“Portrait of a Woman” 5″x 7″ oil on canvas board, painted early in Thom’s artistic career. This painting is unique as Thom painted very few portraits and very few are in private hands.

“Village Castle Wales” 8″x 10″ oil on canvas board

Village Castle Wales was painted on location during Thom’s trip with his Dad and brother, Patrick Kinkade, retracing the journey of their father in Europe during World War II.  The trip was chronicled by Patrick in a book, “Chasing the Horizon”.  The ruins of Castle Llawhaden can be found in the Wales village of Llawhaden and the painting is featured in the book on page 58.  A copy of the book will accompany the painting. 

For complete information on these two rare original works go to InskysArt.com

Contact the Gallery at 205-733-4893 for purchase information

The global art market continues to experience strong growth and wanted to pass along some information on the current state of the global market and the top 10 artists in global sales.  Hope you will  find it interesting

http://news.artnet.com/market/artnet-data-shows-global-art-market-boom-continues-65684?utm_campaign=artnetnews&utm_source=072414daily&utm_medium=email

http://news.artnet.com/art-world/fractures-in-michelangelos-david-may-cause-statue-to-collapse-13425?utm_campaign=artnetnews&utm_source=050214daily&utm_medium=email

Nice article from ArtNetNews about famous politician artists…..

http://news.artnet.com/art-world/politicians-who-had-brushes-with-art-11291?utm_campaign=artnetnews&utm_source=042514daily&utm_medium=email

Collectors at TEFAF

The art world is constantly talking about “collectors” but—except for a few recognized personalities—they remain rather elusive creatures, often preferring anonymity to the limelight.

Art insurer AXA Art has attempted to strip away the mystery with their International Collectors Survey, published to coincide with TEFAF 2014. Titled Collecting in the Digital Age, it bases its results on an online survey of 1,000 collectors. (All are clients or potential clients of AXA Arts global network.)

Here, the 10 facts that surprised us most:

1. Online buying has a long way to go
TEFAF’s annual report claims that online sales are growing at a dizzying 25 percent annually, but not all collectors are convinced. Only 34 percent of the respondents to the survey have purchased artworks online in the past, and 42 percent simply don’t see the point, saying that they couldn’t see themselves buy online in the future.

2. This is a man’s world—and an old man’s world at that
While Dasha Zhukova is a front page favorite, she is nothing like the average collector. Three quarters of the surveyed collectors were male, and 73 percent aged 40-69. Art-lovers under 29 make up only 3 percent of the collectors surveyed.

3. Forget Frieze Masters, contemporary art is where it’s at
Older art seems to be all the rage—and the trend has been embraced by art fairs, spearheaded by Frieze Masters. Yet collectors overwhelmingly favor contemporary art (82 percent). Only 12 percent purchase antique art. 39 percent go for modern and Impressionist, followed by 19th century art.

4. On the other hand, those who collect as an investment tend to go for safe value (i.e. older art)
If substantial return is what you are after, it seems that “tried and tested” is the way to go. 43 percent of the collectors who defined themselves as investors purchase modern and Impressionist art as well as contemporary art. The returns are generally lower than with rising stars—but so are the chances of a market crash.

5. Installation and video art are not that hot
You wouldn’t know looking at some art fair offerings, but only 14 percent of collectors go for video art and installation. The overwhelming majority (nine out of ten) collect painting, and more than half go for works on paper. Easy-to-hang remains a strong criterion.

6. Art advisors are less influential than they pretend
When buying, collectors rely little on external advice (paid for or not). 65 percent collect on “gut instinct” and only 21 percent use the services of an art consultant.

7. Conceptual art dominates the art world but collectors love pretty things
We might have thought that things had changed since the days of the Medici, and that the strength and relevance of a conceptual piece might woo collectors just as much as its appearance. Not one bit. According to the survey, 80 percent of collectors say they buy art because “they love to own beautiful things and to surround themselves with them.” “Occupying myself with art and developing a comprehensive knowledge of art” comes second.

8. Photography is a favorite
Often considered a poor cousin of fine art and with still relatively-few galleries dedicated exclusively to the medium, photography is faring well with collectors. It’s their fourth choice after painting, works on paper, and sculpture.

9. Critics matter—but only a little bit more than Twitter
Who said art publishing was in a dire state? According to the survey 58 percent of collectors turn to printed media, trade journals, newspapers, and books while seeking information on the art they purchase. Social media are not far behind, faring a solid 51 percent. It is worth noting that less than half the respondents said they found articles about trends on the art market and the value of particular objects relevant. What they want instead is information on individual artists.

10. It’s not all about art fairs
While 95 percent of collectors go to art fairs and see them as a key source of information, an overwhelming majority, 73 percent, still prefer the personal service they get when buying in a gallery.

