The difference between imagination and creativity

What is the difference between imagination and creativity? Imagination is the ability to imagine things and build mental scenes of them. These things are sounds, smells, images, connected ideas, forms or shapes of which we create something new which turns to creativity. Imagination also has the mental ability to recall previous obtained information and draw them out with a new idea or a project. Henry Miller 1891-1980 claimed that imagination was a critical characteristic of God, as he wrote, “Imagination is the voice of daring.” That is believed, here is a question; is information or knowledge more important than imagination? The answer is no! Why? Unless information and knowledge are being developed to create a new idea, they will remain limited to knowledge or simple information. The process of information requires imagination which is a practical gift from God to keep on activating it or it will diminish.

But why do were we granted such marvelous gift? Obviously, for life continuation and preservation for continuous improvement. Imagination can help us to walk in people shoes and imagine what they go through and to have empathy for them! It helps to overcome conflict or cop with it when learn to be observant and collaborate instead of compete.

Imagination helps to avoid dementia, how so? According to a recent neurological study, being imaginative creates more neurons in our brain. If we continue to utilize our imagination later in life, we are 73 % less likely to develop the memory problems that lead to dementia. When we exercise our imagination, judgment-free, it helps us to appreciate not only our skills and instincts but also of others. This means that we’ll be more likely to have confidence and trust our thoughts and feelings in other extents of life. For the fact that having the ability to imagine how a scenario will play out, we are more likely to make better and useful decisions to our overall well-being.

Imagination leads to creativity, as the first is when one imagines an idea or a picture and the second is when creating the idea which is the practical apart of imagination. And creativity isn’t only applicable on artistic work but also valid mathematically and scientifically projects. Is imagination stronger than knowledge? Yes, as Imagination is like the DNA of a seed, that without, a seed is infertile as the universe without love, could’ve not been that thoughtfully created.

Hence, artists and all imaginative ones, be grateful for the special gift of imagination you have and use it not only for personal gains but also for assisting others in various ways.

Genuine Connection and Artists

What is genuine and authentic connection! Being authentic and genuine is transparent. The need for genuine connectivity was born with us and started since the attachment happened with our mothers before birth. It is a human need to feel that there is someone who has a genuine intention toward us to trust, unselfishly caregiver, belong to, feels safe to be vulnerable with. This is similar to a baby’s feelings in his mother’s hand. Before even a baby can speaks yet, his mother automatically fulfils his needs and understands him. In Maslow’s Theory ‘hierarchy of needs‘ which splits between deficiency needs and growth needs and according to his theory, humans are compelled to satisfy physiological needs first to pursue higher levels of intrinsic satisfaction then, advance higher-level of needs.

Animals eat for survival, but never advance to higher level of needs to genuinely communicate or connect. Authentic connection has much more than mere physical needs. When spiritual, intellect, psychological and emotional needs are met, perfect connection happens. And as the authentic connection requires commitment, it takes two or a group to make it happen. While nothing would replace eye to eye connection, Social media have opened up endless opportunities to better understand people even if they think they can hid behind the little screen. Simply, because genuineness and authenticity are transparent whether through face to face connection, texting, writing or calling. These kind of connections do not happen between animals.

Artists are among those who appreciate intimate and genuine communications. However, because most of artists are high sensitive people, they are capable of sensing what is beyond words and instantly, sense facial expressions, body language and tone of voices. Yet, their vulnerabilities stop them from proceeding their initial understandings and try to rationalize or let go of the first impression so they do not deal with guilt feelings or misjudgment. The results, most of cases, Artists get hurt, manipulated or misled. While being genuine, spontaneous and vulnerable are beautiful qualities yet, never should one ignore first initial impression and understanding, there are always facts in them. The world out there is not the caring mother neither are we babies any longer. As we’ve reached maturity and are responsible for our actions and decisions, let us learn how to set boundaries when are needed.

“Teaching art, Teacher and Student connections”

Teaching art, teacher and Student connections

Teaching art is n expression of the love of giving and of sharing. Seeing students progressing from A to Z is certainly, a pleasant experience. Teaching those who have thirst for it and have appreciation for the importance of arts that is for life. As an Art instructor, I mentor my students as far as I can go with everyone and according to his/her limitations. Although, limitation is mentioned, yet I believe that there is no limitation within, if we are willing to expand it or to respond with someone who could instruct us of how to go about. Motivating and teaching students to be self-motivated is essential. I use variety of methods during the art lessons in order to cover every corner of seeing the complete painting and of considering each student's make up. By explaining, verbally or demonstratively, encouraging and by instructing constructively, I can reach each student's unlimited ability. Teaching art requires art of teaching, art of listening to and understanding our students. Usually, it ends up with a profound and open communication/relationship between a student and his/her instructor, without it, the teaching effectiveness can't be conveyed!

A baby can learn to swim and float over the surface of the water probably by only one supportive finger, without it, he/she can't make it. But by learning when and how to press harder or press less with that supportive finger, to free a baby from the fear of waters and become a professional swimmer, is a vital required ability. Establishing the flow of connections and the good communications between a teacher and a student is the essential part to not only teach the important elements of a "Wow painting", to teach a technique, to teach how, when and where to apply this and that, to teach him/her how to independent but also, and more importantly, is how to transfer feelings, how to help them expand their imaginations for each element required to come up with an outstanding art work. A student must have a taste of the process/straggle to creating a wow painting and to experience the steps of developing the passion and the patience. Yet, he/she will still be protected by his/her teacher's finger/instructions. Freeing a student form his/her teacher's technique is another story.

Note: Some individuals have suggested that teaching art should be free of charge with which I agree. And I would add to that" If we can't afford it, at least we can be generous of our times, be sincere in all the given tips, of creating a good piece of art, not only to our students but also to those who seek for them and teach for the love of giving/helping and not for the love of money. Life was given to us for free, but to maintain it, unfortunately, we have to pay almost, for everything even for the water we drink and for the oxygen we breathe. It would have been wonderful if all of us could work, learn, teach, heal, discover, invent, enjoy the works of our hands and still be able to satisfy our needs with no money involved!" I am not the only dreamer!

Passion for Art

"Passion for art"

We always use, read or hear the common word “passion” for this and passion for that in particular passion for art. But what is the meaning of passion and from where was driven!? What does it mean having passion for something or to be passionate about something? Word passion has been driven from the Greek word “pathos” and has more than one meaning. It can mean something good or bad happens to us; in particular, bad thing that carries the meaning of suffering! Passion in Latin word is “passio” means suffering and the verb is “pati” means to suffer!

I definitely, do not wish to talk about suffering but about the passion for art in the optimistic sense. Our common understanding of word “passion” has been always as a fine quality to have. In a way yes, it is, for the fact that passion works as internal forces and as an inner agent to motivate oneself. It is inner feelings or personal needs to express oneself in different ways. Passion motivates us to have devotion, desire, deep interest, intense love and affection for what we wish to do or have.

