R.L. Blair: The Art of Wood Carving

Welcome back to The Expressionist Magazine

For some, it may be hard to imagine life without cable television, Playstations, and the Internet.  R.L. Blair never knew of these luxuries as a child growing up on a farm in Washington.  At the age of twelve, Blair found something great to occupy his time with and it had nothing to do with video games or remote controls.  Blair had discovered whittling wood with a knife.  He began carving creations that could be found on any boy’s wish list.  Sling shots, toy guns, and bows and arrows were favorites of Blair’s to make.  Eventually the novice carver moved on to bigger and better projects.  Shortly before Blair’s high school graduation he carved the mascot, a totem pole.

Today, Blair’s beautiful and original artwork is known all around the world.  In fact, it is estimated that more than 30 million people view the talented carver’s creations each year.  Many of those people see Blair’s work while on vacation, perhaps without even realizing it.  After all, he is the premier wood carving artist for Disney and has been doing so since the mid-1980s.  Blair’s work can be seen at all of the Disney owned theme parks.  In addition to the six major theme parks, Blair’s sculptures are displayed all around the country at restaurants and in private collections.

The wood carver, who resides in Oceano, California, is famous for creating contemporary fine art sculptures, wood carvings and statues which include figurative and animal designs, marine life and carved wood wall works for both the home and garden.  Blair’s sculptures are beautifully detailed, each one uniquely carved with great skill.  There is the proud eagle, handsome and strong, with outstretched wings.  A mermaid with her long hair flowing in unseen waters. And then there are the whimsical, silly faces carved in eternal laughter.   But none of Blair’s sculptures are more popular than his wooden bears.  These life sized carved creations are done in caricature style, giving these typically grizzly and menacing beasts a much softer, cuddlier side.  With these kinds of sculptures and wood art, it is no wonder Blair has made such a name for himself as an artist, earning much respect and admiration with each new creation.

An artist in other mediums such as paintings, steel, glass and stone, Blair says wood is his favorite.  ”I like to carve because I can create a tangible object.  It is something I made with my hands and will hopefully enhance your surroundings and have some affect on the viewer,” states Blair.  The artist also reveals how much he loves wood for the warmth of the patina and the unique character found in each piece.  ”It {wood} was once a living thing and is becoming rare, so this is how it can be preserved,” explains Blair.  For many years Blair studied wildlife and describes himself as an avid nature lover; therefore, he feels strongly about being able to carve anatomically correct pieces. However, one of Blair’s favorite wood designs exposes his sillier, more carefree style.  ”I like the whimsical, “goofy off-the-wall stuff,” states Blair.

And when Blair is ready to carve a masterpiece, where does he find his canvas?  Blair says he uses salvaged and recycled logs, mostly from fallen coastal redwood trees cut over 100 years ago and left on the ground, still lying in the forests.  Trees like this are no longer harvested, but many were cut in the 19th Century.  Today, redwood harvesting is closely managed to insure the future of forests and their environment.

And how exactly does Blair carve these fallen redwoods?  He uses chainsaws, various power tools, carving knives and a mallet and chisel.  Blair carves the wood with one tool at a time, working his way from the top to the bottom.  The artist explains that each tool adds increasing degrees of detail to the wood.  When finished with one tool, Blair will then move on to a new and different tool which helps to give even more detailing til the product is finished.  The process may seem simple enough, but the fact of the matter is, very few artists have the skill to do what Blair can do with carving wood. He is a master; self-taught and doing what he loves for 35 years now.

R.L. Blair’s wood creations are full of whimsy, originality and pure magic.  These pieces are a definite must-have for the person who already has everything, but could always use that extra special something.

If you are looking for that extra special something, contact R.L. Blair at 512-820-1409 or by his email address: rl.blair@yahoo.com.  His hours of operation are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. You can view some of Blair’s work on his website which can be found at www.rlblair.com.  Blair is available to do commissions and special requests.

Blair was also recently featured in the book, Art of Chainsaw Carving, published by Fox Chapel.

Forever Studios- Timeless Photography

In 2010 a new photo studio will be taking the Bay Area by storm.  Well, it’s not exactly new, just redesigned.  The studio, known formally as Dowd Studios, will have a new name and identity in the new year.  It won’t be under new management, just a new name… Forever Studios.

Jason Dowd opened Dowd Studios back in 2003.  It was his dream to own a business and to be an artist.  Throughout the years, Dowd incorporated web design and even video into his collection of services offered.  Dowd says the business wasn’t going “into the red,” and there were no complaints, but it took a side to focus on a dedicated client.  ”In that time, we focused on one person.  We lost contact with some of our other clients and that bothered me.  This studio was designed for the family; to create beautiful works of art that they can treasure for generations and do it affordably and in the privacy of their homes if they wanted.  That dedicated client was great, but I lost the spark of why I am an artist.  We were still around and shot portraits and such, but not to the extent we wanted… and in 2010 that changes.”

