My first impression of this artwork is an intense, stimulating man with an element of humour captured in his eyes.
In this artwork I can see great texture in the subject’s face, with a dark shadow adding a hint of sinisterness. The right-hand side of the subject’s face is shadowed …

If you visit London one of the attractions you mustn’t miss is The National Gallery. With its permanent collection of Western European paintings, which spans the period from about 1250 to 1900, there is so much to see.
Housed in a neoclassical building overlooking Trafalgar Square, the Gallery has over …

We live in Baltimore and Washington DC is just a short forty five minute drive from home. We have visited the National Musuem of Art. This is part of the Smithsonian and it is a public museum that there is not a charge to get in. …

I bought this sharpener, because it was recommended to me by my art professor. She suggested that its triple circling blade makes it an ideal sharpener for pricey art pencils. Consisting of titanium bonded blades, the manufacturer claims that they are durable and will remain sharper longer. …

“Mulberry Tree” painted by Vincent Van Gogh is one of his emotional pieces to me. At first glance you immediately think of winter which is usually a gloomy and sad time of the year, but the more you study the painting you begin to realize how sad it …

Josephine Wall’s mystical painting entitled “Spirit of Flight” is not only magically designed to stir the imagination, but creates a sense of the unknown world all around us. This feeling is a feeling that most adults rarely come across upon leaving childhood behind. We begin to rationalize reality and …

“Seascape At Saintes-Maries” painted by Vincent Van Gogh is a beautiful painting of sailboats out at sea.
First, I am an enormous lover of water–no matter if it is in a bathtub or the unknown depths of the ocean–and I loved the fact that Van Gogh did another painting of …

“I am scared, I stand up” was painted with acrylic on canvas in 1976 in Auckland, New Zealand. McCahon has worked been exposed to many artists through his studies, his travels and his jobs. He has worked in the Auckland City Art Gallery, lectured at the University of Auckland …

“Connections I” painted by Eva Shpritser is a geometric abstract painting created in medium-tone colors.
First, I like the medium tones of the painting: there is a mixture of burgundy, olive green, brown, and tan. The thing that is most interesting about this abstract painting is how the colors seem …

Sculpey Clay is one of the better brands of clay to use. You can buy these at craft stores like Michaels and Hobby Lobby for around two dollars each. Personally, I think think the clay is a little pricey because if I want to make things with a lot …

I have a friend who has season tickets to the OKC Symphony, and I have benefitted from that this year, as he has taken me several times. The seats are right in the middle of the mezzanine, so the view is great, although you still need binoculars to …

Baltimore may be a small city compared to other metropolitan cities, but we have the same things that other major cities do. One of our favorite things is to go to museums. We have a great art Gallery here in Baltimore, the Walters Art Gallery.
It is …

Pablo Picasso’s work has always been amazing and far out of the ordinary from what everyone was used to seeing. The Old Guitarist is no exception to it either but like every one of Picasso’s painting they each hold a unique message to the viewer. Perhaps his message is …

“Log Cabin Retreat” by Sung Kim is what I would consider a mixture of scenic and landscape painting of a cabin log somewhere in the mountains.
First, I love the richness and deepness of the colors of the retreat site. Again, I like the faint white in the background …

When I was a child I was terrified of the Sandman. I figured he would be a scary man who forced children to sleep with magic dust. Needless to say, I didn’t find him to be a something positive to aiding children to sleep. However, after seeing Josephine Wall’s …

The Aguinaldo museum is located in a place called Jungletown by the locals. The huge statue of Gen. Aguinaldo atop a horse as well as the museum is a landmark in Baguio City, and many tourists used to flock to this place. Through the years though the visitors have …

“Peach Tree in Bloom” painted by Vincent Van Gogh is a scenic painting of a single peach tree growing in someone’s backyard. I think this painting of the peach tree is visually stunning.
First, I love how visually stunning the colors are in this painting. It reminds me of the …

This is a newer Fimo addition. When I realized I needed something like this I went to the hobby store and they said it has been on sale for only a few days now. Although in a way this product is untested I decided to go with this product, …

Thinking of some fancy pens to decorate your art pieces? Don’t look far. Get some Gelly Roll Pens to do the job for you. I love using Gelly Roll Pen. Just 1 will make my day. Working in the office, you will need to use this …

Painstiks are the inventive combination of acrylic paints and oil pastels, and quite possibly the best excuse to revert back to finger painting. Paintstiks are extremely fun to use; they have a self-sealing outer layer that you peel off each time you want to use them, so they’re always …

I have bought many artist brushes over the years but none as good as Artiste multi-pack paint brushes in sizes 1-12 from a local area business. These paint brushes ar designed for oil and acrylic paintings and I have long realized the value of using horse hair bristle brushes …

Josephine Wall’s painting entitled “An Even Smaller World” is a rare piece of art that captures a world that is even smaller than the world shown by the fairy that is depicted in the painting. I find the colors of this painting to be Earthy and natural, and the …

During the course of my college career, many of my professor’s have given assignments where they asked the class to visit the Appleton Museum of Art of the College of Central Florida in Ocala Florida to complete an art critique. It is safe to say that I have spent …

Starry night is a great display of Vincent Van Gogh at his best. This painting was made completely by memory. It shows an amazing night view of a small town with a mountain side behind it. A creative sky will have you pondering the meaning for days.
I absolutely love …

Josephine Wall has mesmerized me yet again with this magical painting entitled “Heart and Soul”. There is nothing short of wonder and beauty behind this painting that is taken straight out of fairy tale dream. With so many aspects of this painting, and the intricate details that the artist …

