Tag Archives: Creative

Beach Towels: Where Art and Function Meet

Joseph Mallord William Turner – Great Painter of Light

Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775 – 1851) was a controversial English landscape painter. Joseph Mallord William Turner, better known as J.M.W. Turner, was born on April 23, 1775, in Covent Garden, London, England. His eccentric style matched his subjects – shipwrecks, fires, natural catastrophes, as well as natural phenomena such as sunlight, storms, rain, and fog.

Although renowned for his oil paintings, Turner is also one of the greatest masters of British watercolour landscape painting. He is commonly known as “the painter of light” and his work is regarded as a Romantic preface to Impressionism. Turner was considered a controversial figure in his day, but is now regarded as the artist who elevated landscape painting to an eminence rivalling history painting.

The significance of light to Turner resembled God’s spirit. In his later paintings he concentrated on the play of light on water and the radiances of skies and fires, almost to an Impressionistic style. Segmation’s collection of Joseph Mallord William Turner patterns includes many examples of his style including The Fighting Temeraire, The Shipwreck of the Minotaur, Snow Storm, The Grand Canal, Peace – Burial at Sea, and Rain, Steam and Speed.

This Segmation set contains 25 paintable patterns.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._M._W._Turner

Joseph Mallord William Turner

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Art and Science – A Genius Combination

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Something very exciting is happening in the world of higher education: The study of art is beginning to be integrated into science-based programs, such as engineering. Whereas engineering has traditionally been studied alone, now universities are creating programs that encompass both art and science. What is the reason for this?

Universities such as Arizona State, Stanford, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are combining art studies with engineering/science programs to foster creative thinking in students. Because engineers must constantly come up with fresh designs and perspectives, creative thinking is crucially important for them to cultivate.

A doctoral student from Arizona State University commented that engineers commonly make tiny improvements on things that have been previously established, without truly permitting their creativity to “take full force.” She went on to say that artists can help engineers learn to think in a new way, and ultimately unlock their creative potential.

Perhaps the main benefit of studying art along with engineering is the betterment of a student’s creative capacity. However, partaking in such a program offers a student benefits that go beyond an augmented ability to think creatively. Studying art along with science also benefits engineers by helping them secure employment in today’s tough job market and assisting them in solving complex problems.

Several schools offer interdisciplinary programs of art and science. The University of California – Davis offers an Art/Science Fusion Program; Stanford University provides a “joint” M.F.A. and M.S. program in Product and Visual Design; MIT recently began a center for Art, Science, and Technology; The College of Engineering at the University of California – Santa Barbara “co-hosts” a program (graduate level) in Media Arts and Technology; and Arizona State University provides a graduate degree program in Electrical Engineering with an emphasis in Arts, Media, and Engineering.

The outcomes of the above schools’ educational programs are demonstrating to us that both art and science are taken to the next level of innovation when coupled with one another. What’s more, students’ increased ability to think creatively as a result of these interdisciplinary programs is proving that art and science make a genius combination.

Sources:

https://asunews.asu.edu/20120516_inthenews_artists_engineers#.T73Ev_i3wzg.mailto

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Grad Engineering Programs Probe Intersection of Science, Art (usnews.com)
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Introduction to Color Expert Johannes Itten

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“Color is life; for a world without color appears to us as dead.” – Johannes Itten

When you take an art course on color theory, you can thank Johannes Itten for laying much of the foundation for what you’re being taught. Johannes Itten was a Swiss artist and teacher who taught at the Bauhaus in Germany. He published several books on art theory, the most popular being The Art of Color.

Sir Isaac Newton is credited with creating the first color wheel, which included 6 colors: red, orange, yellow, green, cyan and blue. Around 250 years later, Johannes Itten expanded Newton’s color wheel to include 12 colors instead of 6. These 12 colors included red, yellow and blue as the primary colors; orange, green and purple as the secondary colors, and 6 intermediary colors created by mixing a primary color with a secondary color. This is the same color wheel often used in school’s today to teach students about color theory.

