http://articles.fineartfulgifts.com/rss.xml A blog about fineartfulgifts.com daily 365 1901-01-01T00:00+00:00 http://articles.fineartfulgifts.com/?a=35635 <p>by Gregg Hall</p><p>I have loved folk art paintings since I was a child. I spent a lot of time with my grandmother and her house was full of them. One of my favorites that she had was done by John Roeder. Maybe it's because I spent a lot of time playing in my tree house, that the trees in the picture appealed to me so much. When she died, she left me the painting and it hangs in a place of honor over my fireplace mantle.<br /><br />One of my favorite paintings was done in 1962 by Bill Dodge. It's called First Trolley to Van Nuys and shows the center of a town filled with people. It is done in vibrant colors and also depicts the buildings in the market like an ice cream parlor and the Hotel Van Nuys. <br /><br />Another painting that I admire is called Howard in 1944. It was painted in 1988 by Reverend Howard Finster and is done in enamel. I don't know whose smile is bigger, the one in the painting or the one on my face every time I look at it.<br /><br />There is a subcategory of folk art paintings that depict the world of black Americans. I have a friend who collects these and I found one of a woman reclining in a hammock. She looked so relaxed, that I could imagine what it felt like to lie there myself. I personally don't have any of these in my collection, since I like to collect pieces that I can relate to. Still, they are a joy to behold. <br /><br />One of the most famous American artists is Thomas Chambers. I don't particularly care for his art. I saw a painting he did of a fishing scene but I chose not to buy it. <br /><br />There is a water scene that I really like painted in 1940. It's of a swamp house on a bayou and has a Louisiana feel to it. It's called Alligator Fisher and I'm thinking about getting because it reminds me of my cajun heritage, most of my family is from Louisiana.<br /><br />The painting that has touched me the most features a sad little girl and is called A Letter From My Mother. It's a beautiful painting but it's just too depressing to hang anywhere. I'll find someone to give it to.<br /><br />My sister also shares my love for folk art. It's pretty funny to me that when we were growing up, she'd cry because she wasn't allowed to play football with the boys and I used to tease her relentlessly and pull her pigtails whenever I got the chance. Now we're very close. She favors animal prints, and I found one that depicts leopards and gave it to her for her birthday. It's too bad my parents didn't let her play football with us. If she could kick the ball they way she liked to kick me in the knee, I'd see to it she played for my team every time.</p><h3 class="popup">About the Author </h3><p>Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Florida. Find more about this as well as Art Prints at <a href="http://www.fineartfulgifts.com/">http://www.fineartfulgifts.com</a></p> 2006-09-03T00:13-04:00 http://articles.fineartfulgifts.com/?a=35634 <p>by Gregg Hall </p><p>I'm a buyer and collector of abstract paintings. There are few things I like more than finding ones that appeal to me. My favorite type of painting is done in gouache and I have several favorite artists. <br /><br />I know a lot of men spend their weekends playing golf or lurking in home improvement stores. I spend mine prowling garage sales. It's amazing what people will sell for a pittance because they don't recognize the value of what they own. Last weekend I purchased a painting done by Oscar Bluemner. The owner had it stored in her attic and thought it might have belonged to her dad. I got it at a steal.<br /><br />I'm not always so lucky, though. I paid through the teeth for a work signed by Louis Bassi Siegriest. It was painted in 1947 and the composition was calming to me. I really didn't mind the price, because to me the painting was worth it.<br /><br />Last year my sister finally graduated college and got her own digs. As a house warming gift I found an oil painting done by Leonardo Nierman. I considered getting a frame to go with it, but decided to let her choose that herself, at my expense of course.<br /><br />Another great painting that I bought is by Joanne Riddle. It's called Trade Winds and it's one of the best pieces that I own. It's a huge painting and has a vibrant blue color. It was so big, I had to pay extra to have it shipped to my house.<br /><br />I used to go out with a woman that had a painting done by Robert Gilberg. It was a signed abstract and it had almost a chameleon effect, since every time I gazed at it, it seemed different. <br /><br />I have an aunt that shares my love of abstracts and her favorite artist is Lou Monti. I found one of these great paintings during a trip to Arizona and had it shipped to her from there. She promised to bake me some of her famous butter cookies and I plan to take her up on that.<br /><br />My Grandfather was career military and is very patriotic. I had seen a modern abstract done in red white and blue hanging in town hall. I tried like mad to get them to sell it to me, but no one seemed to have the authority so I had to give it up. Too bad, it would have looked perfect over his mantle.<br /><br />I tried to get my only nephew interested in abstracts. I bought one painted by Richard Diebenkorn at a good price on eBay, but I misjudged the size and it was too big for his studio apartment. I ended up reselling it at a profit, so it actually turned out well. With some of the profit, I purchased a smaller one done in 1927 and it fit well on his wall. I don't know if he really liked it, but at least he seemed to and that's good enough for me.</p><h3 class="popup">About the Author </h3><p>Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Florida. Find more about this as well as Fine Art Prints at <a href="http://www.fineartfulgifts.com/">http://www.fineartfulgifts.com</a></p> 2006-09-03T00:10-04:00 http://articles.fineartfulgifts.com/?a=35244 <p>by Gregg Hall</p><p>The nostalgia of the 80's has been simmering in the fashion world for several years. It is perhaps not a surprise that the pop culture of the 80's is also rearing its head in the art world. <br /><br />We have seen graffiti, which was once considered a vulgar expression of inner-city youth, become a tool for marketers and embraced as a creative outlet for urban artists. <br /><br />This was made apparent on a recent episode of 'The Apprentice', Donald Trump's reality program aimed to select a candidate from a group of smart, resourceful and business minded men and women. One of the tasks given to them on the series included creating an advertisement for a new game. They were to create a graffiti inspired advertisement on the side of a building to be used as a billboard. <br /><br />Well, if Donald Trump has given his approval<br /><br />Speaking of games, another big hit in the 80's was video games - Pac Man, Mario Brothers and others were played by most teens at one time or another. These teens are now adults looking back with a hint of nostalgia at their youth, despite the fact that it was only 15-20 years ago. But technology changes quickly and so these icons of the 80's are now being featured in art galleries like Gallery Nineteen Eighty Eight in Hollywood. <br /><br />The gallery features pieces that take a contemporary look at video games and is possibly helping to create a new genre in the field. <br /><br />A painting depicting Pac Man as over-the-hill and on a drip of pellets went for $3000 according to a Reuters press release. <br /><br />The artist, Greg Simkins, claimed he started out by painting graffiti in back alleys before working with canvas. And he's not the only one bringing this strange combination of video and art to the public. <br /><br />So what should we expect in the next five years? Well, for the art world change is always good, although often criticized in its formative years. So we may have to wait and see if 'video-game art' will make a solid stand in the art community. What we do know is that the original game players are now coming into their 40's and anyone under that age will have grown up with video games as a part of their childhood, just as 'I Love Lucy' was a part of another generations'. Because of that, the images will likely have an emotional pull and impact on new and existing collectors today.</p><h3 class="popup">About the Author </h3><p>Gregg Hall is a business consultant and author for many online and offline businesses and lives in Navarre Florida. For fine artful gifts go to <a href="http://www.fineartfulgifts.com/">http://www.fineartfulgifts.com</a></p> 2006-07-29T20:47-04:00