When intense emotion exists usually become uncontrollable and stirs us to reach what has been foreseen from a distance. This deep feelings or needs create enthusiasm which leads to action, in turn, action will lead to success. So, we can say that Passion creates action and action creates result.

But how about the suffering part and why that was included in the original meaning of the word? When passion is left uncontrollable with no guided goals or constructive plans can cause the negative results and suffering. However, having self-discipline, strategy, clear vision and determination can result in the positive part of passion.

Now, what does all this have to do with artists having passion for art? In general artists, of all disciplines, have much passion for what they do. Yet, we have seen some artists have stopped creating art, why? Whether because of low sale or no sale at all or t\hey were dreaming too big and rushing results! This factor would induce artists to examine the inner motives and find out if they have enough passion for what they have chosen to do! Has the financial issue contributed to their decisions of quitting? Have they made enough research of how to promote their art? Have they inquired about how to turn art to business or even asked for professional assistance? Have they taken the necessary steps to reach the next step? Or have they discovered that art was not for them? When some millionaires were asked “what made them successful?” they stated that “when doing something you passionate about, the money will follow”!

Art career is one of the most difficult paths one can have to make living from. However, my fellow artists, I am not a dreamer neither I am encouraging you to be. But keeping your passion alive and passing the suffering part (the waiting period while working hard) is one of the most important ingredients to success.

And this I wish you all, not the suffering period but the successful experience.

Rest a creative Mind

“Rest a creative mind”

A creative mind needs a rest from time to time to refreshes and reenergizes itself. For the fact that a creative artist is not an automated machine that works 24 hours nonstop, and still produces same thing over and over every minute. Therefore, refreshing a creative mind is essential need for artist's creativity and productivity. That is why learning to reenergize the mind is a step toward the goal. Our surroundings of nature are available to provide what we need. Although, it is necessary for an artist's mind to slips in and out, of consciousness, to nourish their visions. Being absorbed by nature and capable of observing and meditating will inspire a creative mind for next step of improvement. When the brush keeps on moving all over the canvas, not knowing what to do, while the minds goes off somewhere else, it is the time to revive the focusing point. If your car is running out of gas, you will not be able to drive, for too long. If your brain is running out of protein and phosphors, surely do not expect to see matters clearly. If a person lacks good amount of sleep, what productivity can he/she expects next day! Yes, the brush will tend to drift and re-paint same areas with no result. Because of the mental drift as the case with beginners and less confident artists, so are the creative mind can experience same thing exactly, as if it had never painted before. In this stage, artists absolutely need to pause for reenergizing themselves. The sensitivity of a capable artist is a quality of perceiving and responding to external conditions and stimulation, absorbing lights, shapes, colors and reacting to other's feelings, attitudes and circumstances.

As far as how to reenergize oneself and for how long, this is where a personal experience fits in. Creative people gain knowledge of themselves as to how, when and where to get that craving for creating artwork and what dose influence their minds. Seeing, observing, reasoning, watching and feeling for, studying, meditating and listening to favorite music can make the big difference. Of course, self-discipline has a big role in this. These steps of nourishment would clear out the abstracts and the mind distractions. To produce the" instinctive painting" we need to be full of it and completely focused, at the moments of creating it, with no distractions. But how often can we accomplish that, with the intention of creating a new piece of art, while we might be apprehensive about other matters in life! It has been the struggle of many artists including professionals!

To keep the frame of mind, to maintain its freshness, to prolong the openness of learning new materials and to carry on the innocence of a child, creative people need to work with the subconscious mind, that has been previously, nourished, with spontaneous intention, true motives, passion and enjoyment. Watching creative children, we find that they are free from any fear, worries or calculations of matters. These factors do affect our freeness of expressing oneself whether in painting, performing, composing or any other form of art to create. In the harshness of not only the western society but in all societies, artists easily struggle, not only from many worries in making living but also, in living up to the speed of life. Freeing oneself from these factors, while crating artwork, is another struggle requires self-discipline. Liked the smell of your first medium, you will be eager to stay in your studio for long hours as when appreciating a word of wisdom, you will acquire more of it. Also, staying in a studio, for many hours, requires self-discipline. Observing Artists who started drawing and painting since childhood and probably were faced with oppositions from different ones to go in different direction, yet they have been painting still and will for the rest of their lives. Artists do not need to spare as of how to keep the innocence and the freshness in their minds for that is driven from within.

Artists brains are progressive gift where can be maturing in vision, imagination and widening out with flexibility. Hence, let us learn more about that marvelous gift was given to us, from God, learn how to use it and keep it in a healthy state.

©Mona Youssef - Realist fine artist

Is art accessory or necessity

Is art accessory or necessity?

To start with the leading answer; Artists continue creating art regardless of their economic, social, health or emotional states. Obviously, art nourishes our cognitive and aesthetic needs thus, it leads us to self-realization. Through self-assessment, we come to deeper understanding of our emotions and thoughts. It turns, this progression increases our self-awareness and grants us openness to new ideas and additional life experiences. Hence, creating or viewing art of all its forms improves the brain elasticity for better life management, tolerance and turns what we do to enjoyable tasks rather than merely duty or obligation.

Needlessly to mention the awe inspiring beauty in the universe with its infinite designs, shapes, colours, forms and even countless sounds! Apparently, art has existed even earlier than human and is extending our existences individually and collectively. And collectively, we see that art of all it forms, not merely transcends entertainment and beauty but also generates powerful emotions, serious influences and conceptual ideas which in turns become influential discoveries.

Countless evidence proved that art was not simply to communicate or to convey a message artistically. More importantly, art is to elicit an emotional response, to move and motivate us. Often times, we automatically and unconsciously use it as a tool for creative expression, advertising and tapping beyond the ordinary.

Who of you could imagine having colourless meals? Or listen to soundless music? Or watching colourless birds and flowers? These are few examples of how art gives meaning to our lives, enjoyment and helps us understand our world of which we are part.

Definitely, art is an essential element of our culture and works as barometer to measures levels of cultural sophistication. Thus, art is not accessory but necessity.

©Mona Youssef

Important Questions Artists need to ask!

Important Questions Artists need to ask.

Should Artists pay to enter competitions? Word competition is to compete first, contest for some prize or honor, then receive the award end of the tunnel. Should Artists pay to receive Awards and honor or these must be granted as recognition for their special skills and talents? Do Artists need to feel inferior to winners when they are not? Is this the proper investment on their artwork? You got my point! In addition, do truly competitions provide a peaceful atmosphere among competitors? Do Artists care to contribute to the spirit of peace or to the spirit of “Me first”?