Itten also examined color saturation, contrast and hue, devising theories for creating different color combinations that are still useful to artists and designers today. He looked at the expressiveness of color, and also the way colors affect one another. He also explored the emotional properties of colors which he considered to be fairly subjective, proposing that we each have different individual reactions to colors.

For more information about Johannes Itten and his color theories, look for his books online or in your local library.

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The Healing Power of Color (www.segmation.com)

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As an artist, you are probably aware of the effects that different colors can have on your state of mind and emotional well-being. In fact, in a past article we discussed the psychology of color and provided an overview of how each color can impact your mood.

In this article, we’ll take a look at color therapy, also known as chromotherapy, and how you can apply the basic principles of chromotherapy in your art.

Color therapy involves using, or meditating upon, specific colors to help you find balance and harmony, both inner and outer. There are many forms of color therapy, such as:

surrounding yourself with a color that represents characteristics that you feel are lacking in your life, to achieve balance

immersing yourself in a color that represents characteristics, or states of being, that you aspire to

using colors to “cleanse” your physical body and achieve physiological harmony (such as practiced in Chinese therapy)

While color therapy was once regarded as a New Age fad, today the effects of colors on a person’s mind, body and spirit are well-documented. Even commercial paint manufacturers recognize the connection; some offer a specific range of paint colors that are designed to promote healing and wellness.

To utilize the healing power of color in your art, you can create paintings or drawings based on specific colors to bring about a certain adjustment in your (or someone else’s) mental, emotional, or physical state of being. You can use a combination of colors to evoke a certain state of mind. Experiment with different patterns and compositions and take note of how the paintings affect you.

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What Every Artist Should Know About Copyright (www.segmation.com)

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All artists should be aware of copyright – that is, the exclusive rights that you, as the creator of your art, are granted from the moment your artwork is created.

Because you are the copyright owner of your original artwork, you have the sole right to distribute your art and make reproductions of it. No one else can do this without your consent. If they do, it is illegal and you can take legal action.

Technically, the moment you create your artwork, it is copyrighted. While it might be helpful to draw or paint the copyright symbol © onto your art (followed by the year and your name), this symbol is no longer necessary to protect your copyright. It’s more of a visual reminder to let others know that your art is copyrighted.

However, if you should ever take someone to court because they infringed upon your copyright, the only way to get the utmost in legal protection is to register your copyright with the US Copyright Office. Ideally you should do this immediately after the artwork is finished.

If the artwork is registered with the US Copyright Office, offenders can be held liable for up to $30,000 in statutory damages or even $150,000 if you can prove that they already knew your art was copyrighted but reproduced it anyway.

Registering your copyright is easy. You can fill out the form entirely online at the website of the US Copyright Office, pay the fee, and upload images of your art. Once processing is complete, they will snail mail you a certificate of registration. Even though that may take a few months, your copyright is officially registered from the date you filled out the form, made the payment and uploaded your art.

The cost to register your art is $35, but if you register your artwork as a “series”, you can register as many works of art as you want (as long as they were created in the same year) for one single fee of $35. For instance, if you created 12 landscape paintings in 2010, you can register all 12 landscapes under the same claim for a single $35 fee. This is a great way to save money on registration fees.

In short, it’s always a wise idea to protect your copyright by registering your art with the US Copyright Office. If and when your art becomes wildly popular, you may need that legal protection if anyone infringes upon your copyright.

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How to Make a Passive Income from your Art (www.segmation.com)

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Would you love to spend as much time as possible working on your art, instead of working a full-time job? For most artists, making a living from their art seems like an impossible dream that only a lucky few get the luxury to experience. But these days, being a full-time artist is within reach of more people than ever.

Art licensing and print-on-demand are two ways that you can create an ongoing passive income stream that pays the bills and gets your art (and your name!) out into the world.

Art licensing is a huge industry. As an artist, you can license your work to companies that can manufacture and sell your artwork on a dizzying variety of items, from greeting cards and calendars to umbrellas and rain boots. You can get paid a lump sum or an initial fee plus royalties.

