Black and white keys, saxophone, guitar, everywhere. The music has much more magnificence than can be tried to be explained through words…
Black and white keys, saxophone, guitar, everywhere. The music has much more magnificence than can be tried to be explained through words. This jazzy rendezvous has always been André’s favourite ear-food. He just loves the way its beauty, splendour, radiance is ‘unleashed’. André stares at the canvas for over a dozen times. Here he is staring at the blank space which is future marvel…or was it to be past marvel? Had he missed his chance, missed the boat which would have sailed to sentimental stardom? He refuses to collaborate more than a sentence for any one idea. Any idea that deserves a sentence must deserve no doubt. Any canvas is only worth the greatest ideas. Two André’s exist; though only one at any one time. The withdrawn analytical front, designed for most occasions. On rare occasions the other character may appear, the intensive, massively determined André who acts on impulses. Impulsive André must be begged out. A Pandora’s Box of surprises, his job will at least never cease to astonish. “Dearest André, Through years have you befriended my son Louis, so therefore I am offering an opportunity to benefit both of our interests (with intent towards your gain). Litton inc., my company has stepped up towards mainstream success. We require visual arts for our newly bought edifice. I understand you have been painting for the eight years since high school. To your discretion I would like to require a painting; just one will suffice. I would like something vibrant and colourful, yet deep and meaningful; Contemporise to your own vision. Much thanks, Dr. Raymond Fonck.” The commissioned paper lies stuck on the wall. André has read it. Now it is time for the future. It has been too long sitting around (or rather bouncing around); too get too much productivity from anything. Someone once said to him that anything is good experience. True perhaps, although he prefers productivity, especially in a time of intensity such as this; three days left until confrontation. His vigilant eyes stroll around the room, searching for advice. He is not bored, nor has he painters block, for such a term does not exist and will not ever for him. His eyes strike the clock. The clock glares 5:48 pm back. What a disgusting fierce look it has. Not 5:45, nor 6:00 and only one uncomfortable minute in-between. For at this time these uncomforting three digits add to the frustration in the actual time. “Aw!” André suddenly realizes the importance of the time. It is the one factor which never seems to be on his side but actually encourages his total progress. It is an epiphany like that of a mother to the newborn. André decides to let his hands take / control. They are the secret key, (sometimes the gatekeepers of unleashing impulsive André) His dominant left one picks up the brush (over time it has made up for its fault of statistically losing him seven years). His right hand decides to lose cognition. It dips itself into a little puddle of Sangria oil paint muck. Than it flies onto the near-centre of the canvas, smeared diagonally. His left hand takes initiative once again, waving lines of smudge to and fro. Right hand brings more paint to its destination. Myrtle, Indigo, Olive, Magnolia…and no, not that…Yes, yes, even black! (Well seal brown to be precise). All of these contextually beautiful colours unleashed! There are no thoughts in André’s mind now. This is impulsive André now; organised thought is of little importance! That colour is important here. This colour is unimportant there. A few lines of any colour are important right here or there, but perhaps a darker colour is better. More negative space up and down the edges. Shape is forming. Lines are bolding. Complete non-representational form is diminishing. Visualizations; the visualized images in mind are being…unloaded bit by bit. It is coming about. What is it though? No one knows. If anybody could guess it definitely would not be André. André knows he has the power to bring out the reality in it though. In a seemingly paradox situation he must not connect to reality at the moment though. Now, after these hours of painting, André is in the painting. He would not know it has been hours besides the constant glare of the illuminating digital clock staring from across the room; it unconsciously processes its recognition into André. The phone screams out, ‘br-ring, br-ring!’ Like the other external matter it creeps into André, until finally its screams become too annoying to ignore. It’s too late now…impulsive André has vanished; his conventional counterpart has replaced him. The phone persists though. André decides to take it (typical for his returned mannerism). He dives across the room horizontally attacking the corner where that nuisance phone lies. ‘Aw, aw, aw, aw!’ A tube of paint has squirt from underneath his stomach. Agonising that his material friend can be so painful at times (like any of his life long friends). He picks up the phone; only the tone. He has missed whatever, whoever it was. Once again, missing the boat… Now thought and all that comes with it has returned. Why now out of all times possible? There is only sadness, misery, all this escalated from these small miniscule misfortunes; all has turned to turmoil! What can one do, when feeling like crawling into a hole? His secret minor disorders such as his claustrophobia would prevent him from crawling into that hole, even if he had one. At the moment everything feels like one big hole. Not surprisingly André’s eyes begin doing the only thing they know to do in times of unrest; wander. It is impossible to ignore what is there; it has been there all along, yet has never been seen. It is beautiful! It is splendour! It is radiance!! It is interrupted by another scream of ‘br-ring br-ring’. André picks up the damn phone. Without contemplation he whispers, “Sir, madam, I’m very terribly busy, could you perhaps call back sometime?” A deep sophisticated voice replies, “Raymond Fonck, André. Listen, I need to know about the progress of the painting. How is it going; ready to sell on Friday?” Many emotions garner at the speed of light inside André allows these emotions to clash inside of him. The painting; it is beautiful, splendour, radiance! How could he give it away now, after an indescribable series of emotional contributions? It is something that has not been attempted before; yet it is new but the expression of old. It is everything, at the moment, hopefully containing more interpretive inoculations for the future. It is a subject, of just some time, yet it contains a collaboration of detail separated from time. It is…once again interrupted by screams, this time of another sort; the infuriating talking of man. “André. Are you there?” Feelings of great rebellion sweep André off his feet. He knows how he will revolutionize his life, because after all; this painting has revolutionized his thought already. “Mister Fonck. I am so sorry. Some things have come over me…a type of sickness…although I am sure you are not aware of this mad syndrome I am suffering due to it. Well to the point, I must say I will not be supplying you with your wanted artwork. Thank you for your understanding. Hopefully we can collaborate something in future.” André hangs the phone up without replies, without a stated understanding from the mister Fonck. Without even the knowledge of acceptance or approval from the mister Fonck…it does not matter. All that matters is this new painting, this contemporised vision. It is everything. Most importantly of all, it is…unleashed!