Forever Studios is the reincarnate of Dowd Studios.  It contains the fixes Dowd Studios incurred, and bloomed into a beautiful butterfly.  Forever Studios is a mecca of art for their clients, as they offer: photography, web design and hosting, video just like before but now with the addition of Dowd’s private acrylic and oil paintings, stories and more. For the first time, Dowd will open his private photographic art collection for the world to see and buy prints of, which have been collected over the past six years from all over the United States.  Forever Studios will focus on black and white photography and pet portraits as their main objective, but not omitting any kind of photography someone may want.  ” You will still get the same quality color portraits, but we finally will focus on what we love the most and specialize in, which is black and white.” Forever Studios will also offer vintage photography and bring forth green screen technology.

Dowd also states that commercial photography is going to be another important interest for this studio.  He loves still life and making amazing pictures that businesses will want to put on their ads and promotional materials.  A properly done photo of a product can sell it for years to come, and may even become timeless classics like some of those Coke commercials you see.

The best part of this studio is that Dowd didn’t abandon his roots meaning he will still come to the privacy of your house to shoot studio quality photographs, and for no additional cost.  Dowd Studios was based on that because of personal experiences Dowd encountered with clients when he worked for a chain photo studio.  ”Being in the comfort of your house or office allows the person to feel comfortable; it’s not like all eyes on them.  So they stay more relaxed, and in turn, they get a better photo.  Another plus is, should something go wrong if they have kids, they are right there to get a quick fix and won’t have to reschedule.”

From the first time Dowd picked up a camera to photograph, even in the commercial chain studio, he was deemed one of the most compassionate and patient photographers ever which makes him great for taking pictures of young children and animals.  When Dowd is on a job, he is dedicated to the client and will stay as long as it takes to get those amazing photos.  That’s customer service you don’t see often in business anymore, and Forever Studios vows to keep those good old fashioned business morals at hand.

So, why the name Forever Studios?  ”That’s a good question [laughing]. I wanted something to incorporate all my art, not limiting me to just photography.  I wanted something elegant like you’d see on old cabinet card backs, and I wanted something as traditional as I am.  I love the Beach Boys and they did a song which John Stamos sang on Full House, that was called “Forever.”  It was one of my favorite Beach Boy songs, so one day trying to come up with a name, I heard the song and said… THAT’S IT… Forever Studios.”

So if you’re into taking vintage pictures, or just want plain headshots, Jason Dowd and Forever Studios will help you get that moment captured in time.  From family portraits to professional models, he will help you all.  The website is coming soon, called www.foreverstudiosinc.com.  Make sure to check it out in February where Dowd’s art collection will be available for sale.

Mother Nature’s Art

Art is more than just paint on canvas, or pen on paper; art transcends the realm of the canvas and appears right before your very face, seldom seen because we take it for granted.  The art I am talking about was not created by a mortal human being, but by the hands of the lovely Mother Nature.  Mother Nature’s majestic art is prevalent all year long, but in the fall she paints a spectacular picture on display for a short time only.

I love Mother Nature’s fall art; growing up in Connecticut I got the privilege to see it year after year.  What amazes me so is there is such beauty in death because as the leaves slowly die and fall off the trees, they turn a magnificent array of earthly tones: brown, orange, yellow and red; soon to die and fall to the earth to create another picturesque scene.  The scene I am talking about comes on many calendars. You know the pumpkin patches with the piles of leaves next to them or maybe a child popping their head out of that pile.  The colonial stone walls with dead leaves laying in piles waiting to be picked up by the town leaf sucker, with magnificent toned trees and soft blue skies painting a picture of peaceful serenity.

For those that like more landscape type pictures of Mother Nature, take the rolling hills of the northern states. They are donned with yellow, orange, red and brown leaves filling the gaps of the eyes’ perspective, with maybe a patch of grass visible showing a bale of hay or maybe a rickety old fence. There might even be a classic church with a huge white steeple penetrating the horizon of the trees.

Do you like still life?  Well, Mother Nature has something for you, too.  There is nothing more picturesque then a pumpkin and a cornucopia of fruits and vegetables surrounding it, you know: apples, gourds, carrots, and other fruits of the fall sitting on an old wooden porch where rocking chairs blow in the breeze.  How about the stone mailbox with its red flag up, leaves all around it and a silhouette of a scarecrow looming in the background.

Yes, Mother Nature can create paintings in nature that can suit any art lover’s fancy; but you can’t buy her art, that’s the only downfall.  Mother Nature isn’t like most artists; she wants you to take her art with you by taking pictures of it, and reproducing her work with your brush and canvas.  See, Mother Nature doesn’t need your money, she gets paid when you sit in awe over her work and smile when you realize how good it is.  She gets paid when you say, wow, what an amazing scene. I am so glad to be alive to see something like this.  That, my friend, is worth a million dollars to her; that just bought you a print of her work.