• 1- Should artists pay to receive Awards? It has been brought to my attention, by some artists, asking me what do I think of invitations they received to pay fee and win Awards! Many times, a book can be read from its cover! In my opinion, given Awards is a recognition of good artwork that meet the main criteria when jury it. Should artists pay to receive Awards? If receiving Awards are ONLY for those who can afford the fee, I deeply sympathize with artists who can’t while deserving recognized Awards. Can I congratulate those who have been receiving unnumbered Awards because they can afford it? As a fair jurist, I wish I would but whom will I be deceiving or putting down?! You do the math. And whom will I be encouraging to continue their official deception to Artists? I think you got my point.

• 2-Sould Artists pay to get published in misleading publications? There are some publications that use masterful titles to satisfy Artists egos, such as Top 100 artists or Top Masters of the world etc. If Top 100 were chosen ten years ago, are there still different top 100 every year! If it is yearly publication, why it is published often? Are the top 100 truly the ONLY Top 100 artists in the world? If so, why the world did not hear about them prior to that publication was issued? I have looked at some of these publications, and as a jurist, I was hoping to review different artwork. Artists, should you choose to publish your artwork in any publication/magazine, inquire first; how many copies are printed? To whom are distributed? What is the sale price for each copy” this is another revenue for the editors in addition to collecting the fees to publish your artwork! Another essential point, your artwork is sold in high resolution to the public and can be reprinted, reproduced or copied by different parties for different reasons, are you aware of that? If you are offering prints of your artwork, do you know what that mean? Think it over.

• 3-Should Artists pay to enter competitions? Word competition is to compete first, contest for some prize or honor, then receive the award end of the tunnel. Do Artists pay to receive Awards and honor or these must be granted as recognitions for their special skills and talents? Do Artists need to feel interior to winners when they are not? Is this the proper investment on their artwork? You got my point! In addition, do truly competitions provide a peaceful atmosphere among competitors? Do Artists care to contribute to the spirit of peace or to the spirit of “Me first”?

• 4-Should Artists pay fee to exhibit? Please read this article and hope will help. https://www.monayoussefgallery.com/articles/should-artists-pay-fees-to-exhibit

The above are some of questions artists have asked me in private messages and these are my open and honest opinion. As always, I speak my mind and do not work in hid and seek games. I do hope that these points will add some lights to your decisions and I am always happy to help.

©Mona Youssef - Realist fine artist

Brain, Age and Creativity

Creative people use more of the right hemisphere of the brain which handles daily activities such as visualizing, painting, writing, talking, reasoning, discovering, learning, responding emotionally, imagining, organizing, composing and creating. Creating is described as combinational force with the ability to perceive matters/objects in new ways and make the connection to generate solutions. It requires passion, rich imagination and flexible thinking to be cultivated with intellectual strategy and produce innovative ideas/ projects. We have been equipped by nature, with brains that contain the needed abilities to use or lose.

The human brain is one of many marvelous creations. Every second, the brain receives about 100 million bits of information from the various senses and the mind can easily handle them all. There are two factors involved; First, in the brain stem there is small network of nerves, the size of a little finger. This is called the reticular formation. It acts as a Traffic Control Centre by monitoring the millions of messages coming, examining out the trivial bits and allowing the essential ones to be passed through for attention by the cerebral cortex. This network permits only a few hundred messages every second to enter the conscious mind. Second, it pinpoints our attention to the waves that sweep the brain 8 to 12 times per second. Theses waves cause a period of higher sensitivity so that when the brain notes these stronger signals, it acts accordingly. By means of these waves the brain scans itself and focuses on the essentials.

The wonder starts in the womb and the brain continues to grow, forming a network that includes about 100 billion nerve cells called neurons. Cells are separated by synapses and bridged by chemicals called neurotransmitters. These chemical signals are received at one end of the neuron and transmitted at the other end of the neuron by a nerve fiber called axon. The intensity of a signal depends on frequency of impulses. Experimental evidence believes that as we learn in early life the better connections are formed and more of the chemical bridging, the gaps between neurons are released. Reinforcing learning that strengthens the connections and produces more neurons and pathways. "The deeper matters are the more easily perceived by mature people who through use have had their perceptive powers trained." Research has revealed that unused mental powers fade away. Thus, the brain, like a muscle, is strengthened by use and weakened by disuse.

By age 80, the brain will have lost an average of 7% of its neurons. However, the brain compensates by increasing its crystalline intelligence and its ability to solve problems by previously, acquired knowledge and solutions. Experience proves to be the best teacher and is something aged people have more than of younger ones.

The more active one is, while aging, the more intelligence improves and the brain stays fit to generate new connections. Older people may suffer sometimes from "information overload" because of neuron loss that affects their short-term memories. However, once new materials have been learned, older people can remember as well as their younger colleagues. Acquiring new information activates long-term memories. Says one retiree who started his own company at the age of 65: "God has given us certain talents and he gave them to us to use." Several well-known artists and business professionals have done their best work after the age of 60. The pianist Vladimir Horowitz was not pleased with his performance at the age of 78. He retired and started to work on his performance at the age of 81 and made a triumphant return to the concert stage. Georgia O'Keeffe took up pottery in her late eighties when her eyesight became too weak for painting. At age 80, the Spanish painter Goya drew a picture of a very old man with the inscription "I am still learning." We all are still learning about the wonder of creation that is our brains.

©Mona Youssef - Realist fine artist

Charles Chaplin and Pure Art

Almost five years ago 2017, when I visited Charles Chaplin's Museum and his home in Vevey, Switzerland. It was during an art fair in which I represented a number of artists in Montreux! This is not about the exhibition neither is it about the artists, but about Charles Chaplin! Up to the day of visiting his museum, I had considered him as a simple character with a unique comedian! Having spent a full day between visiting his both museum and home, I was left with deep appreciation and respect for him! Why? Chaplin was a perfectionist, but this was not the only attribute made him genuine artist or a spontaneous person! His childhood in London was not for anyone to envy. Yet, his unique persona led him to where he became; loved by millions of people up to day! Was this only because he was unique comedian, successful director, natural Actor, sensible composer, keen screenwriter and capable producer or intelligent editor? No, but it was because of his strong stand for his principles. He dreamt of a world of peace free from war and refused to join the army! He loved his family dearly and was loyal person to whomever he met or committed to in particular to his mother.

With his English background, being born in UK, he chose to migrate to US for a number of reasons. But he was accused of communist sympathies, and of other accusations. Consequently, Chaplin was forced to leave the United States and settled in Switzerland.

Regardless of the hardships he faced, Charlie Chaplin was an iconic figure of the silent-film era and was one of film's first superstars, elevating the industry in a way few could have ever imagined. His success never made him haughty, but his soft heart accompanied him all his life. His love and appreciation for his mother were significant. It was his first priority to make it up for the unfortunate years she lived prior to his success.

