Sarah Lyon makes large format photographs of people and places that are common in our surroundings and yet they reveal a stark beauty that we have failed to recognize. And for that we should be thanking her. In a time when American citizens are feeling the financial pinch of still being such a relatively young country, Sarah’s work proves that the landscape in which we live still counts for something.

I met Sarah in her Smoketown studio, which doubles as her place of residence. She told me to look for the door that reads “Beware of Dog.” She doesn’t own a dog; in fact, she detests them, and she’s really a nice person, so here within the irony lies. In minutes of meeting Sarah, Louisville came under a tornado warning. The sky turned angry and the National Weather Service sirens began their chilling wail. Sarah reassured me, “this is probably one of the safest places to be” and I can’t explain it, but I did feel a relative peace being there. I was offered coffee, but having had my morning fill, I declined.

Like most people, her place is scattered with the things that interest her. Mechanic tools, books, odd picture frames and musical instruments. Besides being a photographer, Sarah plays bass and guitar for the band Ritchie White Orchestra, which she says is the brainchild of Cesar Padilla. Music critic Jeffrey Lee Puckett said, “it's not the type of band you'd want to take your sister to."

Julie Gross: How did you get started with a camera?Sarah Lyon: It was in ’98 and I just photographed my friends and parties and I was an activist in college. It was this group called the Feminist Majority. I was a musician and played in a band and I was the Rock for Choice coordinator. We would do shows and I would get bands to come in from out of town and then we would send all the profits to the main organization. The best thing about that was we brought together all these people on campus who didn’t know each other existed, so I would photograph the parties.

Do you still have the pictures from these parties?Yes. [laughs]

What do you think of them now when you look back on them?Oh, I love them. I was documenting my life as a way to remember. I would put all of my pictures up from the parties on my dorm room door and people loved looking at them. It was a really early Facebook. [laughs] Then I took a black and white photography class and a drawing class one summer when I was in Oxford [Ohio]. I always loved to make stuff and draw in high school but I never thought it was a viable thing, but then once I took that class I was like “oh I want this” so I started working in the darkroom all the time and switched my major to fine arts.

Do you still work in the darkroom?I did one project that the Speed [Museum] bought actually, I had a big map of Louisville and I cut it all up and took them all out of order and threw a dart at it and then I would go and take a picture where the dart landed. It was a way to make myself go to places that I normally wouldn’t. I made a darkroom in my bathroom and printed all those pictures in my bathroom. [laughs] But normally, I don’t work in the darkroom. I shoot film and digital, but if I shoot film I scan it. In college I worked in the color darkroom, which I think that helped teach me about color theory and how to color correct, so I use that knowledge when I Photoshop.

A small sampling of Sarah's work

The work of artist Arkadi "Arko" Baghdasaryan adorns the walls of his daughter's studio/ by Victoria Rovira Infante

It’s just after noon on a cloudy but bright December day, and the cold, grey-white sunshine pours through large windows overlooking a cluster of apartment buildings neighboring Yerevan’s Matenadaran ancient manuscript repository. Vivid, abstract paintings and three-dimensional creations adorn the high walls of this room and the dark wooden hallway I passed through to reach the fifth-floor home and art studio of Armina Baghdasaryan.

While the only thing keeping the inside temperature from matching that of the outside air is a small furnace near the door, the space reverberates with life as Baghdasaryan cheerfully rushes around serving tea and cookies; distributing aprons, tools, and lumps of clay; alternating between Armenian, French, and English as she encourages her young students – already busy rolling, pounding, cutting, and shaping.

Baghdasaryan is the daughter of Arkadi “Arko” Baghdasaryan, one of Armenia’s first and most respected modern artists. In fact, the amazing works that adorn nearly every square inch of wall space – and a significant amount of floor and desk space – are his. Growing up, Baghdasaryan was immersed in art and music. Her dissident father, whose non-traditional artwork was considered nonsense to the Soviet way of thinking, listened to the barely-audible “Voice of America” radio program in secret, exposing his family to the English language and American music, including Baghdasaryan’s favorites, Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald.

