8 Reasons Art Makes You Smarter

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Art is not about “what you see but what it makes others see”  ~ Edgar Degas

New York Times, “How Art Makes You Smart”

New York Times, “How Art Makes You Smart”

 

You are probably wondering why on earth “making others see” something is that important. Well, if you are a parent or teacher, or even a boss leading a young team for that matter, “making others see” is the only way to grow—be it a business or a child into an adult. The human mind is intended to find creative solutions to all sorts of problems. From learning to walk across a room to touch something shiny or to helping a customer find the perfect pair of shoes for their new job: Everything in life presents a problem that needs some kind of solution. Since Degas lived long before the Internet of things, perhaps he was outdated in his thinking. Or was he?

Enter the IPhone

Today we have the most remarkable digital tools at our fingertips to answer anything, at any moment, with laser sharp accuracy. We now have Siri or Google’s Alexa to give us the answers we need, when we need them but is that really going to make us smarter? And not just book smart smarter, but real life “better problem solvers” smarter?

Bill Gates and Steve Jobs gave us the personal computer to make our lives easier and more productive. It was intended to make us efficient, not smarter. So why do we think that giving our children tablets or “Alexa” that we are bettering their lives? Sure, we are speeding up their lives and making it far more entertaining, but are we giving them the tools they need to become smarter, more productive individuals? And what if machines do give us all the solutions to math, science, and engineering, can it really be very helpful when it comes to designing innovative new products or choosing the right spouse?

 

Introduction of the IPhone

If you look at some of the truly great product innovations of the 20th Century, yes, even including the IPhone, you will see that these creations were usually presented after something else failed to solve a problem. In fact, many times, the resulting innovation came about as some kind of an accident that failed miserably. [Steve Jobs was obsessed with making the IPod more versatile for users, only those turn around dials were not useful for combining it with a device that we could touch. Ask anyone at Apple during the secret years of creating the IPhone and you will see that the process was completely painful and went into a direction not originally intended. The IPhone was an answer, a reluctant and painful answer, to keeping music front and center in the lives of customers. The phone part was an added misery that just happened to pay off and change the entire way we communicate, years ahead of its time, by accident.

Design Matters

 

As digital devices have filled our lives, becoming smaller, lighter, and easier, we as a society have become more design oriented in our thinking. The technology is important, but the design of things is what drives us to toss out something six months old and replace it for the new. How things look matter to us in a world where data is bombarding our every waking moment. It can’t just be useful, it has to be well-designed and containing attributes that make us feel one way or another. A Harley is a motorcycle, right? Or is it? Those rugged chrome curves are telling everyone that this rider is a rebel of sorts. It isn’t just transportation anymore, it is how things make us feel that matter.

Re-Enter Art

It used to be that teaching children how to draw and paint was part of childhood. Along with skinned knees, covering leaves with brightly colored paint and then stamping them onto crisp white sheets of paper became a rite of passage when returning to school after the long hot summer. Children had sketchpads, colored pencils and crayons in their rooms—and they were shaved down to bottom, rarely new in the box as they are today lying dormant next to coloring books that are rarely used. Creating art has become something “boring” to do when compared with Candy Crush. But all that “boring stuff” of childhood, from days-gone-by, are the elements of truly great American Innovation.

The world of texting

Ask any child psychologist today what they worry about most with the “digital generation” and they will tell you that it is the nuances of our relationships that cannot be understood with emojis replacing our actual human interactions. We humans need to experience actual experiences in order to really integrate them into our lives. Just

picking up that colored pencil and pushing it across the pages of a coloring book actually have a deep correlation to our memory and learning.

 

Yes, just looking at art can actually change how we think and behave.

So, let’s jump right into the Eight Reasons Art Makes You Smarter.

 

Here is a Simple Infographic to summarize the importance of Art [link]

Art Heightens Our Brain Activity. What researchers know is that when we make our brains work harder on things that they are not familiar with—like learning a new language or really scrutinizing the strokes and colors of a piece of art to see if its fake—our brains light up with energy and life giving food that it needs to stay healthy and strong so that we can live a long life of remembering things.

 

Art Exercises Our Survival Instincts. And who really cares about “Fight or Flight” anymore? We don’t have saber tooth tigers creeping up behind us in a cave, so what does it really matter that art makes those impulses stronger? Well think of your children in the play park for a moment. Someone comes up to them they do not know and starts a conversation that just might lead to a trip to their car. With all the digital confusion that movies and games fill our lives with, how is a child to know what real fear feels like? Art is one of those mediums that is “real” and deeply involved. It is also a place to share and learn without feeling like you are lecturing all the time. Art evokes questions because it cannot be swiped off the page or “x’d” out when it isn’t interesting anymore. Art is something to see and feel.

 

Art Develops Core Skills in Children. I do not think there is a teacher on the planet that would argue that holding a pencil and moving it along a surface isn’t a key element of learning to function as a child. Scientists can show you exact connections between holding that pencil and the regions of the brain that are activated by pressing it against the paper. A child must work through how to adequately hold a pencil properly in order to make it work as intended. That takes skills that turn us into productive adults one day. Taking away our ability to hold these tools in our hands and create works of art—as we intend them to look—removes a key process from our childhood. [The same goes for adults too! Just getting all the notes via PDF is not the same as taking notes– and studies are pretty clear that our ability to doodle is the brains way of resolving complex problems in our lives.] Art helps all of us develop core skills.