What’s sad is most of us are too busy to take for granted the art around us. We complain about the cold or the weather in general to the point we don’t appreciate the amazing splendor you have in your own back yard.  I, too, took it for granted till I moved to Florida and realized that the leaves don’t change color here; there are no more leaf piles, there is no change of seasons.  Mother Nature’s work here is always on display and it,s always one theme.  Don’t get me wrong, her southern style of art is just as magnificent, except we don’t have limited time exhibits that we can enjoy like our northern brothers and sisters do.

The whole purpose of this article is to help you appreciate the work that Mother Nature dishes out to you, take it in and enjoy it. You don’t always need changing colors to open your eyes to your artistic surroundings; you should see the beauty in our world every time you walk out the door.  It is nice to see something different, and that’s why cars and planes and other forms of transportation make it convenient to go see some of her other works of art on display throughout this great world.  We also hope that you realize that art is more than just paint on canvas; art is in the living world. Humans and animals are art just as much as our surroundings.  Don’t take it for granted and look to the beauty inside. Fall is Mother Nature’s wake up call not to take her work for granted.

Stereograms 10% Art, 90% Magic

By Gary W. Priester

I first became interested-no, make that obsessed-with stereograms in the mid-90s when the Magic Eye books and posters were all the rage. Stereograms are images that at first appear to be just a random pattern, but when you view them correctly, a 3D image appears. At the time I discovered these magical images, an article appeared in Publish Magazine explaining how these images were made. The author lived in the San Francisco Bay area as I did. I contacted him and said I would pay for a few hours of his time if he would show me how the images were made. He agreed. It was one of the best investments I have ever made. The author knew only enough to write the article and create a few very simple stereograms, but his sparse knowledge was just enough to launch my career.

Soon I was creating my own 3D stereogram images. I designed a website to display my creations. A Japanese publisher who was launching a stereogram magazine saw my images and asked me to contribute. I have been one of two contributors for nine years. The TJ MOOK series is up to issue 16 and the series has sold over four million copies. My co-contributor and I have co-authored two books of stereograms. We like to think that we have significantly raised the bar since the old Magic Eye days.

How Stereograms Work

A classic hidden image stereogram is created from two images: a “depth image” that the stereogram software uses to build the hidden image, and a repeating wallpaper-like pattern. The pattern repeats several times, the amount of repeats varies but is usually more than five times. The stereogram software makes subtle shifts in the pattern in each panel that are not apparent to the viewer. When the stereogram image is viewed correctly, the brain picks up these subtle shifts that occur from panel to panel and concocts the 3D image. The art is creating a panel with a random pattern to conceal the pattern shifts. Shifts in the wrong pattern will stand out like a hog on a sofa, so a good random pattern is essential.

The depth image is a grayscale image with 255 shades of gray that the software uses to determine depth. The same type of depth image is also used when creating a 3D model in a 3D modeling program. White comes forward the most, while black represents the most distant part of the image. There are also the remaining shades of gray that represent the layers of depth in between.

Most stereogram artists use a 3D modeling program to create their depth images. I have never gotten on that well with 3D modeling applications, so I create my own images in a vector drawing program. The drawing process is very different from conventional drawing. For example, if you were going to draw a ball, you would start with a circle. Then you would add some shading and maybe a highlight, a shadow too. These are all visual cues that the ball is round.

But when you draw a sphere for a depth image, you don’t have the luxury of a shadow or highlights or other visual cues. You construct the ball from the back to the front using shades of gray. In essence, you slice the sphere into many individual slices with a subtle change of value with each slice. This is the basic concept for creating all depth images.

The stereogram creation software uses these layers to compute the depth of the hidden image. Objects that are further away from the viewer are spaced farther apart. Objects that are closer to the viewer are spaced closer together. These modifications are made to each repeating panel. Your eye and your brain see these shifts in the pattern and together create the illusion of depth.

You don’t need special software to create a 3D effect however. You can do it with simple spacing. Objects should be evenly spaced, but each row of objects can be spaced closer together or further apart to create the illusion of depth when viewed as a stereogram.

How to Look at a Stereogram

People frequently tell me that they have never been able to see stereograms. They explain how hard they try. They just never have been able to see the hidden images. Some people even imply that the whole thing is a hoax, that there is no hidden image and people who claim to see the hidden images are just faking it. The only legitimate excuse I heard was from a person who only had one eye!

Most people who cannot see a stereogram are just not looking at the image correctly. Here’s what I mean. When we read or look at a photograph, our eyes, slightly crossed, focus directly on the page. This is perfect for reading or viewing a picture, but totally wrong for viewing a stereogram. When you look at a stereogram, your eyes are actually focused behind the image. Instead of your eyes being slightly crossed, your eyes are both looking straight ahead. You are using your near distance vision and not your reading vision. This type of viewing is counter to our normal instincts, so I suspect the primary cause for not being able to view a stereogram, is the viewer is focusing on the page.

