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He paints six pictures a week and his last exhibition sold out in 14 minutes...Kieron Williamson kneels on the wooden bench in his small kitchen, takes a pastel from the box by his side and rubs it onto a piece of paper. 'Have you got a picture in your head of what you're going to do?' asks his mother, Michelle. 'Yep,' Kieron nods. 'A snow scene.' I ask: because it is winter at the moment? 'Yep.' Do you know how you want it to come out? 'Yep.' And does it come out how you want it? 'Sometimes it does.'

.SNIPARTnews has reported that the White House has quietly de-listed a painting by Alma W. Thomas that it chose last month, among some 45 pieces borrowed from several Washington museums, to decorate the private White House residence and the West and East Wings. Titled, “Watusi (Hard Edge)” from 1963, the work takes a Matisse collage and, as Holland Cotter wrote in The New York Times, praising the selection, “shifts the pieces around, cools the colors down, and adds a title that refers to a Chubby Checker song.” “But through copying Matisse,” Mr. Cotter added, “she began to work out a...

A painting from 1617 appears to show a type of telescope thought not to have been built until much later. It's hard to find an invention more emblematic of the birth of modern science than the telescope. And yet surprisingly little is known about its early development. The inventor of the telescope remains unknown to this day. Now a study of the paintings of Jan Brueghel the Elder, a Flemish painter of the Baroque era who was working in Amsterdam at the beginning of the 17th century, is throwing some light on the early development of the telescope. It has...

Interactive painting that symbolizes our country today

Bob Dylan has shape-shifted more times in his career than any other pop musician. His music has always reflected that need to seek out new forms of self-expression. What's less known is that his paintings function in the same way -- providing virtual chapter markings and sign posts in a lifetime filled with twists and turns. In a museum show that's scheduled to open in Europe in 2010, Dylan will exhibit nearly 100 of his works, including the world premiere of 30 large-format paintings from the artist's upcoming "Brazil" series. The show will also feature original paintings from Dylan's "The...

A stunning collection of photographs taken by a 19th century globetrotter has caused a stir - because he meticulously painted the colours in himself. The amazing images shed new light on the world as it was more than 100 years ago, with vivid images of snake charmers, ships on the Suez Canal and fighting Sikhs, among others.Henry Harrison, a Royal Navy Paymaster General, took the black and white  pictures on his voyages around the globe and, because he was a talented artist, was able to painstakingly colour them in. Stunning imagery: One of Henry Harrison's photographs shows prisoners in China...

In 1939 Lilly Cassirer Neubauer was desperate to escape Germany. She was a member of a prominent Jewish family of publishers and gallery owners, and as the Nazi oppression escalated, it was clear they would have to leave or die. Lilly was told there was only one way for her to obtain an exit visa. The family would have to hand over one of their most prized possessions: a Parisian street scene painted by Camille Pissarro. The work, an atmosphere depiction of a rain-soaked Paris boulevard, had hung on the walls of the family's Berlin and Munich homes since the...

Here is video of President Obama and First Lady Michelle this afternoon helping out at a Habitat for Humanity project in Washington, D.C. Obama declared today to be a "National Day of Service" as well as a day to remember September 11. Obama helped by doing some painting - in his dress pants . . . . (VIDEO)

My wife is Catholic. Though not active in the church, I would describe her as spiritual, and without a doubt, faithful. Like millions of people this morning, while perusing Yahoo News, she and I saw the image of Michael D'Antuono’s “The Truth”. In case you haven’t seen “The Truth”, it is a painting essentially depicting Barack Obama as the Messiah in a “presidential” motif. At first, we dismissed it like the rest of the fawning media imagery of Obama. Remember that AP photo of Obama framed in front of the Presidential Seal as though it was a halo? We rolled...

Art as Propaganda for Evolution April 10, 2009 — Should a scientific theory be propagated by appeal to scientific evidence, or by appeal to emotions through visualization?  Nature this week contained two articles that shamelessly praised art as propaganda for evolution.  Surprisingly, one of them mentioned Charles Darwin as someone “at the cutting edge of visualization.” Endless Forms:  Carl Zimmer reviewed an exhibit currently at the Yale Center for British Art, Endless Forms: Charles Darwin, Natural Science and the Visual Arts.1  The title is taken from the last sentence in the Origin where Darwin said that endless forms most beautiful...

