Celebrating Black History Month doesn’t have to end with jazz concerts and documentaries on notable figures like Martin Luther King, Dinah Washington, Barack Obama, Jackie Robinson and Charlie Parker. It can be recognized year round by creating a display area devoted to world culture art that highlights the African American experience. Because the group’s history has such great depth and breadth, there are several artists whose work might be apropos. Among them are the following:

Monica Stewart

African American artist, Monica Stewart, has a large body of work that speaks to the culture’s softer side. Over the years, she’s created a series of prints that highlight the complex relationships between women, men and families as well as the group’s love of creative expression. Some of her dance related prints feature muted earth tones and have an almost ethereal quality to them. Others contain bold colors, like fiery reds, in juxtaposition with otherwise subdued tones. In our opinion, those factors make them excellent candidates for placement in family rooms, dining rooms, music rooms, bedrooms and dance studios.

Tim Ashkar

Artist Tim Ashkar’s work also spotlights familial relations and the role of women in African American society. Thus, they would certainly compliment Monica Stewart’s prints and help extend the underlying themes. The list of complimentary examples in Ashkar’s body of work includes, but isn’t limited to prints like Beauty of Color, Nassauan Venus, The Student, Summer’s Evening (1925) and Sisters. Families may want to consider hanging them alone too, as each Ashkar print is strong enough to stand on its own.

Maurice Evans

As we’ve mentioned previously, African American culture is multifaceted. Thus, it would be a good idea to include the artwork of Maurice Evans too. Evans’ body of prints is colorful, contemporary and focused largely on the group’s connection to various genres of music. So it is not uncommon to see them feature black musicians and singers. In addition to being modern and vibrant, Evans’ paintings also tend to have an urban feel. Consequently, prints like The Songstress and Give the Drummer Some would look fine alongside of work by other modern artists. Ones that easily come to mind are Lonnie Ollivierre, David Garibaldi and Charly “Carlos” Palmer.

To learn more about these prominent artists and others whose world culture art help celebrate the African American experience, please contact us at the Fulcrum Gallery. We have a very broad collection of art in stock now, including true-to-life photos of iconic, African American figures.

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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.

If you don’t consider yourself to be a hopeless romantic but still want to decorate your surroundings with seasonal art, take heart. February actually has a lot of different, weird holidays going on that could be used as a basis for a month long art display. To save you and other art lovers’ precious decorating time, we’ve listed our picks for the top five weird holidays in February to celebrate with wall art:

Return Shopping Carts to the Supermarket Month

Did you know that one of the holidays on tap is Return Shopping Carts to the Supermarket Month? It’s about as weird of a national observance as one can get but don’t let that stop you from celebrating it with art. Use artist Paul Edmondson’s Grocery Carts print as a linchpin for the display then surround it with shopping related art. Two wonderful prints to consider are John Jones’ General Store and Scott Coleman’s Oakbowery Store. One print shows the interior of a vintage store and the other shows the exterior of another.

Fabulous Florida Strawberry Month

Fabulous Florida Strawberry Month is also slated to take place. So it might be fun to hang up an array of strawberry art alongside of prints that give a nod to the Sunshine State. Why not hang Ruane Manning’s print, Christine’s South Beach Café in the center to represent one of the state’s popular foodie destinations. Then surround it with Charlene Audrey’s Island Nectar Series, Ray Pelley’s Strawberry Delight and David Carter Brown’s Sweet & Juicy Strawberries prints. Great places to set up the display include the kitchen, hallway, sun room and dining room.

National Hot Breakfast Month

While you are at it, you might want to create a display in recognition of National Hot Breakfast Month too. Artist Katherine Lovell has created a series of word art prints that talk about breakfast and Pierre Bonnard has completed a series titled, The Breakfast Room. They’d be a great place to start. Afterward, you could fill out the wall with prints of breakfast items like hot tea, toast, coffee, pancakes and waffles.

Children and Pets Dental Health Month

February also happens to be National Pet Dental Month and National Children’s Dental Health Month. Consequently, it would undoubtedly be entertaining to decorate the bathrooms with dental art. Artists Luke Stockdale and Drako Fontaine both have prints that focus on the importance of brushing one’s teeth. Either one could serve as the centerpiece for the display. The surrounding prints could consist of Jim Dratfield’s Smile and the World Smiles with You, Anne Parsons’ Fairy and some movie posters. The ones that come to our minds are for the films Dentist on the Job, Dentist in the Chair and The Adventures of Timmy the Tooth.