Here is a simple technique that works for most stereogram-challenged persons. Get real close to the image so your nose is almost touching it. Let your eyes go blurry. At this distance they will blur anyway. Now, very slowly move away from the image, or move the image away from you while trying not to focus on the image. Relax your eyes and try to focus behind the image. Do this very slowly and with any luck you should start to get some feeling of depth. The important thing is to relax your eyes and to not try too hard. It is not a contest after all. Do this several times if at first you don’t succeed. The feeling of magic you get when you first see the image is well worth the effort. And for what it’s worth, after you have seen your first magical image, the next one will be easier to see.

For more information on how stereograms work and to see more images, visit http://www.custom-sterograms.com

To see more stereogram images visit my Stereogram Gallery at Graphics.com and the http://www.eyetricks.com/3dstereo.htm My books: Eye Tricks – Incredible 3D Stereograms, Arcturus Publishing, London, and Hidden Treasures 3D Stereograms, Sterling Publishing, New York are available from most on-line book sellers. Our third book, EYE BALL is still looking for a publisher.

{Images and captions}

You probably did this when you were a child. Place your index fingers together, then looking straight ahead, slowly pull your fingers apart. As you do this, a floating sausage like shape will appear. This is the same viewing method you use when viewing a stereogram.

When you read a book or look at a magazine, your eyes are slightly crossed and focused on the page. When you view a stereogram, your vision is parallel and your focus is behind the image. As with the floating sausage created when you draw your fingers apart, your eyes and brain create an extra image, which creates the illusion of 3D depth.

A random pattern is best for disguising the subtle and not so subtle shifts the software makes to each panel. The stereogram with the very orderly pattern of plusses graphically illustrates the shifts in the repeating pattern. When designing a stereogram, I try for a complex random pattern, such as the stones, in which the pattern shifts are not as obvious. Both hidden images are the same 3D sphere.

Compass A combination of three types of stereograms: hidden image, floating image (the compasses), and mapped texture (the white outlines).

Coins A combination of hidden image and mapped texture stereograms.

Abert Entity A custom stereogram created for a new advertising agency. The floating logos on the top of the image are the agency’s actual logo, which also represents the hidden image. This is a combination of floating, mapped texture, and hidden image stereograms.

The Art Of The Jack-O-Lantern

Growing up in Connecticut, one of the things I loved most about the fall, was Halloween, not just because I was born the next day so I got candy, then cake and presents, but because of the errie feeling New England gave around this time of year.  One of my favorite fall traditions was carving the Jack-O-Lantern.

My father, mother and brother would all go to the local farmer’s stand and pick out our favorite pumpkin.  Pumpkins grew wild up there so that wasn’t too hard to find.  We would bear the cold fall air that would nip at your nose, to get that right gourd for us to carve.  After our purchase, we would bring it home and carve them up using our “pumpkin cutters.”  After we made our masterpieces just right, we would sit them outside on our stoop, put fallen leaves around them, with some Indian Corn, light them up and stare at them for hours.  Those were the days… but then I wonder, where did this custom start?  Why do we do such a thing?  I mean it had to come from somewhere right.

History:

The origin of the Jack-O-Lantern started because of an Irish myth about a guy they call “Stingy Jack.”

Legend has it that Jack invited the Devil to have a drink with him one day, but like his name “Stingy” he had no intention of paying for the drinks.  Jack would try to weasle his way out of it, so he convinced the Devil to turn into a coin so he could pay for the drinks, then turn back and the drinks wold be free.  The Devil obliged being slick and nasty himself; but once he turned into a coin, Stingy Jack decided to keep the money.  He put the devil in his pocked next to a silver coin, so the devil could not return to his real form.  Jack eventually freed the Devil, under the condition that he would not bother Jack for one year and should he die, the Devil would not claim his soul.

However, the next year when the Devil was allowed to bother him, they met up again.  This time Jack asked the Devil to climb a tree and pick a piece of fruit.  The Devil obliged, and climbed the tree, immediately Jack carved a cross in the tree so the Devil could not get down till he promised not to bother Jack for 10 more years.

Finally Jack passed away, and met God for judgement.  God refused to let such an unsavory figure into Heaven, and banished him to Hell.  The Devil, upset at the trick Jack played on him, refused to let him into Hell.  As legend has it, the Devil gave him a burning lump of coal and set him on his way to walk aimlessly into the dark night.  Jack put the coal into a carved out turnip and roamed the earth ever since.

