Some tips in finding perfect fabric prints for your project.

Colorful fabric prints often are very expensive and people spend hundreds of dollars per year just to find the perfect high quality fabrics they need for their project. Many experienced designers and seamstresses are constantly searching for great fabric prints just to be frustrated because they are unable to find the perfect one. Novice seamstresses might not know which kind of fabric prints to use, while the fashionably distressed may not be able to pair colored fabric prints well. Sometimes, finding the right fabric needs to be done with the help of a store’s expertise.

Before you start any creative project, you should have an idea of the type of material your fabric prints will need to be in order to complete your project. Most projects work well with cotton fabric prints, and this is good news because of how durable cotton can be. Fabric prints that are made in cotton also hold their colors well without fading. Some more exotic projects might need faux fur, while others may need silk or lace. Once place to find the perfect fabric for your project is fabricprints.org.

Now it’s time to start getting down to the fun part by choosing your fabric prints.

Have fun!

It is now so easy to buy an Antique Online. The choice of antiques out there is huge and it is now very easy to purchase items with a good deal of protection as internet technologies have really improved. Many Antique Online websites are very easy to use and the biggest players attract some really fantastic collectable pieces. I have seen, for example, grandfather clocks that are truly astounding.

My particular area of expertise is antique jewelry. You can buy a huge selection of Antique Online jewelry and there is so much information available on the internet to help you choose the right piece for your collection. Buying an Antique Online is fun, it is easy and can soon turn into a hobby where you can meet other like-minded people.

Perhaps it is your intention to trade your Antique Online. This is the smart choice as you can post a picture of the antique on the internet and reach hundreds of thousands of prospective purchasers instantly. The advantages are obvious – imagine if you had a little store down some back street – how many customers will you get each day? Perhaps 10 or 20 people per day? Lets just say 100 come through the door each week – compare that to the hundreds of thousands surfing the internet looking for your Antique Online.

Oryza sativa is presented by an exciting new artist, Ziva! Art of RetroCollage presents her vibrant yet delicately colored florals and antique botanicals, will suit almost any decor or setting.
Ziva’s new postings and artwork are added often on RetroCollage.com. More — coming soon!

Rice, the most versatile grain, popular in virtually every culture. The influence of rice on humankind reaches far back in time. 2004 was the International Year of Rice. (Digital artwork and description copyright 2011, Ziva Details of the limited time promotional sale (50% discount!) at http://blog.retrocollage.com/limited-time-promotion-oryza-sativa-by-ziva/ Only a few left at this special price. Available on canvas, paper, and as notecards. More artwork at Art of RetroCollage blog, with articles about art techniques, all things collage, inspiration, aesthetics, and more…

Few eras of history are as interesting or important to the development of Western civilization as the Italian Renaissance, and the period was important for more reasons than one.

Most people associate the Italian Renaissance with enlightenment, a time when people emerged from the Dark Ages and started to embrace things like science and technology. That is certainly accurate, and the world would not be the same if those things hadn’t happened.

The Italian Renaissance was also the time of major breakthroughs in art, music and literature, and a great time of cultural change, as well. It really was a turning point in the history, and that is why it literally means “rebirth.”

Some of the greatest artwork in world history comes form the Italian Renaissance. Paintings like the “Mona Lisa” and “The Last Supper” by Leonardo da Vinci were both created during this period, as was Michelangelo’s statue of David and the painting of the Sistine Chapel ceiling.

The composer Giovanni Palestrina was also a product of the Italian Renaissance and composed some of the most beautiful sacred music ever written. His music is still performed to this day, and he is easily the most noted of all composers from this period.

Such writers as Dante Alighieri, Petrarch and Giovanni Boccaccio created some of the greatest works in the history of world literature. All three are prime examples of Italian Renaissance writers. Dante’s “Divine Comedy” is typically regarded as one of the greatest literary works of all time.

Going back to Leonardo da Vinci, not only was he a great painter, but he was an inventor, mathematician, scientist and many other things. The term “Renaissance man” comes from people like Leonardo da Vinci, who were proficient in a variety of academic disciplines and occupations.

