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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Professionals Integrate Paint by Number Into Their Careers

Paint by number art has become something of an American legend. Thousands upon thousands have fond childhood memories of creating amazing paintings using paint by number guides. Some individuals are so moved by paint by number that they have actually integrated this form of art into their careers. Such people see the true value of paint by number kits in that they helps “everyday people” paint works of art that they can truly be proud of.

One individual who has beautifully integrated paint by number into his career is Trey Speegle. Speegle has made a name for himself by taking paint by number paintings and “recontextualizing” them, then “combining them with words and phrases that deconstructs the genre in a variety of ways.” Trey Speegle strives to bring certain themes out of vintage paint by number paintings; themes like hope, transformation, longing, and love have all been drawn out by Speegle in the past. This amazing artist works with Anthropologie Home, Stella McCartney, and Fred Perry, among other people and businesses. Trey Speegle truly brings the best out of paint by number paintings.

Artsist JoDavid loves paint by number so much that he has invented a “Paint by Number Salon” in he and Marlow Harris’ place of residence. Their salon is garnering attention from the media, and rightly so – the space is filled with 160 paint by number paintings. The salon is greatly inspirational to JoDavid and Marlow Harris, as well as to many others. Of the paint by number salon and paint by number itself, Harris commented, “It’s beautiful – it’s art.”

Karen Savell’s career as a paint by number art restorer testifies to her fondness for the art form. Savell began restoring paint by number paintings in 1999, and soon people began to notice her talent. After a few years of finishing others’ paint by number paintings and restyling classic pieces, Savell began her own business restoring these amazing works of art. Today she is thrilled to be living her dream of working with paint by number art.

How has paint by number made its mark on your life? Whether you love creating perfect paintings or have knit paint by number into your daily life or career, your experience is unique and valuable. Segmation wants to hear your personal story in the comments section below. What does paint by number mean to you?

Sources:

http://treyspeegle.com/bio/

http://unusuallife.com/paint-by-numbers-house/

http://vimeo.com/38068832

http://www.paintbynumbermuseum.com/karen_savelle_intro

Coming soon: Have you ever wondered where today’s traditional “Christmas colors” and other holiday shades originated? If so, you’ll want to read our next post.

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Benefits of Making Your Own Paints

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Did you know that you can easily and affordably make your own paints right at home? The supplies needed to make oil paints, acrylics, watercolors or pastels are fairly inexpensive and they can be easily purchased online or at a local shop. You don’t need a giant studio or an excessive amount of supplies to make your own paints – all you need are a few basic ingredients pertinent to each medium, and a tabletop that you can use as your work area.

You might wonder, “Why should I bother making my own paints?”

There are a number of reasons why it is beneficial for artists to make their own paints. For starters, when you break down a specific medium to its individual components, it helps you to understand the nature of the medium. Taking part in the process of creating an oil paint or a pastel stick provides invaluable insight into the qualities of that particular medium. Plus, the magic of watching loose powdered pigment transform into a usable paint can become part of the overall creative experience.

One of the best things about making your own paints is that you can control the hue, value and intensity of each color. If you need a specific shade of green that is difficult to mix using commercial paints, you can create your own. If you need a range of blues to create skyscapes and seascapes, you can create the exact colors that you need and save them for future use.

It’s easy to forget that there was once a time when all artists either had to make their own paints or purchase these supplies from a local artisan. The vast majority of artists today buy their paints and art materials off the shelf. Most artists don’t even think twice about how these materials are made or what is actually in them. This has changed our relationships to our art materials. By making your own paints, you can reinvigorate your connection to the materials that you use to create art.

In future articles, we’ll take a closer look at the process involved for making oil paints, pastels, watercolors and acrylics.

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Happy 75th Birthday to the Golden Gate Bridge!

The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge in San Francisco. It spans the Golden Gate which is the opening of San Francisco Bay into the Pacific Ocean. It is considered to be the most photographed bridge in the world. Construction started in January 1933 and opened in May 1937. It is painted in a color called International Orange, originally used for a sealant for the bridge. Unfortunately more people attempt suicide at the bridge, than any other location.

Our pattern set collection contains many photographs of the bridge taken from various angles and vantage points, and at different times of day. Several show the bridge enveloped in fog, a common occurrence in San Francisco.

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The Woman Who Inspired Mona Lisa

Arguably the most famous painting in the world, Mona Lisa is an iconic oil painting created by acclaimed artist Leonardo da Vinci in the 16th century. For centuries, the piece has been the subject of much fascination, scrutiny, and admiration.

One of the longest-running questions pertained to the identity of the woman depicted in the painting. Although many believed it to be the wife of an Italian businessman, Francesco del Giocondo, the artist left no record to confirm that, and there were several other obscure references that implied other possibilities.