In Scotland and Ireland people made their own versions of Jack’s lantern, by carving scary faces into potatos and turnips to scare off Stingy Jack and other evil spirits, by placing them in the windows.  This tradition made its way to America where pumpkins were native, and we soon found Pumpkins make the perfect Jack-O-Lantern.

The Art

The art of Jack-O-Lantern carving has seriously evolved over the years.  What started out as simple triangle or circle eyes, with triangle nose and jagged pointy teeth in a mouth has started to evolve into some masterpieces like flying witches, and elaborate Victorian houses with ghosts eminating out the doors.

The skill is tough to master, it involves peeling the skin away and making deeper slices to make a lighter or darker impression.  You almost need to carve it like a stencil to give that amazing effect.  Since these are completely closed, and usually don’t have any carving through the pumpkin wall, they tend to last longer than the average Jack-O-Lantern.

Today you can go to any Walmart or K Mart and pick up some stencils that include some tools that will allow you to make some interesting pieces.  I find it more artistic and challenging to try to make the pumpkin from scratch.

Pumpkin CareAround Florida here I have found that once you cut the Jack-O-Lantern, they don’t last long.  The humidity causes it to rot fast.  So here are some tips to making your Jack-O-Lantern last longer.

1. Draw the face of your Jack-O-Lantern with marker, and leave it as long as you can till Halloween, if you buy your pumpkin way in advance.  This will keep it from rotting, but you can sport the face.  When it gets within 2 or 3 days before Halloween, you can carve the pumpkin.
2. If you plan on making a more elaborate pumpkin, I suggest not carving it until 2 days before.
3. When you gut the pumpkin, make sure there is no innerds left in there.  Those are very moist and slimy and cause for quick molding and rotting.  Clean it as good as you can, and wipe out any moisture.
4. When the pumpkin is not lit, keep a box of Baking Soda inside or Damp Rid to help eliminate mositure that causes rotting.
5. Dispose of your pumpkin promptly if it starts to mold, and right after Halloween.  Animals can eat it and become very sick, plus mold and rotting fruit/vegetables around you is not healthy either.  You will attract flies, maggots, and gnats.  If your pumpkin is completely rotten, throw it in a compost pile, or bag it with a trash bag and tie it off so the gasses don’t escape.

Museum Of Mourning Photography

Photography started off as a very popular means to capture a moment when it was introduced in the early 1800s.  Because of photography, we have a plethora of documentation regarding our greatest struggle- the Civil War, plus the western movement. This would encompass all the railroads and monuments as they looked before modifications.  We have photos of past ancestors,  and pictures of our current families.  Photography played a big part in capturing the moments.

Photography, however, was a trade and wasn’t cheap so photos, though abundant, were still scarce for portraiture.  Being a photographer myself, I am fascinated with the skills these tradesmen had to learn such as taking photos without flash, on archiac equipment.  I often browse the Internet looking for great old shots, and I study these old portraits and appreciate the beauty and time it took to capture the images.  In doing so, I ran across something that intrigued me.  In Google Images, stood a picture of a man laying erect on a wall in his coffin.  How could I not click on that and view it?

What I came across was a website for mourning photography, but there was more.  There is an actual museum in the Illinois area owned by Anthony Vizzari.  His museum is absoulutely fascinating.  It opens up a concept photography was used for that many wouldn’t even consider.

Anthony stumbled across these mourning photos when visiting a flea market.  He told me he found a box of old photos which had many variety of subjects inside.  He purchased the box of photos for $30.00, which today is a steal.  When he got home, he took a good look at the box and found it had a mourning photo inside.  Like me, he was intrigued and started a collection of these photos.

Today, the museum has around 1200 pieces portraying a variety of mourning concepts.  In addition, there are about 300 non- photographic mourning pieces such as lockets and cards, making the collection diverse and interesting.  The museum is open for the public, but remains at a private residence so you must make an appointment to see the collection.

MoMP’s Digital Archive Project was created to help educate the public on the practice of memorial photography, both past and present. This free archive is intended to aid collectors, historians and anthropologists with their research on the subject. Included in the archive are images from public and private collections throughout the world.  At this time no such free public database dedicated to memorial photography exists.

The collection is definitely worth seeing. It will give you a new appreciation for the generally unknown, and make you realize it’s not morbid at all; in fact, it’s quite peaceful.  When I see these pictures, I see people resting… knowing they don’t hurt anymore, they aren’t hungry anymore, and they are free!

One of the prominent pieces you’ll see in the collection is a book from a pre-teen, who passed away in the early 1900s.  The book contains records of her life, and her death photo.  It also includes a sympathy card to the parents and a lock of her hair from the funeral home.

The reason behind mourning photos is quite abundant.  People have their reasoning for it; my family did it too with the death of their first daughter in 1920.  Despite the various reasons, two seem to come to mind more often than others.  One reason is to help soothe the soul over their loss.  These photos were a form of closure for the departed’s loved ones.  Also, like I said before, photos back in the day were very expensive; many people didn’t get a photo of their loved one in life and this was their last chance.  This was particularly true for children.  I have seen more children photos than adults.  Some are posed with their other sisters and brothers for a group shot, the only one that will ever be.

