Find art that you like

The first question in art collection is simply what type of art do I like? There is a wide variety of art forms that you could be interested in. Are you interested in fine art? Do you prefer impressionism or realism? Do you prefer traditional art or modern art?

Create a budget

Having a budget is important, as it will help you determine how much money you can invest in your collection. Start small and gradually increase your budget as you begin to learn more about collecting art.

Define your goals

Determine what style of art you are looking to acquire? Do you want to focus on a specific kind or obtain a variety of works? Purchase items that you enjoy and that bring you happiness when you look at them.

Consider your home’s interior design

This is important –Do I have ample wall space for a collection of paintings? If my walls are full, can I replace-gift or eliminate lesser pieces, to make room for the new ones? Select art that has colors/subjects that will be compatible with your interior design, furniture, wall color, and lighting.

Hope these tips help and I will be more than happy to provide answers to questions you may have regarding art collection. cronkra@gmail.com

I began my career as an illustrator so acrylic paints and ink were the norm for the work. Slow drying times are not desired especially when you have a deadline to meet. With acrylics you can paint on anything….. paper, card, canvas, boards, whatever you have on hand. Then go wash your hands with soap and water. No messy oil based spirits to deal with.

There is no corrosive or toxic nature with acrylics as with oils. Oils have a linseed oil base that will “Rot” an ill prepared board or canvas. Preparing a canvas or a board for oils is therefore more involved. Then there are the fumes from the paints, turpentine, and varnish. This means ventilation is required….especially during winter.

Acrylics do dry quickly but the dry time can be slowed by misting with water and use of a slow dry medium. If you like heavy impasto strokes add acrylic gel. Most important  store your paints in something like a Masterson Stay Wet palette. Paints can stay wet for as much as a week in one of these boxes.

It takes time to master but one can paint like an oil painter with acrylics. I usually paint in thin layers and dry each with a hair dryer to keep the painting session going. You cannot do this with oils. Oil paint layers usually need 24 hours to cure to be dry to the touch.

More and more artists are painting with acrylics. But, the gold standard which is painting with oils is still alive and well, especially for portrait painting due to the longer blending properties of oils. I paint in oils from time to time and the quality of my work remains high with either medium. I just know oils are a bit more expensive and will take longer to dry so I compensate for that.

Acrylics are the way to go if you are just learning to paint and don’t want to spend a lot of money until you make the commitment. The painting process of acrylics and oils are similar but acrylics are easier for the beginner to handle. Both mediums are great ways to show your talents. Paint on!

Denali photograph

My Denali Painting

As artists, it’s easy to paint strictly from a photograph and we look to get as close to the photo as we can. If we see a rock, we’ve got to paint all the cracks in it and as many blades of grass as we can pick out. We then realize that brushes aren’t made small enough and we spend lots of time nose to nose with the canvas or paper.
Why paint something that looks like a photograph? If it’s a photo you want…use a camera instead!
Painting is more than replicating photographs.   Being a painter is about interpreting the world in your manner and your style.
We should never let the reference override our vision. A photo can dictate the details and it’s a safe method for many artists. But, letting the photo drive our artistic bus means we don’t have to think artistically at all.  The hues, the values and the composition are all there for the taking. Most of the time they are all wrong, but we don’t mind because we think we have followed the photograph to a “T”.
Professional artists use a photograph only as a reference and rely more on their knowledge and years of experience to produce outstanding results.
Before they start, they take charge of the elements. If there are distracting things in the photo, they leave them out or change them.  They move things around so the composition is more balanced – as artists we are allowed to do this. I have never seen a photograph of any subject that is perfect artistic wise….it doesn’t exist because nature is random and messy….and then there are over and under exposures.
Atmospherics are important. See those far away objects that look dark and sharp in the photo? Make them lighter, bluer, and not as sharp  – your painting will begin to have some depth. Colors in the fore ground should be warmer.
Change the sky, add objects from other photos, leave out trees, buildings, and paint  grass as a mass instead of individual blades.
Most likely your finished painting won’t look like the reference photo at all.  But, it will appear more interesting and it’s your creation.
Photo caption: There are many ways Mt. Denali in Alaska can be photographed. I modified the photo and added a foreground with fireweed. And then a lone tree as a focal point to represent the solitude of permafrost country.