Found Not Lost

Fans of Johnny Depp will be eagerly awaiting his next adventure as the Mad Hatter in the classic Lewis Carroll fairy tale, Alice in Wonderland which is again going to be directed by Tim Burton and is set to be released in 2010. Tim Burton and Johnny Depp have previously worked together in Edward Scissorhands, Sleepy Hollow, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Sweeney Todd. I’m a fan of both and I can’t wait to see their take on one of my favorite classics.

Imagining what they would come up with, I can almost see something like Annie Leibovitz’ vision of Alice in wonderland:

10/08/08 UPDATE: Just saw this first look of how the movie will look like. I think it’s already getting that “Tim Burton” feel

My daughter, Asi, will be attending school this summer at the North Carolina School of the Arts. We’re really proud of her and I for one am glad she has found something that really interests her. We started getting her supplies together this past weekend. Not only does she need the usual art supplies like pens, pencils, paint, paper and the likes, she also needed household stuff and toiletries since she will be staying at the dorms.

Her dad said he will get her art supplies, so at least that’s off my mind. Now I can worry about bed sheets and cleaning supplies.

Whenever I get to travel and have to go through the Raleigh-Durham (RDU) Airport, I always make it a point to stop at the shoe shine place. No, I don’t need my shoes polished. I just want to catch a glimpse of my husband’s artwork hanging there. My husband is an incredible artist and his artwork hangs at several public places around here in Durham. He’s got a couple hanging at the main library and also a commissioned piece hangs at one of the major hospitals here in the city. What can I say, I’m just proud of him. If you’d like to see more of his artwork, check out his website, aaronmichaelmoore.com.

Here’s how to make it safer.

I have a family of artists. My daughters were painting before they could write their names. Today, they squeal as loudly for an ipod as for a sketchpad or a paint set. My husband, as much as he likes to encourage their artistic side, always cautions them against using some of the chemicals he works with though. He knows how dangerous some of those chemicals can be if you are not careful with them. Unless they are painting outdoors, for instance, the girls are not allowed to use oil paint.

In the studio or hobby room, dangerous chemicals and metals include:

* Lead in ceramic glazes, stained-glass materials, and many pigments.
* Cadmium in silver solders, pigments, ceramic glazes, and fluxes.
* Chromium in paint pigment and ceramic colors.
* Manganese dioxide in ceramic colors and some brown oil and acrylic paint pigments.
* Cobalt in some blue oil and acrylic paint pigments.
* Formaldehyde as a preservative in many acrylic paints and photographic products.
* Aromatic hydrocarbons in paint and varnish removers, aerosol sprays, permanent markers, etc.
* Chlorinated hydrocarbons (as solvents) in ink, varnish and paint removers, rubber cement, aerosol sprays.
* Petroleum distillates (as solvents) in paint and rubber cement thinners, spray adhesives, silk-screen inks.
* Glycol ethers and acetates in photography products, lacquer thinners, paints, and aerosol sprays.

Read the rest of the tips on Arts & Crafts Safety.

There are a great many fine artists out there but not everyone can sell their art or are even familiar with the business of selling art. Many still believe the “If you build it they will come” mantra which is fine for some people. There have been a few artists who were lucky enough to have been found and are able to make a living from their art.

For most artist though, having a place like Park West Gallery represent them and help them sell their creations may be the only way to get the exposure their work deserves. Park West Gallery conducts fine art auctions in the U.S. and Canada giving their select group of artists the attention they deserve. They even have an affiliate that conducts art auctions at sea, targetting the sea cruisers who often have the disposable income to affort fine art.