Most artists who license their art work with a licensing agent who handles the business side of things, from finding licensors to drawing up contracts. If you want to dive into the world of art licensing, research art licensing agencies to determine which one is the best fit for your art. They will take a percentage of your earnings in return for representing you to their clients.

Print-on-demand is another way for artists to earn passive income. You can upload your artwork to print-on-demand sites such as Zazzle or Cafepress to create products such as t-shirts, mugs, stickers, and more. You can set your royalty rates and create as many products as you want.

Print-on-demand is an appealing income stream for artists because you can get started as soon as you want – you don’t have to wait for an agency to represent you. Once you design the products, the income from sales is truly passive.

If your dream is to make a living from your art, check out art licensing and print-on-demand – they might help to make your dream come true!

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From Sand Castles to Sand Sculptures

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Many of us have fond memories of building sand castles at the beach when we were children; overturning buckets of sand to create towers, digging out moats, and sticking seashells into the damp castle walls. Even though we weren’t consciously aware of it at the time, building sandcastles was a fun, hands-on way to express our creativity and let our imaginations run wild.

Building sand castles is not just for kids anymore! In the 1970s, the art of “sand sculpting” was born on the beaches of California, pioneered by visionaries who took the concept of sand castles several steps further by creating elaborate, detailed, breathtaking monuments out of sand. Animals, architecture and pop culture icons are common subjects for sand sculpture art, although the sky’s the limit. Sand sculptors have depicted everything from African wildlife to Greek gods and goddesses to scaled versions of the Taj Mahal.

Creating complex sand sculptures requires both technical skill and knowledge. In order to stay in place properly, the sand must be a certain consistency and contain a certain degree of moisture. Once the foundation is ready, it takes talent, time and energy to sculpt 3-D images into the sand without the sand falling to pieces. It’s no wonder that the best sand sculptors are actually professionals who get paid to create these magnificent works of art using all-natural materials.

Sand sculptures are a popular attraction on some of the world’s best beaches, from Canada to Florida to Australia. Next time you’re at the beach, why not see what you can create out of sand!

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Toxicity of Oil Paints: Past and Present

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Self-Portrait by Vincent van Gogh

Many people attribute the shimmering, swirling colors and bold, choppy brushwork in Vincent van Gogh’s paintings to his lifelong battle with mental illness. Although his world-famous paintings now sell for millions, during his life van Gogh lived and worked in poverty, surviving on financial assistance from his devoted brother Theo. At times, van Gogh was so poor that he couldn’t even afford food because he had spent all his money on oil paints; his passion for painting overriding his basic human instincts.

As his mental instability worsened, van Gogh ate some of his oil paints, which contained lead. Ingesting the lead in his oil paints may have led to van Gogh’s seizure in 1890, precipitating his mental and physical decline that would lead to his self-inflicted death half a year later.

Lead is just one of the many toxins that were once a common ingredient in many oil paints. Mercury, chromates, sulfides, barium and antimony are just some of the other toxic ingredients that were used to create oil paints. The popular Cadmium Reds, Oranges, and Yellows contained cadmium, while cobalt contributed to Cobalt Blue and Cerulean Blue. Scheele’s Green rose to popularity in the 19th century, replacing the previous green pigments to become the green of choice for artists, used by Turner and Manet. Sheele’s Green contained arsenic.

Thankfully, the oil paints that are manufactured today contain very little of these toxic substances. Oil paint tubes are required to carry a warning label if they contain even the slightest traces of toxic materials. Although these labels cause some artists concern, the risks of becoming poisoned from modern commercial oil paints are quite minor if the paints are used as intended.

Although it may go without saying, artists should never follow in van Gogh’s lead by eating their oil paints. Likewise, artists should never put paintbrushes in their mouths or open stubborn tubes of paint with their teeth. Although you’d actually have to eat an entire tube of paint to become sick, it’s not worth the risk of getting oil paints anywhere near your mouth to begin with. Maintaining clean studio habits, which includes minimizing skin contact with oil paints, will assure that today’s artists run minimal risk of toxic exposure through their oil paints.

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