As a new painter, or a painter looking for a change of direction, when you think of landscape paintings you probably think of Bob Ross – an array of wonderful meadows, valleys and talent-filled canvasses tinted with a hint of personality. His paintings instil a sense of calm and happiness, and at the heart of many landscape artists is that inner serenity in the face of chaos. Traditional landscape paintings are also without anger or hatred and are instead steeped in calmness.   A range of Landscapes There are other forms of landscape aside from the traditional ones that we’d usually thin ..read more

An impressive and highly skilled style of painting and sculpture, nestled beneath the wide umbrella of contemporary art, photorealism and hyperrealism both derived from the late twentieth century when artists started to use very different techniques and styles to achieve lifelike pieces based on photographic imagery. Many art dealers, artists, and curators muddle the two, because unlike photorealism, hyperrealism has not been given an official definition or recognised as an established movement, which is surprising as the works of both can be vastly different from one another and are valuable ..read more

Moving home with valuable paintings can be stressful. However, you can make sure that your treasured artworks arrive safe and undamaged by packing them correctly. Have Your Paintings Appraised Prior to Moving When planning your move, you should arrange to have pieces of high-value artwork appraised professionally to establish their current market and replacement values. This will enable you to take out adequate insurance cover for your artwork so that you’re protected in the event of theft or damage during transit. It’s also a good idea to take photos of your paintings to accompany your home i ..read more

There are far fewer examples of paintings that depict the spoken word between subjects than those which capture the moments of silence that engulf them. Perhaps this is due to the wider time frame that momentary silence offers, or the underlying drama of what remains unspoken. Certainly, there is less obvious intimacy to be found in a painting of someone talking than in what is otherwise expressed through the eyes and body. Although pictures are not the ideal medium through which conversations are immortalised, there is a time and place where they can come alive on the artist’s canvas. Captur ..read more

In recent years more and more people have taken a shine to the art of sneaking around at night and painting your chosen image onto brick walls. From palaeolithic cave paintings to Banksy, the art of graffiti has been pretty popular for many years. Parietal Art Parietal art is also known as cave paintings and is often referred to as the original form of graffiti. This palaeolithic form of art is dated to about 40,000 years ago, and much like the graffiti of today consisted merely of images drawn onto the wall. Many different versions of this kind of art pop up often throughout history, found a ..read more

Whether it’s skies or shorelines, meadows or mountains, landscape art has been one of the world’s most-loved genres since Dutch realist artists got to grips with it in the 17th century. In this blog post, we will take a look at some of history’s most famous landscape artists and how their craft became so popular. Claude Monet One of the world’s most famous painters, Monet is the name most associated with French Impressionist art. Born in Paris in 1840, his signature technique was to paint a similar scene over and over again to account for the changing seasons and the impact of light. His works ..read more

It’s a commonly held belief that you have to be rich to own your own original artworks. It isn’t true – you can buy gorgeous original pieces of art at all price points – and an investment in an original artwork is one which could pay real dividends in the future.   Keeping Costs Down If you’d like to own an original artwork but it feels like it’s out of your budget, take a look at some works by smaller local artists. It’s often possible to pick up works for a steal that are only likely to grow in value over the time that you own them. You can also look for numbered prints; often cheaper ..read more

Paintings have been around since the days of prehistoric cave paintings by early man; it’s a way to express ourselves and tell a story in a way that words just can’t express. Throughout the history of painting as an art form, there have been several revolutionary paintings that sparked new art movements or invoked a new way of thinking about the world. We’ve compiled five of these revolutionary works of art for you.   Paul Cézanne – Mont Sainte-Victoire (1902) At the infancy of the 20th-century, this masterpiece of complexity mirroring innovation was created by the famous painter Cézanne ..read more

In art as in life, the 20th Century was one in which things moved quickly; the world of modern art exploded and art became a much greater part of the average person’s life. We’ve taken a look at three of the 20th Century’s biggest art movements d what they were all about:   Modernism Modernism actually began towards the end of the 19th Century, but it blossomed in the 20th. Fauvism in France and Die Brucke in Germany championed the use of non-representational colour, figurative painting and emotional expressionism, leading on from the impressionism of the 19th Century, in which the ‘impr ..read more

While we’re often taught it’s what’s on the inside that counts, the relationship between a frame and the picture resting inside of it is a great deal more nuanced than that. The adage, ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’ also springs to mind, however for most of us, passing this sort of judgement is almost unavoidable. And so it can be for picture frames too, which often are relegated to the realm of the tattered or tacky dust jacket, concealing an uninspired text. Instead they should be thought of in terms of the elegant bookcase, proudly displaying the fine works within them. A carefully chos ..read more