Niccolo Machiavelli is another example of a Renaissance man and was a brilliant writer and political philosopher. His book “The Prince” is still read in most colleges and universities throughout the world.

The Italian Renaissance spawned so many great thinkers, inventors, artists, musicians and writers that it is difficult to imagine what the world would be like if at not been for the era. People still reflect on that period of history with reverence and awe and wonder how so many great and enlightened minds and historical figures came from a period right after the Dark Ages, when books were burned.

As an Irish-American, I have always been very fond of the book “How the Irish saved Civilization,” which explains how when the rest of Europe went into the Dark Ages, Ireland did not, and a lot of the great ancient works of literature were preserved by Irish monks.

The Italian Renaissance has given us so much more art, music and literature that it makes you realize that there were a lot more Europeans that were thirsting for enlightenment as well.

You may be also be interested in my ancient coins website.

Have you been thinking about starting an art collection? If so it can be a very rewarding hobby especially for those that enjoy the visual arts. There are several types of paintings and contemporary art paintings are one type that has grown in popularity recently. Some other collected works include impressionists and Southwest style paintings.

Starting your own contemporary artist paintings collection is also a great way to get children involved at an early age in art. Getting them interested while they are in early childhood can be a great way to captivate their attention and give them focus on creating their own works of art. This could also possibly lead them down a path of creativity and visual exploration which they may not have gone down otherwise.

Collecting Folk Art Paintings – First Trolley To Van Nuys

Collecting folk art paintings has become a passion of mine.  I’ve been looking for them everywhere it seems.  I found a bunch of folk art paintings recently and I am having trouble deciding which one to buy.

There was a folk art painting by Rev. Howard Finster that is titled Howard in 1944.  This is an all enamel folk art painting that was painted in 1988.  The smile on this portrait is very engaging and makes me smile just as big.

I am also really taken by a folk art painting that was painted by painter Bill Dodge in Oct 1962.  The title of the painting is First Trolley To Van Nuys.  The painting is on board and depicts the center of town with all the people in town.  They are in the windows and on the street.  The town market, bakery, Hotel Van Nuys, an ice cream parlor and the Wing Lee Laundry are all depicted in vibrant color.  The women in the foreground are against the Trolley and their signs say “Ban the Monster” and “Keep Van Nuys rural”.

Thomas Chambers is one of America’s foremost folk artists.  I found a piece by him that I just don’t like very much.  It is a bit austere for my tastes.  The subject is a fishing scene with villagers and boats.  I don’t think that I will purchase this folk art painting because I just don’t like it.

There was a folk art painting I found called Alligator Fisher that was painted in 1940 that I really like.  The blue of the bayou is very calming and the trees give it a very Southern feel.  There is a swamp house in the painting and I like this one very much.  It reminds me very strongly of Louisiana.

My mother started this passion of mine for folk art paintings.  She had a folk art painting by John Roeder in our parlor growing up.  I used to spend hours just staring into it.  The trees were so relaxing to lose myself in.  I have asked her to give me this wonderful folk art painting many times, but she says that I will have to wait until after her funeral!

I found one folk art painting during my journey that I felt sad every time I looked at.  The name of the painting is A Letter from My Mother.  The look in the girl’s face is so serious and sad.  I have no idea where this folk art painting should hang.  The painting itself is magnificent; it just makes me feel sad.

There is a whole subset of folk art paintings that represent black Americana.  I don’t usually buy any of these pieces as they don’t speak to my experience.  I did find one piece that I purchased for a collector friend of mine that loves this type of art.  The folk art painting had a whimsical feel to it and a woman relaxing in a hammock.  He hung this in his hallway and has loved it for a long time.

My brother likes folk art paintings as much as I do.  He prefers animals to be the subjects of paintings he purchases.  I found a lovely clouded leopard folk art painting for him last Christmas and he has asked that I keep my eyes open for more like it.  He said that he will buy any art I find for him because he trusts that I know and understand his tastes.

I have kept my eyes open for animal themed folk art paintings for my brother, but I just can’t seem to find any as nice as the leopard that I got for him.  The grand extent of animal themed folk art paintings I’ve found recently was a painting of two owls on a limb and I know that he would not like it.  Ever since we were kids, owls totally freak him out.