Martin Studios

Abstracted Landscape III

2011-12-13T17:43:00.007-07:00

11G05

11G06

Here is the third set of landscapes that I have just recently finished. The images are on paper and are 8 x 18. Paper size 22 x 30. Done in Acrylic, texturing mediums, special papers, metal, collage elements. Pieces are for sale, Contact me through my web site for more information.

Different Type of Media

2011-12-09T14:53:00.006-07:00

This short 3 1/2 min video is amazing...

http://www.wimp.com/saltjoker/

Abstracted Landscape II

2011-12-05T11:04:00.005-07:00

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11G04

Here is a second set of landscapes that I have just recently finished. The images are on paper and are 18 x 18. Paper size 22 x 30. Done in Acrylic, texturing mediums, special papers, metal, collage elements. Pieces are for sale, Contact me through my web site for more information.

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Abstracted Landscapes

2011-12-01T16:13:00.008-07:00

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11G01

A new style for Martin Studios started today, and I wonder where this will take me. I have been working hard in the studio this past month and have accomplished a great deal. My normal minimalistic abstract approach to my work had taken a turn as I have been working on abstracted landscapes.The work I feel is still clearly my vision, but with some new twists. I hope it is liked as much as I have enjoyed painting them.

The Office (Season 8)

2011-10-15T16:17:00.009-06:00

I just got the most unusual and unexpected phone call. I was working on color corrections of new pieces that I just completed painting, and my phone rang. I look at the number and with a 818 area code, was not excited about answering the phone at that moment. I figure it was a call from Register.com letting me know that my domain registration was coming due shortly. The phone finished ringing and then the chime of the message left notice. I was going to check the message then and there but got side tracked in doing what I was working on. Several hours had passed and I finished my color correcting and upon picking up my phone remembered that I had a message that I need to listen to. I dialed my voice mail and entered the appropriate info to retrieve my message...

"Hello Bryan this is Josh Dobkin calling from NBC art department and I was wanting to talk to you about some of your art that we would like to place in an episode of the Office that we are filming in Thousand Oaks California. We would need you to sign a consent form. Please call me if you have any questions, my number is 818-xxx-xxxx. I will also send you an email with the release form and some more information, I look forward to talking to you soon. "

WOW!!!! what do you say to that? Heck yes you can use as much of my art as you like...

Guess I should answer the phone from now on instead of waiting.

Artist Trading Cards

2011-02-13T06:54:00.002-07:00

ATCs originated in 1997 when Swiss artist M. Vanci Stirnemann created an exhibit of over 1,200 handmade cards. He asked others to create cards, as well, so that on the last day of the exhibit he could trade his cards with them. The idea was a hit and turned into a world-wide phenomenon. Today, artist trading cards are used to share work, network, and practice creating on a smaller scale.

Rules

There are some rules to trading artist cards. Artist trading cards are pieces of watercolor paper, cardstock, or illustration board that are 2.5"x3.5" in size. An artist creates an original work of art on these tiny canvases and then trades them with other artists through groups and events. Trade is the operative word. Cards should never be sold.

Any medium is allowed on trading cards. Some examples of mediums that other artists have used is crayon, wax reserve, collage, gel pens, concrete transfers, watercolor, colored pencil, and pencil sketchings.

On the back of the cards, the artist should print their name, contact information (an email address is fine), the title of the work on the artist trading card, and a number if it is part of a series.

How To

ATCs can either be bought pre-made or can be made from larger sheets of paper cut down to size.

Strathmore has a line of quality, pre-made blank artist trading cards that comes in packs of 5 to 20 sheets. These cards come in 100 lb. bristol, canvas paper, 140 lb. watercolor paper, 246 linen paper for acrylics, 80 lb. textured paper, 42 pt. illustration board, and assorted packs. Strathmore also has envelopes for mailing individual cards.

Trading

There many groups and sponsors, both online and off, that artist can use to trade their art cards.

The Yahoo Artist Trading Card Group has more than 3,000 members that trade cards and share their love for the art form.

ATCsForAll.com is a website that allows its members to trade, enter ATC contests, and more.

Strathmore Artist Papers hosts a global artist trading card swap where artists are encouraged to send in a card to receive a card from around the world in return. The entry form can be downloaded here.

ArtistTradingCards.Meetup.com is website designed to help artists find local art card trading groups. Visitors can type in their zip code to easily locate groups.