 

Art Enhances Well Being. If you have ever had the privilege to go to a Veterans Administration Art Therapy class you will see how incredibly powerful the process of art can transform a person’s stress level into the direction of peace. Our brains are a complex and very misunderstood part of our bodies. Since we only use a small portion of our brains and are just now understanding how this magnificent organ works, how can we doubt the power of art upon the complex thoughts and experiences we have? Our eyes capture trillions of pieces of data and color every single second and sitting down to draw a fruit bowl with its difficult shapes and intricate colors is one way to calm our thoughts and focus them on the task at hand—healing ourselves. Just see what happens when you ask a toddler in a rage to color. Sure, at first those crayons may end up as collateral damage, but if you make that part of the process of being stressed out, eventually they will find a way to express their frustration in ways that their language ability and maturity cannot.

 

Art Makes You More Attentive. Number 5 is following the art therapy because it is all about habit and process. The more children are exposed to art and participate in activities in it, the more they focus on it and other things that need to be learned and seen. TV, digital games, IPhone videos are all moving quickly, feeding our attention span and reducing it to what scientists say is now only a mere 6 seconds! And that goes for all of us. If we are not entertained in six seconds we switch or click out in boredom. I know you have all seen the one-year-old child trying to swipe at a magazine page. Funny as it was there is a lesson for all of us in it. Being able to hold our attention on things that matter in life will make us more successful no matter what our age. Appreciating art, with all its silence and space is just one really fun way to do that hard task.

 

Art Helps You See The World Differently. There is this really cool brain doctor in Southern California named Dr. Amen. He does brain imaging so many light years into the future that someday we will use the color mapping of our brains to help us become better adults. But for now, just know that when our brains are activated by something – a thought, an image, a smell, our brains have corresponding areas that light up and become stronger, improving whatever part of our body that this portion of the brain controls. Experiencing art is like having your brain go to the gym, only there is no sweating and puffing involved. Art give us just incredible images to activate our memories or thoughts, and help us to see the world differently.

 

Art Increases Your Creativity. Many years ago, I brought my two young children into the London Museum of Art. We entered a large gallery that had a painting covering most of the wall on the backside of the room. It was absolutely huge as paintings go, so of course it was the very first thing noticed as you entered. I can only imagine how large it was for a 4 and 5-year-old child. But what was even more extraordinary for them was this very large, naked man happened to bear a striking resemblance to someone that was near and dear to their hearts: Santa Clause.

Well, as you can only imagine, they broke free from our hands and ran right up to the painting laughing and shouting, “Santa Clause is naked.” In our embarrassment, we hurried out of the gallery and went back outside into the cold where a very interesting discussion about how Santa Clause took baths took place. They were very curious if it was possible for him to stay warm in the bathroom at the North Pole while he was in the tub. On the surface it was an insignificant, albeit an embarrassing adult event, but for our children, they often referred to Santa while taking future baths realigning their behavior in that moment just in case he was paying attention with the “naughty and nice list.”

 

Art Helps Us Find Meaning. I don’t think anyone can doubt the phrase “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” What our eyes see and how our brains and personal experiences interpret that “seeing” is something that is uniquely special to the viewer. Children are viewing movies, cartoons, and video games and subconsciously finding meaning in their own lives every day. They view their parents sitting at dinner with their phones in hand and even a small infant begins to understand that this small container of light is something very, very valuable: even more valuable than their gurgling sounds many times.

Our world contains many beautiful images that make us feel one way or another. Art is one of those experiences that can make you squirm, or laugh, or feel sad when it reminds you of something from a long

time ago. Adding up all the reasons here that art makes us smarter people, why wouldn’t we want to share it with our children every day?

Within one piece of art above the kitchen table can be a story of childhood, or a history lesson, or the process of how eggs get into the cartons at Trader Joes. There can be discussions on colors and moments of clarity about how a person really feels about something or someone. Art is intended to make us think and feel and now you know that it also has the wonderful benefit of helping to making us smarter too.

So, find a piece of art in this special This Great America Summer of Art Collection and write out your favorite summer memory. Share it with your family, and then share it with us for a chance to win a very special limited edition Giclee print of the Barnstormer, painted by American Artist, P. Buckley Moss. Learn how to enter here. And if you don’t know what a ‘Barnstormer” is then click here to learn more about their wonderful history and adventure.

 

Blogger and Digital Marketer, Maria Bereket works with all types of businesses to help them bridge the gap of Digital Social Media Marketing. She has had the pleasure of working with the art dealers of American Artist, P. Buckley Moss and often incorporates the important lessons educators and psychologists on the importance of art in development of children’s creativity and intelligence. ”Just viewing art can have an important effect on creativity and attention of both children and adults.” Says Bereket. “Studies show that sharing art and just hanging it in our homes can have a profound effect on innovation.” Her company, Design Bear Marketing values education and innovation in all things digital and marketing. Connect with her on Twitter @mbear88 or Website

 

The Story Behind The Print: For The Love Of Barnstorming

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A child’s room is a place of creativity. Why not fill it with art?

It’s one of those things that probably only your grandparents remember. Popular in the Roaring Twenties, Barnstorming thrilled audiences in America with stunts and circus type of flying that included such greats as Charles Lindbergh and the Wright Brothers. Looking at this child’s bedroom, I am reminded how fascinated I was with Charles Lindbergh as a child, spotting him once in an encyclopedia on my parent’s bookshelf. It would have led me from the “L” book to the “B” book (for barnstormer) and then probably through several other learning adventures that didn’t quite feel like I was learning anything at all. But learn I did—history, adventure, art, and the creative stories of days gone by. Today I am reminded that children need such things in their lives…pieces of creative input that allow their imaginations to soar.

