"I learned a ton from exploring new techniques and making mistakes. Don't be afraid to try new things and fail. Make that a part of your development." ~ Michael Mullan. See more quotes by Michael Mullan by reading our Q&A interview with him. 

Michael Mullan is an artist who initially lived in Chicago. His artwork is a combination of digital and traditional media. He uses hand drawing and technology which makes his art unique from other styles. Although Mullan has now mastered his art technique, he hasn't always known his style. Mullan started out by going to an art school, he drew book series for an author. He went to Savvanah College of Art and Design to get his MFA in illustration, after that his career really took off. Mullan has worked with many big projects since, his art has been featured on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Walgreens in Chicago, the Wonderment Beer Label and many more places.  When asked what is his favorite advertising project he has done so far, he replied "I recently worked on branding for a new brewery in Vermont. This was a fun one because I love packaging, I love beer and it was for a local business. I cant wait to see my work on all sorts of beer swag!"  Michael Mullan believes that his unique style of art has developed through trial and error. He is always looking for new ways to improve his style and technique so he can stay current.

Mullan's work is featured in many well-known places as murals on the wall, artwork and products. His fun, colorful and inspirational art is motivation for many people including the staff here at FulcrumGallery.com! Michael Mullan is always excited when a new project comes his way, especially when the completed project turns out better than he expected.

In his future, Mullan hopes to still be creating art. He aspires to get into new illustration markets that he hasn't gotten into yet. For example, handmade goods. Michael Mullan is also interested in expanding his art skills like getting into painting so he can take on gallery work. 

We are currently running a giveaway for a signed print by Michael Mullan. Two lucky winners will be picked by entering our giveaway on Facebook and two lucky winners will win by pinning their favorite Mullan prints from his artist page. Good Luck :-)

If former U.S. President Abraham Lincoln were still walking this earth, he’d be turning a whopping 206 years old this past February and we can’t imagine what that would be like for him. However, what we can imagine is how wonderful it would be to walk into a display area during this month’s Presidential holidays that’s filled with images from American history. The former 16th President’s image could be at the center of the display.

Over the years, there have been many paintings and photos taken in Abraham Lincoln’s memory. The list of artists whose work has spotlighted the former world leader at one time or another includes George Henry Story, Howard Pyle, Nathaniel Currier, Jason Lauritis and Mark Hampton. Some of the artists, like Howard Pyle, also created a great deal of art devoted to the Civil War and American history in general.

Others, like Jason Laurits, choose to take a quirky approach towards the former U.S. President. For example, he created a print featuring Lincoln wearing roller blades. It would pair well with contemporary pieces like Abraham Lincoln’s Face Against Colored Backgrounds, Abraham Lincoln: Honesty, Freedom, Equality, Tails and Heads. We should also mention that the artists who created the first two pieces are unknown. The third and fourth prints were created by artist David Bromstad. They are part of a two-piece series that showcases American currency.

Politics aside, Lincoln was such an interesting figure in his own right. As such, his image could be paired with artwork associated with his personal life. For instance, it is well-known that he loved his pets and often let them eat at the dinner table with him. He was also very religious, enjoyed wrestling and even participated in a séance at one time in his life. So a display created in his honor could include pictures of cats, dogs, wrestlers and the reprint of a 1800s Poster Advertising a Psychic Performance by the Davenport Brothers.

To find the framed artwork mentioned above and other pieces of Americana that could be used to celebrate Presidential holidays, please contact us at the Fulcrum Gallery.

Do you know which wacky holiday takes place in March? Okay, we know there are several but there is one that really caught our eyes. To keep you from having to guess for hours, we’ll give you the answer. Its Humorists are Artists Month. The observance is designed to honor people who make us laugh, which opens up a world of possibilities when it comes to framed art. Sure, you could hang up copies of comic book covers and well-loved cartoon characters but that’s not all.

Consider the case of artist David Fischer. He’s created a series of prints called Java Comic. As you’ve probably assumed, it features cartoon renditions of humans drinking coffee. Best of all, they contain those classic word bubbles we’ve all seen used before to convey a comic book character’s thoughts. Some of the sayings he puts into the bubbles are funny, like the one about rich men. We think if his prints were hung up in a kitchen or hipster coffee shop, they’d make great conversation starters.

If you prefer to get your laughs from the silver screen, stage or TV, you could still celebrate Humorists are Artists Month with assorted Hollywood memorabilia. Take this Jay & Silent Bob Get Old wall poster for instance. It would look cool hanging up in a media room or kid’s bedroom next to other posters like Ferris Bueller's Day Off and The Three Amigos! Other funny pieces of art that could go with them are pictures of famous comedians, like William Shatner, Groucho Marx and Adam Sandler.

Of course you could branch out and display funny animals, kids, quotes and signs. We've got them too along with funny renditions of food, wine, beer and spirits!

Valentine's Day is quickly approaching and with it, the mad dash for the perfect gift for your Valentine. You want to show them how much you love them while also giving them something they can actually use in their day-to-day life. What better gift then, than the gift of art? In this Valentine's Day Post, check out some of the beautiful art prints available from love art to romantic and heart art. A gift that gives all year-long, art is the perfect way to say, "I love you" this Valentine's day. 

Love Art

There are a lot of options for love art, you can go with something as simple as a Chris Paschke print with the oriental symbol for love that has a quiet elegance or if you want to get a Jack Vettriano print "Dance Me to the End of Love", a stunning print of an elegant couple dancing. You can also go a more whimsical route with a cute print by Marla Rae with two beautifully painted owls and words, "Owl Always Love You". 