A painter who first made his mark through unromanticized views of Western landscapes, Maynard Dixon turned his attention to stark scenes of social protest during the Great Depression. More than 60 years after the artist's death, those struggling against the economic tide stand to benefit from Dixon's work once again. That's because of a gift to a California branch of Goodwill Industries, which has started an online bidding war for what is believed to be "Blackfoot Indian," a painting created by Dixon in 1917. After the painting was posted for auction on Goodwill's Web site early this week, bids jumped...

A medieval historian in Italy found what is believed to be a portrait, hidden beneath another painting, of Leonardo da Vinci.

An important 19th century painting has been brought back to public view after languishing for decades, forgotten beneath a pile of reproductions in a church closet. The Rev. Steven Olson of Gethsemane Lutheran Church in Dassel approached the Minneapolis Institute of Arts in 2007, looking for advice on how to preserve a painting he had found in a janitor's closet.

New life has been breathed into Dutch master painter Rembrandt's 'Night Watch', the famous dark-toned 17th-century painting of city guards gathering to march For more than three centuries, the identity of the men depicted in the massive portrait hanging in Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum have been unknown, but a Dutch historian now claims to have identified them all. The painting, some 363 cm by 437 cm, is considered the Rijksmuseum's most famous painting. The Rijksmuseum said on Wednesday retired historian Bas Dudok van Heel has identified the men after years of research. "It is great for both the museum and the public...

Some time ago I posted an entry on a new painting of the Little Flower by our friend Leonard Porter. Porter is at the forefront of the renewal of classical painting, and his image of Therese has garnered a lot of attention for its combination of Western naturalism and the transcendence of the Eastern tradition. So many people have been asking about the possibility of ordering a print that Leonard has made signed high-quality 11"x14" prints available on eBay by clicking here. Help support high quality sacred art!

A great painting of some of our greatest Presidents.

Finding an Aladdin's cave Cory Holliday almost didn't see the stick figure painted on the sandstone. His first impression was that it was a clever fake. A cave specialist for the Tennessee chapter of The Nature Conservancy, Holliday was searching for caves on a 4,200-acre tract in a remote part of Fentress County on the Cumberland Plateau. It was winter, and he heard water. Thinking there might be a cave nearby, he hiked down to the base of a bluff, where he discovered a rocky alcove bisected by a 10-foot waterfall. On the roof of a nearby south-facing rock shelter...

Putin’s painting sold for over $1 MLN A painting by the Russian Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin, has been sold for over one million dollars at a yearly charity auction in St. Petersburg. All paintings at the auction were created by famous Russian people: actors, singers, but no professional artists. Each aspiring painter chose a theme beginning with a letter – for each of the 33 letters of the Russian alphabet. The money raised will help children suffering from cancer. “I remember my hands were freezing while I was painting it. But still it was fun and I was constantly aware...

Ilya Repin. Job and His Friends. 1869. Oil on canvas. The Russian Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia.

.........Rod Blagojevich has now also been stripped of his clothes.............. A nude portrait of the governor, by artist Bruce Elliott, is nearly complete and will hang on the wall of Elliott's wife's bar, the Old Town Ale House....

For decades, North Jersey historians, art experts and naturalists had been stumped. Geoff Welch helped determine that an 1846 painting labeled "Janetta Falls, Passaic County" was really Clinton Falls. Where was Janetta Falls, Passaic County? Was there a Janetta Falls in Passaic County? Art experts wanted to know because Jasper F. Cropsey, a celebrated Hudson River School artist, painted several waterfall scenes in 1846 and identified them as Janetta Falls. "It's been a mystery for decades," said Kenneth W. Maddox, art historian at the Newington-Cropsey Foundation, in Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y. Finally, thanks in part to an old magazine article, a local...

We have had several threads on music and food but not art I thought tonight we could discuss what works of art you enjoy. Art can be very subjective what some people love other hate, what some consider a scribble a daub on a paper other consider a masterpiece. Then there are certain pieces of art that are universally accepted and admired. What are your favourite works of art or type of art? Maybe it is a sculpture or some fine art? On the other hand maybe architecture is your bent? Tonight's questions What is your favourite painting? What is...