 

Barnstormers in the 1920’s

But I digress. Let’s get back to the Barnstormer.                Apparently, following WWI, there was such an abundance of airplanes and airman who flew the flying machines that companies and pilots grew into a big business of entertainment as the Roaring Twenties took hold. It became a great way to make a living with pilots traveling in a Barnstorming circuit, wing walking, parachuting, and performing stunts in the air.

 

 

And just think about the twenties in America for a minute. Women didn’t work, men were the leaders of nations and always had the final word at home. But for Barnstormers, it wasn’t only former military veterans who took to the skies; there were woman and other minorities who thrilled audiences with their skills as barnstormers.

 

Bessie Coleman

One such notable lady was named Bessie Coleman. She wasn’t just a woman, but the first woman and African American civil aviator to hold a pilot license. For Bessie, her family was in the sharecropping business in Texas so it was a natural interest of hers to learn to fly, but remember it was the 1920’s. No matter her interests, she had to go all the way to France to learn to fly since there were no flight schools in America for women. Bess became an inspiration because she “not only thrilled audiences with her skills as a barnstormer, but she also became a role model for women and African Americans.    Her very presences in the air threated prevailing contemporary stereotypes. She also fought segregation when she could by using her influence as a celebrity.” (PBS 2015)

 

I guess that people across America were thrilled with Barnstormers no matter who they were because they were all looked at as fun entertainment in a world that had no televisions or Internet to delight or distract them. This group came to town as adventurers and daredevils so it didn’t matter who was flying around doing stunts in the air, in fact, it might have been a greater thrill to think of women flying above the crowd.

“The Barnstormers are coming!”

I heard that the fun began as soon as the grumbling engines could be heard as they approached a town. Everyone, and in many cases, it meant the entire town, would shut down as all the people flocked to see where they would land. People lined up to ask how much it would cost to take a trip up in the air. Children begged for rides and parents hoped there would be enough money in the coffee tin for everyone to feel the thrill of flight! Most people had never seen an airplane in the 1920’s, so the

whole event would have been a daylong celebration that was the most magical and exiting part of their entire year!

 

1965 Film

One fun depiction of the life of the Barnstormer was in the 1965 film, Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines. It was a typical adventure of how pilots swarmed together, in this case to enter a race, competing against one another in a comedic series of stunts. Barnstorming found a bit of a revival after the film came out and today you can still find adventure tours who fly for fun. But Barnstormers are a rare site indeed. More likely, you can look up from the beach or baseball game to see a Barnstormer plane carrying large banner advertising for some local business. The roar of the plane’s engine and flapping wings is still a sure way to get you to look above.

 

 

The Engine View

Today it is still possible to fly with a Barnstormer and enjoy the view of landscape from an open cockpit. Unlike a commercial aircraft, a passenger can feel the wind and hear the engine as it grumbles its way across the sky. It is spectacular and breathtaking to fly over the countryside and perhaps do a flip or two!

These flips, or Aerobatics, are the maneuvers that you might expect to see from the stunt pilots who perform dangerous spins in the air. There are loops and the barrel rolls, stall turns and wingovers, and sometimes aerialists will perform daredevil stunts like switching planes in midair. Even today, these tricks and stunts are fun to experience if your stomach can handle it of course. Most flights are very smooth and graceful. If you are lucky enough to see a “wing walker” thrill audiences from the ground you can see them wave from air while hanging from their ankles below the bottom wing.

 

“Barnstormer” Limited Edition Giclee by P Buckley Moss

The special history of the Barnstormer is one that is truly an American delight. One such great moment is through a newly released limited edition Giclee print, Barnstormer, painted by iconic American Artist, P. Buckley Moss. Not only did she want to share an adventurous time in American history but her love of education helped to create a wonderful summer essay contest that both adults and children can enjoy.

 

 

This Great America Summer of Art Essay Contest kicks off a summer of fun and remembrances of the special places and moments in all of our lives; and one lucky winner over Labor Day weekend will win this very special Barnstormer print (signed and personalized.) Enter your 500-1000-word memory of summer by first browsing through a selection of qualifying art pieces painted by this beloved American Artist. Each print depicts the wonders of summer through her painted inspiration. I am sure there is something that you can remember and recall for that special summer in your life; and then have an opportunity to win and take home a special part of our great American History, the Barnstormer.

 

For full contest detail: Click Here

Blogger and Digital Marketer, Maria Bereket works with all types of businesses to help them bridge the gap of Digital Social Media Marketing. She has had the pleasure of working with the art dealers of American Artist, P. Buckley Moss and often incorporates the important lessons educators and psychologists on the importance of art in development of children’s creativity and intelligence. ”Just viewing art can have an important effect on creativity and attention of both children and adults.” Says Bereket. “Studies show that sharing art and just hanging it in our homes can have a profound effect on innovation.” Her company, Design Bear Marketing values education and innovation in all things digital and marketing. Connect with her on Twitter @mbear88 or Website

 

 

Giclee Print Making: Production of an Edition

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Offset lithograph printmaking requires a commitment to printing the entire edition at one time. The printing center takes possession of an edition, stores the edition until the last prints are sold and are constantly tracking what remains of any edition in their inventory. Imagine the storage issue with such an active publisher! With the digital printers of today, when you have your own printer, you can print each print as needed while always keeping count of where the edition stands and how many prints will be needed to print the entire edition.