Armina Baghdasaryan is bridging culture through the art of ceramics/ courtesy A. Badghdasaryan

In 1997, during her last year as a student, she went to Paris with her father to set up an exhibit for his work. They stayed in a historic artists’ residence, and she learned French during her time there, particularly through cinema and theater. It was there that she developed a fascination for linguistics, and when she returned to Armenia, she started a foundation for Joie de Lire (Joy of Reading), a library of French-published children’s books.

But after a few years  she returned to France to study sculpture,  surprising her family in the process. While taking ceramics classes, she stumbled upon a new idea:  she could teach language and pottery simultaneously – children could learn the French language through art.

After studying for a few years in Warsaw after France, she came home to Armenia and worked at the Armenian Center for Contemporary Experimental Art (also known by its Armenian acronym, NPAK) from 2008 to 2010 on new techniques for teaching French through author projects, games, modeling clay, and even kamishibai, a 12th-century Japanese method of illustration-based storytelling.

Now Baghdasaryan is married with three creative daughters of her own: Dana, 14, an art student studying painting; Sophia, 11, a ballerina and hopeful choreographer; and 9-year-old Mariam, who is sitting at the table, skillfully forming adorable clay hedgehogs during my visit.

Mariam & Ruben converse over clay/ by Victoria Rovira Infante

Seated nearby are Maria, 8,  painting a teacup she made last week; Sarkis, 6, decorating a tiny clay Christmas tree; Ruben, an impressively independent 10-year-old who speaks Armenian, Russian, Hebrew and French; and a few other aspiring young potters.

Every weekend, these kids are here, getting their hands dirty and sculpting to their hearts’ content under the supervision of their enthusiastic instructor, who sees symbolic meaning in their work.

“The thing that I like [about] working with kids is that they have a very rich vision, they like to improvise and I am able to understand and help them to receive what they want, ” Baghdasaryan says.  She sings “Frère Jaques” and “Allouette,” and helps 4-year-old Nathan count how many little feet he should make for his clay cat, “Un, deux, trios, quatre!”

Nathan pounds away at clay at Baghdasaryan's studio/ by Victoria Rovira Infante

6 year-old Sabina. When I asked her what she was making, she smiled and replied, "I don't know!"/by Victoria Rovira Infante

Suddenly, in this definitive moment, I realize the incredible goal Baghdasaryan is achieving: by devoting her abundant energy to her three passions – language, art and children – she is building a bridge. It is one many have tried to build before, though not all who have attempted to do so have been successful. Hers is a beautifully subtle, yet solid, communicative link between cultures and generations, one that will last for years to come.

A first-generation Filipino American, Victoria Rovira Infante was born and raised in the Washington, D.C. area and has also lived extensively in Florida and California. She earned her B.A. in English and a minor degree in Environmental Science from the University of South Florida in 2005. In 2008, she and her husband moved to Yerevan, Armenia to teach full time at an international school, where their young son is also a student. She enjoys discovering the past (and therefore, the present and future) through both travel and the multi-faceted, ever-evolving written word.

8:10am Friday 3rd February 2012 in

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MULTI-AWARD winning wildlife photographer, cameraman, explorer and two-time winner of the Polar Medal, Doug Allan, will be giving a talk about his life at the Octagon Theatre in Yeovil on March 2.

Doug will be hosting an evening of enthralling personal recollections from his travels around the world as one of the world’s leading wildlife cameramen.

From being dragged under water by a hungry walrus to being poked by a polar bear in his sleep, Doug never fails to entertain with his exciting stories, Scottish charm and warm sense of humour.

He is well known for his award-winning photography and for his camerawork on hugely successful BBC programmes such as Life, Human Planet, Blue Planet, Planet Earth and the recently-acclaimed Frozen Planet and Ocean Giants.

For more details – contact the Octagon box office on 01935-422884.

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Galleria dell’Accademia

Full of Medieval and Renaissance gems, this is a must for any art and design or history based student tours’ itinerary. The building itself is of great interest to art historians. It was built in 1750 as the Accademia di Belle Arti de Venezia, a school of painting, architecture and sculpture, by the city’s senate. It was also one of the first schools to formally introduce the study of art restoration. Highlights of its collection include works by Giovanni Bellini and Lorenzo Lotto, and Leonardo da Vinci’s famous Vitruvian Man. The 18th-century building is beautiful but a little difficult to navigate, so a guide or a map is recommended.