This practice goes back before photography came about, and still goes on today.  It just made it more real with the invention of the camera.  Mourning photography comes in different expressions too, says Anthony.  Some don’t contain a body at all, instead the widow of the loved one would photograph herself in a black dress, showing her loss.  Some are quaint expressions showing nothing more than a wreath of flowers, maybe with an empty coffin or no coffin at all, giving the impression someone died.

If you never have seen these type of photos, don’t feel bad.  They are out there but not plentiful in the marketplace.  Anthony says that like anything there needs to be a market for something.  Many of the photos you see are older because the family is gone, and nobody wants the photos so they end up in estate sales.  Some exist but the family hands them down through generations, and still keeps them dear to their hearts, even if they never met them in person.  Some of the newer photos are still with the family, because many still know the relative depicted in the photo so it means more.  As the years go on you may see the photos from the 1940s to today start to emerge in the marketplace.  However, if someone knows what they have with mourning photos, the price is almost doubled.

For now, just enjoy Anthony’s collection online or visit him in his studio.  There is no charge to view the pieces, and he is glad to give insight to his collection.  Right now, only a few photos are online from his collection, however, he tries to get it updated as much as possible.

Mourning photography is definitely misunderstood, and I guarantee you will see why when you view his amazing collection at The Museum of Mourning Photography.  Also, check out his main web site that gives you access to his other wonderful photography collection.

Social Network Your Art

In today’s economy getting the word out about your work and music can be tough.  Television, radio and newspaper ads can be extremely expensive, and to tell the truth with the abundance of ads in a paper, it can be easily over looked.  Television and radio ads can go under the radar just as easily.  Most people, when a commercial comes on during a TV show, get up to find a snack or use the restroom, and with the radio, the listener tends to surf for another song.  So what do you do?  If you’re an artist or musician it’s kind of funny to see an ad on the television, although it makes more sense for a musician when a CD is released. The best form of advertising is by word of mouth, but if nobody knows about you, the point is mute.

Instead, musicians and artists are finding the 21st century technology very handy in marketing and advertising their merchandise and the best part, most of it’s free.  With the creation of the Internet, social networking sites have seen a boom in online networking and marketing that costs no more than a few hours of your time a day- a price tag many artists and musicians will gladly pay for a good fan.  These networks allow the musician or artist to actually communicate, network and socialize with fans, businesses and other prominent people across the world without ever leaving their humble abode.  Literally you could be talking with the CEO of a major corporation in your underwear. Imagine slamming that deal of a lifetime while sipping coffee, with teeth and hair unbrushed in your bathrobe!

Social network sites like MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn have played a major part of the “modern” artists success. MySpace and Facebook allow the artist another “web presence” so to say, giving them powerful tools like a blog, and friend capability and really another website to market themselves.  The cost is free, the only downfall to that is the occasional spam e- mail.  MySpace is a little bit more liberal, allowing you to create a specific design to give you that signature style, whereas Facebook is more contemporary and conservative, with each site looking the same.  Then Twitter comes in allowing you to make direct to the point statements about your work, or whatever you have to say.  It teaches you how to get to the point so you don’t beat around the bush.  Facebook also allows Twitter to update your “friend status,” which is helpful for the busy artist; you update it once on Twitter and it updates Facebook as well.

These sites have literally millions of subscribers to the network, so the possibility of exposure is limitless, although it does depend on the time and energy you spend making it happen.  We all know results vary on the effort you put into something; little effort gets little results.  These sites are also great because they are indexed in Google, so it allows searchers a possibility to find you in another place if your personal website doesn’t have high rankings (which may not be any fault of your own).  In short, if they find your MySpace before they find your website, the MySpace should have a link back to your website, and vice versa.

Social networking sites are also a great way to target the younger generation.  Have you ever seen a teenager not glued to their phone or computer chatting away on these sites?  It’s amazing they get their homework done at all.  If you are looking to target a younger generation, then this is the place to search.  The average age group on these type of sites is 13 to 27.  That age group makes up the majority of consumer spending on music and many types of art and clothing. From experience, I have noticed people actually ask me if I have a site on MySpace or Facebook because they want another friend; they didn’t care if I had a website or not.

The absolute best part about these sites… they are free!  They also allow you to advertise on them, giving you even more chances for exposure to your profile or website.  This magazine actually used MySpaces ad site, with great results.  We had 800 hits for $35.00, and managed to get three new artists out of it for a story.  That isn’t bad at all if you ask me.

The key, when using these sites successfully, is to: 1. Make sure there are links to all your sites on each of these sites (excluding Twitter because it allows only one URL).  2. Update them frequently.  3. Be honest.  4. Make sure you have the same information on each of these sites as you would on your .com as best as you can.