A plus to the new Giclee printing technique is that if Pat has a desire to see her image on a larger scale, any image could be sized to print larger and the larger prints would be counted as the next number to be printed.  Perhaps a collector finds an image they love but needs that image larger to hang in an intended space. While the price will reflect the costs or a larger print, the process of printing a different size of an image is not possible. We have made progress with the digital age in a reproduction of art allowing a greater audience to enjoy unique works of art and feel confident that their investment will grow over time.

 

 

 

What Is A P Buckley Moss Artist Proof?

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    An Artist’s Proof is just that: an image made for the artist by the printer.  AP’s, Artist Proofs, are usually produced in smaller numbers than the general edition, are marked as AP’s, and may be signed and numbered as well. Because the number of Artist Proofs is smaller and because the APs are “closer to the artist’s hand,” signed APs tend to be more valuable than the prints of a signed and numbered limited edition.

In the early days of printmaking, printer’s plates would wear down over time. Because of this, the first prints off the printing press were the highest quality and were designated “artist’s proofs”. The artist’s proofs were considered to be the best prints within the edition and often the artist kept them.

 

 

Technology has changed quite a bit since the early days of printmaking. Today, all prints within a run of offset lithographic prints or Giclee prints will be identical in quality. However, the tradition of having a special edition within the edition has stuck around. Today the value of owning an artist’s proof does not relate to quality, it relates to the importance of owning a rare portion of an edition. Most offset lithographic editions and Giclee editions include less than 20 percent artist’s proofs. Because the art world loves rarity and since there are fewer artist’s proofs than regular prints, they are preferred by many collectors.

 

A bit of history with Moss Artist: In the early years, (1974-1984) of publishing Moss works, the artist proofs were an essential part of planning each edition. The proofs were noted with an AP on each of the proofs but were not numbered. The reasoning could have been an issue with the process, although to look at each proof in my collection, you can’t really see significant differences in the prints. During those years, the proofs were actually used to determine how the edition was printed and the artist would approve or disapprove until the printing was an expression of what she intended the print to be.

 

The process of printing has become so automated and precise that colors may be tested and approved but the artist proofs offered for sale look exactly like the edition and we the entire edition of proofs is held by the artist in her private collection until she agrees they may be sold. Think of the proofs of today as being a tiny edition of twenty-five, signed and numbered prints, within any given edition, considered the cream of the edition and available for sale at the artist’s discretion. P Buckley Moss artist proofs are typically two and one-half to three times the value of any print from the matching edition. The line of value progression would be Original work, Artist Proof, Print. The perfect collection would be a collection containing an array of all of the categories in which the artist has published. Some collectors are only interested in original works while other art collectors seek a mix of all mediums.

 

 

 

How Do I Choose A P Buckley Moss Print?

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The question of how to choose a print typically does not come up in regards to the work of P Buckley Moss. In our gallery inventory, we house over 2100 different pieces of Moss art, which encompasses every category of her work. Individual collectors are simply drawn to the subject matter that “grabs” them—and this should be your guide as well. Usually, the feeling evoked from Moss works is so strong, one knows after a short time of browsing our gallery what they are drawn to. Some people love the signature geese and others find the cat images attract them the most. Other potential collectors love her signature trees; a dance in calligraphy to behold. Still others love the simplicity of the rural scenes with familiar barns and landscapes. The choice is yours. Possibilities are endless when putting together a grouping or choosing a stand along piece for any room or any space.

During the selection process, pick something you like first and foremost. Don’t worry about how well it will rank on the secondary market after the edition is sold out, if it is selling out quickly or if it is viewed and loved the same by others as it is by you. If you have a connection to the art piece, if it “speaks” to you and you can picture it in your home then that is the print you should choose. If the art gives you peace and you know you will enjoy it every day, then choose that print to add to your collection. Have your art professionally framed to protect your investment.

As with all art purchases, you should speak with the professionals at the gallery with questions you might have concerning the images you choose. Ask questions about the paper, the numbering and by all means, let us talk with you about framing techniques recommended for the preservation of your art piece. Please don’t pay a good price for a piece of collectible art then go unarmed to a “frame shop” and trust their process of framing without knowing the right questions to ask. A good gallery wants to build relationships with their clients for the long term. Their passion for the art will match the enthusiasm you feel toward your new art choice. Your expectations of the experience must be fulfilled as you are guided through the process of choosing art for your home.

What Do The Numbers On A Limited Edition Print Mean?

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There usually is no standard amount in an edition. As few as 1 or 3, or as many as 1000 or more. Reflect on how the volume will affect the value of your chosen art piece and consider that the smaller the edition, the higher price will be asked (and also sold should you decide to sell your own piece at some point.). In the art world, it is assumed the lower the number of prints in an edition, the more valuable and collectible the editions are likely to be. The number game is rather jaw-dropping if you should be lucky enough to find a very low numbered print, but in reality, the image is what the collector admires and the number, be it a very low number, is just that; a very low number. I have not witnessed a higher price asked for one number in an edition over another number.

   In the early days of printing, prints could vary a bit from one print to the next but even when most of the P Buckley Moss print editions were printed as offset lithographs, or photographic reproductions of the original watercolor, the images didn’t vary and each print of the edition looked the same. Now, in the digital age, all but the oversized images by Moss are printed as giclee editions; a process of reproduction of the original watercolor using software and state of the art printers that produce more vivid colors, which make for amazingly detailed and vibrant prints.