Peggy Guggenheim Collection

Venice may still possess an old-world charm but it is also a modern city and, as such, a part of the modern art world, too. Some of your students may find modern art more exciting, so to mark a change from the ornate traditional art on display in other museums, visit the Guggenheim. Established in 1951, by art collector Peggy Guggenheim (niece of Solomon R. Guggenheim), to house a collection of 20th-century art, it includes works by Picasso, Dali, Pollock, Duchamp, Kandinsky, Giacometti and Ernst among other notable figures. If your class has been studying early 20th century movements such as Cubism, Surrealism, Futurism or Abstract Expressionism, this will be an important place to visit on your student tours.

Venice Biennale

You will have to get the timing right for this (as the name suggests, it only happens every two years), but what could be more motivational for young artists than a chance to attend a major international exhibition as part of their student tours? The energy and variety of the Venice Biennale make it one of the most talked about art festivals in Europe, and will be valuable in providing students with a fascinating taste of the wider art world. First held in 1895, it grew in popularity and soon many countries were regularly setting up exhibitions as part of the Biennale. Today there are 30 National Pavilions representing different countries, and the atmosphere is a charged yet convivial one, where serious art collectors rub shoulders with artists and tourists. The British Council usually produces a map of the festival to make navigation easier, available at the British Pavilion.

Editor’s note: Due to the holiday weekend, gallery hours may have changed. Please make sure to call and confirm before going. Exhibit listings are published on a rotating basis as space allows.

Anna Maria Island Art League: 5312 Holmes Blvd., Holmes Beach

18th annual James Pay Members Exhibit is Jan. 13-Feb. 3 with an opening reception 5:30-7:30 p.m. Jan. 13. An all media, members-only exhibit, honoring an Island Art League founder. Hours: 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Tuesday-Friday. Information: 941-778-2099 or islandartleague.org.

Anna Maria Island Historical Complex: 402 Pine Ave., Anna Maria

The Anna Maria Historical Museum, built in 1920 as an icehouse, features displays of life on a barrier island from 1890 to 1950. Visit the famous old island jail, “no doors, no windows, no roof, no bars” and tour Belle Haven Cottage, a beautifully restored 1920 cracker house filled with period antiques and furnishings. Hours:10 a.m.-4 p.m. October through April. Admission is free. Information: 941-778-0492 or amihs.org.

A Room with a Hue: 12518 Cortez Road, Cortez

Studio and shop owner AnnMarie Nicholas exhibits her art in the form of hand-painted vintage windows, hand-painted furniture, murals, faux finishes, original art, coastal furniture, funky beach signs, gifts and accessories. Custom painting and color consultation available. Hours: 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday. Information: 941-798-9034.

ArtCenter Manatee: 209 Ninth St. W., Bradenton

“Best of the Best,” runs through Jan. 13. An opening reception for the exhibit ”Blossoms II, The Art of Flowers,” is 5-7 p.m. Jan. 19. The exhibit runs Jan. 18-Feb. 19. Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday and Friday, and 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday. Information: 941-746-2862 or artcentermanatee.org.

Artists’ Guild of Anna Maria Island: 5414 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach

An opening reception for featured artist of the month January, Kathy Sparks, will be 5:30-7:30 p.m. Jan. 13. Watercolor artist, Mark Polomchak, will teach two watercolor classes in Holmes Beach. Feb. 3-4. Class is limited to 20 people. Call the gallery for detailed schedule. The first juried art calendar for 2012 is available for $10 at the gallery. Local artists present original fine art in acrylic, oil, watercolor, silk painting, pastels, mixed media and more. Information: 941-778-6694.

Arts Council of Manatee County Gallery (Manatee County Cultural Alliance): 926 12th St. W., Bradenton

Lakewood Ranch High School student art work in the Solo Gallery, through Jan. 27. Reasonably priced art by several local artists now for sale in the Gift Gallery. Hours: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Saturday. Information: 941-746-2223.

Bits & Pieces: 1303 13th Ave W., Village of the Arts, Bradenton

Discover this unusual gift shop with handmade quilts, original art and almost-antiques. Hours: 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, during art walks and by appointment. Information: 941-744-2487 or 941-932-5869.

The best medium for painting is pastels. If you are a painter who is used to painting with wet mediums such as oil and acrylic then pastels will be ideal for you.

There are many pastel medium available in an art store.