Hardware Lane at Night, Monochrome. All Rights Reserved. / Sidqie Djunaedi
The main streets of Cairo become a hive of activity in anticipation for the celebrations at the end of Ramadan.
TITLE OF ARTWORK: / SPOOKY OWL ARTWORK CREATED ON: Paper APPROXIMATE SIZE: 8.5”x11” inches. MATERIALS USED: Acrylics, Watercolors , White-Out Pen , Markers. Signed by the artist and completed in January 2007. ABOUT THIS: Up in the trees in a dark winters day. The sun is setting and the cold wind is blowing. It starts to snow and you hear the empty echo of where you are. The snow is creating a heavy fog. You can not see. You stumble around trying to move through the fog and snow but you fall victim to the harsh conditions. You suddenly fall paralyzed on the cold hard ground. In your last moments you hear wings flap and the loud screech of an owl.
Upward Looking Fallen Angel. Portrait of a male angel holding his broken wings up behind his back. He has fallen, becoming mortal, and looks upward innocently feigning his previous divinity. Extreme alternative photographic mixed medium processed image.
Made after a conversation with my friend David about how he thinks that working is a form of theft. Thanks also to my muse kez for her curatorial suggestions here. / . / . / Based on a photograph released by the Huddersfield University precision technology centre of an ant carrying a 1mm square microchip. / . / . / See Worker Ant – Part 2 / . /
Obey your masters. www.lindsayblamey.com.au
My inner rumblings reflect my personal trials, dreams, needs and obligations. My Artwork reflects who I am! Photography By: Madeline M. Allen Thank you for viewing my work. Image copyright © 2008, Madeline M. Allen Copying and displaying or redistribution of this image without permission from the artist is strictly prohibited. MY GALLERIES ON REDBUBBLE FRACTALS SMUDGE ART TM. / WALL ART / SMUDGE ART TM. / ABSTRACT / SMUDGE ART TM. / MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS / SMUDGE ART TM. / WHIMSICAL BIRDS / SMUDGE ART TM. FRAMED / ANIMALS / BIRDS / SUNSETS / LANDSCAPES / FLOWERS / NEWFOUNDLAND CANADA / COLLABORATIONS / FAMILY / ALTERED PHOTOGRAPHY / BLACK & WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY MY CARDS / INSPIRATIONAL CARDS / CHRISTMAS CARDS / VALENTINE CARDS / EASTER CARDS MY T-SHIRTS / BASIC BLACK T’s / BASIC WHITE T’s / FLOWER POWER T’s FRISCO / VALENTINE T’s
Minimalist abstract study of speeding cyclists, focusing more on the dynamics of the speed and motion of their movements / Oil on Stretched Canvas – No Airbrushing 37 X 59 inches / 94 X 150 cm contact my Agents at Gallery 112 / .....................................................................................