Romantic Art

If you want to be more romantic and still show your love for your valentine, than a piece of art from this romantic collection is perfect. It is a showcase of more elegant pieces that are still fun. Including David Bromstad's piece, "Pucker Up!" which features a vibrant pair of red lips and a stunning piece by Laurie Cooper of a man kissing his love while wrapped in beautiful green leaves. These pieces are all stand out art that will add a luscious and romantic feel to any room it hangs in.

Heart Art

Nothing says I love you quite like a heart so why not choose a beautiful and vibrant piece from the Heart Art collection to gift to someone you love? There are many pieces to choose from, the "Three of Hearts" by Liz Jardine is a simple, but gorgeous piece of heart art or the piece "Love in 44 Languages" by LA Pop is a wonderful piece for Valentine's Day because it expresses your love perfectly with the 44 ways to say love in a heart shape.  

The choices for art to give on Valentine's day are truly endless. You can choose a piece that expresses your live in an elegant, timeless way or you can go for a more fun and whimsical look. Whatever matches your valentine's personality, art is the perfect gift for your Valentine this year.

Belong long, January 2015 will be here and it will be time to take down the New Year’s decorations. Perhaps you’re wondering what to replace them with until Valentine’s Day rolls around in February. Well, wonder no more because we’ve dug up five wacky holidays that are tailor-made for hanging up wall art. Here’s a look-see:

1.) National Soup Month

Why not decorate the kitchen or dining room in honor of National Soup Month? Believe it or not, there is a lot of interesting wall art that focuses on the delightful dish besides Andy Warhol’s famous Campbell’s Soup Series. There are artists like Will Rafuse, Pamela Gladding, Dan Dipaolo, Jerianne Van Dijk and Jane Maday too. They’ve created art that shows chefs making big, bubbling pots of soup. In addition, over the years there have been many artists who've painted fresh ingredients, bowls, wait staff, restaurants, movie posters and advertisements hawking various kinds of soups.

2.) National Hot Tea Month

While we are still talking about wall art for the kitchen and dining room, we’d be remiss to mention National. Our art gallery has more than 150 pieces of art devoted to tea and tea making equipment alone. One of the artists involved is Helen Vladykina. She’s created a three frame series on tea that focuses on different regions of the world, including Morocco, Russia and Asia. So they could easily fit into a variety of interior design themes. The list of other artists whose tea prints are tied to geographic locations includes Krista Sewell, Charlene Audrey, Gregory Gorham, Deborah Bookman and Ingrid Van De Brand.

3.) National Polka Music Month

Now that we’ve covered the wacky holidays tailor-made for kitchen and dining room art, let’s move on to the den. It’s a good spot to hang wall art in celebration of National Polka Music Month. We’ve got a series of Panoramic Images that capture true-to-life scenes from Poland that would be perfect for such an occasion. There’s also a map of the country available courtesy of artist T. Jeffreys. If you don’t want to hang up pictures of Poland, there are other options as well. They include displaying pictures of dancers, musicians, musical instruments and fun uses of polka dots.

4.) National Mail Order Gardening Month

National Mail Order Gardening Month is also on tap. So why not create a display wall in the den dedicated to mail catalogs, seed packets and gardening implements? Artist Deborah Schenck has created a series of artwork featuring vintage letters and various flower blossoms that could be used as a basis for the display. As for the pictures of gardening tools and seed packets, there are many different artists’ collections to choose from. Among them are Atelier Nouvelles Images, Ginny Joyner, Susan Winget, Daphne Brissonnet, Vision Studio and Kate Ward Thacker.

5.) International Wayfinding Month 

Lastly, we can’t forget about International Wayfinding Month. It’s a great way to incorporate an array of maps, directional signage and transportation related art into your building’s hallways, entrance ways and living rooms. If you decide to stick with the living room, consider using movie posters that contain directional words in their titles. Examples include Last Exit to Brooklyn, Exit to Eden and Exit the Dragon Enter the Tiger. To find these pieces of art and others that are ideal for celebrating any number of January’s wacky holidays, please contact us at the Fulcrum Gallery today.

Even before Facebook, artists were creating art from a combination of words and images. Such a combination was used to identify Roman coins, books from a particular college (using a famous quotation), and historical figures. The ornate script identifying the subject of the portrait in the frontispiece of this book (published in 1663) leaves no doubt that it was intended as part of the decoration.

Today, a collage of random words can make an interesting pattern, but when it comes to something that will hang on the wall, most people opt for meaning. After all, if it’s something you’re going to look at every day, you want it to speak to you. Literally.

Of all the rooms in the house, this communication seems to happen most frequently in the kitchen. People talk when they eat, and the cook is going to have her say, regardless. What does your kitchen communicate? A welcome? A blessing? An invitation to laugh? Or maybe just a promise.

Religious subjects are natural for this type of art, of many cultures and languages. Artists use the co-mingling of language with portraits to express the philosophies closest to their hearts. Most importantly, this is art that comforts.

 Even art that was once informational, as this amazing world map, is used to inspire and enlighten. Poetry that moves us when it’s just words on a page becomes doubly meaningful when rendered in a painting that we can identify with.

Above all, some combinations of beloved art and meaningful words become classics that deserve reproduction for many years to come.