Cathedral Mountain Lodge by Thomas Kinkade

Visit the Gallery to enter or enter online for a chance to win a 12″x 18″ Framed SN giclee of Thomas Kinkade’s newest painting, “Cathedral Mountain Lodge”. You can pick up an entry form in the Gallery or enter online at www.thomaskinkade.com/contest

For more information on this painting:  http://thomaskinkadebirmingham.com/pdfs/CathederalMountainLodgeIRC.pdf

Lyric Theater undergoing $7 million renovation

Taken from The Birmingham News:

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama – Those of you who have already seen Turner Classic Movies annual “TCM Remembers” tribute to the screen legends who died this year might recognize a familiar, old theater that serves as the location backdrop for the video.  More:  http://www.al.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2013/12/birminghams_lyric_theatre_feat.html?_wcsid=FEABF8727D85E9F63B05A0C8C8DE5CEC353459D0A05C268E13E172D05229A5F4

 

The Thomas Kinkade Company’s “Snow White Discovers the Cottage” Serigraph wins the Gold Award at the SGIA Expo International Golden Image competition.  More than 66 companies from around the world entered the competition submitting a total of 353 prints in 50 product categories.  This years event was one of the most challenging in recent history.  Prints are judged on the level of difficulty and quality of execution.  Serigraphs are considered to be original art because each one is created individually.  Over 80 screens were needed to complete the Snow White Serigraph.  The company produced a total of only 550 serigraphs in the 18″x 27″ size.  We have number 49 SN in the Gallery…In addition to being a beautiful piece of art, it is also truly collectible because it is the First Serigraph from the Thomas Kinkade Company and it is of the First painting in Thom’s Disney Dreams Collection.  For more details on Serigraphs go to our blog at:  http://www.thomaskinkadebirmingham.com/blog/

So just what is a Serigraph?  In the art world they are considered “originals”, because they are hand crafted one at a time…See below and watch video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lQnQcsJfHs

What is a Thomas Kinkade Serigraph

 From an early age, Thomas Kinkade was fascinated with printmaking and  the many different print processes used over history. As a boy, he experimented with silk screening and as an established artist eventually began using silkscreened sketches as remarques on the backs of his paintings. For years

Thom planned to release serigraph editions of his work, now the Thomas Kinkade Company is pleased to be able to fulfill that dream and release the first Thomas Kinkade Serigraph Edition.

Serigraphs are a highly respected print making technique in the art world. Unlike photographic reproductions such as giclée, serigraphs actually involve recreating the original artwork by hand. The

serigrapher prints each individual color of the original, one color at a time, resulting in an exacting hand created reproduction. For each color in the original artwork, a film is cut, screens are exposed, presses are set and pigmented inks are mixed. Each color must be applied layer over layer with lengthy drying periods in-between. No more than two colors can be applied each day, so a 100-color print will take two and a half months from the first screen to the last.

As each color is printed, the registration or alignment of the print to the silkscreen must be in exactly the same place. This is considered the most important part of fine art serigraphy, because each color must be laid down in the exact place needed on the canvas on every print made. In the end, this ancient silk screening process produces a rich, unique, handcrafted serigraph that faithfully reproduces the original with pigmented inks that are unsurpassed in longevity.

Serigraphs will be released in limited quantities as available and in the edition sizes noted on theCertificate of Authenticity.

What is a Serigraph?

•             An elite stencil printmaking process, which is different than a photographic giclée process.

•             A masterful recreation of the original artwork by hand.

•             Highly durable and made with pigmented inks to resistant to fading.

Serigraphy requires diligence and handcraftsmanship for each print and is a very time consuming, multilayered process. The integrity and authenticity of the Serigraph is found in its processes as explained below:

- A stencil or screen is created for each individual color in the original. Typically, 80-90 separate colors will make up one painting; hence 80-90 different screens are used resulting in 80-90 different layers of ink placed in various places on the canvas.

- Once a screen is created, a sheet of high quality, archival canvas or paper is then inserted under the screen and a special pigmented ink is poured along the edge of the frame that holds the screen

- Areas, which do not print, are blocked in each of the stencil screens allowing ink to pass through the screen to specific areas of the painting, while prohibiting it from flowing through to other areas of the canvas.

- A flat fanlike tool is pulled from back-to-front along the screen pushing the ink through, resulting in a direct transfer of the image from screen to the canvas or paper.

- Only one color can be applied at a time.

- The canvas or paper must be fully dry before another color can be added.

- Due to drying times, only 2 colors can be applied in one day.

- This process is repeated layer on top of layer until the entire original print is recreated.

- Complex works of art, with hundreds of colors, can take over 6 weeks or longer to produce.

Our recent painting trip to Boston included a visit to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum to see some old friends painted by Sargent, Whistler, Zorn and others. (Members of The Artist’s Road can see the complete article here: Plein Air Painting in the Boston Public Garden). The museum buildings consist of Mrs. Gardner’s fabulous mansion and a newer, modern glass addition blended together. It is worth the trip to the museum just to see and walk around in her wonderful house, which features a three-story garden atrium at the center. Designed by William T. Sears and completed in 1903, Fenway Court, as it was called during Mrs. Gardner’s day, is in the style of a 15th-century Venetian palazzo, and was built specifically to house Mrs. Gardner’s remarkable collection of art, furniture, and artifacts from all over the world. Except that, there are empty frames on some of the walls.  

Read More:  http://www.artistdaily.com/blogs/oilblog/archive/2013/09/17/the-biggest-art-theft-in-american-history.aspx?a={Field:StoreCode}&et_mid=637232&rid=236504241