• About
  • Visit Gray Star Design
  • Minted Collection
  • Design Services
  • Contact

The Design Inspirationalist

~ Inspiring Ideas | Spectacular Creations

The Design Inspirationalist

Tag Archives: fine arts

The Anatomy of Paint

02 Thursday May 2013

Posted by melissaoconnor in Art & Design, Guest Posts

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Acrylic paints, art, art on canvas, design, Encaustic paints, fine arts, oil painting, Oil paints, painting, Tempera paints, Watercolor

Though just about everybody plays with watercolors at some point in their childhood, most of us don’t have any idea what we’re dealing with the first time we walk into an art shop as an adult intending to try our hand at the fine arts. Here is a short run down of all the different ways you can put art on canvas, what they are, and what they’re for.

Watercolor
Watercolors are made by simply suspending pigment in water and comprise a medium that has existed on every continent since prehistory. They’re a favorite for kids because they’re very cheap and easy to clean up since they can be thinned or washed out with water. Unfortunately, they’re not very forgiving when you’re actually trying to seriously paint. Watercolors will bleed outward slightly, giving them their distinctive fuzzy texture. Because the paint tends to absorb into the surface fairly quickly it’s difficult to blend colors upon application.
The Anatomy of Paint
Photo Credit: Fondosya

Oil
Oil Painting was invented in Asia during the dark ages, but didn’t make its way onto the European art scene until the 15th century. Oil paints are made by suspending a pigment in oil, occasionally along with a resin to act as a gloss when the paint dries. Oil is special because as far as the painter is concerned it never dries. That is to say it takes several weeks, meaning that the artist has plenty of time to mix and blend colors on the painting surface during and after application. The biggest drawback of this is that the only way to cover up a mistake is to scrape unwanted paint off of the canvas before covering it with fresh paint, because otherwise it will mix together and mess it up.
The Anatomy of Paint
Photo Credit: eHow

Acrylic
Acrylic is the new kid on the block as far as painting goes, having been invented in the 1950s. Acrylic is easy and fun, and comes in a variety of textures, with some looking a little bit like oil or watercolors depending on the type. Unique to acrylic, however, is that it dries very quickly, forming a thin layer of plastic. If you don’t like something you can easily paint a layer over it without any worries about paint mixing. Additionally you can scratch layers with a needle or other sharp implement to expose the layers underneath.
The Anatomy of Paint
Photo Credit: Good Wallpapers

Tempera
Tempera is an egg-based paint that’s been around for several thousand years, dating way back to the Egyptians. It’s made by mixing powdered pigment with egg yolks and water. It dries very quickly and the mixture needs to be constantly adjusted in order to keep it at the right consistency as it thickens on contact with air. Because it’s so difficult to work with and because it spoils quickly it’s not terribly popular.
The Anatomy of Paint
Photo Credit: DC Cifrus

Encaustic
Encaustic painting is a technique that’s also several thousand years old, and is made by mixing pigments into hot wax. It provided artists with a few extra options because it could be altered even after application using heated metal implements, and it could be layered more effectively and more quickly than other old methods. Unfortunately it’s been rendered mostly obsolete by acrylics, and is now a refuge for hipsters and overzealous art nerds.
The Anatomy of Paint
Photo Credit: About.com

{Written by Edward Stuart}

Interview with Artist & Musician Reinder Oldenburger

09 Friday Nov 2012

Posted by melissaoconnor in Art & Design, Featured Artists

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

andy warhol, art, canvas, color, conservatory of amsterdam, countryside, de kooning, dutch, fine arts, fryslan, greetings cards, guitar, hurricane sandy, karel appel, matisse, music, netherlands, new york, owl, painting, picasso, playful, red cross, Reinder Oldenburger, ryan oldcastle, rythm, songwriting, structure, Van Gogh

My first impression of Reinder Oldenburger was definitely a good one, as he seemed laid back, kind and very sweet. Off the bat you can tell he was artistic, which he totally is, and he looked quite handsome that one winter day. You see I met him and my friend Jen in NYC to take photos of their wedding at city hall. It was such an honor to capture their special day.

Interview with Artist & Musician Reinder Oldenburger - © Jen Lombardo
Photo Credit: Jen Lombardo

Since that day, I have kept up with what Reinder has been creating and I have to say, I am impressed. Not only can he write and play music but he paints as well. Born in the Netherlands, he started playing guitar at 13 and then later moved to attend the Conservatory of Amsterdam. The artist, 28, now resides in Queens with his wife and fabulous makeup artist, Jen Lombardo.

Interview with Artist & Musician Reinder Oldenburger - © Reinder Oldenburger
Owl

Color plays a big part in his art as well as his music. In 2011, he decided to start putting his thoughts on canvas and through this has become a self taught fine artist with clear intention and abstract vision, one held by the great expressionists that have truly influenced him. His work is playful, raw and childlike with a touch of maturity and sensibility. It’s amazing he has only been painting for about a year.