But in 2005, the mystery was finally laid to rest. At the University of Heidelberg in Germany, a library researcher named Armin Schlechter discovered a note made in the margin of the works of Roman philosopher Cicero. In the note, a friend of da Vinci’s, Agostino Vespucci, confirmed the sitter’s identity to be Lisa del Giocondo. Shortly after the birth of their second son, her husband had commissioned the painting to display in their new home. The Italian title loosely translates to “Lady Lisa”.

Today, the original painting is displayed in the Louvre Museum in Paris, France, and is widely renowned as a timeless symbol of enigmatic femininity.

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Henry Ossawa Tanner – Influential Black American Artist

Henry Ossawa Tanner (1859 – 1937) was an African American artist who was influential around the world with his art style. He was born in Philadelphia and schooled in fine arts. Although he first tried to set up a photography studio in Atlanta, he subsequently left the US and moved to Paris where he attempted to gain artistic acceptance.

He was quickly introduced to new artworks and artists, and studied under renowned artists. While his early works, such as were concerned with everyday life as an African American, his later paintings focused mainly on the religious subjects for which he is now best known.

Our pattern collection includes many of his most recognized pieces including “The Banjo Lesson”, “The Annunciation”, “Sand Dunes at Sunset, Atlantic City”, “Gateway, Tangier”, “Booker T. Washington”, “Flight into Egypt”, and “The Resurrection of Lazarus”. This set contains 32 paintable patterns.

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Cactus Colors

A cactus is a plant with a distinct appearance which has adapted well to dry and hot environments. Their stems have evolved to be photosynthetic (creating energy from sunlight) and succulent (retaining water). Their leaves have evolved into protective spines. There are many sizes and shapes of cacti which are frequently uses as ornamental plants throughout the world. Colorful flowers are grown from distinctive features called areoles. Our set of Cactus patterns are based on natural photographs and include many of the common varieties including Barrel Cactus, Queen Victoria Agave, Holiday Cactus, Prickly Pear, and Saguaro.

This set contains 27 paintable patterns.

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Snug as a Bug

Bugs are miniature marvels that are quite diverse. Entomology, a specialty in the field of biology, is the study of insects and includes more than two thirds of all known organisms. These creatures include bees, beetles, flies, moths, butterflies, ants, grasshoppers, crickets, dragonflies, earthworms, snails, slugs, arachnids, and centipedes. We’ve put together a fun collection of colorful bug illustrations in this set. You’ll find a worm in an apple, a smiling snail, a grinning spider, a busy bee, a whimsical spider, a lady bug on a green leaf, a snail in its shell, and a moth showing off its colorful wings.

This set contains 25 paintable patterns.

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Pointillism: Tiny Dots of Color

A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, by Georges Seurat

When a color is placed next to another color, a relationship is formed. Each color impacts the other, affecting the way you perceive those colors.

Artists who painted in the Pointillist style were aware of the way our eyes blend colors that are next to each other. Rather than creating forms by blending colors, Pointillist painters dabbed small dots of paint (“points”) of different colors next to each other to create forms.

Georges Seurat was one of the most famous artists to explore Pointillism. His painting, A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte (shown above), is a prime example of Pointillism. When viewing the painting at this size, you can’t tell that it is made up of millions of colored dots. But when viewed up-close, like Seurat’s close-up below (from another painting of his, Circus Sideshow), you can see that the images are created from many colored dots painted next to each other and on top of one another.

Pointillist paintings often appear bright with vivid colors, because the colors are not mixed together in the traditional sense on the palette – it is up to the human eye to do the mixing in your mind. The white of the canvas also plays a strong role in making Pointillist paintings appear bright, shining through between the colored dots.

Interestingly, images on TVs and computer screens are made up of tiny dots of color as well. Most printing processes also involve placing dots of color next to each other to create images. Perhaps Pointillist artists were ahead of their time.

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Is an art education necessary?

There’s an ongoing debate about whether an artist needs a ‘proper’ art education before they are considered a ‘true artist’. Some say yes, others say no. What do you think? Does an art education matter in this day and age?

First of all, what is an ‘art education’? Generally speaking, an art education can include anything like:

• studying art in college
• attending art workshops at a local center, or
• taking private art lessons.

For some people, a ‘real’ art education means getting a college degree or studying for years with a master artist, like an apprentice.

Yet, there are also many ways for budding artists to educate themselves without attending college for art or studying under a master – and without spending a fortune.

Instructional videos, artist forums and art websites are readily available for free on the Internet, where you can learn just about any technique you can think of. Plus, magazines and books are available from local libraries.

Attending college for fine art is cost-prohibitive for many people, especially since a fine art education does not produce any qualifications for well-paying jobs. Engaging in ‘self-education’ allows an artist to save money and learn what they want to learn, at their own pace, instead of being forced through the college structure.

On the other hand, there are undeniable benefits to learning art techniques firsthand from a skilled artist – whether it involves watching an art professor paint on a canvas in a certain style, or looking over the shoulder of artists sketching at a figure drawing workshop. Those benefits can’t be gained from self-education.

As you can see, there are many pros and cons to getting an art education versus self-educating. Is either one better, or are they just different? What do you think?

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