^My kids when they were younger posing before we start to paint.
Child education these days leans heavily on the academics such as Math or Science. Schools have art classes but not enough for a child to explore his or her artistic side. Studying art entails a significant amount of creativity and time which some people regard art as a luxury. Fortunately, art can be learned not only in school but also at home. Using art to enhance your child’s life is something good to think about.
Also, it also can be done without too much expense. There are simple materials you can find at home that you and your child can practice your artistic talents on. Art education nowadays is not limited to paintings and sculptures anymore. It can be a lot of other things, as there are so much media to try at present. Continue Reading…
If you gave a kid a choice between a paintbrush and easel and a hot, new iPad, without blinking an eye, he would most probably pick the iPad. Children are known to have short attention spans, and pretty much anything which involves moving things with a tap or a click of the finger will win over low-key activities such as painting on any given day.Continue Reading…
Florence, the birthplace of the Renaissance, is a must-see for art enthusiasts. Well, culture and politics, fashion and economy are areas this UNESCO World Heritage site has influences over but, it is well known for the numerous palaces, museums, sculptures and paintings by Donatello, Giambologna, Michelangelo, Raphael, Titian, Botticelli, Filippo Lippi and Fra Angelico among many others.
Florence panorama (photo by hubby)
One does not need to enter a museum to view the famous works of art. Aside from the street art florence is known for, there are a lot of free art displays. The Loggia dei Lanzi, for example, is an open building at the Piazza della Signoria which holds a number of sculptures, for one – the bronze statue of Perseus by Benvenuto Cellini. The Loggia is adjacent to the Uffizi Gallery, one of the more famous museums boasting an art collection of the Renaissance artists themselves. The courtyard alone is a feast for artists’ eyes, each of the wings have niches holding a statue of Italian artists including Leonardo da Vinci and Dante Alighieri. The courtyard opens to the Arno River dramatically, like it was designed by Giorgio Vasari to be both artistic and nostalgic.
Uffizi Gallery courtyard at night – a painter sells his works
And it is not only in these buildings and museums that art can be enjoyed. The streets of Florence thrive with freethinkers, probably rebel artists but all in a different level than the usual ones we are used to. Every hour of the day, you’ll find them bringing their medium and skills on the streets for gawkers to enjoy. And it’s not on the walls but literally, on the streets. Staying true to the Renaissance, the artists depict religious themes, royalty and such on their works.
Here are two of the artists we met one night. Their masterpieces might be displayed just for an hour or two (or the duration from when the painter started up until he finished) that’s why we were glad to have captured these for the sake of posterity.
Painting Jesus and an angel. July 2013, FlorenceJuly 2013, Street Art Florence, photo by hubby
Art is all around us, and yet, only a few people take the time to stop and truly appreciate a great piece of art. When people are introduced to great art, it’s generally while they’re in school, even though that is happening less due to budget cuts being made to school arts programs. Challenges aside, people who do appreciate art may gain cultural benefits that even they are unaware of. In fact, art, including photography created by artists like Tierney Gearon, Senol Zorlu and Lee Towndrow, is now being used as a form of therapy.
Although art therapy has a similar focus as psychotherapy and group talk therapy, the approach of art therapy is different. In addition, a person doesn’t have to be mentally or emotionally imbalanced to benefit from participating in art therapy. Art Therapy reports that some benefits to be gained from using art to heal include:
· Self-exploration or increased opportunities to connect with one’s authentic self
· Chances to process challenging emotions and thoughts
· Greater understanding of inner desires and motivations
· Pain reduction
· Lowered anxiety levels
· Improved social skills
Both children and adults can benefit from art therapy. During the therapy, clients generally create their artwork, focusing their efforts on new designs, similar to how established artists whose works are featured at a fine art gallery do. Other forms of art therapy might require clients to visit a fine art gallery and verbalize their emotions and thoughts about one or more art pieces.
