A Pool Float with Room

Check out the some of the best of art from around the world: http://bit.ly/2nwI6Z8 - 

We've seen many times that a fake product dreamed up for April Fool's Day turns out to be such a hit that the vendor was behooved to make it real. That happens a lot at Think Geek, and this year it happened at Bravissimo, a clothing retailer catering to women with large breasts. They posted the diagram above for April Fool's Day, and the response was overwhelming. All their customers wanted the lilo, or pool float with room to lie face down! So, despite the fact that Bravissimo makes clothing, they went to work to make it real.  In case you can't see it in the picture, the text in the depression says "Cup holders. Bravissimo style!" You can order one here. That's what you call dedication to your customers. Strangely, their boob-crumb-o-matic didn't elicit that much response, and will not be offered for sale. -via Bits and Pieces 

Openings: D*Face Happy Never Ending @ Corey Helford Gallery

Check out the some of the best of art from around the world:http://bit.ly/2nwALZz-

A couple weekends ago,D*Face(interviewed) headed to Los Angeles to present his newest body of work atCorey Helford Gallery. EntitledHappy Never Ending, the exhibition featuredpaintings, sculptures, hand painted multiples, various limited editions, hand-painted book covers, a tombstone installation, as well as associated street murals.He further explains For me this work is about the tragedy of losing someone you love. Not just in the physical sense of death but also in the metaphorical way that romance has become such an artificial thing in recent years. Courtship used to be a craft, somet hing careful and considered; marriage was an everlasting bond of trust and commitment. Today though, romance is comparable to a shop bought commodity instantly attainable at the touch of a button or swipe of a screen. In a constant search for someone or something better, people treat others as if they were mere objects infinitely attainable and instantly...

Yin & Yang Principles In Fine Art

The post Yin & Yang Principles In Fine Art is republished from Francesco Galle Fine Artist

Do you know anything about Shiatsu?

It’s a massage technique developed in the 20th century in Japan by Tokujiro Namakoshi, but it has its roots in a much older technique from the 700s ad.

I studied the art in 1995, and a big part of it was learning about the yin & yang sign. This was a symbol I had seen all over the place, but never really understood it.

One of the most important elements of the yin & yang symbol is the idea that there is no light without darkness, and no darkness without light. Light is the absence of darkness, and darkness the absence of light. It’s a harmonious dance – the two form a pair.

There are many harmonious pairs like this you can find. There can be no sky without the ground, no happy without sad, no peace without conflict, no speed without stillness, no good without evil. Each of these is a part of its partner and can’t exist on its own.

At the same time, it’s not just a hard line split down the middle. It’s a curved line, showing that the difference between light and dark isn’t always clearly defined. There’s also a dot of white in the black, and black in the white. This is to remind us that we need a bit of everything in our body, soul, and mind. At its most ecstatic peaks, your life is not without sadness, and in your darkest moments there are always bits of joy to be found. You can never be 100% rid of one side or the other – and you wouldn’t want to. They’re both necessary in order to live.

I found this concept profound in its simplicity, and when I create art I try and keep it in mind. Take this illustration below, of a bike done in ink brush.

The first thing you might notice is that there’s a lot missing from this painting. You may not even notice right away what this painting is supposed to be. But your mind fills in the blanks, pulling the missing pieces out of your memory and piecing together what this person riding a bike should look like.

What I like most about illustrations like this is where your mind goes when you try to invent this bike rider which you’ve never seen before. This man with a thick moustache and hat – who is he, what does he look like? Is he Japanese, Italian, Spanish? Is he tall, short? Young, old?

What did I have in mind when I created this piece? It doesn’t matter. You can look at this illustration and see someone completely different than I did. That’s what makes art like this unique and personal.

The lesson here, I think, is to trust your instinct. It can take you to a place you’ve never been before, and allow you to fill in the missing shadow pieces with something familiar to take you to the next step. But at the same time, remember that that bit of darkness is an essential part of every tranquil moment.

