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this issue |
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- The Fine Art Of Collecting
- ArtMolds' Lifecasting Kit Contest Winner Announced
- Lifecaster In Residence Program Welcomes Peter Nagel
- Art Versus Craft - Philip Hitchcock, ALI
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| The
Fine Art Of Collecting |
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There
are two basic approaches to collecting art: The first
approach is with your eyes--relying on your own instincts
and judgment; and the second is with your ears-- relying on
the advice of a few carefully selected dealers. Either
approach is a legitimate one. Most successful collectors
employ a combination of the two. The best collector is an
informed collector. Throughout a collector's career, reading
and constantly looking at art is essential in building an
exceptional collection.
There are a few simple axioms that I employ:
· First and foremost buy art that you like.
· When starting with limited funds you can buy lesser works
of better artists or buy better works of unknowns that may
very well be tomorrow's masters. For example, the works of
top graduates at art schools can be purchased at excellent
prices.
· If you are buying reprints, remarques, artist proofs,
printer's proofs and limited edition pieces will appreciate
in value more than open edition pieces.
· Gain knowledge about the demand and prices for the art
you collect by visiting galleries and checking the local
newspapers for art auctions.
Read
the entire article. . . »
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| ArtMolds'
Lifecasting Kit Contest Winner Announced |
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| The
October Lifecasting Kit contest winner has been selected.
The lucky recipient will receive ArtMolds' popular Pro Hand
Casting Kit worth $59.95. It contains everything you need to
make a museum quality sculpture of two adult hands together.
The kit can be reused over and over again for fun or profit
with refills of the molding and casting powder.
THE CONTEST WINNER IS: joldesignr@aol.com
Please contact us with your shipping information.
Pro
Hand Casting Kit details . . . »
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| Lifecaster
In Residence Program Welcomes Peter Nagel |
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| Peter
Nagel, ALI, sculptor and lifecasting artist from Angola, New
York is the sixth artist to join ArtMold's Lifecaster in
Residence program. Peter joins the very special artist
group, which includes David Parvin, Byur Gullwing, John von
Schmidt, Phil Morrison and Roy A. Butler.
Nagel is both an exquisite craftsman as well as
multi-talented artist. Starting first with sculpting
miniature figurative models he eventually turned his
interest to full-sized sculptures using lifecasting as his
inspiration. The piece on the right, 'Wood Nymph Leather',
is a front torso cast skinned in rich brown leather
including the oak leaves surrounding the shoulders. Nagel
explains that the most difficult part of his piece was
developing a technique to stiffen the leather. "It was
extraordinarily challenging," he tells us . . .
Welcome, Peter, we are happy to have you among us sharing
your vision and your inspiration.
See
more of his fascinating art . . . »
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| Art
Versus Craft - Philip Hitchcock, ALI |
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| As
an artist, I made the decision early on to market my vision.
The message of my "marketing campaign" is,
"Here is my art and this is my message." One of
the techniques I use to create my art is lifecasting.
Although the touchy-feely aspects of lifecasting can often
be a hook to those folks with more prurient interests, I
don't market the "technique" per se, anymore than
I market resin casting techniques, or painting techniques
like layering or dry brushing. The methodology involved is
always secondary to my vision as an artist.
That having been said, there is nothing wrong with the
craft of lifecasting for it's own sake. There is likely a
niche to be filled for people seeking keepsakes of their
babies' hands and their pregnant bellies! (All of which I've
done myself.) When doing these sorts of projects we act as
technicians, not as artists. Unfortunately, the layperson
and often the press, make little distinction between the
craft of lifecasting and something, which could be called
art. You will want to be very clear about whether you want
to be perceived as a crafts person or as an artist before
you begin any sort of marketing campaign.
Ansel Adams and your average wedding photographer both
use cameras. One is a great artist, the other is a ... well,
a wedding photographer. If you hang your shingle as a
lifecaster, you may one day find it difficult to be taken
seriously as an artist. For me this has been an uphill road.
In fact, I've gone to great lengths to distance myself from
the more pedestrian applications of lifecasting in order to
gain greater legitimacy and credibility as a gallery artist.
This attitude is not elitist, but rather the result of my
experiences during the last twelve years.
Visit
Philip Hitchcock's Studio . . . »
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| The
Fabulous Porcelain's of Ah Xian |
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| For
the best part of the Australian Winter The Powerhouse Museum
in Sydney, has been displaying the fabulous porcelain
lifecastings of Ah Xian. These works are disarmingly casual,
yet also full of pathos, sentiment and nostalgia. His 40
porcelain busts decorated in traditional Chinese style
manages to cleverly emphasize somberness and decoration
simultaneously and this is exactly why Xian is one of the
most interesting artists to emerge from post-cultural
revolution China. The forty porcelain busts and a sprinkling
of pairs of legs are the fruits of Xian's recent to China.
See
more of Ah Xian's works .... |
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