TIERNEY GEARON – Frame 01, from the Explosure Series, 2008
People who feel depressed, anxious or angry when they arrive at a fine art gallery can, after spending several minutes at the gallery, find their mood lifting, turning in a more positive direction. This might be possible, in part, as people closely examine photographs and images of people depicted in situations that they, art observers, are currently struggling with. As shared in Art Therapy, “By expressing yourself through art, an art therapist can help you see things about yourself that you otherwise may not have comprehended.”
The article continues, “Don’t be surprised if the effects of art therapy lead to a general sense of relief and overall better mental health. Again, it’s therapy, but with a completely different ingredient than most people are used to, art.”
Attend a few structured art therapy sessions and people can learn how to explore parts of themselves they previously turned a blind eye to or ignored. They could discover why they feel the way they do about certain people, life events and experiences. They might also learn how to release painful memories so they can lead fuller lives.
Yes. Each of these (and more) benefits are derived from the work of artists like Tierney Gearon, Senol Zorlu, Roger Ballen, Lillian Bassman, Willy Ronis and Richard Renaldi. Perhaps it’s the effort, the passion and the laser focus that great artists put into their work that translates to viewers, that helps people to heal.
Furthermore, and as quiet as it’s kept, it might be for its benefits that Tierney Gearon, Senol Zorlu, Holly Andres, Sid Avery and other artists take their tools and create artwork to begin with. Historically artists have been known to perceive the world differently than other people, something that has, at times, caused artists to withdrawal from the masses. For these and a myriad of other reasons, it’s a wonderful happening when artists have their work featured at a fine art gallery, connecting artists and art lovers in rewarding ways.
—
Rhonda Campbell is an East Coast journalist who loves offering tips and advice about fine art and commercial art. Her work has been published in national periodicals like USA Today, Yahoo! Education and The Pittsburgh Quarterly.
Born in Georgia in 1963, Tierney Gearon began a modelling career when she was spotted by a European-based model agency. At the time, she was studying ballet in the state of Utah; however, soon afterwards, she was modelling and travelling around the globe. Not so surprisingly, it was through her modelling career that she first became interested in the world of photography. In fact, she took photos of her fellow models with a Polaroid camera. After viewing a scrapbook full of these photos, an agent in Paris encouraged her to continue on this career path.
Early Photography Career
Gearon became a fashion photographer and created photographs for magazines and even the Times Square billboards. During her time as a fashion photographer, she also met and married her husband and had two children.
Unfortunately, this marriage did not last and proved to be an emotionally trying time for Gearon – as it is for most other people who have ever been through a divorce.
“I am Camera” Exhibition
Gearon began a personal photography project that also coincidently launched her career as an artist. This highly personal project showcased her own personal life journey at this point in time. Some of these Technicolor images showcased various members of her family – including her children – doing everyday activities that included watching television, going skiing, spending time at the beach, etc. However, despite these seemingly ordinary activities, there was also edginess to the photos as well. The photos amazingly appear to be both distant and personal at the same time.
Reaction to “I am Camera”
In the spring of 2001, Tierney Gearon showed her “I Am a Camera” exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery in London, England. Here, her work opened to favorable reviews; however, some of her photos also did prove to be controversial and the police did visit the Saatchi Gallery on two different occasions. However, Gearon adamantly and publicly defended her work.
“The Mother Project” Exhibit
In 2006, she released her second major exhibit called “The Mother Project”. A documentary and book about this exhibit called “Daddy, where are you?” was also published later that same year. This documentary was featured at a variety of film festivals including “The Tribeca Film Festival”.
“Explosure” Exhibit
In 2009, she released her next body of work entitled “Explosure”. This exhibit continued her investigation of both family and the home. However, Gearon used double-exposure to portray her message via engaging and surreal images. More specifically, these photos depicted different elements that were taken in different places at different times.
Gearon has also exhibited at a wide variety of prestigious art galleries and throughout the world including the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Phillips de Pury & Company, The Parrish Art Museum, and much more.
Of her work, Gearon has stated: “it’s about hope and bringing two contrasting things together; “My work is like a diary. I do it for my soul.”
