"Elsa's New Pet"
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
Art with Ants
Ant Face 1937
Salvador Dali
Why Ant Art?
Ants have been used or depicted in art for centuries.
The Hopi Indians depicted the Snake people and The Ant People:
Here is Rafael Gómezbarros - Ant Installation:
"Giant Ants"
Art in Nature and art with insects is a popular topic and has been used in literature, films, childrens
books, theatre and more.
"BugsLife"
Here are some images of Ants in the role of humans or a reversal of roles.
All images were hand drawn by Dan Twyman
"Ant with Umbrella"
"Ant Rescue"
"Pest Control"
Drawings were done with pencil, some ink. Images were uploaded
and then colored with a stylus.
The original drawings are on 8" x 10" white paper.
Prints are available by clicking the images above.
Ask the artist a question HERE.
Sponsored by artbydan.com
Sunday, December 21, 2014
Man donates multi-million dollar collection to Nicolaysen Art Museum includes Dali and Picasso
'HE BOUGHT ART I THINK NOT AS AN INVESTMENT, BUT AS A TRUE PASSION'
Former Nicolaysen Art Museum executive director Brooks Joyner wraps one of more than 140 pieces of art belonging to Harry Ptasynski alongside Ptasynski's executive assistant Georgia on March 21, 2014, at Ptasynski's home in Casper. Ptasynski, a local art collector, passed away Dec. 19, 2013, and donated his extensive collection including works by Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali and Toulouse Lautrec to the Nicolaysen Art Museum. 24 selected pieces are on display through Jan. 25 in the museum's Rosenthal Gallery.
Eric Wimmer was in shock when he stepped into a Casper home full of art.
The curator of the Nicolaysen Art Museum was visiting the home in March because its owner, who recently died, had donated his vast collection to the Nic. Wimmer entered and was immediately greeted by a painting.
Was that an authentic Thomas Moran?
Wimmer has a master’s degree in art history. In grad school, Moran, a titan in Western art, was one of his all-time favorites. He’d spend hours at a Denver art museum looking at Moran’s paintings, and now there was one sitting right in front of him in the foyer of the Casper home.
But that was only the start.
Around the corner from the Moran was an authentic Pablo Picasso lithograph. There was a signed engraving from Salvador Dali. A lithograph from famed French artist Toulouse Lautrec.
Art was in every room, except for the bathrooms. There were paintings from legendary Western artists like Charlie Russell, Frederic Remington and W.R. Leigh.
“I’m like, ‘Where am I?’” Wimmer recalled.
Wimmer was in Harry Ptasynski’s home. Before he died last December, Ptasynski donated his beloved art collection to The Nic, more than 140 pieces valued at $4 million to $5 million.
“It was just an incredibly generous gift,” Wimmer said. “When he passed, we came in and packaged all of the art and took it to the museum. As his wishes were, we could determine which pieces we wanted to keep in our permanent collection. It was up to the museum to find a new home for the remainder (of the art) and use the new funds to help and keep the doors open for years to come.”
Ptasynski was an independent petroleum producer. He was a strong supporter of the Nic and served on its board for years. He started collecting art about 50 years ago, and as his collection grew, so did his connections to art dealers, spanning from San Francisco to Paris to New York.
He attended auctions and traveled the world to find the art he loved.
“He bought art I think not as an investment, but as a true passion,” said daughter Lisa Ptasynski, who grew up in Casper but now lives in Washington state. “He never sold any of those paintings. Once they were obtained, never was one traded or sold for one another.
“He knew what he liked, and that’s what he got.”
Ptasynski’s collection ranged from the well-known to the unknown. There were no labels or plaques naming the artists. You just had to know.
At night, he would linger in front of his art with a glass of wine. Instead of moving from one to another, he’d pick out a piece, study and appreciate its beauty. There were bronze sculptures, watercolors, oil paintings, engravings, lithographs and more.
“It was like being in a museum,” Lisa said.
Some of the pieces cost more than a sports car. For example, three months before Ptasynski died, Lisa asked her father if she could have her favorite painting. It was by Frank Tenney Johnson, depicting an Indian scout coming through a valley on a white horse in the moonlight.
“And he said, “Honey, that’s just too much responsibility. I don’t know how you would insure it. That is a $110,000 painting,’” Lisa recalled. “And he was right. When your $100,000 renter’s insurance doesn’t even cover one painting, it’s clearly too much.”
Instead, Lisa selected a less expensive painting.
She wasn’t the only member of the family who loved art. Harry’s wife Nola, who died just months before him, painted. Their son Ross, who also died last year, was a photographer, painter and drawer. Lisa studied art history and portraiture photography.
“Sometimes (Harry) would go out and buy (Nola) a $75,000 W.R. Leigh (painting) for her birthday,” Lisa said. “Much better than any Helzberg diamond, in my book.”
Art is what brought the Ptasynski family together, and now Lisa is happy to share her family’s passion. She was thrilled when she learned of her father’s plan to donate his collection to the Nic.
The exhibit is titled “Recent Acquisitions from the Ptasynski Collection” and features 24 pieces of art. “It goes from his wife’s work, Nola, all the way up to Picasso,” Wimmer said.
It will remain on display until Jan. 25. The works will appear at other shows in the future.
In honor of his donation, the Nic named a section of the museum the “Ptasynski Gallery.” As for the pieces that were not selected, the museum is in the process of finding the right institutions to house the classic pieces of art.
“We’re very happy to be able to show this to the community. It’s awesome,” Wimmer said. “To be able to say, 'In Casper, you can go down and see a Picasso or a Dali,' that’s really cool.”
Friday, December 19, 2014
Mixed Media Art
mixed media
noun
1.
- the integrated use of different forms of media, esp within the arts
- (as modifier): mixed-media musical presentations
This is a new work by Mixed Media artist Clara Berta.
Mixed media art comes in many forms, abstract images can be
created with textures or kept flat on the canvas or surface.
In some works you will find fabric, coffee grounds, wood, metal and more,
all with the intention of creating a unique texture.
Some abstract artists like to keep the work relatively flat and work
with oil, acrylic or water color only.
Follow this blog using the links provided.
Clara Berta was featured in a story about Water Marking Your Art
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
The Creation of Adam by Michelangelo
The Creation of Adam is a fresco painting by Michelangelo, forming part of the Sistine Chapel ceiling, painted circa 1511–1512. It illustrates the Biblical creation narrative from the Book of Genesis in which God breathes life into Adam, the first man. The fresco is part of a complex iconographic scheme and is chronologically the fourth in the series of panels depicting episodes from Genesis. It is the most well-known of the Sistine Chapel fresco panels, and its fame as a piece of art is rivaled only by the
Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci.
The image of the near-touching hands of God and Adam has become iconic of humanity and has been reproduced in countless imitations and parodies. Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper and Michelangelo's Creation of Adam are the most replicated religious paintings of all time.
Friday, November 14, 2014
Art Event Downtown Los Angeles
Clara Berta Fine Art
Salone di Galleria
An Italian-inspired evening of art, wine and celebration
with Clara Berta
Please join me for the first presentation of new art, inspired by my recent Italian adventure.
Sunday November 23rd. 4-7 PM
650 South Spring Street # 1112, DTLA
Los Angeles, CA 90014
Please RSVP by Wednesday Nov. 19 to
Look forward to seeing you there!
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