Conclusion; genuine person is as such at all times regardless of his/her situations or social status. Yes, genuine person has the right confidence to feel comfortable in his/her own skin. Thus, success never make them misplace their originality. They have the courage to speak their minds because they don’t strive to make others like them. Simply, they are present at the moment of reality to be themselves. That is why they are transparent and naturally attract those who appreciate such attributes.

What this has to do with art! Isn’t art about the pure expressions of self-perception on matters or objects? Would it not have made the world a better place if we were motivated by similar purity and operate through similar perspective?

©Mona Youssef

Philanthropy and being an Artist

It made my day when an Artist, whom I’ve selected to participate in Florence Biennale 2019, said to me” You are not only an artist or jurist but in my opinion, you are a philanthropist!

Elaborating on the definition of philanthropist, it is the person who makes an active effort to promote human welfare, a person who practices and involved in goodwill for his/her fellow members of humanity. Shouldn’t we all carry ourselves in such manners? How beautiful life could be if we did? Is it something to brag about or feel happy that we can be? “There is always more happiness in given than is in receiving”. No wonder why the Creator is the greatest Artist!

Searching further for examples of the word “Philanthropy”, I came across the following:

• Among his converts was Arthur Tappan, a New York textile merchant and philanthropist who sheltered and guided the development of the antislavery movement through its long early years by dint of sheer openhandedness. —Marilynne Robinson, The Death of Adam, (1998) 2005

• John D. was indisputably a great philanthropist. He took care of his family first, of course; but he founded the University of Chicago in 1892, the Rockefeller Institute (now Rockefeller University) in 1901, and the Rockefeller Foundation in 1911, and made other substantial gifts along the way. —Robert M. Solow, New Republic, 23 Dec. 2002

• You had to admire it and admire the man, who sat now like a benign locust, his slender in sectile body swamped in a black leather chair, leaning over the desk, all smiles, a parasite disguised as a philanthropist. —Zadie Smith, White Teeth, 2000

• A hundred-and-one-year-old Jewish philanthropist in Hartsdale named Henry J. Gaisman donated two and a quarter million dollars to the Archdiocese to purchase the property and preserve the integrity of the landmark. —Brendan Gill, New Yorker, 10 June 1991

• For many years, Microsoft has used corporate philanthropy to bring technology to people who can't get it otherwise, donating more than $3 billion in cash and software to try to bridge the digital divide. —Bill Gates, Time, 11 Aug. 2008.

• Cooper, born in New York City in 1791, was himself an inventor and a hands-on industrialist, whose fortune got its start in the glue business, greatly expanded in the iron industry, eventually included more than half the telegraph lines in the United States, and was significantly invested in philanthropy and the cause of public education. —John Updike, New York Review of Books, 10 Aug. 2006

• In conditions of anarchy, a crude and violent order, based upon brute force and psychopathic ruthlessness, soon establishes itself, which regards philanthropy not as a friend but as an enemy and a threat. —Theodore Dalrymple, National Review, 26 Sept. 2005

• The family's philanthropy made it possible to build the public library. among the industrialist's philanthropies was a college scholarship fund for deserving students from the inner city.

Question many have asked; What is Art?

The majority of people believe that art is the expression of human creative mind using personal skills and imaginations, and put them in forms of visual work such as painting, sculpture and music, or even in writing and performance. Mainly, art is to cultivate the mental powers for sociable communication, to produce works of wonderment to share, to express inner thoughts, emotional inspiration and feelings as well opinions of the surrounding. For the fact that art has been changing over time so is defining it, proves the point. Yes, art has existed virtually in every known human culture. Some definitions of art give priority to those facts that reflect art’s universality and continuity explaining the aesthetic phenomena. We note that many things besides artworks, for example, natural entities (sunrise, sunsets, landscapes, flowers, shadows), human beings and abstract entities (theories, proofs, mathematical entities) have interesting aesthetic properties. Apparently, each artwork is characterized by a single type of property. Some of these properties are expressive properties, formal properties and representational properties. Notably, great philosophers analyze the key theoretical components of their definitions of art in distinctive and subtle ways. Conclusion, conventionalist definitions whether institutional, philosophical or historical have difficulty to answer the question or define art’s universality and that it truly is.

Years ago, I was asked this question. In simple words, my answer was ”Art is to love”. As I only sense the great love have been put into this marvelous universe for us to enjoy while we still and endlessly needing to discover and learn about it. On this link was the interview. http://www.public-republic.net/mona-youssef-art-is-to-love

Should Artists pay Fees to Exhibit

It has been almost the case for Artists; paying fees to exhibit their artwork. At times, Artists end up carrying the artwork back and forth with no happy results. Frustration is the common feeling. That is why, number of Artists have cut down on such exhibitions for the high cost and some galleries have closed down as a result. Different Artists learned different lessons and the resilient ones remain. Some Artists had to find second jobs to make the ends meet. Even though, the art-market is like a growing giant yet, some Artists have given up.

No denial that artists are the main feeders for art organizations. However, those art organizations open the ways for artists to be seen for potential sales. Having said that, the question is; should/should not artists pay fees to exhibit their artwork? Yes and No. When we pay an amount of money anywhere is to receive certain services. With the same token, paying fee to exhibit artwork is to receive all the potentials of promotion, exposure and possible sales as the normal expectations. That is said, sale of artwork can’t be guaranteed in any exhibition. Factors are many, think about it.

Nevertheless, when exhibiting in a physical Gallery, Galleries must have their own clients and are aware of what their clients normally purchase. It is the gallery’s homework to build up good clients, art buyers and have a list of permanent buyers to invite. Accordingly, they accept certain Artists with certain styles to exhibit their artwork. Such galleries only select artists who are already and successfully selling and accepting to pay, in turn, a good percentage of the sales price between 45%-80%. If the sale is poor or there is no sale at all, obviously, galleries will not keep such artists. Most likely, those galleries are focusing only on collecting fees with their minimum advertising and least cost. In general, galleries barely invest the amount of money needed on promoting an exhibition. Simply, they count on the list of clients they have. In addition, they do not want their artists to be taken away from the. Thus, they hock them in a contract of five years for example where artists are not allowed to exhibit anywhere else. With their limited number of clients/art buyers who might or might not fall in love with the artwork or might/might not agree with the sale prices, chances of Artists are slim.

In comparison, exhibiting in reputable international exhibitions usually targets thousands of guests including art collectors which is worth the investment for artists. These Art Organizations set measurable budgets on promoting the exhibitions internationally and dedicate thousands of hours preparing for such huge exhibitions. In this case, it is worth the investment for artists to paying fee. Even though, sale still will not be guaranteed yet, artists will have a wider exposure and the opportunities to widen out their communications on international level. As far as sale goes, it will depend on your artwork, who will like it, find it valuable, appreciate the quality, captured by the subject, impressed by your authentic biography, and agree with prices to invest. You will direct contact with visitors and potential buyers.