Even if the artist isn’t ready to trade cards, the members of these groups and sponsors can enlighten and inspire the artist in many ways.

Time To Finally Set Some Goals

2011-02-07T10:06:00.002-07:00

Even though we are already into the month of February, I still have not sat down and thought about what my goals are for myself. Last year was a very rough year, and in many ways I feel that I have taken many steps backwards not only in my career as an artist, but in my personal life as well. I feel that I have to make up for last year, as well as wanting to get on track this year and push myself even further.

My first step needed is to get my web site cleaned up and updated. Dagama Web Studio has always done a great job for me and I look forward to working them again this year. I need to get the Gallery pages condensed down to one tab and new images up, I want to add a hot tab for quick link to this blog site, and I want to start a contact page where it will be possible to join a mailing list for a newsletter that is already in the works.

Another goal this year is to get more pieces into print format. I have not gotten this done for the past two years so it is past time. I currently have two companies that print my work, Haddad's Fine Arts, and Aura Editions. In addition to these two companies, I would like to start my own line of prints available only through Martin Studios. Slaymaker Fine Art has always carried my original art, and still has a little of my work. I am wanting to find another Rep that I can work with and that will carry my work on a more consistent basis.

I feel that these goals are aggressive and will keep me very busy, but I need to get back on track, and I think this would be a great start for the year.

New Works October 2010

2010-09-28T12:18:00.003-06:00

I have a couple of new pieces that I have just finished. It has been a while since I have been in the studio painting - and it has felt good. I had been so uninspired, but I think I have found a muse to pick me up and get me creating again.

I am working on another series - I have painted this style before, but my art rep in Chicago is asking for some work. I will post these pictures in the next few days.

French scientists crack secrets of Mona Lisa

2010-06-29T18:35:00.003-06:00

PARIS – The enigmatic smile remains a mystery, but French scientists say they have cracked a few secrets of the "Mona Lisa." French researchers studied seven of the Louvre Museum's Leonardo da Vinci paintings, including the "Mona Lisa," to analyze the master's use of successive ultrathin layers of paint and glaze - a technique that gave his works their dreamy quality.

Specialists from the Center for Research and Restoration of the Museums of France found that da Vinci painted up to 30 layers of paint on his works to meet his standards of subtlety. Added up, all the layers are less than 40 micrometers, or about half the thickness of a human hair, researcher Philippe Walter said Friday.

The technique, called "sfumato," allowed da Vinci to give outlines and contours a hazy quality and create an illusion of depth and shadow. His use of the technique is well-known, but scientific study on it has been limited because tests often required samples from the paintings.

The French researchers used a noninvasive technique called X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy to study the paint layers and their chemical composition.

They brought their specially developed high-tech tool into the museum when it was closed and studied the portraits' faces, which are emblematic of sfumato. The project was developed in collaboration with the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility in Grenoble.

The tool is so precise that "now we can find out the mix of pigments used by the artist for each coat of paint," Walter told The Associated Press. "And that's very, very important for understanding the technique."

The analysis of the various paintings also shows da Vinci was constantly trying out new methods, Walter said. In the "Mona Lisa," da Vinci used manganese oxide in his shadings. In others, he used copper. Often he used glazes, but not always.

The results were published Wednesday in Angewandte Chemie International Edition, a chemistry journal.

Tradition holds that the "Mona Lisa" is a painting of Lisa Gherardini, wife of Florentine merchant Francesco del Giocondo, and that da Vinci started painting it in 1503. Giorgio Vasari, a 16th-century painter and biographer of da Vinci and other artists, wrote that the perfectionist da Vinci worked on it for four years.

Something Different

2010-01-28T11:33:00.003-07:00

The past few weeks I have been working on a new project. Taking a step away from my normal work, I am putting myself a little out of my comfort zone. I have been working on promotional signs for a local micro-brewery. It has been a nice change, and I think the break has helped me clear my mind, and helped me refocus some of my energies, and drive. I have been contracted to complete one to two signs a week for the brewery, and will post them here as they are completed.

Small Original Mixed Media Collage

2009-12-08T14:01:00.001-07:00

I have begun posting original art on my Etsy account. This art is from my "Series A Week" project that I had worked on long and hard last year. I have enjoyed the small format so much that I still work with it, even though not as much as I did with the Series project. I plan to sell some of the "sketch paintings" from that series, as well as including new work. I hope you like it!

