Europe for two years. Their only stipulation was that he would provide them with paintings and assist them in obtaining the European art they desired for their collections.

www.segmation.comThe burgeoning artist’s two years in Europe were excellent for his stylistic development. He enrolled at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich and was privileged to be a student of Karl von Piloty and Alexander von Wagner. During his time in Munich, Chase sought out friendships with other American artists, including Joseph Frank Currier, Frank Duveneck, and Walter Shirlaw.

While in Munich, William Merritt Chase began to experiment with his artistic style. He painted figurative works in the “loosely-brushed style popular with his instructors.” His painting titled “Keying Up” is an example of his work from this time period (1876). Chase was later awarded a medal for “Keying Up” by the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition.WMC001thumb

In 1878 Chase moved to New York and began teaching art. A few years later, in 1886, he married Alice Gerson, whom he had eight children with. Alice, along with two of Chase’s daughters, frequently posed for him.

William Merritt Chase established and instructed at the Shennecock Hills Summer School in 1890. It was at this school, located in New York, that he taught the “plein air method of painting” (meaning he taught his students out of doors). The Chase School of Art was opened in 1896.

His ability to excellently paint many different subjects was one of the defining talents of Chase, the artist. Throughout his life he regularly painted portraits, landscapes, studio interiors, figures, cityscapes, and still life pictures.

On October 25, 1915, the world lost a painter who had contributed much to society. William Merritt Chase passed away in his Town House in New York. He died a well-respected, highly esteemed artist and teacher.
Chase’s New York studio and home (now known as the William Merritt Chase Homestead) are both part of the National Register of Historic Places. Chase is an example of an artist who worked with integrity and relentlessly developed his talent. He is still celebrated to this day.

William Merritt Chase established a school for artists known as the Chase School. He played various roles in his life including an artist, teacher, father, and sophisticated cosmopolitan. Although he worked with all media, he was most talented in oil painting and pastel, as well as watercolor.

He is best known for his portraits, who sitters included important people of the day and also his family members. Locations including Prospect Park, Central Park in New York City, and Shinnecock Hills on Long Island were popular locations for his outdoor paintings.

Patterns includes several self portraits, and numerous portraits including Portrait of a Lady, lady in Pink, Lady in Black, The Blue Kimono, Girl in Red Embroided Jacket, The Mandolin Player, Still Life Fish, At the Seaside, Azaleas, Girl in Japanese Costume, Portrait of Miss Dora Wheeler, and Portrait of Louis Betts.

Do you have a favorite Impressionist Painter? If you could paint an impressionist painting, what color would you choose? Share with Segmation by leaving a comment below.

Sources:

http://www.nga.gov/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Merritt_Chase

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Coming soon: If you love art as well as technology, you won’t want to miss our upcoming blog post about word cloud portraits.

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Be an Artist in 2 minutes with Segmation SegPlay® PC (see more details here)

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Having fun with Easter Eggcitement Art & Crafts

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Easter Eggcitement Pattern Set for SegPlay® PC released (see more details here)

We invite you to explore the Segmation™ World and Easter Eggcitement!
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With Segmation™ technology, we’ve come up with various interactive coloring experience that’s enjoyable for all ages. Without lifting pen or brush, you can paint-by-number any digital photography or painting, from the crisply delineated to the intricately detailed. Segmation™ brings out the simple, beautiful essense of painting, whether you’re painting your own inspired designs or masterpieces of the other great artists.

Contemporary and traditional designs, decorations, logos, and even photographs work beautifully, and no artistic skill or technical ability is needed.

Easter is a major Christian religious festival celebrating Jesus’s resurrection from the dead. Many of the holiday’s cultural elements are celebrated by Christians and non-Christians around the world. These elements include the Easter bunny, Coloring Easter eggs, and Family Meals. Our Easter pattern collection includes many fun illustrations of the Easter holiday including bunnies, colored eggs, candles, and flowers. Sets included are Hopping Bunny, Eggs with Ribbons, Eggs and Paint, Eggs in a Nest, Eggs and Flowers, Ready to Deliver, Eggs and Candle, Basket of Eggs, Chicken Painting an Egg, Cross, Colored Eggs, Chicks and Eggs in a Basket, Easter Bunny Costume, Eggcitement, Easter Bunny, Hare, Colored Egg, Coloring Eggs, Basket of Eggs with Flowers, Rabbit, and Egg Candles.

This set contains over 20 paintable patterns.

Easter Eggcitement

Have fun and relax with beautiful online painting art. So fun and easy to use with no mess but just a mouse!

Be a Artist in 2 minutes with Easter Eggcitement from Segmation SegPlay® PC (see more details here)

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