Soft Pastels – The very popular medium in using pastels is the soft pastels. Most of the artist are fond of soft texture, and it is also used in various techniques. They are best for blending and ideal for painting big areas. Soft pastels should be handled and stored carefully as they are very delicate and will break easily. Also keep them very clean, wipe them with a piece of tissue often.

Pastel Crayons – Pastel Crayons are hard, they are cross between hard pastels and soft pastels. They are very durable for outdoor painting and can give perfect sharp lines. You get species of colors in them.

Water Soluble Pastels - These pastels are waxy and the consistency is quite different. They are used as a dry or wet medium. They are very helpful in covering large areas and transforming those in the colored wash.

Oil Pastels – Their consistency is very different as oil is used as a pigment. It will give you a highly rich tone. They tempt to be more sensitive to temperature. Use wrapper to cover your oil paints. Turpentine can be used if required.

Pastel Techniques – Blending and Dry Wash Technique

Blending – Pastels are different than the acrylic and the oil paint. Oil and Acrylic paint are mixed using a palette and pastels are mixed directly. Blending is one of the ways to mix pastels. In blending two or more than two colors are combined together by rubbing one another with the help of blending tools such as the kneaded eraser, brushes, tortilla and cotton swab.

Dry Wash Technique – It is an ideal technique to cover big areas such as landscape. Crush the pastel in the powdered form and with the help of soft brush apply it to the painting. You can create different effects, which will look natural and beautiful.]]> http://www.gaiagallery.com/artists-self-representing/drawings/contemporary-drawings/pastels-introduce-yourself-to-pastels/feed/ 0 http://www.gaiagallery.com/posters/contemporary-posters/small-business-print-advertising/ http://www.gaiagallery.com/posters/contemporary-posters/small-business-print-advertising/#comments Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:45:07 +0000 Admin http://www.gaiagallery.com/posters/contemporary-posters/small-business-print-advertising/

In the United States people read an average of thirty minutes’ worth of news per day. This readership supports a variety of news outlets, such as newspapers, magazines, and journals. Presently, the United States has the largest readership worldwide, and the largest number of newspapers, magazines, and journals.

Clearly, the savvy business owner would do well to advertise in print media. Some people suggest that digital media is a more modern option. Still, ignoring print media in favor of strictly online advertisement ignores the large circulation and great popularity of print media in the U.S.

Consider using print media as a part of your business marketing plan for the following reasons:

When an advertisement is published in print media, it does more than simply persuade the readership to purchase a product or service. It provides the business owner with a means for forming a strong corporate image with the publication’s readership. This aspect of print advertising is actually more essential than the more obvious goal of increasing customer base.

Print ads work well because they appeal to a reader’s emotions. The effective advertisement holds out the promise of betterment to a reader. This is accomplished via professional advertising design, including judicious use of color, layout, positioning, and language.

Print marketing professionals have an edge in that they can access readership surveys. These surveys gather data on readers of a publication, and allow marketers to more specifically target which techniques and strategies are most likely to be effective. They may offer incentives such as discounts or specials, or they may suggest to consumers that using a product or service will make them more cool or modern.

Print advertising also has the benefit of being tightly focused on an audience. For instance, a magazine that contains articles and information of interest and benefit to teen girls is going to be marketed to teen girls. Business owners whose goods and services are also marketed to teen girls would be wise to use this magazine for advertising.

Don’t listen to naysayers who suggest that print media is obsolete. They are wrong. Print advertisement is an excellent choice for urging a targeted selection of potential customers to buy your product or service.

According to strict definitions, antiques are objects that have collectible value and that are more than 100 years old. There are a number of auction sites that sell antiques online. Some sites specialize in items from a particular historical period, while others offer a wider range of antiques. While some online auction houses have stellar reputations, a specialist may better serve a new buyer with specific interests. A major advantage of online auctions is that prices for a particular antique tend to be lower than they might be in an antique store or show. However, not being able to see and assess an antique for signs of authenticity can be a drawback.

How can one determine authenticity? It is important to research online auction sites and to find one that enjoys a good reputation. Experienced buyers share certain tips, such as asking for close-up photographs of the base of an object. Even if carefully maintained, most antique objects show some wear and tear at the base. However, in the case of ceramics and glassware, chips can reduce the value of the antique.