Greeley Arts Picnic 2009

2009-07-20T19:40:00.004-06:00

Opening reception for this years Greeley Arts Picnic Fine art Exhibit is this Friday (July 24 ) from 5-7 pm. at the Toiton Gallery. I have one piece placed in the show, but will not find out how the judging goes until this Friday. I hope those of you that are local have a chance to make it to the opening. After the opening of the exhibit there will be a free concert in Lincoln Park, Funkphino will be playing, no ending time has been given for the concert, so who knows how long they will play.

New Work

2009-06-05T12:01:00.004-06:00

Wow! Finally. I just completed pieces for a local coffee shop. I did not realize that it had been so long since I posted art, let alone anything else.

The images above are 15 1/2 x 15 1/2 works done on paper with found images, hand made paper, and some scrap booking papers.

Web Site Update

2009-02-02T10:36:00.005-07:00

New updates for my web site have just about been completed. A special thanks to Dagama Web Studio for all the hard work they have put in to making this possible. Check my web site often to see these new changes.

Promotional Mailing

2009-01-21T09:53:00.008-07:00

I have gotten a mailing together to send out to clients, interior designers, and art consultants. I have never done a mailing like this before, so I am unsure of what kind of response I will get. In the mailing I have included two tear sheets, and a copy of an article from Decor magazine that was written about me. I am sending out about 300 packets, and will have a few extra. If anyone is interested in receiving one, just get in contact with me, and I would be happy to get one out to you.

I am also starting a new blog site, a monthly special site. This site will feature one piece of original art that I will put up for purchase. In addition to the piece of art, I will also include a little sometime special when the piece is shipped. Make sure to stop by at the beginning of every month to see whats going on at that blog.

Second Offering

2009-01-15T11:14:00.008-07:00

SOLD 01-29-2008

As promised here is the next available image from my Series a Week Series. Paper size 11 1/2 X 11 1/2, image size 8 x 8. Please contact me through my web site if you are interested in acquiring this original work on paper.

Cleaning Day

2009-01-12T10:15:00.003-07:00

Happy Monday! I'm not sure why everyone hates Monday's, I kind of like the fresh start to the week.

Well, we are approaching the two week mark of the new year. What have you gotten done so far? Today I am cleaning out the studio, to get ready for some of the goals I have set for this year (more on those latter). In cleaning up I have found some projects (small ones), that were left from last year that I forgot about. I want to finish these projects before I begin with my new ones.

I also have to tackle my desk today. I have to get filing done, the file cabinet ready for 2009, and the dreaded records put together for taxes. Does any else procrastinate on that paperwork like I do? You would think that I would get better about doing it because I dread it so much.

I am happy to announce that the first piece from my Series a Week sold. I will post another one in the next day or two.

First Available Image

2009-01-08T10:04:00.007-07:00

SOLD 01-12-2009

As promised, here is one of the images from my series a week that I am putting up for sale. Paper size is 11 x 11 and image size is 8 1/2 x 8 1/2. Please contact me through my web site if you have any interest in the piece, or any questions.

Please make sure to visit often, as I will be putting other images up for sale as well.

Enjoy!

Series A Week Completion

2009-01-05T17:23:00.006-07:00

A new year has begun, and that would bring a conclusion to my series a week project. I must admit that I was not very successful in the completion / execution of the project. Ideally I would have had 52 sets of work completed at years end, but I have only 4 1/2 months worth of work ( 18 sets). The project was not completed partially because of time restraints. I had my left knee rebuilt last spring which really took the wind out of my sails. As a matter of fact, I didn't feel like doing anything for the first 6 weeks after the operation, so I didn't! Another reason, I was getting a bit of interest in the purchase of some of the series. I think it's great to be able to sell artwork, but in doing so, it would take pieces away from the project. I decided to sell pieces that were in demand, making the series incomplete.

I plan on deleting the Series A Week blog page soon, and make the remaining pieces available for purchase. I will post pieces a few at a time on this page, you can contact me at bryan@martinstudios.com with any questions or interest in a piece.

The concept was sound, so do I try to again go an entire year painting a series a week, or do I modify the idea to a more achievable goal? I will let you all know soon what will happen.

Are You Ready for 2009?

2009-01-02T16:29:00.004-07:00

Wow! 2009 is here. Even though I am excited about the new year, I would never look back on this past year and say I couldn't wait for it to be over.