Artists however, need to keep in mind that they will be competing with hundreds of other artists exhibiting there. In case of lack of sales, you will still get your artwork seen by hundreds if not thousands of visitors who seriously, interested in art. You might be contacted later on, whereas when exhibiting in a physical gallery, they is hold on the direct communication with you by the buyer.

In addition to the benefits of exhibiting in a renowned international exhibitions, it will look good on your biographies as where your art was seen and by whom.

Some artists prefer to pay percentage 45%, 60% or even 80% to physical galleries and be controlled and others prefer to pay fee in known international exhibitions to have full control of their artwork and to receive the full sale price, it is a personal choice.

In either case, there are questions Artists need to ask before deciding which direction to choose: 1-Reputation: Is the exhibition has a good reputation? Is it well known and to whom? 2-Location: Will the exhibition be held in a well-known location with which the public is familiar? 3-Visitors: what kind of visitors/guests usually attend such exhibition and how many? 4-Promotion: What kind of promotion is offered and how professional? How many will see it such promotion? And what is the budget spent for the promotion? 5-Recognition: Is the organizer well documented, expert and has extended connections? 6-Timing: Will the exhibition take place at a time of an active season of that city/country? 7-Well written agreement: Does art organizer invite artists with a legal Agreement stating clearly, all Terms and Conditions? 8-Application fee: Does organizer collect fees to submit the application or artwork? Artists, pay attention to that request. There is difference between paying to apply and paying the exhibit. The first is far from professional/ 9-Reasonable cooperation: Does art organizer cooperate well and gratify all your questions? 10-Goal: Are art Organizers working only for themselves or for you as well? 11-Question to ask yourself: Will I feel proud to say “I have exhibited there”? 12-Exhibiting in a gallery: aside from the above questions, What promotions will artists receive? Will the promotion be included in the written Agreement?

Regardless of the above, Art is playing a big role in the world’s industry. This what moves massive amounts of currency around worldwide. Some Artists’ names and artworks are priced highly because of such massive market monitored by large business campaigns. Such efforts mostly, are behind artist’s success and mind blowing prices.

When artists have outstanding talents, they need to be professionally visible, promoted, and get discovered by the right audience. Such exposure can’t happen inside your studios, unless you exhibit in selected exhibitions or have personal strategy to get you there alone.

While the international competition is huge yet, artists need sometimes to take the risks. Complaining more than doing something will not get you anywhere. Thus, make the decisions for yourselves and be responsible for the results. We all do invest on what we believe in doing. Expecting free service is unheard of. Should Artists chooses to only pay fee, then count the cost and think about all the pros and the cons.

Should you be able to build you own collectors where there is no need for galleries or for art organizers, congratulations.

Mona Lisa’s Smile

Each one of us has different smiles at different times in different occasions motivated by different feelings and thoughts! What about Mona Lisa’s smile? Why was it mysterious?

During my visit to the Louvre, I have witnessed a massive crowd around the Mona Lisa’s more than all other paintings! Although, there were many mind-blowing masterpieces in the Louvre Museum yet, the great crowed was staring at the Mona Lisa's painting! Why? As we all may know that The Mona Lisa was painted by Leonardo Da Vinci in the 1500s. Because of Mona Lisa's mysterious smile, the painting has intrigued art lovers for five centuries as the most famous portrait of all times. Yes, it was the smile on Mona Lisa’s face that mostly made the painting so famous. In addition to all the stories being mentioned behind the origin of the portrait to whether was male or female, made it a subject of international interest! The Professor Margaret Livingstone of Harvard University said, “The smile only became apparent when the viewer looked at other parts of the painting.” Also, Prof Livingstone said” The smile disappeared when it was looked at because of the way the human eye processes visual information” He continued saying” The elusive quality of the Mona Lisa's smile can be explained by the fact that her smile is almost entirely in low spatial frequencies and so is seen best by our peripheral vision."

It seems that the more one gazes fixedly ahead, the less useful is their peripheral vision. Prof Livingstone also used French painter Monet's Impression: “Sunrise”, which features a dazzling orange sun in a blue sky, to show how artists had understood human sight. The secret behind Mona Lisa's enigmatic smile has been explained by scientists who believe that her smile changes depending on which part of the eye sees it first. One of the charms of the world's most famous painting is that she appears radiant one moment and then serious and sardonic the next moment. Now scientists have come up with an answer to her changing moods within same painting! They believe that our eyes are sending mixed signals to the brain. Therefore, they think that Mona Lisa's smile depends on what cells in the retina pick up the image and what channel the image is transmitted through in the brain. Sometimes one channel wins over the other and you see the smile and other times you do not see the smile said Dr. Luis Martinez. Different cells in the eye are designed to pick up different colors, contrasts, backgrounds and foregrounds. Some deal with central vision while others with peripheral. These channels encode data about an object's size, clarity, brightness and location in the visual field.

Dr. Martinez Otero's team used volunteers to compare how light affects our judgment of Mona Lisa's smile. Two kinds of cells determine the brightness of an object relative to its surroundings - "on-centre" cells, which are stimulated only when their centers are illuminated and allow us to see a bright star in a dark night; and "off-centre" cells, which turn on only when their centers are dark and allow us to pick out words on a printed page.

Eye gaze also affects how volunteers see the smile; Martinez Otero says, “His team used software to track where in the painting 20 volunteers gazed while they rated whether Mona Lisa's smile became more or less apparent.” With a minute to gaze at the painting, volunteers tended to focus on the left side of her mouth when judging her as smiling – further evidence proves that dead-centre vision picks out the smile. When volunteers had only a fraction of a second to discern her smile, their eyes tended to focus on her left cheek, hinting that peripheral vision plays a role, too. So, did Leonardo intend to initiate so much confusion in the brains of viewers, not to mention scientists? Absolutely, Martinez Otero contends wrote in one of his notebooks that he was trying to paint dynamic expressions because that's what he saw in the street." The research was originally presented at the Society for Neuroscience's annual meeting in Chicago.

This isn't the first-time scientists have deconstructed Leonardo Da Vinci's masterpiece. In 2000, Margaret Livingstone, a neuroscientist at Harvard Medical School who had a side interest in the art history, showed that Mona Lisa's smile is more apparent in peripheral vision Movie Camera than dead-center vision. We may say the same thing about the motion of the face. There are more muscles in the face than in any other part of the body, to capture all the fine emotions that we can analyze. The part of the brain that decodes these projections back into emotions is also a very complex and well-developed organ.

In principle, facial muscles can also be captured in mid-motion. What Da Vinci accomplished with Mona Lisa was difficult; her facial muscles reflect a dynamic face in motion, not one of someone statically holding a half-smile.

