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Showing posts with the label Inspiration

Public Domain Images From The Art Institute of Chicago

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The Art Institute of Chicago has scanned and put over 50,000 high resolution images of the art in their collection online. To make it even better, they have released these images under a license that puts them in the public domain. There is a search page for the collection that also include filters for such things as artist, date range, medium, etc. It is great that they provided images with this level of detail. Here are just a few examples: The Death of the Virgin Flight from Pompeii Server You can see the cross hatch patterns in  Abraham Francen, Apothecary by Rembrandt van Rijn You can even see the individual dot of paint in Georges Seurat’s  A Sunday on La Grande Jatte — 1884 .

Quartz Article: Drawing Is The Best Way To Learn

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I read an article titled " Drawing Is the Best Way to Learn, Even If You’re No Leonardo Da Vinci ." Design historian D.B. Dowd makes the claim that “We have misfiled the significance of drawing because we see it as a professional skill instead of a personal capacity.” People are so often afraid to draw because they feel that the end result will not meet some artistic standard. Most drawing is not intended to end up framed. It does not need to be intimidating. Some drawing is simply for communication. Some drawing is, as Dowd asserts, for learning. Taking the time to look at something and trying to draw it allows you to understand it better. Even attempting to draw something from your imagination causes you to reflect more deeply. Spending time to think, reflect, and learn makes drawing well worth the while, even if you are not "creating art." Please read the article and let me know what you think. Thank you!

Psychology Today: Creativity, Happiness and Your Own Two Hands

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" Creativity, Happiness and Your Own Two Hands " is an article on the Psychology Today site that discusses how purposeful hand use enhances well-being in a technologically saturated culture. It reminded me of this carving by Travis Bryant. Hopefully you are experiencing the benefits of making things with your hands. If you would like to learn about wood carving, please let me know.

Baylor Armstrong Browning Library

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Doug Oliver sent along the following photos he took on a visit to the  Armstrong Browning Library on the Baylor University  campus. I think fine art in a place of learning can inspire the student. Thanks, Doug.

2011 North Texas Wood Carvers Guild Rhapsody in Wood Show

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This past weekend I had the pleasure of attending the 2011 Rhapsody in Wood Show & Sell put on by the  North Texas Wood Carvers Guild . I saw some great carvings, turnings, wood burnings and scroll saw work. The best part, however, was visiting with some very fine individuals. If you attended the show, let me know what you thought. If not, and you happen to be in the North Texas area on the first weekend of March 2012, I'd love to see you at the next Rhapsody in Wood show.

Google Art Project

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Some readers of this site may remember my post about ultra high resolution images of masterpieces from the Uffizi Gallery . Well, Google has taken this idea to the next level with their Google Art Project . The site lets you explore famous museums and zoom in on the details of many works. You can see close up the fantastic details in a painting like The Ambassadors . Following are a few videos that give you an idea of what you can see and do at Google Art Project . Have a look and let me know if you think this will be an aid to your art creation and appreciation.

Ian Norbury's Website Redesign and Blog

I recently became aware that Ian Norbury's website underwent a redesign. This was an opportunity to see some of his more recent carving. If you are not familiar with the talent of Ian Norbury, you should have a look at his site. While looking at Ian's site, I found out that he has a blog at http://inorbury.blogspot.com . On his blog, he provides some great insights into the process of creating his unique carving. Check out post such as this post or this one .

Carved Alter at St. Martin's Luthern Church in Austin

Doug Oliver sent along this link to a site with some beautiful carvings from St. Martin's in Austin that he came across while doing research. http://issuu.com/ stmartinsaustin/docs/final_ art_book?mode=embed&layout= http%3A%2F%2Fskin.issuu.com% 2Fv%2Fdark%2Flayout.xml& showFlipBtn=true Have a look and let me know what you think.

Miniature Pencil Tip Sculptures By Dalton Ghetti

A fellow carver sent me a link to these miniature pencil tip sculptures by Dalton Ghetti. You can see some of additional photos of his work from an exhibition at the Silvermine Guild Arts Center. Have a look and let me know what you think.

Ultra High Resolution Images of Masterpieces from the Uffizi Gallery

The folks at http://www.haltadefinizione.com/  have scanned masterpieces by Leonardo da Vinci, Caravaggio, Botticelli and others at incredibly high resolutions. You can zoom in to see the finest details of the brush strokes. You can even see any cracks that may have appeared in the paint. This is likely more detail than you would be able to see in person without magnification. I think we can learn a lot from studying the works of past masters. Have a look and let me know what you think.

Quotes from Today's Readings to Consider

Two excerpts from what I read this morning struck me as applicable to the world of art: "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims his handiwork. Day pours out the word to day, and night to night imparts knowledge." (from Psalm 19) and... "Ever since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes of eternal power and divinity have been able to be understood and perceived in what he has made." (Romans 1:20) This is just something to think about.

The 2008 International Woodcarvers Congress

The latest issue of Woodcarvers Online Magazine has some really great photos from the 2008 International Woodcarvers Congress in Davenport, Iowa. Check out all the photos of the winning carvings, exhibits and seminars.

Robert F. McGovern

Robert McGovern is an Emeritus Professor, University of the Arts, Philadelphia PA. He is a talented painter, print maker and sculptor. He has done extensive commission works throughout the United States as well as illustrating many books. I fund this artist's bio which has some images of his woodcarvings. Some more of his work can be seen at this exhibition page . I also read that he lectures on the concerns surrounding religious art in our times (which I feel is a very important subject for discussion.)