Having an appreciation for what the year brought - good and bad - is a way to ensure success in the new year to come.

2008 brought many challenges, hurdles and roadblocks, but looking back, I am overwhelmed with gratitude and blessings. I am very grateful for my family and close friends. And I have to thank everyone for allowing me to share my stories, thoughts, and above all, my artwork.

My cup of goodness runneth over.

Here's to a prosperous New Year!

Bryan

Da Vinci Code 2 ?

2008-11-14T15:55:00.002-07:00

Never mind the Da Vinci Code -- what about Michelangelo's secret messages? On the 500th anniversary of the artist's first climb up the ladder in 1508 to paint the Sistine Chapel ceiling, a new book claims he embedded subversive messages in his spectacular frescoes -- not only Jewish, Kabbalistic and pagan symbols but also insults directed at Pope Julius II, who commissioned the work, and references to his own sexuality.

Alamy

A new book co-authored by Vatican guide Roy Doliner (below) examines Jewish imagery and other secret messages in the Sistine Chapel; above, 'The Fall of Man & Expulsion from Eden,' from the ceiling fresco Sistene Chapel.

Handout from Roy Doliner

First published in an English version in May by Harper One, "The Sistine Secrets: Michelangelo's Forbidden Messages in the Heart of the Vatican," coauthored by Vatican docent Roy Doliner and Rabbi Benjamin Blech, is already in its second edition in Italy. It will be translated into 16 languages and released in the coming months in Spain, Portugal, France, Poland, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands.

A religious Jew who has guided visitors through the Vatican for nearly a decade, Mr. Doliner says his book is neither fiction nor an attack on the Catholic Church, but rather an attempt to reveal the universal connections between Christianity and Judaism. He says Michelangelo's frescoes also convey the tumultuous rivalry between the rulers of Florence and the Roman church at the time of their painting.

Mr. Doliner believes that Michelangelo, whose unconventional education at the court of Lorenzo de Medici included the study of Judaic and Kabbalistic texts, meant the 1,100-square-meter ceiling of the chapel as a mystical message of universal love -- a bridge of understanding between the two faiths.

When Mr. Doliner visited the chapel after its restoration was completed in 1999, he discovered through a pair of binoculars that two characters on the ceiling were the Hebrew letters aleph and ayin rather than the Greek alpha and omega, a symbol for Christ, that they previously appeared to be while obscured by centuries of grime. He then noticed the puzzling figures of two Jews in "The Last Judgment" -- the work behind the altar completed by Michelangelo nearly 30 years after he finished the ceiling. Curious about the findings, Mr. Doliner began a six-year investigation that took him to sources in Florence and Rome as well as countless libraries.

The idea for the book came in 2005, after Pope John Paul II invited 160 rabbis and cantors from all over the world to the Vatican under the auspices of the Pave the Way Foundation, an international organization of clergy and lay members whose aim is to promote cultural exchange between the Christian and Jewish worlds. Mr. Doliner says the visitors, led by Rabbi Blech, immediately saw the familiar imagery and started asking questions that the Vatican guides couldn't answer.

We met up with Mr. Doliner in the Sistine Chapel, where he talked about his controversial findings, and gave us his unusual tour.

Q: As a religious Jew, how did you end up being a guide at the Vatican?

I grew up in an Italian Catholic neighborhood in suburban Massachusetts. So I went to mass with my friends more often than I went to Hebrew school. And obviously spending a lot of time in Italy, I am passionate about art and architectural history, Western civilization, church history and of course the Talmud and the Torah, Kabbalism and Jewish history. If you study all of this stuff you see how it all is interwoven.

Q: Some people think you are simply cashing in on "The Da Vinci Code" phenomenon. How do you respond to that?

Alamy

The Cumaean Sibyl, in which two angels appear to be making a rude gesture.

No, this is not cashing in. I was doing the research long before his books came out. [Dan Brown] is a great novel writer; they are wonderful thrillers. But this is historical fact. Mostly the people who make that accusation have not read one word of my book.

Q: When did you start to systematically research this whole theory?

I was the biggest skeptic in the world. When I first started spending time in the Sistine Chapel about seven years ago I saw a lot of stuff in Michelangelo's works that looked like coincidences to me. And I said, "No no no, I'm just imagining this; it can't be true." But Michelangelo himself, little by little, started convincing me with the overwhelming amount of symbolism in his works. After that I started doing private research and found out who his teachers were in Florence, and who the rabbis were that taught his teachers. It was like pieces of a puzzle all coming together.