When I said I would give a pleasant surprise to Brityank, I meant I would like to paint a painting for him. Because I would like to thank him for his kindness towards me. Maybe he doesn’t think its anything, But I really care. Because I think I must keep my promise, and do my best, I will do it, and I’m free now. I hope Brityank feels free about this too. Because it is just a painting, and I just need an excuse to exercise my drawing skills. I am so lazy sometimes you know, I like to relax...

BAGHDAD, April 9, 2008 – Soldiers at Forward Operating Base War Eagle here invited a group of Iraqi children to showcase their artistic skills and creativity March 29 by painting the concrete walls used to protect citizens in their neighborhood. Young Iraqi artists pose in front of their artwork after a day spent painting a T-wall at Forward Operating Base War Eagle in northern Baghdad, March 29, 2008. The children of the village next to the base painted the T-walls that line their route to school. Photo by Army Spc. Joseph Rivera Rebolledo, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry...

<p>A new storm is brewing in the world of Da Vinci theorists after a mysterious group claimed it has used mirrors to uncover hidden biblical images in some of the great master’s most famous works.</p> <p>The Mirror of the Sacred Scriptures and Paintings In recent years, art history scholars have unveiled Templar knights, Mary Magdalene, a child and a musical script hidden in the Italian’s paintings.</p>

NEW YORK — An abstract masterpiece by a Mexican artist that was found in the trash by a woman who knew little about modern art has been sold for more than $1 million. The painting "Tres Personajes" by Rufino Tamayo was discovered in 2003 by Elizabeth Gibson, who spotted it on her morning walk on Manhattan's Upper West Side. She said she took it home because "even though I didn't understand it, I knew it had power." The brightly colored abstract work was purchased for $1,049,000 by an unidentified private American collector bidding by phone at Sotheby's Latin American Art...

SAN FRANCISCO, California (CNN) -- The "Mona Lisa" has long been shrouded in mystery, including one long-standing question about the famous lady: What happened to her eyebrows and eyelashes? Now, a French engineer and inventor says he's uncovered part of the enigma.

New movie out in October. From the site: Synopsis: within a few months 4yr old Marla Olmstead sold over $300K worth of paintings. Compared to Kandinsky and Pollock.... Michael Kimmelman Quotes: "people don't seem to feel there's really some way of judging what's good, what's bad. There's this large idea out there that abstract art has no standards, no truths.." .."pulls the veil off this con game...."

'Oldest' wall painting looks like modern art By Roger Highfield, Science Editor Last Updated: 6:56pm BST 11/10/2007 French archaeologists have discovered an 11,000-year-old work of art in northern Syria which is the oldest known wall painting, even though it looks like a work by a modernist. The painting resembles the work of Paul Klee The two square-metre painting, in red, black and white, was found at the Neolithic settlement of Djade al-Mughara on the Euphrates, northeast of the city of Aleppo. "It looks like a modernist painting," said Eric Coqueugniot, the team leader. "Some of those who saw it have...

A disputed portrait of Jesus Christ will remain at the Slidell city courthouse in Louisiana after a federal judge refused to grant a demand by the American Civil Liberties Union to have the painting removed.

NEW ORLEANS - The American Civil Liberties Union sued the city of Slidell on Tuesday for displaying a painting of Jesus in a courthouse lobby, saying it violates the constitutional separation of church and state. The ACLU sued after the Slidell City Court refused to voluntarily remove the picture and a message below it that reads: "To Know Peace, Obey These Laws." The ACLU says the portrait — an image of Jesus presenting the New Testament — is a religious icon of the Eastern Orthodox branch of Christianity. "We did not file this lawsuit because the ACLU is anti-religion ......