Da Vinci’s accomplishments in each of these areas; arts, sciences and engineering, earned him the reputation of a Renaissance man. There is triumvirate of Da Vinci's passions clearer than in his study of the human body in motion. Da Vinci had the ability to unify his talents from the three different areas which are unsurpassed to this day. Beneath the skin of Da Vinci's subjects are muscles and bones depicted with astonishing accuracy. Da Vinci was a genius person and uniquely qualified to capture the mesmerizing effect of Mona Lisa's smile that grasped the Louvre visitors crowding up around his panting! Now, who has the smile of Mona Lisa’s?

The ability of photographic memory

People with photographic memories say that can see pages in their mind's eyes and easily read them. The truth of such memory has been demonstrated repeatedly, with people reciting whole pages from one look or after once read. Also, some people have ability to recall situations and scenes, names, words, and numbers with remarkable precision. Photographic memory embraces also, memorizing shapes, colors with their full tones, proportions, even recalling the spirit of a scene or of a character with intimate and intensified feelings for those moments/objects/people. Having a strong memory relies on neuroplasticity of the brain, or the brain's ability to reorganize itself over time by breaking and forming new connections.

Alan Searleman, a professor of psychology at St. Lawrence University in New York, says eidetic imagery comes closest to being photographic. When shown an unfamiliar image for 30 seconds, so-called "eidetikers" can vibrantly describe the image. Eidetic memory is the ability to recall images in great details for several minutes. Children are more likely to possess eidetic memory than adults even though they begin losing the ability after age six and psychologists don't know why children lose this ability.

Leonardo da Vinci is believed to have had a photographic memory. He could draw a detailed portrait of someone after a single meeting. Another person, Napoleon Bonaparte, could glance at a map and thereafter, recall every town, hill and stream on it.

Of course, people vary in their ability to remember the past. How well we remember things depends largely on how well we pay attention when material is presented. Furthermore, the extent to which we echo the material in our minds and relate it to what we already know affects our ability to remember.

I believe very much in such ability from my own experience. One day, I had watched a movie where I was influenced so much by the actress's character and her loyalty to her husband. I felt for her so much that when went home, I had created an oil painting capturing her portrait from memory. My father found it so real and exact that he thought of sending it as a gift to the actress but I could not let go. I also, recall when someone commissioned me to paint a portrait of her mother in law to surprise her husband within their Anniversary since her husband loved his mother so much but lost her in death, she told me that the photo she had was very small, yellowish and has no details showing. I told her that was ok yet, I asked her many questions about her mother in law's character, what she was like, what she liked and disliked etc. From knowing more about her character, I could paint it right. How did I know? When she came to pick up the painting, after was done, her reaction when looked at it, from her facial expression and from what she said" Oh my goodness, she is a live! She is back to life!

No wonder why Francesco Clemente said, “I never paint a portrait from a photograph, because a photograph doesn't give enough information about what the person feels."

Roles of proportions

Having instructed my art students to pay attention to the importance of proportions, perspective and their roles, likewise, I would like to share my thoughts with you.

Roles of proportions are not only used for painting human figures but also when applying different tones! Probably this sounds new to you and her I am sharing my experience. When we add sensibly shadows or lights on a painting with certain proportions, will emphasize certain shapes or forms. It is what I call the artistic or visual math which any realism painting requires. Realism is not about the ability to copy a photo, rather mixing your own different photos to create a new composition with a fresh subject. Having hundreds of photos, slides or negatives is one thing and combining them to create a new subject, is another story. This story requires knowledge of proportions and experience of the use of tones. How many times we can be looking at an object or someone yet, we are not actually seeing them. Creating a realistic painting is the outcome of profound calculations of real objects perceived and felt, of personal observation, intellectual interpretation.

Watching for the direction of the light or the angle of it, calculating subconsciously the extended light or shadows on the exposed shape is necessary. The farer an object distanced from us the smaller and lighter proportions of tones we would see. I would also add that the proportions of passion and the patience we have, will add different depth and different result.

Roles of perspective; without obtaining the knowledge of perspective, an artist can work with any other free style but realism. However, if we wish to speak realistically, we can't afford it to be out of focus. Having a fast food meal, can't be considered a real meal. Painting realistically without roles of perspective and proportions, will invite many criticisms. How often we use the expression “Put things in the right perspective” But what is the general meaning of perspective? It is the focus on the most important matter/object to fully perceive it clearly, then set priorities.

Vanishing point and Perspective: there are the perception of certain goals and what comes first and what comes as second importance. As the object takes less importance or value will be vanishing and evaporating as a second or third importance. Perspective is a mathematical visual observation and penetrates in everything we see in life or draw. Perspective is an enjoyable subject to learn about and guarantees that will increase our brain cells. Who can argue that the more our brains collect details/information, the more cells are created. Learning about vanishing point and how objects vanish in that point, may seem complicated at first but once we learn the first role, we will find it irresistible to learn about multiple vanishing points, it is brain stimulating.

Let us do a small exercise; try to draw a one-side box (one square) going to one vanishing point. Then, change the position of the vanishing point up or down, farer or nearer and watch how the shape of the one side box will change. Then try same exercise with two-side box (two squares) going to two vanishing points and apply as mentioned above. Your next exercise can be stairs going to a door but watch it, that needs two vanishing points. Have fun.

Reaching realism style professionally, takes hard but enjoyable work. Visualizing a painting prior to working on an empty canvas is bring stimulating and imagination enriching. Creating a lively painting entails imparting freely, our feelings which were nourished earlier to painting. And having true love and passion for what we do is the precious key that would pay off more than any material gains.

Simply, manipulating proportions using different tones in relation to perspective will create a realistic painting. And finally, painting realism with such knowledge is never sufficient to captivate viewers, but adding personal feelings is the way to real paradise.

Do artists give up at losing natural ability?

Does deficiency in physical ability prevent Artists from creating art? Experiences have proven that losing something, someone or certain ability are never reasons for giving up when motivation and passion exist.

Deaf and music: Many experiences have proven that Deaf people can feel the Music. In Health News, Nov. 28, 2001, Heather Whitestone won the Miss America pageant in 1995. Many people were amazed at how graceful she moved to the music while she was deaf. A study explained how she and so many hearing-impaired people could enjoy music. Dean Shibata, MD, found that deaf people can sense vibrations in the same part of the brain that others use for hearing. Shibata studied 10 students with profound hearing loss from birth and compared them to 11 hearing people. His study was completed at the University of Rochester School of Medicine in New York. Each person was asked to tell the researchers when they could detect a vibrating pipe in their hands. At the same time, brain scans were done to pick up signals being transmitted to the brain. Shibata found that when the deaf people felt the vibrations, some areas in the brain were responsible for hearing and showed activity.