The genius of Michelangelo is like the genius of the Talmud, with several layers of meaning, one on top of another. So you can interpret it in terms of Christianity and Judaism, sociologically, historically and artistically. We are just adding one level that has either been ignored or covered up over the centuries.

Q: So these images aren't exclusively Jewish?

What Michelangelo was doing was trying to remind Rome five centuries ago that Jesus was a Jew, he came from Jews, and that Christianity is based on Judaism. Florence in his time was proud of that connection, whereas Rome was not only trying to separate the two religions but to negate in great part its roots in Judaism -- and even forcibly separate Jews and Christians. There were many Papal bulls outlawing fraternization and friendship between Jews and Christians, whereas in Florence everybody was partying together.

Q: Was Michelangelo simply promoting the Florentine agenda in Rome?

Absolutely. In his poems he complains about the abuses of power and hypocrisy of the church. It's not us imagining it; it's in his own words and work. This was not somebody who was thrilled about working for the Vatican on a ceiling. The walls were prestigious fresco work, not the ceiling; these were all done by top Florentine fresco painters of their day: Botticelli, Perugino, Ghirlandaio. This was part of the conspiracy against him. He had never done professional fresco painting in his life before being forced to paint the Sistine ceiling. He hated painting; he had to paint or die. You didn't say no to Pope Julius II. His nickname was Il Papa Terribile, the scary pope. So even these other Florentine artists hated him and his whole family, the Della Roveres, and hidden in all the panels are little insulting little messages to give a slap in the face to Pope Sixtus IV, the uncle of Pope Julius. There are secret insults to the Della Rovere family, to the Vatican and to Rome hidden throughout the side panels. So Michelangelo is not inventing the idea.

For example, Della Rovere means "over the oak tree." So here [on the northern wall in Botticelli's panel "The Temptations of Christ"] is the devil being unmasked and jumping into an oak tree. So it is saying he is linked to the oak tree family, the Della Roveres, the family of Pope Julius.

Q: What are those two mischievous-looking angels doing behind Pope Julius's head?

The putti [small angelic figures] on the ceiling are directional signals for Michelangelo's hidden messages and vendettas. Here they are "making the fig" -- sticking the thumb between the index and middle fingers -- the most obscene gesture of the Middle Ages and Renaissance, mentioned even by Dante in his Inferno. So Michelangelo is "giving the finger" not once but twice to Julius II: above the entrance where he was commissioned to paint Jesus but instead painted the pope and in the panel with the Cumaean Sibyl at the northern edge of the ceiling. Of course, in order to protect his career (and probably his life), the artist made the gestures small, and a bit dark and blurry as well. If you look at any close-ups of these panels, these insults -- which were pointed out by previous historians without a single reaction from anyone -- are unmistakable.

Vending Machine Art

2008-11-13T18:55:00.005-07:00

So I found this wonderful old vending machine on ebay a year ago, and just knew that I could do something with it. My idea was to make small paintings to sell out of it. This being a great idea I began to search the Internet for any information I could find on this machine. In my travels across cyber space I came across Art o Mat. This company had the exact idea that I had been thinking of, and did just

a fantastic job pulling it off. This might discourage most people, but they have proved that this is a great idea, and I am more determined than ever to get my machine refurbished. I have yet to decide if I will try to get it into a public space, or just wait and have it available at shows so that guests have an opportunity to walk away with a souvenir.

Dying for the sake of your career ?

2008-07-21T15:21:00.005-06:00

Not Recommended: dying for the sake of our art career

The New York Times tells of the sudden interest in deceased artists' works--artists who could barely sell a thing while they were alive.

Fair? Hardly! Predictable? Maybe. A strategy? Definitely not.

There are some lessons to be learned by reading the article. For instance, how the artists "behaved" toward the establishment while alive. Take a peek.

information made available from artbiz

Greeley Art Show

2008-07-21T12:27:00.005-06:00

I had a busy morning today. This week-end I was trying to finish up a piece for a local art show (The Greeley Arts Picnic), and need to get glass to finish my framing. Being Sunday the only frame shop open was Michael's - What a disappointment that turned out to be. It seems that they only sell conservation glass, and all of us that have framed art with glass before know that conservation glass is about four times more expensive. Anyway I waited until this morning went up to Hobby Lobby with my 40% off coupon and got the glass I needed to finish my framing at a much more reasonable price. My art has been dropped off, and now I just need to wait until the opening reception which is this Friday.

