Selected Upcoming Exhibits by Informed Collector Artists [...]

In a corporately culturized society that extols team playership and carpeted cubicles, Bogart’s unconventionality is something to admire, and artists fighting to make their name known in a changing world can pick up some ideas from Sam Spade or Rick Blaine or Sam Dobbs. Being a maverick, however, does not apply when it comes to entering art shows – and following the attendant directions regarding shipping the paintings, filling out the paperwork, or writing the bio. [...]

Scratch the normal surface of what it is you do, and how you do it, and why you do it, and see if novelty is a story hook worth your consideration. And even if it isn’t, understand that you yourself are also a novelty. And I mean that in the nicest possible way. [...]

Recent Awards for Jennifer McChristian featured: 'Pietons' selected as a Finalist in the June 2011 BoldBrush Painting Competition and as a Finalist in the June 2011 RayMar Art's Fine Art Competition. 'The Transfer' selected as a Finalist in the July 2011 BoldBrush Painting Competition. 'Rendezvous' selected as a Finalist in the August 2011 BoldBrush Painting Competition. 'Lahaina Leisure' selected as a Finalist in the August 2011 RayMar Painting Competition. [...]

Our esteemed judge, Trent Gudmundsen, has completed the judging of the August 2011 BoldBrush painting competition. [...]

This is part two on using straight lines to block in subjects in the drawing stage of a painting. [...]

CJ Follini is a film producer, real estate investor and digital media entrepreneur . He is also the founder and CEO of COMPANY -- www.welcometocompany.com -- an art website “for collectors by collectors”. [...]

'Days' Work Done' by Dee Beard Dean was selected as a Finalist in the June 2011 BoldBrush Painting Competition. [...]

I (and many others) have suggested that you should send “Thank You” cards on a regular basis. Most of the time I send a card that has an image of one of my paintings printed on it. But recently, I wanted to send something a bit more personal and significant. [...]

'Charlotte' and 'Summer Apples' by Richard Christian Nelson received FAV 15% acknowledgments in the BoldBrush Competition. [...]

We all know that a physical or mental disability has the potential of reducing the production ability of an individual -- for a physically or mentally disabled artist that decrease can, potentially, be far more alarming -- far more painful. [...]

Okay, okay, none of us are islands and all that and we all work together as a team and many hands make the job lighter and we learn at the master’s feet and ad infinitum, but if you are an artist driving and pushing yourself to be at the top of your form, you might find group situations a bit confining, and rather than wonder what’s wrong with you, I suggest you turn the situation around and recognize that, for highly individualized persons like artists, the group is not always the best place to grow. [...]

Selected Upcoming Exhibits by Informed Collector Artists [...]

Yes, I love my iPhone and I use it everywhere. And one of the reasons I got it was so that I will be able to save time and use a lot of the dead-minutes during the day in a productive way. You don’t have to have an iPhone specifically. I am sure other smartphones will do just as well. [...]

2 Finalist awards for Kathleen Dunphy! Spring Aspens selected as a Finalist in the June 2011 BoldBrush Painting Competition. Windswept selected as a Finalist in the July 2011 BoldBrush Painting Competition. [...]

One of the biggest problems I've observed happens to be artists giving up on local art opportunities, local art galleries, and local art shows before they have had a chance to explore what is available within their region. [...]

Vandalog has quickly risen to become one of the most visited street art blogs in the world. With a stable of contributing and guest writers Vandalog offers up to date information about street art -- as the blog declares, if something matters in the world of street art, you can read about it on Vandalog. [...]

On the serious side, there are sales to be made if we don’t get down in the dumps. We sometimes get caught up in the daily negative news and think all is lost. Please let me remind you, only 5 percent of the folks in the United States have ever walked into an art gallery. I don’t know the number of those that buy. Artists are already dealing with a precious few. Even that few leaves us several million people who love art enough to walk into a gallery. All we want is 50 new clients and 50 old buyers each year and we can live pretty high on the hog. For those of you much better educated than me, that means the meat is more tender higher up on the leg. [...]

I found the process valuable as it made me write down, in one place, a lot of information I had scattered across our blog posts and in my head. Since we don't know how much of the information will be used in the actual article, the interviewer, John Parks, kindly gave me permission to post my answers here even before the article is published. I've cleaned up the raw answers I sent him (there was a deadline) and expanded a bit upon them. I hope you find some useful information in them. [...]