A limited edition is normally hand signed and numbered by the artist e.g. 50/100 while the artist proofs are numbered AP 1/25, 2/25 etc. Pat Moss used to spend countless hours signing each print of every edition until the action caused problems with her wrist and her medical team asked her to make a decision; “Do you want to sign print editions or do you want to paint?” It was then that the decision was made in the mid-1990’s to secure a matrix of Pat’s signature by which all her print editions have been signed going forward. At this writing, Pat still has gallery shows where she will spend hours talking with collectors and signing her work by hand either on the print paper or on the glass of framed pieces. Her signature is an art all its own.

What Is P Buckley Moss Limited Edition Art?

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What Every New Art Collector Needs To Know

Giclee Print Making: Production Of An Edition

Limited edition prints have been standard in printmaking since the nineteenth century. Today, limited editions can be found in a series of as many as 2 or 1000. Limited Editions should be distinguished from the original; they should be carefully produced directly from the original work and printed under the artist’s supervision. Depending on the issue and the dealer, often Limited Edition prints will include a Certificate of Authenticity, either signed by the artist or the dealer.

  For the purpose of this post, we’ll be speaking with reference to signed and numbered, limited edition prints published by American artist, P Buckley Moss. Given today’s publication, smaller editions of her work are more common. Where once Moss edition sizes were almost always set at one thousand prints with twenty-five signed and numbered artist proofs, most limited editions printed today by Moss are more in the range of two hundred and fifty signed and numbered prints with twenty-five signed and numbered artist proofs. Some editions will print as high as five hundred signed and numbered prints and 25 signed and numbered proofs per edition but this is not the norm.

 

WHAT DO THE NUMBERS MEAN?

There usually is no standard amount in an edition. As few as 1 or 3, or as many as 1000 or more. Reflect on how the volume will affect the value of your chosen art piece and consider that the smaller the edition, the higher price will be asked (and also sold should you decide to sell your own piece at some point.). In the art world, it is assumed the lower the number of prints in an edition, the more valuable and collectible the editions are likely to be. The number game is rather jaw-dropping if you should be lucky enough to find a very low numbered print, but in reality, the image is what the collector admires and the number, be it a very low number, is just that; a very low number. I have not witnessed a higher price asked for one number in an edition over another number.

   In the early days of printing, prints could vary a bit from one print to the next but even when most of the P Buckley Moss print editions were printed as offset lithographs, or photographic reproductions of the original watercolor, the images didn’t vary and each print of the edition looked the same. Now, in the digital age, all but the oversized images by Moss are printed as giclee editions; a process of reproduction of the original watercolor using software and state of the art printers that produce more vivid colors, which make for amazingly detailed and vibrant prints.

A limited edition is normally hand signed and numbered by the artist e.g. 50/100 while the artist proofs are numbered AP 1/25, 2/25 etc. Pat Moss used to spend countless hours signing each print of every edition until the action caused problems with her wrist and her medical team asked her to make a decision; “Do you want to sign print editions or do you want to paint?” It was then that the decision was made in the mid-1990’s to secure a matrix of Pat’s signature by which all her print editions have been signed going forward. At this writing, Pat still has gallery shows where she will spend hours talking with collectors and signing her work by hand either on the print paper or on the glass of framed pieces. Her signature is an art all its own.

HOW TO DO I CHOOSE A PRINT?

The question of how to choose a print typically does not come up in regards to the work of P Buckley Moss. In our gallery inventory, we house over 2100 different pieces of Moss art, which encompasses every category of her work. Individual collectors are simply drawn to the subject matter that “grabs” them—and this should be your guide as well. Usually, the feeling evoked from Moss works is so strong, one knows after a short time of browsing our gallery what they are drawn to. Some people love the signature geese and others find the cat images attract them the most. Other potential collectors love her signature trees; a dance in calligraphy to behold. Still others love the simplicity of the rural scenes with familiar barns and landscapes. The choice is yours. Possibilities are endless when putting together a grouping or choosing a stand along piece for any room or any space.

 

During the selection process, pick something you like first and foremost. Don’t worry about how well it will rank on the secondary market after the edition is sold out, if it is selling out quickly or if it is viewed and loved the same by others as it is by you. If you have a connection to the art piece, if it “speaks” to you and you can picture it in your home then that is the print you should choose. If the art gives you peace and you know you will enjoy it every day, then choose that print to add to your collection. Have your art professionally framed to protect your investment.

As with all art purchases, you should speak with the professionals as the gallery about questions you might have concerning the images you choose. Ask questions about the paper, the numbering and by all means, let us talk with you about framing techniques recommended for the preservation of your art piece. Please don’t pay a good price for a piece of collectible art then go unarmed to a “frame shop” and trust their process of framing without knowing the right questions to ask. A good gallery wants to build relationships with their clients for the long term. Their passion for the art will match the enthusiasm you feel toward your new art choice. Your expectations of the experience must be fulfilled as you are guided through the process of choosing art for your home.

Don’t let price determine your choice of a print. Price is normally determined by the size and complexity of the image. We all know that it is the artist behind the brush who makes the art and her talent for putting to paper the way she sees the world is what draws us to love the art. In addition, if the price is a determining factor, ask if there is a lay-a-way plan, which will make the process of purchasing an easier way to have exactly the art you have in mind.

WHAT IS AN ARTIST’S PROOF?

An Artist’s Proof is just that: an image made for the artist by the printer. APs are usually produced in smaller numbers than the general edition, are marked as APs, and may be signed and numbered as well. Because the number of Artist Proofs is smaller and because the APs are “closer to the artist’s hand,” signed APs tend to be more valuable than the prints of a signed and numbered limited edition.

