Friday 24 June 2016

Aphoris; life is short, art is long. An original abstract painting in acrylics, by British artist Tateh

Aphoris (Not To Scale)


This is Aphoris, my latest work about to be added to my online gallery. I hope you like it. As you know, I don't like to detail the inspiration behind my works, I prefer the observer to draw from their own subconscious thoughts and life experiences. All I will say is that a very famous Greek philosopher once wrote that in his opinion, "life is short; art is long"



Aphoris


Aphoris is an abstract in acrylics on 40mm stretched canvas. with painted sides. It is 91 x 61 x 4 cm.


(Click on any image to enlarge)




Detail Section
Detail Section



If you would like to know more about Aphoris, or to see more of my artworks, please visit my website by clicking here.







Tuesday 14 June 2016

Leolani, the voice of heaven, an original abstract painting in acrylics on canvas, by Tateh (sold)




This is Leolani an abstract by Tateh.


Leolani, "The voice of heaven", is a textured expressionist abstract in acrylics on 40mm stretched canvas. It comes to you strung, with painted sides, ready to hang. Click on the images to enlarge.






Below is a close up view of a section of the work:





This is a side elevation view:










Monday 13 June 2016

In Blue Nude - off to Paris France!




This is In Blue Nude. She is sold and now on her way to brighten up Paris France!






If you would like to see more of my artwork, please click here.

Wednesday 8 June 2016

Pipers Goes To Texas!





This is Pipers. A gorgeous colourful abstract painting (76 x 101 x 4cm) in acrylics inspired by Scottish pipers on a late summer night somewhere in Edinburgh. It has just been sold and it's on its way to brighten up a room in Texas! Which is lovely, but I'll miss having it to look at!





Update: Pipers has arrived! Delivered 22 Hrs. from collection here in England! Thanks for a fantastic service once again, DHL! 



To see more of my art click here to go to my website.

Friday 3 June 2016

Tateh gets an offer to dine upscale in New York City


By Ken Shaw

It’s no secret that New York City has just about the most expensive real estate in the world. Small wonder then that everything from restaurants to art galleries have to charge their customers prices that reflect this expensive environment. This can mean that some diners, and for that matter some artists, can find they are a little out of place. A New York City “gallery representative” recently contacted Tateh, saying:

“I came across your artwork online and I was impressed. As a gallery representative, my job is to discover talented artists who might benefit from the representation services that we offer.”

A New York gallery representative, impressed? This sounded great. It seemed to offer the possibility of professional representation and displaying Tateh’s art, right in the heart of New York City.

And indeed it did - for a price. After a little research I found that the gallery required $50 to consider an application for representation. Fair enough, I thought. It seemed a small sum, an appetizer perhaps, to sort out the wheat from the chaff, those seriously interested in promoting their art and those with only a casual appetite. But then we got to the entrée section of the menu:

The New York gallery also required a “representation and promotion services” fee of $5450, making a nice round $5500.

True this came, like all the courses, with lots of side dishes, including: targeted PR; online promotion; assistance with writing statements; reviews and advice; the space to display online images, and gallery space. But at this point I was beginning to wonder if the representative was genuinely impressed by Tateh’s artwork as she said, or simply farming the Internet for fresh artists to feed the gallery’s corporate pate' machine?

I decided to try to find out. And when the prices of the main dishes were revealed, I finally realized I was in the wrong restaurant. The cost of the courses ran steeply upwards from $5450, through mouth-watering dishes offering 40 feet of linear gallery space at $17,850, to the really exotic signature dish at a heady $65,500!

True, the beautiful signature dish offered some tasty accompaniments, including: 100 feet of gallery space; space for thirty images on the gallery website; a two-page magazine article, and a letter of recommendation to a gallery of your choice. But some dishes can be just too rich for an independent artist used to less salubrious environments.