I asked Reinder if he would do an interview with me for the blog and he kindly said yes. I am very happy to share the Q and A we had so you can learn a little more about this unique young man too.

What would you consider your first love, music or art? And why?
I started playing guitar in 1997 when I was 13. I took lessons and started playing in some local bands and eventually moved to Amsterdam to study music at the Conservatory of Amsterdam. I didn’t start painting until much later in 2011 after a visit to the van Gogh museum so it’s safe to say music was my first love.

How do you feel art and music/songwriting influence each other in your life?
I think they are essentially the same. They both have rhythm, color, and structure. I get inspired to paint a picture from listening to music and vice versa.

Interview with Artist & Musician Reinder Oldenburger - © Reinder Oldenburger
Andy Warhol

What is it that draws you to use vibrant colors in your paintings?
I think they’re just mesmerizing! Some of my favorites are cadmium yellow, naphthol red and azure blue. They’re so powerful I find it hard not to look at them.

Interview with Artist & Musician Reinder Oldenburger - © Reinder Oldenburger
Untitled

How do you feel your upbringing and surroundings have influenced your artistic vision and what experiences have influenced you the most?
I grew up in a generation without cell phones and social media. There was less distraction and more time to use the imagination. I’ve had a very free and untroubled childhood growing up on the Dutch countryside. The skies are amazing over there! The Dutch landscapes are a painter’s dream and I definitely believe that has influenced my perception of space and color.

Where do you look for inspiration?
Most of the time inspiration comes as I’m working. Music and books are some of my favorite sources. I believe that everything I see, hear and experience influences and inspires me when the time is right.

Explain your artistic process when starting to work on a painting.
A blank canvas can be very intimidating. It’s all about being open and fearless, adding and taking away. Every brush stroke leads to another. I often have no idea where I’m going. I basically start building on a simple idea and let the current take me to unknown waters. When I paint I like to listen to loud music and drink lots of coffee.

Interview with Artist & Musician Reinder Oldenburger - © Reinder Oldenburger
Untitled

Is it ever hard to part with a painting when it’s sold?
For me it’s all in the process of creating. I’ll give it everything and when I’m done with a painting I’m ready to part with it.

Who are your favorite artists and why?
Picasso, Matisse, de Kooning, Karel Appel, and van Gogh are some of my favorites. Mostly because of their incredible use of color.

Interview with Artist & Musician Reinder Oldenburger - © Reinder Oldenburger
Vincent van Gogh

{To learn more about Reinder, you can visit him at reinderoldnburger.com and ryan oldcastle.com. You can purchase his paintings in his Etsy shop. Also currently for sale are limited greeting card boxed sets featuring 8 paintings from his 2012 work which you can buy for $20. He is kindly donating 25% of the profits to the Red Cross to help Hurricane Sandy victims.}

Shop of the Month: Dear Ida

04 Sunday Nov 2012

Posted by melissaoconnor in Art & Design, Featured Artists, Shop of the Month, Shopping

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Dear Ida, drawing, fine arts, greeting cards, holiday, holiday cards, illustration, lisa Mundorff

So I recieved an email from Brian who is a member of the Dear Ida team and husband of the very talented Lisa Mundorff, illustrator extraordinaire. He shared some info on their company and said hello. I thought that was cool to send a little message my way. As I looked through their website I had to feature them and spread the word.

Dear Ida

I know custom cards are everywhere but Dear Ida is different. Brian and Lisa started the business after years of getting rave reviews from their illustrated holiday cards. Family and friends just couldn’t get enough of the Lisa’s illustrations of their kids. So the lightbulb went off and Dear Ida was born. Add Anna and Andy to the equation and you got a unique team of creatives who are “cutting through the clutter of cookie cutter greetings.”

Dear Ida

Now anyone can visit their website and browse through their gallery of unique designs and be able to send a fun, quirky, custom card to their loved ones. How cool is it to have your family custom drawn and presented in Lisa’s illustrations? So cool! You just choose a background and send pictures of your family or whoever you want drawn and within 2 weeks you could have holiday cards pretty enough to frame. Here are some of my faves.

Dear Ida

Dear Ida

Dear Ida

Dear Ida

Dear Ida

color in films sound in color art inpsired palettes
art and design the home events and parties weddings real weddings color inspiration film-reviews historic places news and updatesminted






minted.com

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Archives



martha

Magnolia Rouge

Screen Shot 2014-04-23 at 2.29.10 PM

Etsy

Screen Shot 2014-04-23 at 2.18.10 PM

logo

Screen Shot 2014-04-23 at 2.42.13 PM

P&PBlogHeader

wedding chicks


ruffled

Screen Shot 2014-04-23 at 2.47.49 PM

Screen Shot 2014-04-23 at 2.16.32 PM


lauren-elle-photography

jenlombardo

logo_website

site-logo1

kelly_dekenipp_logo

homelogo

Website Powered by WordPress.com.

Cancel

 
Loading Comments...
Comment
    ×