In the early days of printmaking, printer’s plates would wear down over time. Because of this, the first prints off the printing press were the highest quality and were designated “artist’s proofs”. The artist’s proofs were considered to be the best prints within the edition and often the artist kept them.

Technology has changed quite a bit since the early days of printmaking. Today, all prints within a run of offset lithographic prints or Giclee prints will be identical in quality. However, the tradition of having a special edition within the edition has stuck around. Today the value of owning an artist’s proof does not relate to quality, it relates to the importance of owning a rare portion of an edition. Most offset lithographic editions and Giclee editions include less than 20 percent artist’s proofs. Because the art world loves rarity and since there are fewer artist’s proofs than regular prints, they are preferred by many collectors.

 

   A bit of history with Moss Artist: In the early years (1974-1984) of publishing Moss works, the artist proofs were an essential part of planning each edition. The proofs were noted with an AP on each of the proofs but were not numbered. The reasoning could have been an issue with the process, although to look at each proof in my collection, you can’t really see significant differences in the prints. During those years, the proofs were actually used to determine how the edition was printed and the artist would approve or disapprove until the printing was an expression of what she intended the print to be.

 

The process of printing has become so automated and precise that colors may be tested and approved but the artist proofs offered for sale look exactly like the edition and the entire edition of proofs is held by the artist in her private collection until she agrees they may be sold. Think of the proofs of today as being a tiny edition of twenty-five, signed and numbered prints, within any given edition, considered the cream of the edition and available for sale at the artist’s discretion. P Buckley Moss artist proofs are typically two and one-half to three times the value of any print from the matching edition. The line of value progression would be Original work, Artist Proof, Print. The perfect collection would be a collection containing an array of all of the categories in which the artist has published. Some collectors are only interested in original works while other art collectors seek a mix of all mediums.

PRODUCTION OF AN EDITION

Offset lithograph printmaking requires a commitment to printing the entire edition at one time. The publisher takes possession of the edition, stores the edition until the last prints are sold and they are constantly tracking what remains of any edition in their inventory. Imagine the storage issue with such an active publisher! With the digital printers of today, when the publisher has their your own printer, they can print each print as needed while always keeping count of where the edition stands and how many prints will be needed to print the entire edition.

A plus to the new printing technique, Giclee printing, is that if Pat has a desire to see her image on a larger scale, any image could be sized to print larger and the larger prints would be counted as the next number to be printed.  Perhaps a collector finds an image they love but needs that image larger to hang in an intended space. While the price will reflect the costs of a larger print, the process of printing a different size of an image is now possible. We have made progress with the digital age in the reproduction of art allowing a greater audience to enjoy unique works of art and feel confident that their investment will grow over time.

 

#LimitedEditionArt #PBuckleyMossArt #ArtCollector

Art Images:

1. Mountains in Spring. Image Size: 29-1/8 x 25 ins. http://bit.ly/2pUndYv

2. Our Song. Image Size: 37 x 12-1/2 ins. Paper Size: 39 x 14-1/2 ins. http://bit.ly/2prKRZP

Laura DeRamus, Passionate Art Dealer, Framer, Small Business Advocate is the owner of Canada Goose Gallery which holds the distinction of having the largest Inventory of P Buckley Moss Art including early, hard to find prints and rare issue price art. Her expertise and passion for the art of American Artist, P. Buckley Moss is contagious, and her strong belief that education in the arts is essential in our increasingly digital world is her personal mission. Contact her at Laura@CanadaGooseGallery.com with questions on Art.

Renowned Artist Patricia Buckley Moss Recognized For Philanthropy To Virginia Tech October 23, 2013

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Renowned artist Patricia Buckley Moss recognized for philanthropy to Virginia Tech October 23, 2013

Patricia Buckley Moss stands outside the Moss Arts Center at Virginia Tech.

Virginia Tech has named its $100 million arts center building in tribute to artist and philanthropist Patricia Buckley Moss, whose recent donation in support of the center is one of the largest gifts the university ever has received.

“The Moss Arts Center is a spectacular testament to how important the arts are to any university that values comprehensive excellence,” Virginia Tech President Charles W. Steger said Oct. 23, nine days before the center was to host its first performance.

Speaking in the center’s third-floor lobby, Steger said the university Board of Visitors’ recent decision to name the center in Moss’ honor was particularly fitting, due not only to her generosity toward the project, but to her prominence in the arts and her longtime advocacy for incorporating the arts into education.

Moss, who signs her paintings P. Buckley Moss, has works represented in more than 200 galleries, has won numerous awards, and is the namesake of a foundation that works with teachers to promote using the arts in teaching.

In her advocacy work, Moss, who is dyslexic, has cited her personal Stroy of struggling in school until an open-minded teacher recognized her artistic potential. Moss wound up enrolling in a high school for the fine arts and, later, in New York’s Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art.

“The arts can change people’s hearts, change their minds, and change their lives,” Moss said. “I was lucky enough to find them at a young age, and they opened up so many learning avenues and professional opportunities for me. That is why I am so excited about the impact this wonderful facility will make on thousands of people, young and old, across this entire region of our state.”

Moss committed $10 million toward construction of the arts center at Virginia Tech. That gift and others have been critical to funding the project, Elizabeth “Betsy” Flanagan, the university’s vice president for development and university relations, explained.