'la danseuse solitaire' by William Suys was selected as a Finalist in the June 2011 BoldBrush Painting Competition. [...]

The idea of garnering regional success is a subject that I've tackled in the past on FAV. I firmly believe that artists should place focus on regional art success -- I have this opinion due to economic reasons and because, in my humble opinion, artists have a cultural responsibility to improve and preserve the arts in their region. Artists need to put their conditioned 'big city' dreams of international art stardom aside. [...]

'Autumn's End' by Romona Youngquist was selected as a Finalist in the May 2011 RayMar Art's Fine Art Competition. [...]

To be considered fine art does the art itself take on a higher level of importance than the creator’s idea? Or does the strength of the idea automatically contribute to the advancement of art for art’s sake? If there is honesty in a work of art, by virtue of the intent, does that art promote the advancement of art and leave a lasting mark on society? What about an honest work that lacks skill? Is it still a true work of art? [...]

'What are you looking at?' by Magaly Gouveia was selected as Outstanding Pastel in the June 2011 BoldBrush Painting Competition. [...]

I've been researching online art groups lately. My focus has been on art groups ranging from Facebook art groups to art groups found on commercial art sites, such as deviantART groups. This aspect of the online art community can be a great source of feedback for artists who are focused on gaining exposure for their art online. However, the effectiveness of involvement with online art groups in regard to art marketing overall is a mixed bag. [...]

please remember, if the world loses a single work of art you could have produced because you got sucked into playing Farmville, well, that would be, quite frankly, tragic. [...]

Selected Upcoming Exhibits by Informed Collector Artists [...]

We can, however, choose to be superb artists, whether or not we are invited into the middle of the circle -- and indeed, the likelihood that we reach our potential as artists increases when we decrease our dependence upon the group, the group's policies, the group's likes and dislikes, the group's approbation or censure. [...]

I'll admit it... I was a painting snob during those early college years. However, my attitude changed once I had to take a clay sculpting class as one of the requirements for my art major. I went into it thinking that it would be the old 'ashtray' a-go-go once again. After all, "Painting is the only serious form of art", right? [...]

In my opinion visible digital watermarks are a distraction -- they complicate the viewing experience. Point blank -- visible digital watermarking becomes an obstacle for art marketing online -- an obstacle spurred by insecurity and fear. [...]

'INTO THE DEPTHS (UNDERWATER SCENE)' by Faith Germishuizen was selected as Outstanding Abstract in the June 2011 BoldBrush Painting Competition. [...]

I believe we are not at our BEST if we try to shine our light over the entire landscape, we're too diffuse and (dare I say) too generalized when we do; however, when we can focus that light, we shine into a beam of concentrated energy (like sunlight through a magnifying glass) then OUR 1 THING cannot be overlooked or ever missed. [...]

please don't characterize this post as me telling you not to use Facebook. [2] If it adds value to your life, use it. In your marketing, just don't forget all the people who don't. They aren't second class buyers and might just be first class ones. [...]

Most everyone uses straight lines when drawing buildings and boxed like shapes, but it almost seems ironic that one should use bone-straight lines to draw figures, rounded fruits, hills, and tree foliage. Here, I'll share some examples of how artists (Daniel Keys and Richard Schmid) use straight lined drawings when blocking in their painting compositions. [...]

'Micoette Box' by Abel Marquez was selected as Outstanding Pastel in the June 2011 BoldBrush Painting Competition. [...]

'Ruby' by C.C. Opiela was selected as Outstanding Acrylic in the June 2011 BoldBrush Painting Competition. [...]

As an artist, you go to great lengths to make sure your artwork looks just right before selling it. You want your artwork to look good, so why not the packaging it comes in? [...]

'wren' by Tom Heflin was selected as Outstanding Watercolor in the June 2011 BoldBrush Painting Competition. [...]

I'm finding that many artists are concerned with how the price of registering individual works of art can add up. Thus, registering a series of paintings as a collection is far more affordable than registering the images individually. [...]

There is another aspect of art framing that appears to be trending within various circles of the art world -- that being, the concept that unique frames can become part of ones art brand. [...]