Onto a great story. I found this article on yahoo about a man who got into his first art show. Hurray for him! What makes this such a great story?..... the man is 112 years old.

Time Away = Time to Catch Up

2008-06-28T19:45:00.005-06:00

Its been about 3 weeks since I have been in the studio, and I have fallen behind on so many of my projects.

1. Series A Week
2. Web site updates
3. Vending machine art

The reason that I have been out for this time is that on June 06, I decided to have the ACL replaced in my left knee, that was brought on by a hockey injury. I am finally getting back to a somewhat normal routine, and I have been able to get around better, and perform simple tasks. I am having to go to physical therapy twice a week, and that takes a lot out of me, but I do notice a difference in my strength and flexibility. My doctor has informed me that I will probably be out of playing any hockey for 5 to 6 months, which just about killed me to hear.
Anyway, It is good to be back, and I am hoping that these next few weeks will be very productive for me.

2008-04-20T19:04:00.006-06:00

I have just completed another set of commissions. This time for Designer Services Group Inc. located in Los Angeles California. Three pieces have been purchased with one being placed in a public area of a local hotel. Two of the three pieces are pictured below.

2008-04-10T13:53:00.010-06:00

Martin Studios was just recently commissioned to complete 2 pieces of work for a law firm in Pennsylvania. Working with designer Charlotta Day Hoffman from The Art Partnership Inc was very comfortable and rewarding. I was very excited to hear that the client was extremely pleased with the work and felt that it was " just what we have been looking for".

Series A Week

2008-02-05T16:32:00.001-07:00

Be sure and stop by my series a week blog to see a new series of art work every week. Series a Week was started to get my ideas out of my sketch book and onto paper. I now want to take it one step farther by planning a "Year Retrospective" show in early 2009. I will have 52 series done by the end of this year, and every series will have 5 pieces - thats 260 pieces. This is going to be quit a show. I have also just found a self publishing book website, so as I have been finishing a series, I add a few pages to the book, which will be titled "A Book of Series". I will also make my sketch book available, as I think it would make a nice addition to the show.

New Year - New Ideas

2008-01-15T13:54:00.000-07:00

Well, now that the holidays are over, I will be able to post again. With all the time away from my blog page, I have had much time to think about some of the questions that I have asked here. I have decided what to do with my overstock of returned artwork. I am going to tear the art into small pieces and randomly place the torn art into book, magazines, coffee shops, community boards, just about anywhere I can leave something for people to find. I am hoping to get people not only interested in what I am working on, but in ART!

Here is the pile of my work after I did the initial tearing, I have yet to tear it down into smaller pieces.
The above picture and the next are examples of what the smaller pieces will look like. Some of the pieces have partial signatures, some have titles, some have a lot of collage elements, while others are very simple. There is a little bit of everything here. The pieces measure about 4 inches tall by 8 inches long.

Once I have a stack, I plan on placing these pieces of art everywhere I go so that other will find them. On the back side of every piece will be a little inscription on where to go to learn what the little torn pieces of art are about.

Hope everyone likes the little treasures they find, and will start looking at more art.

New Posters

2007-09-28T09:56:00.002-06:00

I just had a new poster release from Haddad's Fine Art. You can see these pieces as well as all the other prints I have at their web site, or you can contact me if you need more information as well. This new series is quit a leap from previous pallets that I have worked with. The new bold clean designs have a real Asian feel to them in a minimalist approach. I hope these new pieces are met with as much enthusiasm as I have seen before with other series.

Acceptable Business Practice?