“The power of philanthropy has literally reshaped the university’s landscape, evident in this building and all across the campus,” Flanagan said, adding that the private fundraising goal of $28 million for the arts center project had been exceeded.

Designed by the award-winning architectural firm Snøhetta, the 147,000-square-foot center is located near the corner of the Alumni Mall and North Main Street.

On Nov. 1, Philip Glass and his ensemble will give the first performance in the Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre, located within the Moss Arts Center building’s Street and Davis Performance Hall. Along with that performance space, the center contains visual arts galleries, an experimental venue known as the Cube, and extensive studio space for educational and research activities.

“The scope and scale of the work we now can bring to campus is unprecedented in this region,” said Ruth Waalkes, the university’s associate provost for the arts, who is also executive director of the Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech, which is responsible for programming and operations within the new facilities.

Waalkes also said the center will bring “new opportunities for learning, discovery, and engagement for our students” and will make “world-class arts experiences accessible and affordable for people across the region.”

Increasing the prominence of the arts at Virginia Tech was a goal Steger – who has announced he will step down once a new university president can be hired – outlined in his 2000 inaugural address.

At the naming announcement, he described the Moss Arts Center as symbolic of a much broader effort that has included the addition of the Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology; construction of Theatre 101; the addition of several graduate degree programs in the arts, renovation or construction of learning spaces for arts programs; and the hiring of additional faculty.

“This magnificent building shows the value we place on the arts at Virginia Tech, and is part of a series of major investments we have made in the arts,” Steger said.

Launched in 2005 as an arts initiative, Virginia Tech Arts encompasses all efforts within departments and colleges and at the university level to expand creative practice and support interdisciplinary learning, engagement, and discovery through the arts. The cornerstone project of Virginia Tech Arts is the Moss Arts Center, which houses the Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech professional presenting program; the university-level Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology; and television and lab spaces for the Department of Communication.

 Albert Raboteau
Source: https://vtnews.vt.edu/articles/2013/10/102313-development-artscenter.html

 

Moss Arts Center: An extraordinary canvas for art and education

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Reprint from http://bit.ly/MossCenterFacility www.CanadaGooseGallery.com

“I was lucky enough to find [the arts] at a young age, and they opened up so many learning avenues and professional opportunities for me. That is why I am so excited about the impact this wonderful facility will make on thousands of people, young and old, across this entire region of our state.”

Moss Arts Center: An extraordinary canvas for art and education

That first painting, done while Moss was grammar- school age, was followed
by many others. And while Moss may not have cared what others thought of her artwork, her talent was recognized by a teacher whose encouragement helped convince Moss’ mother to send her daughter to Washington Irving High School, in Manhattan, which had a strong arts program.

Though Moss continued to get poor grades at that school, her art portfolio drew attention from the school principal, Mary Meade, who recommended it be entered for scholarship competitions. Moss wound up attending New York’s Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, a key step in her artistic career.

In October, Virginia Tech announced it had named its $100 million arts center for Moss in tribute to her commitment of $10 million toward construction. The university also announced it had exceeded its $28 million private fundraising goal for the project.

“The arts can change people’s hearts, change their minds, and change their lives,” Moss said shortly before the announcement. “I was lucky enough to find them at a young age, and they opened up so many learning avenues and professional opportunities for me. That is why I am so excited about the impact this wonderful facility will make on thousands of people, young and old, across this entire region of our state.”

Within the Moss Arts Center is the Street and Davis Performance Hall, which contains the 1,260-seat Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre. The arts center facility also includes what was once Shultz Hall. Along with the theatre, the facility features visual arts galleries; studios; Virginia Tech’s Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology; and the Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech, which programs and operates the Moss Arts Center.

The Moss Arts Center is the cornerstone project of a broad e ort at Virginia Tech to expand creative practice and to support interdisciplinary learning, engagement, and discovery through the arts.

Moss said the scope of the project and her family ties to Virginia Tech led her to want to get involved. Her generous support of the arts at Virginia Tech is also
in keeping with her history of philanthropy aimed at promoting the arts in education. A foundation that bears her name has been active in that area for many years, and Moss regularly travels to speak with students and teachers.

“All of us have to try to make a di erence, to educate kids, and to help them have some self-esteem,” Moss said. “I learned my self-worth through the arts.”

 

Hours before the first performance in Virginia Tech’s Moss Arts Center took place, hundreds gathered to celebrate the completion of the spectacular new facility.

Speaking to a crowd containing many donors and administrators who played important roles in the project’s success, Virginia Tech President Charles W. Steger said the investment in the arts made by the university and its supporters “is really a major factor propelling Virginia Tech to greater national stature.”

He added that “a vigorous and visible presence for the arts, we believe, will mark our campus as an even more comprehensive and well-rounded university, while enabling us to compete for funding at the highest levels and enhance our ability to attract the best students and faculty.”

Several key donors to the project said seeing the facility come to fruition was a historic day for the university, and they explained why they considered the center to be such a compelling initiative to support.

Standing in the 1,260-seat Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre, named in honor of his wife and mother, Gene Fife (business administration ’62) said the arts center “just adds more depth and richness to the experience of being here in Blacksburg.”

Sherwood “Sherry” Payne Quillen (health and physical education ’71) said looking at the first art exhibit in the gallery within the center that bears her name was “exhilarating—almost surreal,” and that the scale of the overall center was “larger than life.”

Nicholas Street (general business ’53), who along with his wife, Fay ( nance ’77), helped name the Street and Davis Performance Hall, predicted the facility would “take Virginia Tech to a new level; it’s another piece to the puzzle.”