French Fireships Attacking the English Fleet off Quebec, 28 June 1759 Cavalry embarking at Blackwall,24 April 1793 Shipping in a Gale, circe 1656 Building the 'Great Leviathan' (the 'Great Eastern')Date 1858 The Destruction of 'L'Orient' at the Battle of the Nile, 1 August 1798 An English Ship in a Gale Trying to Claw off a Lee Shore, 1672 Moonlight View over Table Bay Showing Halley's Comet, c. 1842

Scientists believe they have discovered the secret behind the work of Claude Monet, one of the founders of Impressionist painting. The artist is known to have suffered from cataracts but new research shows how much and for how long this could have had an effect and how it may have produced his distinctive style. Researchers recreated Monet's Water-Lily Pond as he would have seen it. The pond was the subject of a series of canvases which Monet exhibited in 1900 at the age of 60.

The Virginia foundation confirmed that it has the "Enslaved Girl" watercolor "on approval." The painting was done by the wife of General Robert E. Lee at her family's Virginia plantation in 1830. "The provenance looks airtight. It would be an important acquisition," Colonial Williamsburg spokesman Jim Bradley told The Associated Press Monday. Laurel Acevedo of Alexander Gallery on Madison Avenue said the rare picture has been with Colonial Williamsburg since last week. "We gave them a good price. We wanted it to go to a public institution," Acevedo said. The portrait went on sale in January for $400,000 together with...

New evidence has linked a commonly prescribed sleep medication with bizarre behaviours, including a case in which a woman painted her front door in her sleep. UK and Australian health agencies have released information about 240 cases of odd occurrences, including sleepwalking, amnesia and hallucinations among people taking the drug zolpidem. While doctors say that zolpidem can offer much-needed relief for people with sleep disorders, they caution that these newly reported cases should prompt a closer look at its possible side effects.

A North Carolina artist intrigued by the public obsession with celebrity has found herself feeding that obsession with a painting of actress Angelina Jolie as the Virgin Mary hovering over a Wal-Mart check-out line. Kate Kretz has painted for 20 years but none of her previous work has garnered the attention given "Blessed Art Thou," showing this weekend at Art Miami, an annual exposition of modern and contemporary art. The painting has gotten much attention from celebrity web sites and blogs. Since the buzz started, the number of daily unique visitors to Kretz's own blog has jumped from an average...

The original of a Norman Rockwell painting found behind a fake wall has fetched a record $15.4m (£7.9m). Breaking Home Ties by the US artist was first sold to cartoonist Donald Trachte in 1960 for $900 when the two were neighbours in Vermont. But Mr Trachte made a replica of the painting and hid the genuine piece in a cavity in his studio. The original was discovered by Mr Trachte's sons after he died last year and sold at Sotheby's in New York. In April, David and Donald Trachte Jnr noticed a strange gap in the wall of a room...

Here is a quote from the blog: "If a non christian student steals or destroys the portrait of the person that the Bridgeport WV High School alleges to be Jesus. How will the school board punish the kids religious dissent without violating the kids civil rights?" http://www.sheck.com/serendipity/

He lost his arms in Iraq, now he paints with his heart and wants to help others...Peter Damon, a former Sergeant in the National Guard, had a less than pleasant experience while serving in Iraq. While working on a Blackhawk Helicopter in 2003, the former electrician lost both his arms, and saw his military buddy from Alabama, Paul Bueche killed, after a tire on the helicopter exploded. The explosion created a world of hurt for Damon, necessitating his removal from Iraq and a lengthy rehabilitation at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Maryland, where he was fitted with a...

In a father's experience, perfection Shorewood artist's work earns top award in national contest By MARY LOUISE SCHUMACHERmschumacher@journalsentinel.com Posted: June 23, 2006 Whether painting the wrinkled face of a farmer, the long shadows cast by a man shoveling snow or the inquisitive face of his young son, Shorewood artist David Lenz wants to tell the truth through images that are as close to reality as possible. David Lenz Courtesy of National Portrait Gallery"Sam and the Perfect World" depicts David Lenzs 9-year-old son and won the top prize in a National Portrait Gallery competition. Archived Coverage In January and February of...

I was shopping at Goodwill (don't ask) and found a painting (watercolor) that was very nicely framed and matted. I needed a new painting for my wall but didn't want some cheap print - so I examined it to see if there were 'dots' from the printing process and there were none. I was confident this was a hand-crafted work. As I was examining it a woman approached me - she had been looking at it and wondered whether it was original as well. I told her what I knew and she then informed me there was a second painting...