To assess if a fair price is being asked, compare the price to that quoted by online auction guides for similar antiques that have recently been auctioned. These guides are usually helpful tools to estimate the value of an antique for both buyers and sellers. Sites should also offer a full refund if you end up with a reproduction instead of the real thing. Some sites only offer refunds for a limited period, but this should give you enough time to have the item appraised. As an alternative, paying a little extra to have an antique appraised before purchasing it online is well worth the cost and the knowledge that what you are buying is genuine.

The great period for doll making was from 1840 through 1830.

In this era doll makers took great pride in their work and turned out dolls of great fine tuned detail, from the hand painted eyes in the smooth porcelain heads to the steel riveted leather or cloth bodies and porcelain limbs. The clothing on these antique dolls were hand made by accomplished seamstresses who took the same pride in their work as the doll makers did.

Today we can see this pride reflected in the dolls that have survived the past hundred or more years and they are truly a joy to look at. The fine porcelain heads with human hair set in the pates with the fine detailed faces reflect the countenance of the time period in which they were made. The wonder and innocence that seems to emulate from those faces can bring us back in time in our imaginations.

The wonderfully refined and cultured dress of the antique dolls that were made to represent the women of the time are exquisite. From the long underclothing to the many layers above, finished off with the high topped shoes and the sun shading hat. Armand Marseille, Heinrich Handwerck, Ernst Heubach, JD Kestner, Ernst Kammer, Franz Reinhardt, Pierre Jumeau and Leon Casimir Bru were each in the top of the top doll makers in the time period in which they lived and worked their doll magic.

Today any of their dolls are the ones collectors keep an eye open for.

Marceille, Handwerck, Heubach, Kestner, Kammer and Reinhardt were all of German descent, Jumeau and Bru of French descent.

When collecting antique dolls, everyone wishes for the best, of course, a doll with no cracks or crazing, which is a weathering of the doll shown by lines on the surface, and certainly no missing limbs. However, even those dolls are worthy of having in your collection. They show a loved and well played with history and are valuable just as they are, not all cleaned up and repainted and redressed and given new wigs.

More often than not, a redoing will diminish the value of a collectible doll.

If you are a doll lover of any kind, beware. Once you begin to really look at these old antique dolls, you will be smitten. They are hard to resist, but.. know that any one of them that makes its way into your home and your heart will never let you down. Their value can only go up as time goes by. and there will always be doll lovers around.

In this strained economy, while people, companies and countries are struggling to stay afloat, its easy to forget that the arts are a necessary and beautiful part of our lives that provide a much needed creative outlet for so many, maybe even more than ever. Ablaze Candles is proud to announce that 20% of all sales site wide through July will be donated to Life Through Arts Foundation when the code LTAF is used during the checkout process.

Every Ablaze Candle is handmade in the artisan styleits an art-form Without the talented designers and dreamers that created our incredible candles, we wouldnt be here, so giving back to the arts community is a natural for us. And LTAF is an incredible breeding ground for many of todays most talented artists, and LTAF is a wonderful and much needed foundation, dedicated to bringing all forms of the arts to underprivileged kids. Its a perfect union said Babak Motamedi, of Ablaze Candles.

“Life Through Art Foundation is thrilled to be selected as the charity beneficiary of the Ablaze Candles,” stated Jeffery Brooks, co-owner RedRockLA and LTAF Founder. “This union and the “sales donations” will allow LTAF to expand the work we do to enrich the lives of under-served children through The Arts.”

For every candle purchased at http://www.ablazecandles.com from now through July 30th, using the code LTAF, Ablaze Candles will give back 20% of the total purchase to LTAF.

Ablaze Candles corporate offices are located at 3303 S 40th St, Phoenix AZ 85040. (480) 788-0769
Press can send requests for media kits or additional information to nwoehler@ablazecandles.com or call
(480) 788-0769.

Ablaze Candles. Hand Crafted Distinction. http://www.ablazecandles.com

About Life Through Art Foundation
The Life Through Art Foundation is committed to funding educational opportunities in the arts for underprivileged students and artists who otherwise would not be able to finance such endeavors. The foundation supports students pursuing various forms of education in any area of the arts, including but not limited to, Theatre, Visual Arts, Dance, Music,Creative Writing, Film Studies and Culinary Arts.