William C. “Jack” Davis, who along with his wife, Sandra, are also namesakes of the performance hall, said watching the progress of construction had seemed slow at times, since he lives in Blacksburg and would frequently pass the construction site on his way to work on campus, but “it’s absolutely thrilling to see it come together now, and to also see all the people who were involved [gather] in one room.”

Nancie Roop Kennedy named an elevator in the center for her late husband, Duncan C. Kennedy III (electrical engineering ’61), and made a point of riding it shortly after the ribbon was cut in celebration of the building’s opening.

“I named an elevator guring if I could ride it high enough, I could meet my husband up in the clouds,” she said. “I’m sure he’s up there, looking down on all this, smiling.”

by Albert Raboteau

Source:

“Symbolism and Iconography in the Art of P. Buckley Moss”

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2008 Virginia Women in History

EXCERPTS FROM
“Symbolism and Iconography in the Art of P. Buckley Moss”

Symbols: A representation that stands for or has a meaning different from what is visually apparent. For example, a lamb may be used as a symbol of Christ in an image.

Symbolism in art is the practice of using an image to represent that which is tangible or intangible or to invest a thing or object with a meaning that is not readily apparent. The use of the image suggests a deeper or subconscious meaning other than what is visually portrayed. Symbolism is the hidden meaning behind the visual image.

Iconography: Not to be confused with “Icon.” Iconography is the area of study dealing with the description of visual images and symbols. This is the ‘subject’ of a work of art.

Icon: A revered work, specifically a portrait representing a saintly person such as Christ, the Virgin Mary, Madonna and Child or any number of Saints. An icon can appear in any medium, though most often the word is associated with painting. In art history, icons appeared specifically in Byzantine, Greek, Russian Orthodox church art representing Christ or the Madonna. In Buddhist art, the image itself becomes more than the image of the saint portrayed, but rather becomes the embodiment of that figure (usually Buddha). Some paintings, such as Leonardo Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa was so beloved by its viewers it became an icon. In Moss art, The Blue Madonna could be considered an icon as it is a beloved work of a revered personage.

The Canada Geese

Lords of the Evening

Throughout the history of western art and civilization the geese served as religious icons to which virtuous qualities were attached. In early Christian art they represented the theological idea of Divine Providence. They were harbingers of weather and changes of season, and therefore seen as blessing from God. It was noted by some that geese mate for life and both the male and female participate in the raising of baby birds. This observation evolved with geese becoming symbols for loyalty and matrimony.

 

 

There was of course one flaw and that was the scaly, clawed webbed foot of the goose which traditionally is a symbol for pride, a sin. The devil in depictions during Medieval and Renaissance times was often shown with the webbed foot of the goose as appendages. Pat’s Canada Geese are symbols of Divine Providence. They are often painted in pairs to represent loyalty, matrimony and vigilance. They are painted without their feet so as not to have any negative connotations associated with her symbols of divinity.

 

The Plain People

When Pat arrived in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia in 1964 she became acquainted with the Amish and Old Order Mennonites who lived in the counties surrounding Waynesboro. While the plain people have a long history going back to the Anabaptists, Pat’s highly stylized interpretation of them is both generic and symbolic. The figures do not represent specific individuals, but are used for their visual archetypal value.

With their strong work ethic, traditional lifestyle and devotion to faith, family and community these plain people became part of her iconography; symbolic “Living Saints,” supplanting earlier Catholic ones. The elongated figures, part of Pat’s unique style, are shown as hard working, faithful, and family oriented. The woman is often depicted holding a basket of eggs or a baby in a basket to represent new life. The man is often shown with a bucket of sticks, a symbol of manhood or fertility, which is a common symbol found throughout art history.

The figures are depicted holding a basket of apples to indicate both a strong work ethic and the ‘fruits’ of labor. The female figures are painted as slightly transparent with the landscape showing through part of her torso. This transparency is used to symbolize the ‘earth mother’ or woman’s intuitive nature.

The Moravian Style House

The Moravian Style House, also called the generic house or spirit house, is based on the German style houses from the Moravian period of 1741 to 1844. The Moravian community was founded in Pennsylvania to form a kind of utopia which attempted to bring Christianity to Native Americans while still allowing for cultural expression. Their communal way of life established extraordinary 18th-century industry and hand made crafts which came about through shared cooperative efforts. The Moravian style houses and other communal buildings, including churches, were combined with 18th-century German style architectural elements. These included the use of herringbone pattern doors, high pitched roofs with flared eaves, brick jack-arched windows and doors, tiled roofs, sloping-roofed dormers, and parged stone walls. The deep-set windows represent the largest collection of Germanic style architecture in the United States.

In Pat’s art, the Moravian style house is also referred to as a ‘spirit house’ or ‘generic’ house. The house is often painted without doors or a roof to symbolize a spiritual dwelling, after all a spirit doesn’t need a door or a roof in order to be closer to God. These stylized building are generally painted as a vertical element with long, clean lines. Buildings depicted with doors and a roof are usually realistic representations of an actual place.

Eggs & Apples

Eggs in Moss art signify new life or resurrection. Eggs in art history are often used as symbols of fertility.

Likewise, apples in a basket represent the ‘fruits’ of physical labor or if the figure holding the basket is female it could denote the woman’s ability as a child bearer or archetypal earth mother.

 

 

 

 

 

Source: https://www.lva.virginia.gov/public/vawomen/2008/pdf/MossSymbolismandIconographyDocument.pdf