Tateh’s current portfolio (the portfolio presumably viewed by the gallery representative) has an average per-painting gross value of around $500. Since the gallery apparently takes (in addition to the above fees) a 30% commission on each sale – as a tip perhaps? She would need to sell some 200 paintings just to cover the menu fees and tips.  Now 200 paintings at an average of three feet width, equates to 600 linear feet. Allowing a one-foot gap between each painting would add 200 feet, making a total of 800 feet, or EIGHT times the space offered by the signature dish.

Of course, there is always the option of raising Ivy’s prices to reflect the costs associated with displaying in a New York gallery, but would that be in the best interests of either Tateh, or her clients? Then of course, there is the cost of shipping the paintings to New York, hanging them, and being there to represent her art. And would potential clients be prepared to pay in excess of $4000 for a $500 painting regardless of how well marketed? I decided to decline the offer of gallery representation on the grounds of cost.

All of this made me wonder if gallery representation was a good idea, or if Tateh would be better advised to keep her prices low and continue developing her blog. I think on balance, we will probably persevere.

I would be very grateful for any comments on this article, especially from artists who have experience of gallery representation and how it works. Whether you have made a success of it or otherwise, I would love to hear from you - just use the comments tag below.


If you have an art-related article you would like me to publish please get in touch.




Thursday 2 June 2016

What To Look For When Buying Art

The following is a short extract from an article in Huffpost Arts &Culture. Stephen Tanenbaum, President & Co-Founder of UGallery, wrote the piece. I have published the extract here because it seemed to chime with where I am with my art and what I really think matters when choosing art. I hope you enjoy the article and find it useful. As always if you have any comments, or articles you would like me to publish here, I would be pleased to read them. 

What to look for when choosing art:

Cohesive Style: As an artist evolves, they typically start to focus on a specific subject or technique. This creates repetition in their work, and repetition leads to more mature, refined work.

Originality: As an artist evolves, their work starts to be their own. They transition from mimicking others to creating unique art. Look for artists who have progressed to their own styles and themes.

Content: Select art that is original, intriguing and legible. Seek out pieces that stimulate your senses, tell stories, and lead to interesting discussions. Be careful with emotionally dark or violent art; it is often powerful at first, but it isn’t as versatile and you may get tired of it over time.

Emotional Connection: Great art leaves a lasting impression. Look for pieces that keep your attention even after you’ve stopped looking at them.

Artist’s Background: Avoid looking only for artists you have formal training (some of the best artists are self-taught!), but do look for signs of dedication and credibility. At UGallery, we believe art is primarily a learned skill. Well-prepared art takes an incredible amount of thought and technique, so look for artists that demonstrate a love and commitment to their practice.

Balance Between Process and Product: Look for balance between conceptual meaning and the finished piece. Great art must challenge the viewer and offer new perspectives. For the purpose of display and collecting, it must also be well constructed and ready to present.

Quality: Pay attention to the quality of the materials and whether a piece is well-finished. This also demonstrates the artist’s dedication and practice.

Happy art hunting!

Check out my site to see more of my art.


Wednesday 1 June 2016

Meet Artist James Wilkinson



James' Studio



Ken Shaw 10.05.16
This is a short article to introduce James Wilkinson. James has not only been a fantastic portrait painter over the years Tateh has known him, but the Artist In Residence at the magnificent Hylands House, a Grade II neo-classical villa in the Essex countryside, and official artist for the famous rock festival, the V-Festival.
James works from his studio, a converted stables at Hylands House. You can see some of his fabulous work in this recent interior shot (the guy hiding under the bench is the late David Bowie). But James is much more than a terrific artist to Tateh. He has been her close friend and mentor to her art for several years.
You see more of James' work at his Saatchi Art site link:
You will see fabulous portraits of such stars as Noel Gallagher, Olly Mures, Keith Richards, Tom Jones, and many more...
Do check it out; James is very successful but he's not one to advertise himself too much, and I think he deserves a lot more recognition.
Drop me a line to know more: info@originalartworks.net

Check out Tateh's site to see more of her art.