Contact Francesco Galle

If you enjoyed this fine Toronto modern art print, there are many more to see at the link here. Feel free to browse around at the rest of my art for sale on my site.

If you’re interested in contacting me for commissioned work or with any questions, feel free to do so using the information below.
[raw]

Until next time,

Francesco Gallé

Francesco Galle Art


441 Montrose Ave,
Toronto,
ON
M6G 3H2

- https://goo.gl/maps/WaVgeKK2ynr

Francesco Gallé is an established painter, illustrator and graphic artist in Canada and his native Italy. Contact him for more information on his work.

---

[/raw]

Get additional tips about world artisits, art and the beauty of art, visit: Toronto artists and painters

Street Art Camp for Girls Helps Shift the Gender Imbalance One Spray Can at a Time

Check out the some of the best of art from around the world:http://bit.ly/2nwSr7h-

One artist is making concrete strides in breaking up the boys club that exists in the art world-specifically graffiti art. Nina Wright, who works under the name Girl Mobb, grew up in rural Ohio, where she started out painting barns, but it wasn't until she moved to Oakland, California that she found her place among The post Street Art Camp for Girls Helps Shift the Gender Imbalance One Spray Can at a Time appeared first on My Modern Met.

Italian Art Prints As A Way To Preserve The Past

Italian Art Prints As A Way To Preserve The Past is courtesy of Francesco Galle Fine Art

The nonnas and nonnos of Little Italy are my roots.

They’re my past and my present.

They’re why I am who I am today.

I see a nonna in the neighbourhood, and feel right at home, as though that’s where I belong.

Maybe she’s wearing an old coat she’s sewn up dozens of times.

Maybe she’s pushing a grocery cart to the store to fill with fresh produce.

Maybe she’s alone, or maybe she has a nonno with her, an old gentleman who somehow manages to still look dapper despite the old, faded shirt and slacks he’s been wearing since the 70’s.

These nonni have been fixtures in Little Italy, in my hometown Serra San Bruno in Calabria, and anywhere else you can find more than a handful of Italians. They haven’t changed much for as long as I can remember. Take a look at the above two photos. Both were taken a few weeks ago, but if you compare them with one taken fifty, or even a hundred years ago, would you even notice the difference?

At the same time, these nonni are a vanishing breed, and that makes me sad. I use their presence to remind me who I am, and without them I’m afraid I’ll forget.

My hometown, Serra San Bruno, is a tiny village a thousand feet up a mountain, and the place was full of nonnas and nonnos walking around, so in essence they are my village both physically and spiritually.

This is part of why it’s so cathartic to paint these people for me.

By creating this painting, it’s a way to preserve their memory and the feeling they instill in me. It helps keep me grounded in a world of increasing uncertainty.

The photograph you see above is part of another project of mine as well – taking photographs of nonnas and nonnos on the street through my rear view mirror to symbolize their vanishing.

These people will never know how much they meant to me, someone they’ve never met.

Contact Francesco Galle

If you enjoy this work, there’s a lot more like it available in the custom Italian art prints to buy online section of my website. I’m also available for commissioned work.

Discover more information about world artisits, art and the beauty of art, visit: Canadian art prints

Cesaria Evora’s Voice Inspired This Toronto Art Print

The post Cesaria Evora’s Voice Inspired This Toronto Art Print was first seen on www.francescogalle.com

Have you ever listened to Cesaria Evora sing?

Born in 1941 in Mindel, Cape Verde, she was raised by her father, a part time musician who would play in local sailors’ bars. When her father passed away, she was sent to live in an orphanage. After living there a few years, someone persuaded her to start singing in the sailors’ bars, which she did throughout the 60’s and 70’s. In 1985, she was invited to sing in Lisbon. While there, she was discovered by an international record producer, and, well, the rest is history.

