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Archive for December, 2010

More about the Basis of Visual Art

Wednesday, December 22nd, 2010

The visual arts encompass things like sculpture, painting and so on. The basis of visual arts is that of productions meant to entertain through the eyes without use of song, speech or writing. The artist is trying to make a point by the concept he or she has put together without having to speak about the topic. So in truth the artist is telling a story by using the visual images and how they transform into words in our brain. The feelings aroused when a person sees a particular piece of art is the idea behind visual art.

Throughout the history of the world there has been visual art in one form or another. Even the early days of man have shown us that we were interested in communicating with one another through art. Cave drawings depict hunts and so on that we as the modern day people attempt to interpret to learn more about the times. Art was thought to be the only form of communication that was available making it more appealing to the other people alive at the time.

When you move forward through history you see that visual art has played a major role in the culture of the countries around the world. This comes on the heels of the fact that many artists never realized any kind of fame or fortune during their lifetime as their work did not become appreciated until centuries later.

Case and point of this would be Vincent Van Gough. He was plagued by his own insecurity and addictions. His work was outside of the norm and hence it was not accepted by the art community of his time. Van Gough would spend his relatively short life painting but never selling. Today there is nothing shy of an extreme demand for his work. Examples of Van Gough’s paintings sell in the millions of dollar range and are highly sought after by serious art collectors.

The other side of the coin would be those artists that found fame and fortune during their life time and still have a huge following to this day. Leonardo Da Vinci is a prime example. Da Vinci was a highly popular painter and sculpture in his time and he had the attention of the royal family which gave him carte blanche on his work. Besides art he was known as one of the greatest thinkers who actually invented many of the things we use today though he never built any of his own. Da Vinci was also a highly sought after teacher of the arts and many masters owe their talent to his schooling.

An Introduction to Candlemaking

Tuesday, December 21st, 2010

Candlemaking is an increasingly popular hobby. You’ll find it allows you to be very creative. Several people have been qualified to grow the hobby into a profitable business. Many individuals have commented about the similarity between candlemaking and cooking. Both are generally dominated by women. There is also a fair degree of tolerance for precise measurements between the two. Finally smell can play a huge role in both.

What you Should Start With Candlemaking? Candlemaking can cost lots of money. Most people begin in the kitchen. There is significant disadvantages for this at dinner time but it is the best place to begin as it offers running water, ample space, good lighting, and electrical outlets.

The alternative to the kitchen is to use a cheap hot plate or a presto pot. Either way you’ll need a double boiler. Some kinds of candles can ignite over a 212 degrees Fahrenheit or 100 degrees Celsius. So as to stop this happening we need a double boiler. A double boiler is just two pots stacked on top of one another. In the bottom pot we boil water to heat the top pot which contains wax. You can buy simple aluminium pots or use professional double boilers.

A few other forms of apparatus that you need such as: Craft Scissors, Hammers, Screwdrivers, Paring Knives, Kitchen or Postal Scales, Pillow Cases, Dipping Cans, Baking Pans, Water Bath Containers, Measuring Cups

Candlemaking History: Candle played an exceptional role in the revolutionary war in America. Every major event including warnings of impending attacks from the British was communicated through candles.

There has never been a tradition of a dedicated candle maker in the united states. Instead the role of making candles was typically assigned to Mother and Daughters in a family. There was an annual requirement for most households which is between 200 – 400 candles a year. Like other similar crafts women would sometimes form social groups so that you can make candles.This helped in pulling resources together and even made it more enjoyable.

Candles have been used for centuries and as a business candle-making has enjoyed a long and varied history. Despite decades of technological improvements in most industries, the very best candles and the most expensive are still made by hand. Candle-making represents a very profitable and enjoyable opening for modern day craftworkers, especially as Christmas approaches and candles are purchased for decorative and functional purposes.