Shibata presented his findings at a meeting of the Radiological Society of North America. "These findings suggest that the experience, deaf people have, when 'feeling' music is like the experience other people have when hearing music, and the perception of the musical vibrations by the deaf is likely every bit as real as the equivalent sounds, since they are ultimately processed in the same part of the brain," he says. Shibata believes that surgeons should be careful when performing brain surgery on a deaf person since the "hearing" area of the brain clearly has a function. He also says that this study suggests it may be helpful to expose deaf children to music early in life so that the "music centers" in their brain may be stimulated to develop.

Visual Artists: The above deficiency is no different from blind artists. We have long list of known blind Artists such as: Giovanni Gonnelli, a blind Italian sculptor of the 1600s, Michael A. Williams is a painter living in Memphis, Tennessee. The artist has an eye disorder called Stargardt's Disease and Eşref Armağan is a Turkish artist born without eyes.

Arthur Ellis is a totally blind artist in the UK who lost his sight due to meningitis. He tries to represent the visual hallucinations he experiences as a result of Charles Bonnet Syndrome - a consequence of his sightless. Keith Salmon is a visually impaired artist working in Ayrshire, Scotland. Michael Naranjo a blind Native American sculptor lost eyesight in battlefield in Vietnam. John Dugdale is a photographer who has lost most of his eyesight to CMV retinitis. Sergej Popolsin is a Russian painter who after he had studied at the College of Arts in Irkutsk, Russia - lost in 1990 his eyesight to the full extent as a cause of serious head injury. The artist is now living and working in Vienna, Austria and showing his paintings at successful exhibitions in a various of European countries. Pranav Lal is an Indian photographer who is blind since birth.John Bramblitt is a painter working in Denton, Texas who lost his sight due to epilepsy.

No wonder why there are some organizations support blind artists! Some of those organizations are the “Blind Artists Society”, USA, Ann Roughton is a landscape artist suffering from Macular Degeneration. Her paintings not only include what she sees with her partial vision, but also includes the grey haze that she sees in the center of her vision because of her Macular Degeneration. In doing so, she is literally painting sight and giving a new perspective on sight loss. Impressively enough, that blind people can perceive a level of light and form by applying this limited vision and create intelligible art. A woman who is not completely blind but severely impaired, when sculpting something, finds it easier to close her eyes to feels the material and the shape rather than seeing them with her imperfect vision. Isn’t what most artists, with normal visions, do? They realize that the importance of touch and feeling, when doing so, can create lively art on empty lifeless canvas.

There are also, artists color blind or color deficient, such as the famous painter Vincent van Gogh, Charles Meyron, Mark Zuckerberg as well Claude Monet who had cataracts and was losing the ability to tell his color apart. Such artists have opened a world of black and white art and photos.

There are artists who can turn black to white and negative to positive to make life meaningful and enjoyable. I hope that you are one of them and hope you have found this research inspiring.

Orphan Artwork!

Have you heard about the Orphan art works of which Bill Gates has tried to legalize? This law means that if an Artist or his/her inheritances did not show up, their artwork will be declared as “Orphan work”. In other words, the artwork will be used, copied, manipulated, edited, modified and reproduced by the public!

How disappointing this is to Artists of all kinds! It is demeaning to their intellectual property, to their creativity and to the originality of the artwork!? Such law aimed to include music, song writing, graphic designs etc. Where are our values and the values of preserving originality?

Will our values and cultures exist in such societies when manufacturing, producing and reproducing unlimited images while neglecting the original idea of art work? This process will merely speed up the wealth of unworthy few!? “The worker deserves the wages”, thus, how that law would reserve Artists rights or will maintain cultures and history? Obviously, it is designed to simply increases the numbers of money machineries!

It is unthoughtful and inconsiderate to even think about such ridicules laws. Artists continuously pay the price high from developing an idea to creating it and making it alive! Unfortunately, Artists have been known, for centuries, as passive characters. Why? Because they are, in general, peaceful people. Thus, they get misunderstood, underestimated and being taken advantage of.

In China, copyright law does not exists. Unnumbered artists live there, sit all day long to only copy artwork from worldwide artists. Then they sale it for insignificant prices. Their policy is that when an artist/the copyright owner, finds out and clams his right, then, they would pay him/her what they have collected from their artwork!! Well, they live by what their laws allow them.

How this is so discouraging for artists while they have enough challenges to keep art as a source of income!

Purity of a Child!

As we mature in age, we lose the innocence of a child for various reasons. A child knows how to instantly love, trust easily, feels intimate with others free from restrains, simply makes friends, share his/her toys and act spontaneously as he/she almost fear nothing. This purity we all adore yet, we don't keep or maintain! Why?! The scene of this world is changing rapidly and we're losing valuable attributes for unusual reasons.

When focusing on spirituality and learning nature's language, we can keep that pure child alive while is protected by the adulthood’s experience gained throughout the years. Why not carry ourselves as children in hearts and think, plan and decide as adults using the gained experience and wisdom?!

Childhood period is the foundation in each of us for future use that sometime works as dictionary to refreshes the inner purity and lighten up the burden was added in adulthood. As we grow and experience many situations in life good or bad, can accommodate many layers of dust over the number of years that cover what we had gained or had in childhood.

Meditating on matters and on the universe, can shake off the layers of dust but will it shake it all together? Certainly, hard work is required. We need to rewind the past years sometimes to realize what has been missed and bring it back to the lively surface! I believe that with continuous and sincere efforts, we can shake off those many layers of dust and rust to shin back to the purity of childhood adorned with adult maturity. Beautiful qualities should not be lost in the crowded world.

My best mediation time is when I paint with no equivalent, when I go for walks in nature/woods, as well when I fly and look from the plan on the whole universe, I wonder how the CREATOR is viewing us and our shortcomings, what is worth and what is not, what is the value of us if we do not have love for one another.

Artists can achieve a return to the creative intuitive aspect by negating reality through elimination of prejudices. They open their minds by casting aside years of instinctive perceptions and come to realize that nationalism should not exist. In general, Artists act spontaneously and excitingly when meet at first time in an exhibition, why? I believe that we were created on God's image holding partially his main qualities such as love, purity and the natural realization; we call it sometimes, intuition/instinct which children use naturally, while adults eliminate or avoid such feelings and get immersed with material approaches. Over the time, they lose what was valuable in childhood.

The value of keeping the beauty of a child in us will strengthen relationships, trust and love among us all.

There is a great satisfaction experiencing the above while painting. It is one of my main reasons why I love to paint where I live my world of peace, of love and of purity.