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I found this article and thought that I would share. / Great information and a bit inspiring to those that might not have / the confiden…
I found this article and thought that I would share. / Great information and a bit inspiring to those that might not have / the confidence they deserve. By Scott Bourne When photographers turn pro, they face an important issue: How to price their products and services. Unfortunately, photographers are at the low end of the pay scale because they usually don’t apply standard marketing and business strategy when pricing their work. The goal of this article is to give you advice that will let you earn what you are worth and at the same time, elevate the price positioning of the entire industry. START AT THE BEGININNG – KNOW WHAT YOU ARE SELLING Are we selling square inches of paper? For some reason, the first thing that enters a photographer’s mind when pricing is print size. This has cost more photographers money than you can imagine. The most important thing to know here is to build value in your product. You do that by considering ALL the factors that go into making a salable image. So what are we selling? How about that creative eye? Anyone can buy a camera but can they see through it the way you do? Are the hours you spent training for this moment worth something? Your mechanic, doctor and lawyer all get paid for their time, shouldn’t you? Then there is your present technical ability. The casual amateur may not be able to get the most out of the same equipment as the everyday pro. And speaking of equipment, you need to consider the value of all those gadgets you have laying around the studio. When you price, charge for your logistical skills, intelligence, time and your ability to translate your client’s desires into a visual statement. You should consider standard usage and copyright in the price as well as basic business economics. And here is one of the first places that photographers stumble. They aren’t honest with themselves about the cost of doing business. In order to price something, you must know what it cost to make. Here are some things to look at: Pricing Economics 1) Overhead / 2) Profit / 3) Market Type Calculating overhead requires you to consider all the costs that are associated with being a professional photographer. That means: 1) Equipment depreciation / 2) Insurance / 3) Rent / 4) Licenses / 5) Legal Fees / 6) Accounting Fees / 7) Payroll Fees / 8) Salaries / 9) Taxes / 10) Utilities / 11) Production / 12) Repairs / 13) Printing / 14) Postage / 15) Office Supplies / 16) Subscriptions / 17) Dues / 18) Advertising/Marketing / 19) Transportation/Shipping / 20) Travel / 21) Misc. Calculating profit is a bit easier. You consider your cost of doing business by allowing for a percentage of your overhead to be applied to the cost of each job. From there you add mark up. This can be based on any number you want but a good starting point is to double the cost of your product. Now you also need to adjust this figure based on market type. Is the image being used in a small or large market? Will thousands of people or just a few see it? What is the value to the client? What will the client do with your image? What choice besides you does the client have? Are there 50 photographers in town or only three? All of these factors go into calculating a price. STRATEGY Now that you know what you have, what you are selling and what it costs you to make it, you need to devise a pricing strategy. This can be as simple as jotting down some basic facts. 1) What is your overhead? 2) What is your marketing strategy? 3) What is the competition charging? 4) How much income do you need to survive? If you have a real business plan, you will have answered most if not all of these questions. If you don’t have a business plan, now would be a great time to write one. It doesn’t have to be fancy but you need to be able to articulate your goals or you won’t be able to measure success. EDUCATE THE CLIENT After you have decided on a strategy, you need to start educating your clients about your business. Most people have no idea what it costs to run a business, let alone a photo business. Share that with your clients. If you run a portrait studio, make sure they understand the differences between what you do and what the chain studios do. If you are selling fine art nature prints, discuss your education and training, the cost of dues to professional organizations, etc. When dealing with art directors, let them know when you have purchased new cameras or computers that feature advanced technology. Once the client can see a nexus between value and price, the higher rates become less of a stumbling block. You can embark on this education process in a number of ways. Issue press releases that tout your equipment acquisitions, attendance at seminars and new employees. Bring these things up in casual conversation when selling. Publish a studio newsletter. Conduct your business in a manner that exudes professionalism. CONCLUSION There is one last but very important step that you must take to profitably price your photography. Ask established photographers how they bid jobs. Smart photographers who have made a good living at photography will gladly help beginners with this information. They realize that if you are new, you might undercharge, thereby bringing prices down industry-wide. Ask for help. You’re likely to get it. Article Copyright 2005, Scott Bourne – Photofocus Magazine ABOUT THE AUTHOR Scott Bourne is the author of “88 Secrets to Selling & Publishing Your Photography” and “88 Secrets to Photoshop for Photographers.” Both are available from Olympic Mountain School Press, http://www.mountainschoolpress.com His work has also appeared in books, magazines, galleries, calendars, on greeting cards, web sites and on posters. Scott is a professional photographer, author, teacher and pioneer in the digital imaging field. His career started in the early 70s as a stringer covering motor sports for Associated Press in Indiana. Since then, he has shot commercial, portrait, wedding, magazine and fine art assignments. His new passion is wildlife photography. Scott regularly lectures on a variety of photo and media-related subjects. He’s appeared on national television and radio programs and has written columns for several national magazines. He is the publisher of Photofocus.com, an online magazine for serious photographers and also serves as the executive director of the Olympic Mountain School of Photography in Gig Harbor, WA.
The painting is based on a photo I took on Dartmoor a few years ago. The light was fantastic and I’ve expanded on that to create this vibrant landscape.
Don’t ask don’t tell! Ink/Watercolour illustration
Some of you know that I do shows during the summer. I also do Christmas shows. This is from the show in Eagle where I live. With all the talk of how bad the economy is going I was hoping for a least half of what we normally do. (This is our 4th yr.) After the show ended last night we added our invoices and found we had doubled our sales from our best show at this location.
Cityscape background, urban art
Textured acrylic on stretched canvas.
T-Shirt THE WINNER in the challenge Tee Shirts TOP TEN IN THE CHALLENGE Homepage Featured Work
now it’s done…...!!! / digital painting using corel photopaint X4 / but…. / still…..I miss the traditional painting process….. / if only I could separate my self from my computer…!! / been married to “mac” for so many years now…. / ...now where are my brushes…lol!! copyright © 2009 jokiargu creations first stage: / second stage: / thank you for viewing my heART!!!
Having soooo much fun playing/experimenting with arcsoft photostudio. FEATURED in ‘Lifeline’ September, 2009 /
From my “One Day in Toronto” project. Calendar available too: Toronto Calendar Toronto Shoot Video
From my “One Day in Toronto” project. Calendar available too: Toronto Calendar Toronto Shoot Video
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