HAGERSTOWN, Md. -- It's not exactly the DaVinci Code, but a scholar at the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts is thrilled with what was found by X-rays of one of the museum's 16th-century paintings. The painting by Italian artist Gerolomo Bassano depicts the preparation of Jesus Christ's body to be placed in the tomb. X-rays at Washington County Hospital revealed a hidden portrait. Beneath the painting is a man's face, his upper body and his hands clasped at his waist. Researcher Mary Pixley said it was common for artists in need of a canvas to paint over their work....

Michael Stravato for The New York Times The artist and musician Daniel Johnston in his parents' home in Waller, Tex. He will soon be a presence in New York City. Courtesy Clementine Gallery, New York Mr. Johnston's drawings are often rendered in Magic Marker. WALLER, Tex. — In their crusade to take the pulse of contemporary art every two years, the curators of the Whitney Biennial often stray from the art world's beaten paths. But rarely have they strayed quite as far as this small farming town near Houston, along a road that leads to a beige-brick ranch house...

A couple shopping for Valentine's day in Bangalore (TOI) NEW DELHI: Love was in the air as twosomes thronged parks, restaurants and malls in major cities to celebrate Valentine's Day with roses, chocolates and sweet nothings under the stern watch of Hindu hardline groups who tried hard to mar the celebrations. Lovers were everywhere - holding hands and cosying up in parks and open spaces, meeting in lounges, discotheques, pubs and even parking lots - as flower sellers made a killing with a single rose stalk going for as much as Rs.50 in some places. It looked as if the...

A Florida city has barred three paintings from a city hall display celebrating Black History Month because they contain small references to the Christian faith. Officials at the city of Deltona, Fla., say hanging the colorful photos by artist Lloyd Marcus would be tantamount to the town favoring a specific religion. Marcus' paintings were to be part of an employee-organized display in the lobby of Deltona City Hall, but acting city manager Roland Blossom nixed the art, reported the Daytona Beach News-Journal.

Published January 22, 2006 [ From the Lansing State Journal ] Mexican painting has both Christian, Aztec influencesUnearthed mural shows melding of cultures(Photo by Associated Press) Flying into view: This image of a bird is part of the 16-yard-long mural at an excavation in Mexico City. By Mark Stevenson Associated Press Salvador Guilliem dangles on a narrow beam over the sunken remains of a mural painted by Indians shortly after the Spanish conquest. Guilliem, an archaeologist, points out the newly excavated red, green and ochre flourishes in one of the earliest paintings to show the mixing of the two cultures....

A FEMME fatale with a mocking, ironic smile, a man in drag, an expectant mother or simply a housewife trying to hide the appalling state of her teeth. The true meaning of Mona Lisa's enigmatic smile has haunted art lovers for years, but scientists now believe they have hit upon a breakthrough. Using a computer programme designed to reveal the emotions of a face, they have worked out that Leonardo da Vinci's muse was 83 per cent happy, 9 per cent disgusted, 6 per cent fearful and 2 per cent angry. The study, which was carried out by Professor Nicu...

MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Virginia, Oct. 21, 2005 - Brenda Harris Tustian, a strong supporter of the Corps and Marine affiliated-organizations, donated two framed limited-edition prints of her patriotic Santa Clause paintings to the Base commander Col. James Lowe Oct. 3 in the foyer of Lejuene Hall. The paintings were Tustian’s “God Bless America” Santa and “Let Freedom Ring” Santa. “’Let Freedom Ring’ is a beautiful painting that celebrates the spirit of America, our freedoms and the blessing of our great country,” said Mike Kindrick at the unveiling of the paintings. “’God Bless America’ inspires pride and honor in all...

Sacramento -- A painting of the United States sinking into a toilet, formerly on display in the cafeteria of the state Department of Justice, has been moved by Attorney General Bill Lockyer to his 17th floor office, where public access is limited. The artist who created the piece, Stephen Pearcy, said Lockyer's decision to move the painting violated his First Amendment right to political speech. The painting's inclusion in a larger exhibit displayed in the state building sparked protests from some conservatives and served as fodder for talk radio shows. "His office is not public. The decision to move it...