Why many Artists love to paint waters

Why many artists love to paint waters? And why being close to water whether oceans, seas, fountains or lakes has irresistible and tranquility effect on our minds? Why we all are inspired by water, whether when hearing it, smelling it, playing in it, walking next to it, surfing, swimming or fishing, writing about it or photographing it? Doing any of the above creates lasting memories. Being close to water creates feelings of awe, peace, and joy. 70% of the earth is covered with water! Water contains percentage of oxygen and the blue colour adds serene feelings to the mind. As well, the sensation of hearing the waves is relaxing and described to many for healing.

We however, need to look deeper than these reasons. We spend our first nine months of life immersed in the “watery” environment of our mother’s womb. When we’re born, our bodies are approximately 78 percent water. We depend on water as source of life as we depended on our mothers. From there, we build have innate love for nature as we love our mothers. Most likely, we intuitively are linked to water and nature physically, cognitively, and emotionally as we are to our mothers!

Back to artists and painting waters! There is a link between the need to be close to water and being inspired by it with survival! What we consider “beautiful” or beautiful art is a result of our deep-rooted linkage to the kind of natural landscape that confirmed our survival as a species. When people were asked to describe beautiful landscape in contemporary art, the elements were included; open space, threes, blue, grass, water, which are survival elements!

For each one of us, water provides the most profound shortcut to happiness. Being happy, improves our relationships, helps us be creative, productive, and be effective at whatever we do, builds self-control and ability to cope, make us more charitable, cooperative, and empathetic; boost our immune, endocrine, and cardiovascular systems; lower cortisol and heart rate, decrease inflammation, slow disease progression, and increase longevity. Research shows that the amount of happiness we experience spreads outward, affecting not only people we know but also the friends of their friends as well. Happy people demonstrate better cognition and attention, make better decisions, take better care of themselves, and are better friends, colleagues, neighbors, spouses, parents, and citizens. Blue Mind isn’t just about smiling when we’re near the water; it’s about smiling everywhere.

In almost all cases, when humans think of water or hear water, or see water, or get in water, even taste and smell water — they feel something. These “instinctual and emotional responses . . . occur separately from rational and cognitive responses,” wrote Steven C. Bourassa, a professor of urban planning, in a seminal 1990 article in Environment and Behavior. These emotional responses to our environment arise from the oldest parts of our brain, and in fact can occur before any cognitive response arises.

Therefore, to understand our relationship to the environment, we must understand both our cognitive and our emotional interactions with it.

We didn’t come into this world but came out of it, like a wave from the ocean, so we are not strangers! Are we?

Beyond our evolutionary linkage to water, humans have deep emotional ties to being in its presence. Water delights us and inspires us

“I need the sea because it teaches me (Pablo Neruda”)

It consoles us and intimidates us (Vincent van Gogh)

And I could not gree more!

©[Mona Youssef - Fine Artist / Writer

The Game of pricing Artwork!

Pricing artwork is a subject on every Artist’s mind! This subject puzzles us, mostly, Artists; when hearing that a paintings was sold for millions of dollars whereas others were sold few dollars! There are some facts Artists need to keep in mind when pricing their artwork. Most artists underprice their artwork, why? Please read the following reasons:

1- They have been always asked to be reasonable in setting their prices!

2- Being put down or told to go and find a real job. 3- Dealing with competitive market.

4- The urgent need to make living.

5- Lack of knowledge about the actual art market in the real art world.

6- Waiting for someone else to evaluate their artwork rather than learning how to evaluate one’s artwork.

Let me elaborate on the above. If you went to a Flea market and found a Jaguar is selling for $5,000 will you buy it immediately? Or you would think that something must be wrong with it!? As when you find this same Jaguar in a car dealer is selling for $60,000 will you buy it? Of course, budget issue is the decider. But suppose you can afford it, which car will you buy? And which car you will have the minimum wanderings, many questions or much doubt about?

Seeing the car in the Flee market, where there is no information provided, decent warranty with a stampede certificate, you will automatically ask yourself; “what is wrong with it”! Whereas, in the car dealer, you will only ask for the written bill of sale, warranty and will not ask for a safety check certificate!

In comparison, an art buyer / lover goes to unknown gallery and saw a painting he liked very much for $200, whereas he sees another painting in a reputable gallery, he likes too, and the gallery will give him all the history of it and expert of to present the artist and the artwork, but the painting is selling for $50.000, which one would he buy if can afford both!

Another situation; an art buyer goes to a very primitive art sale where he finds paintings for $99.00 or for $50.00. Among those paintings, he might find a painting selling for $60.000, which one will he buy? Surely, the buyer will immediately, think that it is outrageous to see a painting selling for $60.000!

You might have got my point! Exhibiting in a professional and trusted gallery /art exhibition will influence the price and the buyers. Many artworks do not sell because whether they are too low/too high in prices, are not exhibited in the right place or were not exhibited at the right time. I have met an artist who told me this story which confirmed my beliefs. He had asked for $50.000 on one of his paintings. The prominent gallery said to him;” $50.000! We can’t sale paintings with this price here; we do not even have customers for this price. Let us try $163.000” Guess what, the painting was sold!!

Another gallery had a painting hanging for a long time and did not sell. He changed the frame and spent couple of thousands on it. The painting was sold in the same week. Yes, framing has another weight and that is why many framing companies are making millions of dollars realizing this fact. While artists are struggling to even have a decent frame. Many times, I’ve seen artwork in exhibitions without frames!! Yes, they might get their artwork sold but how far can they go with the price! Good framing is part of the good environment. I always say that a painting is like a beautiful woman, without hair, she will look poorly different, if you know what I mean.

“Ask for reasonable prices”, artists often heard this comment and caused them to underestimate their artwork. Setting a reasonable price requires good knowledge of the art market. The history of an artist has also effect on the price, as well the quality of the artwork. I do not believe that artwork should be priced according to the dimension. A painting can be 10 meters or 150 inches but took only few brush strokes, whereas, a small painting can take some months to be done. Yes, quality, subject and amount of work have influence on the price as well.

Briefly what Artists should do:

1- Most of the time prices are set by artists after doing the homework.

2- Your gallery must believe in your artwork and can sale it for what is worth.

3- Make sure you are dealing with a gallery that has clients for your work.

4-Find out what kind of promotion a gallery will offer you.

5- Make sure that the gallery is not only after the fee you pay or the percentage to collect.

6- Make sure that you will have the information about the buyers / collectors of your work when is sold.

7- Have a written agreement with the gallery and store all the agreements took place even through via e-mails, keep all the messages in a safe place.

8- Some galleries do not accept artwork that is low in price, so learn where to exhibit your artwork.

9- Prices must be consistent which means, you can’t ask for a certain price in one gallery, because it small gallery and big price in a big gallery for the same artwork.

10- If you can hold on your artwork until you get what is worth, just do it.

“The worker deserves the wages”. You are the owner and creator of your artwork, so enjoy the happy outcome of this hard labor and the talents of yours and I wish you all the best.