I bought this cleaner primarily because I’ve started taking a painting class at my college, so I use oil paints quite frequently. Oil, like charcoal, is a very difficult material to wash off of anything - especially brushes. Normal soap just doesn’t work at all, and other brands (like …

I was looking for a store that sold art supplies at affordable prices and in bulk if I needed it and that is when I accidentally stumbled across Blick Art Materials.
My main purpose for shopping at Blick Art Materials was to purchase sketching books, colored pencils, markers, charcoal pencils, …

I am not a big art museum person, so visiting this museum was not at all my idea. My daughter was writing a college paper on twentieth century art. She always talked me into this kind of thing by saying it is for school. So here I go, off …

The Callaway Gardens Christmas Fantasy in Lights is a work of art. After shopping in a tent full of gorgeous Christmas d’cor, I found my way to the long, open air trolley that took me through an hour’s worth of Christmas lights. I expected to see a light display, …

Anne Geddes artistic photography of babies is sure to bring a smile to the face of any adult or child. Not only do I find Anne’s portraits to be creative, and fun, but I think that her idea to take babies and take pictures of their many amusing …

I first saw some of Mary Cassatt’s paintings at the Art Institute in Chicago a few years ago and marveled at her work. Before that I don’t think I had heard of this talented American and female Impressionist. I managed to see a few more of her paintings a …

“Thatched Cottages At Cordeville Auvers Sur Oise” painted by Vincent Van Gogh is a painting of a cottage in some sort of village or countryside. I actually tried researching Cordeville Auvers Sur Oise, but didn’t have much luck except for an address in France. Therefore, I concluded the place …

I thought the message of this story is quite disturbing and rather sad. There are so many tales of people experiencing all sorts of physical and emotional pains throughout their life yet they manage to break away from it. Everything in the real world is temporary and can be …

Recently I had re-visited the gallery one of the most famous Lithuanian artists- Kazys Simonis. Kazys Simonis’s paintings and drawings are a distinctive phenomenon in Lithuanian art of the 20th century. Throughout his long life (1887-1978) being a witness of great historical changes, Kazys Simonis aimed in his …

The painting entitled “Rain Princess” by Leonid Afremov is a beautifully painted creation that captivates a moment where a young girl is almost having some magical power over the rain, yet she is doing nothing but holding an umbrella.
In this painting, a girl has her back turned to the …

The painting entitled “Millennium Tree” by Josephine Wall was one of her most touching pieces for me. While I thoroughly enjoy her other paintings and find them not only moving but magical as well with the fantasy world that she creates on the canvas, I found this painting in …

The painting entitled “Wisteria Moon” by Josephine Wall catches the love that has fallen over two fairies out for a nightly boat ride. Not only are the figures painted to perfection, but the canvas tells a story that is not only magical, but enchanting in the love that is …

Thomas Eakin’s The Gross Clinic is upon first glances exactly as the name sounds, gross. With dark colors, this painting sets an extremely grim and foreboding setting. The second my eyes are set onto the painting when I visit the Philadelphia Art Museum, I am transported to a time …

The painting entitled “Autumn Park” by Leonid Afremov is a heartwarming painting that captures the very best memories of the fall season. It shows nature at its best as well as the special bond between family, which looks like a mother and her son.
In this painting, there are …

“Gallery Steps” by Sung Kim is a painting of stairs incased in between what appears to be various art galleries.
First, I love the colors in this painting because it gives you an old world feeling. I like the small hint of tan and how it travels up the buildings. …

“Starry Night” painted by Vincent Van Gogh is probably one of his most recognized pieces. I remember seeing the painting at an early age in my language arts textbook in elementary and middle school as well as my English textbooks in high school.
I like “Starry Night” because of Van …

You may or may not know this but the rhythm guitarist and singer in kiss is also an established painter. I had no clue that he had the artistic ability until I saw an advertisement for his painitngs to be sold along with a meat in greet in …

In this enchantingly beautiful painting entitled “Fairy Bubbles” by Josephine Wall, a mesmerizing portrait is created that peeks into a world from a fairy tale. No artist I have ever seen has matched the talents of Josephine Wall when it comes to painting images from the imagination and fantasy …

The painting entitled “Pink Snow” by Leonid Afremov is a touching piece of art that gives a new twist to paintings of snow. This winter scene is sure to give you a the urge to brew some hot chocolate and enjoy the wonders of winter before the seasons change …

Anime North is an anime convention that happens every year made for fans and ran by fans. I’ve heard much of it when I was younger, but I was not allowed to go until last year. Let me introduce some of the features before talking about what I thought …

Who can forget the long and lazy summer days that seem to always bring happy memories to us all? I can’t, and Josephine Wall’s painting entitled “Bygone Summers” is a great remembrance of how I would spend my summer days.
This painting shows a beautiful girl with strawberry blonde hair …

The Winter’s Tale as the Oregon Shakespeare Festival
I recently saw The Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s current production of Shakespeare’s, the Winters Tale. I enjoyed it very much. I’ve seen this play performed numerous times at various venues, including OSF so I’m very familiar with it.
The play was staged in the …

I’ve been using Red Heart yarn for the last year or two. Over that time, I’ve found that the company produces more types and colors of yarn than I can count. And so far, all of the yarn that I’ve used for my various knitting projects has been high …

One of the most reliable brands when it comes to ballpoint pens is Parker. I have been using this ballpen eversince we were allowed to use ballpoint pens back in high school. My first Parker pen was a Jotter Ballpoint Pen with a maroon-colored barrel which was given to …

When we were in Phoenix AZ a few years ago during our time there we went to the Heard Museum. We wanted to see they Southwestern exhibits by the local Indians that we were told were there. We were able to view both traditional and Native American …