Cesaria’s voice is a windy day, the gentle breeze brushing against your face and body. She’s the calm before the storm, her voice one moment as high as a mountain, then next as low as the shells on the beach under your feet. Like many of the musicians I love, her poetry and music can be found quoting Rimbaud or James Joyce, but at the same time would be right at home in the back alleys of any city.

It was her beautiful voice that inspired me to create the piece you see below you, which I called "Sezara Avora".

After a long night out, I arrived at home and sat for a while, listening to Cesaria. She brought me back down to Earth, but at the same time I was soaring through the air. She calmed me, making me feel as though I were on a mountain slow dancing with the one I love in the moonlight.

I felt the music playing beside me, and it met with my soul. I let it take the lead, and it drew me into this painting and this moment.

Listen to the song below, and if the mood strikes you, take a look at the painting while you do. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did creating it.

Contact Francesco Galle

If you like this piece, you can find others like it on my canvas prints in Toronto website. You can find portraits, abstract illustrations, more whimsical pieces like the one above, and more. I’m also available for commissioned work.

Read additional ways about world artisits, art and the beauty of art, visit: Toronto art prints by Francesco Galle

How To Find Your Creative Muse In A Portrait

How To Find Your Creative Muse In A Portrait was first published on www.francescogalle.com

When it comes to creating art, one of my favourite processes is that of creating a portrait from a photograph. Studying someone else’s features, becoming familiar with every millimetre of them, is a shockingly intimate experience. You really feel like you know someone better than ever after such a process, even if you’ve never met them before.

You’re left alone with only your creative soul and the space between your eyes and the photo of the person you’re painting. Suspending any other thoughts, pushing aside the day’s worries, you enter a meditative state.

When I’m not creating art, I teach meditation, and when I’m helping someone find their ground and slow down, this is the place I try to lead them to. This is where everything creative lives. Muses, fairies, forms, whatever you want to call it. This is where you find that creative spark. To open the door, all you need to do is slow down, and be aware of your breathing.

You can get this sort of experience with all sorts of painting in general, but most of my favourite work is done in portrait. Take the portraits below; one of Mick Jagger, the other of Mr. Thomas J. Bata.

Portrait of Mick Jagger

This portrait of Mr. Jagger was done with espresso and ink, which is a style you’ll find common to my work as a Toronto portrait artist. In this, I tried to portray Mick as loose and fun, which is what we all know he’s like – at least as far as his public persona is concerned.

Compare that one with the portrait of Mr. Thomas J. Bata of the Bata Shoe Company, below.

Do you notice the difference? With Mr. Bata, I focused more on some finer details in his face, showing him as a more respectable, traditionally business-minded person, in contrast with the classic idea of rock ‘n’ roll freedom and debauchery we all know and love from Mick. You might also notice a little pair of shoes in the espresso splash – shoes were Mr. Bata’s life, after all.

To come to these conclusions, though, I had to sit down and feel the very subtle nuances of life and personality in each portrait.

Contact Francesco Galle

If you like these portraits, I’m available for commissioned work. You can find more of my work on this website, and my prints are available on my other website, linked above.

Feel free to contact me using the information below.

See more info on world artisits, art and the beauty of art, visit: art for sale in Toronto by Francesco Galle

Why Do People Like Art?

The article Why Do People Like Art? was first published to Francesco Galle Fine Artist

Why do people like art?

Why do you like the art you like?

These are questions everyone interested in art has contemplated at one point or another.

As an artist, I’m faced with a similar question – why do people like MY art?

I’ve gotten a lot of interest in my illustration work over the years, and while I appreciated it, I never quite understood why. I’m hardly the only person doing Toronto canvas illustration art prints, so why is it that people love my work in particular? What was it that gave my illustrations more appeal than some of my other work?

After considering this for a while, I came to the conclusion that it’s the simplicity.

For example, take a look at this piece below. I call this “Aggie’s Bike”, because my sister Aggie has always loved this particular piece.