If you follow those simple steps, you can network with ease and maybe find your next client at the click of a button!  Though we must stress, this may not work for everyone, and it’s not an overnight guarantee for success, it does take a lot of time and effort. However, if you are committed, then it will pay off in the end.

Fly Like An Eagle – John Audubon

Bird watching has always been a hobby or activity humans have partaken in since the earliest of times, to sit back and enjoy natures wonders and beauty and also to relax from the everyday stress.  Birds are one animal that has no boundaries; for instance they can walk on land, swim and fly.  Birds are not bound to the limits we as humans have put on ourselves, unjustly; they are free to fly and explore the world from above.  When birds fly, they look down and see land and mountains and water; they don’t see state lines.  That’s something we as humans have tried to replicate and why we find the grace and beauty of a bird so mezmerizing and relaxing. 

For one man, this thinking turned out to be something he never dreamed of and would never see the full results of his labor; but his work lives on today and stands as the most revered art of birds in catalog form ever. 

John Audubon

In April 1785, a man born of French-American blood would forever change birding as we know it, his work would set the world standard of birding and the art of aviary drawings.  That man is none other than John James Audubon.

Like most people in the early 1780s he grew up in a humble environment, his father was a French naval officer and privateer, his mom, a chambermaid from Louisiana.  He was born in St. Domigue, Haiti, which is now known as Les Cayes.  He was an illegitimate child of his father, which upon the death of his mom, his father took John and his sister back to France after being imprisoned by the British during the American Revolution.

In 1789, Jean adopted John and named him Jean-Jacques Fougère Audubon.  In 1803 at the age of 18, Jean-Jacques boarded an immigrant ship to the new United States Of America, and changed his name to John.  Despite the new life he would have, his father sent him here to avoid the Napoleonic Wars, and obtained a false passport to get him here.  Upon arrival in New York, John caught yellow fever and was quarrantined.  His start in America was already on a bad foot, but John would make wine out of the grapes he was given.

John moved to his father’s sugar plantation just a few miles of Valley Forge, which he considered paradise.  It was there that he honed in the love he had for hunting, fishing and birds.   He set out to study birds in more detail, and use his artistic genius to capture a more realistic portrayal of these species he studies, than other artists have in the past. 

The Legacy

John was a master artist, he would set out across the United States studying birds in their natural habitat. 

He would carry around this portfolio which contained his amazing photos.  He would then name and catalog each species in this sketch pad.  His portraits of these species were amazingly lifelike and portrayed the life and unconfined spirit of each bird.

His work captivated people for years to come, they grew more and more interested in birds, and bird watching.  His prints were not worth much financially while he was alive, but in death, his prints became very valuable.  Today his art can be seen in reference books, museums, on decorative plates and kitchenware, and many other places.  If you happen to have an original drawing, you are sitting on a small fortune.

John’s drawings inspired so many people that the National Audubon Society was created in hopes to protect our natural wildlife from birds all the way across the board.  They wanted to preserve the habitat to look just like his drawings and keep this great planet the same way it was then, for generations to come.

The Audubon Society today has become more of an environmental activist group, fighting to keep our forests, preserve the wildlife and speak on behalf of the habitat which can’t speak for itself.  They have chapters in every single state of the country, and some world wide.  It’s a wonderful organization with tons of bird watching and naturists from around the world, with one common interest, the love of nature.

If you would like to see some of John Audubon’s work, you can, just go to the National Audubon Society’s web site www.audubon.org/nas and there you will find a link to John’s amazing life like catalog of his work.

John Audubon died in 1851 but even 158 years later his work is still one of the most talked about in history. John’s art which inspires grew into an empire that still portrays his ideals and values keeping him alive today in spirit. When ever you see a bird or nature, there you will find John Audubon.

The Lighthouse Collection – Alan Sundal

One of nature’s wonders are the vast seas, spanning across the globe, containing many different species of life from tame fish to the vicious great white sharks to the great blue whales.  The sea can put anyone in awe over its grandeur, but ask any sailor and you will see that the seas are not always kind; they have taken many a life with their great might.

That statement has been known to sea travelers for centuries, in fact, one of the worst places for a captain is near shore.  As they say, “Accidents tend to happen close to home or your destination.”  When ships would come into port, they don’t always know where the shallow water is, or where hazardous waters lie. To avoid such problems, man created the lighthouse. 

Lighthouses emit a beam of light that shines into the horizon warning sea captains that shore is near or dangerous waters lie ahead as you come to shore.  These nautical tools have saved many a boat and crew on their journey, while standing for security, peace of mind and are beautiful works of architectural art.

Since the late 1960s on, former US Navy seaman Alan Sundal has been painting the majestic sea and its marine life, taken from the experiences he saw at sea and from the pictures he took on his journeys across the world.  