2007-09-27T20:16:00.000-06:00

I was a little shocked at the beginning of this week when I received a package from my art rep in which they were returning artwork. I had talked to them about a month ago about the return of some pieces that they felt they could not sell, so was not surprised to see the box. I am more than willing to take back artwork, I think its part of the relationship. Upon opening the package however, not only were the pieces that we had discussed in there, but a substantial number of pieces that I had no idea were coming back (some torn art, and some damaged art), this is why I was so shocked. Now like I said, I don't mind having art returned to me that my rep feels they cannot place, but some of this art was 8 - 9 years old. I feel that there should be a reasonable amount of time that a rep should have to hold onto work to be shown, and returned within a reasonable amount of time so that I would have time to place the work myself. After this much time ( 8 - 9 years) has passed, should it be OK for an art rep to return "old" work and expect reimbursement for it? These were pieces that I thought had sold long ago, and now I have a large influx of inventory. My style has changed since many of these pieces were originally made, and feel that I too will not be able to place them now. At this point, what do I do with all this inventory? Do I throw it into storage and forget about it? Do I sell it for less just to move it? (No I won't do that). Do I destroy it, and move on? I would like to hear from other artists what they think about the situation, and I am planning on talking to some of my colleagues about it. I will let you know what I decide next week sometime

Sourcebook 22

2007-09-26T13:29:00.001-06:00

Sourcebook 22 from The Guild arrived today, and it is just as nice as last years. I was surprised to see my work in two locations, page 272 and page 279, but always happy that my work is used as much as possible.

Great Photography

2007-09-26T10:39:00.001-06:00

Today as I was surfing the Internet, I was reminded that my interest in art started with photography. When I went to collage, that was my area of emphasis, but quickly discovered many other art forms that I had never experienced. I didn't start painting until many years later, but finding several fantastic photographers like Daniel Sroka, and Doug McFarland, has made me realize how much I miss my photography roots. I may start another blog and begin the concept like the on in my Series a Week blog, but with photographs. This would allow me to play with my cameras again, but not take too much time away from my painting. If you have any ideas or subject matter you would like to see, let me know.

Paint like Pollock

2007-09-18T16:59:00.001-06:00

Jackson Pollock may not be understood by many people, but now you can paint like him right on your computer. I found this real fun web site that allows to "paint" like Pollock. Just drag your mouse across the screen, and left click to change color. Once you have finished your painting you can press the space bar to clear the screen and start over. I lost track of time playing with web site and didn't realize that I had been "painting" for over an hour. I'm not sure who had more fun, me or my kids.

Sourcebook 21

2007-09-12T10:26:00.001-06:00

If you get an opportunity to pick up the new Sourcebook of Architectural and Interior Art put out by The Guild, there is some fantastic artists represented here. You can also find my art on pages 258 and 269 from sourcebook 21. The new book, number 22 is out later this month, and my work will be in that one as well. I have had great feedback, and have already made several new contacts.

Martin Studios

2007-09-11T17:52:00.002-06:00

My name is Bryan, I have lived in Colorado since 1979, and most recently in Northern Colorado. I went to collage to major in Fine Art and 15 years later I have yet to finish. I do not know what life will bring, but I have been lucky enough to be able to do something I enjoy so much. Call it fate, or luck, but I was fortunate enough to be working with Interior Designers, at a picture framing and accessories business that provided wall space for designers to view new artwork. One day I decided to display my work, just to get some feed back on what I was doing. I started to get commissions from the designers that I was working with, and was doing well enough that I decided to attend the New York Arts Expo that following year. A couple of thousands of dollars later, and I was worried that maybe I was in over my head, but once again, my work was well received. This gave me such a great opportunity to meet new Interior Designers, and more importantly, I was exposed to the print market. WOW! I have done well with both markets, and have learned so much about the fine art business world , that I decided to form Martin Studios LLC. Which brings me to where I am today.

I am always working on new material, which is one of the reasons I have started this blog. I am hoping to add new images, and have a place where friends and business associates have a place to keep themselves updated on what new with my art.

You can view even more art at my web site, just follow the link listed under "links" above.

Martin Studios

Abstracted Landscape III

Different Type of Media

Abstracted Landscape II

Abstracted Landscapes

The Office (Season 8)

Artist Trading Cards

Rules

How To

Trading

Time To Finally Set Some Goals

New Works October 2010

French scientists crack secrets of Mona Lisa

Something Different

Small Original Mixed Media Collage

Greeley Arts Picnic 2009

New Work

Web Site Update

Promotional Mailing

Second Offering

Cleaning Day

First Available Image

Series A Week Completion

Are You Ready for 2009?

Da Vinci Code 2 ?

More Art Stories

Vending Machine Art

Dying for the sake of your career ?

Greeley Art Show

Time Away = Time to Catch Up

Series A Week

New Year - New Ideas

New Posters

Acceptable Business Practice?

Sourcebook 22

Great Photography

Paint like Pollock

Sourcebook 21

Martin Studios