The drawing is fairly rudimentary, and the colours are simple, but through this it manages to get to the base emotion behind the scene.

I think that’s why I love working in black and white as well. Simple art can say as much as more complex work. Sometimes a complex piece can be nice, but simpler art can remind us that the space we give ourselves in life is as important as the things we use to fill our life. This is true with any art, whether it’s music, food, or visual art.

My good friend Chung Gong, a Korean brush painter, taught me to recognize this. His paintings are incredibly simple, sometimes just a few brush strokes, but are filled with so much emotion. I’ve always admired that about his work.

Art like this can have an important lesson for us in life, as well. In the modern world, we try to fill every spare second we can with television, the internet, or checking our phones for the latest update on whatever. But if we can take some time to exhale, calm the hell down, and just appreciate life for a moment, we might be healthier and happier.

Contact Francesco Galle

If you like my work, you can find a lot more of it available on my website. You can purchase it in many different sizes and on many different types of media.

You can also contact me for commissioned work, or if you have any questions about anything.

Find additional info about world artisits, art and the beauty of art, visit: Toronto canvas art by Francesco Galle

Italian Icon Series: Sofia Loren

The post Italian Icon Series: Sofia Loren was originally published on Francesco Galle Fine Art

There’s nobody like Sofia Loren. Not before, and not since. I’ve always had a thing for the period in time where she was at her height.

She’s been a frequent theme in my art over the years. I don’t know how many times I’ve painted her, but I always find myself coming back to this one. It shows her sexy, sophisticated nature.

Here I’ll show you some of my process so you can see the transformation from outline to finished work.

First, I drew Sofia on paper and used a projector to project it onto the canvas. From there, I slowly start to draw it with pen until it looks like a finished pen drawing.

Next, I start with ink and a brush.

If the mood strikes me, I’ll use a bit of coloured ink as well. I generally enjoy the feel of black and white drawings though, as you can probably tell based on the rest of my work.

Seeing Sofia in black and white on such a grand scale, to me, is beautiful. I think that’s why I like to paint in this manner and in this size. I’ll probably be painting Sofia again, just saying.

Contact Francesco Galle

If you like this painting of Sofia, there are many others like it on my Toronto art prints store website. Feel free to look around, and contact me with any questions, concerns, or if you’re interested in commissioned work.

See more ways about world artisits, art and the beauty of art, visit: artists in Toronto

Canadian Tree Art Prints: Pine Tree On A Rock

The following post Canadian Tree Art Prints: Pine Tree On A Rock is available on Francesco Galle Fine Art

Most landscape painters do their paintings based off of a photo. Or in person, after a long trek up a mountain or along a river.

I’m no different, usually. But this piece today is unique in my collection, because it’s the only one of all my Canadian landscape art prints that I painted entirely from memory.

I’ve always loved the landscape up north. Most plants thrive the best when they have soft dirt with lots of sunshine, and yet somehow the Canadian shield, covered in thick, dense rock, manages to provide a home for millions of enormous trees. They manage to find a crack in a giant rock and make it their home, sprouting up until it grows to become an old tree.

The rock itself, other trees, and even the wildlife can affect how it’s shaped, but what strikes me most is the wind. The tree grows as though caressed by the wind for many years, guided into shape like a bonsai tree is guided by the wires its caretaker wraps around it.

Painting in this style is kind of the same. Laying the canvas on the floor, I quickly painted the general shape I’m looking for using water only. From there, I poured ink and coffee on the area with the water, and then, like the wind and rain pushing a river, I let the ink and coffee mix together and flow across the page. The result is what you see below.

Contact Francesco Galle

If you like what you see here, feel free to browse the other work on my website. You can purchase this print itself, as well as many other Canadian art prints I have available.

You can also feel free to contact me directly for commissioned work or if you have any questions.

Find additional tips about world artisits, art and the beauty of art, visit: Toronto artists and painters