If you remember The Expressionist Magazine featured Sundal last July, and since then, his work has been a consistent focal point in our magazine.  People want to know more, and therefore we feel it would be notable to feature this artist again, with the lighthouse collection by Alan Sundal.

Over the years of 2003 to 2006 I had the esteem pleasure to work with this amazing artist one on one.  I got to see the vast library he has of the marine art he produced, and one collection caught my eye in particular-his lighthouses.  Sundal showed me all the photos he took over the years of these beacons that line our seacoasts including the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, the Gulf Of Mexico and even the Great Lakes.  He told me about the many adventures he had at these lighthouses and how important they were to sailors.  It was only right to make a collection out of them.

Sundal showed me his lighthouse collection.  Do you know that he has every lighthouse on the coast of Florida, even some that don’t exist anymore.  Through intense research, he accurately marked the lighthouses with the original stripes and colors as they were first commissioned with.  Some over the years have changed, so if you see his work, it may not match simply because he took the lighthouse as it first looked.  Some of the more notable lighthouses in the collection include St. Augustine, Pensacola, the Dry Tortugas, Cape Canaveral, and every reef lighthouse off the Atlantic coast of Florida. 

If you don’t live in Florida, don’t worry, Sundal has every lighthouse in New England and the Middle Atlantic states down to Georgia on the Atlantic coast, as well as many of the lighthouses that surround and protect the Great Lakes.  When I asked Sundal about the West Coast lights, he said he has some, but they were not demanded like the East Coast lights were.

This amazing collection of Sundal’s surpasses the one hundred piece mark.  He even says if there is a lighthouse he doesn’t have, or a period marking you prefer that he doesn’t have, if you commission the piece you can have it.  He will research and paint you the lighthouse in the year you wish, at the time of day and season you want.

So why are the lighthouse markings so important to Sundal when he paints?  The markings of the lighthouse  helped the sea captain identify where he was, since many of the lights were similar in design.  For instance, the markings on the St. Augustine lighthouse are very similar to one in New Jersey, but if you saw the red light mast and the black and white spiral you would know you were in St. Augustine.  These markings also mark an era for the lighthouses, however, as he pointed out some have never changed.

Sundal’s collection of lighthouses got me hooked on these architectural works of art, so much so, I had to travel to see them in person.  Many of the lighthouses are still in commission, and can be climbed.  When you see his collection, then go and see these structures and you will see how true to life Sundal was in his paintings which shows the level of professionalism out of this soon to be legendary marine artist.

Priorities Are NOT Art

Today in the news a story came on that really made me think.  A St. Petersburg school, in order to cut the budget and save money, decided to cut varsity sports down 20% and junior varsity sports, 40%.  That would mean less games a season and/or one less sport played by that school.

This action was the first I have heard where sports have received a cut from the budget in a long time, but sports usually thrive because  of a huge community effort to keep them with fundraisers in times of budget cuts.  What happened next shocked me.  The parents and community protested in outrage that games would be cut.  They say it’s a vital part of the community and the schools.  They represent the community, and they give the athletes something to be proud of while teaching good sportsmanship and playing as a team.  If they were to eliminate these games it would have an adverse affect on these principles and the community.

When I was in school, my school had some budget cuts.  I was enrolled in a photography class that was cut, as well as a drafting class that was cut due to the lack of fiscal suppliment.  My books were ancient in some classes but our football team had perfect uniforms.  There were no fundraisers for these classes and guess what, the community, the parents and county didn’t blink an eye when they were eliminated.  I am not a very good athelete, and these classes gave me something I could do and be proud of.  However, in my time of need the community thought these classes to be worth the cut.  When was the last time you saw a car wash for an art class?

I don’t remember anyone ever making a huge stink in the Tampa Bay area about a music or art class cut due to budget tightening.  In fact, over the last few years there have been many art and music classes cut, or the entire program eliminated all together in the Bay Area schools.  I can’t recall one protest over this action.

Art brings hand/eye coordination, self-esteem, a sense of pride, all while enhancing the surrounding community with beauty.  Art and music courses also bring a sense of pride to the students and allows them to be creative and think.  It brings the same values and community pride the extra curricular sports do, except nobody blinks an eye when the art or music programs suffer.

Just once, I would love to see someone come forward and fight for the arts and music in our schools as this community did for sports.  The art and music programs are notorious for being the first classes cut or eliminated in tough times within a school.  I applaud Pinellas County Schools to attempt a cut on sports, instead of the arts, however, the arts, music and sports are all very important in our community schools and for our children.  I understand the choice isn’t easy.  Right now, Pinellas County families are feeling what art and music supporters have been feeling and dealing with since the early 1980s.  I only wish there was a non-monetary solution to keeping all these programs thriving in our schools.

Next Page »