November 2016
By Donald Kolberg, Art Bookmarks Editor
Monthly link highlights to online resources and websites that seem informative and inspiring for artists or art enthusiasts. Most are free. Suggestions are welcomed.
1. 9 Italian Art Terms You Should Know: I have found that when I visit thrift stores I head to the books looking for—wait for it—art books. No great surprise. Anyway, there always seem to be a few books on the classics or High Renaissance. After a while you start to see the same pictures often enough that you can recite the artists’ names. But can you cite the styles? Sarah Gottesman at the ART Genome Project (more on that here) has provided a bookmark: a short list of Italian art terms that you should definitely add to your vocabulary. If nothing else, they sound cool at parties.
2. National Statistics about Working Artists: Time for a quick test. Per the 2010 census, how many artists are there in the United States? Let’s include:
- Fine Artists, Art Directors, Animators
Image by the National Endowment for the Arts - Actors
- Announcers
- Dancers and Choreographers
- Musicians
- Producers and Directors
- Designers
- Writers and Authors
- Photographers
- Other Entertainers
The answer is 2.1 million! California has the most with 365,165, which is 47.9% of the state’s workforce. If you want to know how your state stands up to the arts and other information, check out the infographic on the site.
3. Exploring Color Palettes: First, I am not saying that this paint is better than another, nor am I actually buying anything from this company. That said, I have to say that Gamblin Artist Colors has put together a listing of palettes for painters that provides a base for everything from High Key to Classic Old Masters. While you can tailor any of the palettes to your own preferences, I have to applaud the company for supplying a great reference point for painters with this feature.
4. Artnet News Editors’ Picks: Artnet was founded in 1989 with the goal of bringing transparency to the art world. Today, they reach an audience of 25 million in 239 countries, a bit more than my website. So when they put out the new editors’ list of art-related fiction and non-fiction, I thought bookmarking this list would provide a bit of entertainment for the coming cold months (or the warm ones if you live down here near me). Each listing has a short review, so check out the link.
5. Victor Binge, Critiquing Artwork: The interesting thing about being an artist reading an article about evaluating and critiquing artwork is that you start to look at your own work differently. Victor Binge tackles this subject by presenting four basic steps: Description, Analysis, Interpretation, and Judgement. And while this may seem simple, Victor drills into each topic in a systematically concise pattern, that makes this bookmark a worthwhile read.
6. The Center for Fine Art Photography (C4FAP): It’s not often that you come across an organization with as much dedication to their particular art as you do with C4FAP. This non-profit organization was founded in 2004 by photographers, but that’s not what caught my eye. In reading about them, I came across this paragraph that endeared them to me and expressed how I think organizations should be run:[gap height=”30″]
We welcome all forms of photography, from hand-built cameras to modern digital processes. The themes are open to artist interpretation and this freedom brings amazing results. The Center shows innovative imagery and emerging creative trends with each new show. We welcome all levels of photographic artists to submit their work.”
Check out their site.
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