Developing Style one Brush Stroke at a Time

"First Daffodil" acrylic on canvas

If you’re like me, you keep your eyes on trends: What are people buying? What’s the new hot color? How long will this geometric craze last?

When circles, lines and shapes were popular in the 60s and 70s, I grew tired of them within a few years. The revival of this psychedelic conglomeration of zigzags and prisms hit me at a time when my home is full of traditional furniture. But one thing I’ve learned about trends and fads, they never last.

Today driving to an appointment, I noticed that new white cars are multiplying as are white vans and trucks for business. Even the latest auto ads are featuring white and chrome.

(Picasso's Blue Period 1903)

(Picasso's African Period 1907)

In the September Better Homes and Garden (BHG) and Woman’s Day magazines, white walls are making a comeback. These virginal surfaces allow bold and bright accents to add zing and a bit of flare to an eclectic mix of modern and traditional.

Recent issues featured vintage finds that tone down and anchor the bright colors and soften the angular lines and shapes they bump into. Designers call it a “happy blend.”

Kishani Perera, who loves traditional finds from the past, is a designer, author, and owner of the LA boutique and Rummage (featured in BHG Sept. 2015). She said: “So many pieces from earlier times were made to last forever. That’s the beauty of vintage.”

VARIOUS STYLES OF FINE ART

So, dear friends, don’t give up. Use those old pieces your mother left you. Incorporate those interesting and universal items gleaned from garage and estate sales and relax. Surround yourself with what makes you happy.

The same goes for your own artistic skills. If you do what makes you happy, eventually you’ll develop your own style. Don’t get sucked into every fad that comes along unless it becomes a part of your style. Your work should be unique and recognizable.

According to definition: “In the visual arts, style is a ...distinctive manner which permits the grouping of works into related categories."^[1] or ..any distinctive, and therefore recognizable, way in which an act is performed or an artifact made or ought to be performed and made."^[2] It refers to the visual appearance of a work of art that relates it to other works by the same artist or one from the same period, training, location, ‘school’, art movement or archaeological culture: "The notion of style has long been the art historian's principal mode of classifying works of art. By style he selects and shapes the history of art".^[3] (Wickipedia)

Days of Long Ago and Far Away Come Back to the Present

(A Stereoptican card dated 1899; tinted in color) Anfinsen Arts on Etsy

I’ve always been a history buff. I'd like to go back in time and see what it was really like. How would I have reacted? Would I have been a lowly peasant or part of the aristocracy? Would my choices have affected generations to come or would I have silently “gone into that good night” unrecorded, unknown; “ashes to ashes, dust to dust?”

When my paternal grandfather left me his Stereopticon and cards, I had intentions of passing them on to my own children, but there seemed to be little interest. At a certain point, I decided to sell them to those who would prize them and use them.

I had no idea if the cards were valuable or not. I went on EBay to test the waters. This is always a good idea to see what the competition is doing. I had one card that I almost threw away. It was of an African American couple sitting on the grass eating watermelon. I was ashamed that it was even part of the collection. Then I discovered that people are paying quite a bit for “Black Americana” of any kind. A similar card has a missing corner, and will be given away with the sale of the first.

(I'm not endorsing this by any means!  Apparently "Black Americana" is a collectible item
copyright 1897)

Humorous pairs and trios, and the early tinted cards are more valuable than others. Military cards, war ships, and major cities showing how they have changed are also in demand. I’m amused at what people were interested in viewing in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s.

People collected cards the way we download apps. The dual photos on each card gives a three-dimensional appearance when viewed through the stereopticon. Unfortunately, those that were enjoyed the most are more worn which decreases the value.

(copyright 1906)

These and other Stereopticon cards and collectibles are in my shop:  Anfinsen Arts on Etsy

I started collecting Popeye memorabilia for almost the same reasons. My grandson, Dane, did a pretty good imitation of Popeye when he was about six and that sparked my interest. I noticed that Popeye was still reasonably priced so I started building my collection. Many pieces have been sold on my Etsy site.

Antiques tell a story. They also seem to hold traces of the people who owned them. Sometimes you can feel their warmth and spirit radiate. At other times, an ominous cold feeling of dread emanates from the wood or the living material an object is made from.

(Bridget copyright 1906) A second card shows her on the table, afraid of a mouse!

Vintage shops draw me in compelling ways. I like to browse and stay, waiting for that certain something that urges me to buy. Sensing another time, another era and the hovering spirits of those who may have used each item gives me pause. The smell of old relics mingled with today’s dust hangs heavy in the air. I want to take it all in. I sit down in an old wooden rocker and listen for the whisperings of the past. A pendulum swings in cadence with a fly buzz-bombing in the window. A ticking clock reeks of old wax; its tinny bellow announces the hour.

I bask in old-fashioned comfort and linger for one last look around. A pair of tea spoons catches my eye. Small screened containers in the bowls are for holding loose leaves. I’ll take them home and reminisce about the long-ago teas I have missed and the friends I never knew.

(These are two different spoons. One opens from the side,
the other has a small lever that snaps open)

Check out my shop for artwork, Popeye collectibles and Vintage items:  Anfinsen Arts on Etsy

The Party’s Over – it’s Time to Call it a Day

"And all that Jazz" 11 x 14 acrylic / framed in a recessed red boxed frame!

We’re back! (Sounds like Jack Nicholson in the Shining) The morning after the long drive home, we went for our usual three mile walk. It felt sooo good! I was delighted to see that the Bob Whites had returned. They were flooded out four years ago, and this is the first glimpse I’ve had of them since that time. They are such delightful birds.

Seeing The Bob Whites made me determined to create a canvas for them. I had done a drawing some time ago, and now I want to permanently honor these adorable birds.

"Bob White" 11 x 14 matted print ready to frame
http://www.etsy.com/anfinsenart 

In one blog, I told you how my husband had learned to imitate their cheery whistle “bob bob white.” If we didn’t see them, he’d whistle their call and soon they would answer. They had a warm interchange back and forth until my husband tired of the game.

Before we left Fort Myers, they had pruned our bushes and trees. It looked like a war zone! This time of year, the neighborhoods begin to look like a jungle, and in some areas they were starting to. Upon our return, we were pleased to see that our street was neat and back in flower. The pruning had made the leaves grow back in super thick and green.

Our new remodeled kitchen welcomed us home. There are still things to do, but it was great to see the glistening shine of new paint and granite counter tops. New appliances are being delivered on Friday to replace our old, rusted out ones. What a difference it will make!

"Shimmy Shake" 11 x 14 acrylic in black box recessed frame
http://www.etsy.com/anfinsenart

It was good to visit with friends and family in Georgia, but I’m eager to get back to painting. It almost feels like Christmas. The anticipation is "killing me. I have a canvas, and in my next blog I’ll show you what I have in mind. This time around, I’m working on an abstract design with a tropical flare.

I also have some vintage canvases in mind. I tried to search for “discontinued products,” but didn’t find what I was looking for. Can you help? I would like to paint some product signs that are no longer in use.

I first thought of “Hires” root beer which has technically been discontinued except in Utah where they still sell Hires root beer kits to make a homemade brew using dry ice for the bubbles. I have tasted this mix and it is excellent!

I want to add some more vintage style artwork to my repertoire of retro paintings. Those were created using old sheet music covers as a jumping off place for my compositions. This time around, I thought the old signs would be fun.

Cyber-rattling – the Skeletal Remains of Abandoned Blogs

"All that Jazz" acrylic on panel in red boxed frame

 (repeat of a blog from 2012)

We’re all eager to start them. We want our own public space in the sun to share our personal trivia or our hopes and dreams. Millions of blogs attest to that fact. But what happens when the enthusiasm fades, a blogger moves to another space, or just leaves his or her audience hanging as weeks turn into months and months into years?

The search engines are clogged with the skeletal remains of countless blogs hanging in the pathways of cyberspace. I was amazed as I searched for viable art blogs how many of them have not been updated in months; some for more than three to five years!

"Lucky Lady" acrylic, mixed media on panel in red boxed frame

Amongst the casualties were new mother blogs, created by first time mothers who wanted to share the miracle of birth and their amazing adventure into motherhood. Others wanted to share a wonderful vacation with humorous stories and full-color photos. But when the vacation excitement fizzled, the dazzle of motherhood wore off, so did the blog.

Many blogs are started with good intentions, but they fail miserably when the blogger realizes there is no substance. There are no long-term goals. There was a beginning, but no ending. The blogger had no vision for the purpose of his or her blog or the discipline to finish it.

Clanking around this wasteland, I still found some good information, an interesting fact or two; but it required an investment of time to find that juicy fruit, that bright star among the scattered bones of defeat. Some bloggers move frequently from space to space, leaving their old blogs behind like bread crumbs to lead their followers back home. Some links failed, leading me on a wild goose chase.

"Shimmy Shake" mixed media on panel in black boxed frame

With all the apps and gizmo's out there, I sometimes have difficulty uploading my own updates, especially in the evening hours. The large sites like Facebook and Twitter become unpredictable and double tweets or failed tweets happen on occasion.

Abandoned bytes and cyber debris join other waste materials in the heavens. Our Satellite Station over the years has dropped scraps and junk that still circle the globe endlessly polluting the atmosphere. Our oceans are filled with garbage and the ghostly remains of plastic bags. Japan’s Tsunami debris floats around the globe, butting up against foreign shores and introducing them to alien species.

"Vamp on a Ramp" mixed media on panel in gray boxed frame

Our “throw away” society continues to add to our mountain of debt and our growing landfill piles. Wouldn’t it be great if someone could find a way to clean up this wasted space or manufacture things that would last? If our economy is so bad, why do so many people throw thousands of pounds of food in the trash each year? Solutions not rhetoric is what we need. Suggestions anyone?

"Yes, Sir, that's my Baby!" mixed media on panel in black boxed frame
(All Retro prints and originals are on http://www.etsy.com/shop/AnfinsenArt)