Adopt a Rescued Rabbit Month

Finally, we wanted to toss in Adopt a Rescued Rabbit Month. Artist Lisa Hilliker has a great print titled, Small-Some Bunny to Love. It would be perfect for the center of an Adopt a Rescued Rabbit Month display. The rest of the presentation could contain rabbit art by artists like Richard Murray, Sir Edwin Henry Landseer, Will Bullas and John Woodhouse Audubon. To take a closer look at them and additional art ideal for recognizing February’s weird holidays, please contact us.

Salvador Dali is one of the most famous artists in the world. Not only did he have the sheer artistic talent to create marvelous images using the medium of oil painting, but it was his ability to integrate numerous art movements seamlessly into his vision and help bridge the styles of the early twentieth century into what became our idea of modern art. 

The popularity of his art seems to be unwavering with the changes in styles and trends. These images fit into our concepts of timeless beauty because they reference arguably the most beloved artists of all time, Renaissance painters such as Da Vinci and Michelangelo, with such technically proficient realism. Yet Dali's images are derived using the context of the surrealism movement, which add layers of emotional complexity.

Surrealism, a historically important art movement of the early 20th century, created a style that mixed art and the rising importance of psychology. It delved into the subconscious and sought to find meaning in dreams and the internal psychosis of the mind. This sort of art touches upon academic fields such as, psychiatry, history, photography, science, and playfully references popular culture. Dali's art can lighten up a room, but also give the viewer something to contemplate and continually stare at. 

Take for instance, the popular print of "Cinquenta... Tigre Real," painted circa 1963 by Dali. This image, an exercise in abstract painting, geometric painting and popular art, blends painted square panels into a repeated image of Soviet Union leader Lenin, which seen from a distance becomes a reference on a communist Chinese personage, and upon further viewing as a whole the overall painting becomes the head of tiger. It's a striking image, a subliminal political commentary perhaps; yet it is also a maze, a puzzle to be solved. At it's core it's a visually appealing complex image with beautiful colors, depth and a playful composition. It has the aesthetic structure that could define a decorative style for a whole room, due to it's checkered pattern and gold color.  

Salvador Dali is one of the 20th century's most important art figures and an unforgettable personality. His art walked the fine line between high culture and commercialism. Its the perfect marriage of what is deep and evocative and the manufactured cool of pop culture. 

At last count, there were over 50 million Hispanics living in America and that number is expected to only grow in the years ahead. Many of them zealously embrace their heritage and others are just learning about their ancestors’ birthplaces. However, both groups seem to enjoy showing off their familial roots with the aid of world culture art. So we’re chiming in today with a quick look at five Spanish artists that people may not be familiar with:

1.) Simon Silva (Mexican)

One of the first artists to make our list is Mexican Simon Silva. Considered a native of Mexicali, he was born into a family of migrant farm workers who eventually relocated to California. Not surprisingly, many of his vibrant prints feature agricultural families going about their daily lives. Our list of favorites includesAmor a Todas Horas, Las Comadres, Dos Mujeres and Un Dia de Campo.

2.) Pedro Alvarez Castello (Cuban)

Pedro Alvarez Castello is another world culture artist of note. Born in Cuba, he was influenced by other Spanish artists, like Victor Patricio Landaluze and Alejandro Mendoza. Unlike Silva, his work took on a more pop culture feel. As such, it was not uncommon for him to highlight Latin American dances and other aspects of Cuban American culture. One painting that illustrates the passion found in Spanish dances is titled, Tango Argentino. It features a dancing couple in the midst of a romantic embrace.

3.) Juarez Machado (Brazilian)

While we are on the subject of world culture art that features Latin American dance, we can’t help but mention Juarez Machado. A native of Brazil, he has produced many paintings that show Spanish dancers and revelers in all of their glory. His list of fabulous works includes Femme au Robe Rouge, Tango a Robe Rouge and Copacabana Palace Hotel.

4.) Jaime Olaya (Columbian)

Of course Latin American culture includes more than just passionate dance and agrarian roots. It also includes a good deal of religious images. So we wanted to add Columbian artist, Jaime Olaya to our list. His paintings feature images of Hispanic family life, women and angels. Paintings in his collection that world culture art lovers may enjoy are Dos Angeles, La Maternidad and La Familia.

5.) Diego Rivera (Mexican)

Lastly, we’d be remiss to bypass the world culture art of Mexican, Diego Rivera. He is quite well known and exhibits devoted to his work are located all over the world. Some of his most beloved paintings feature calla lilies, sunflowers, women, children and farmers. Examples include Vendedora de Alcatraces, Muchacha con Girasoles and Flower Festival: Feast of Santa Anita.

To discover more art from this culture, check out our Hispanic art selection!

One of the most enjoyable parts of having a child is decorating his or her bedroom. Before their babies are even born, many new parents design a nursery with artwork and accessories that they hope will appeal to their new arrival. They might choose soothing colors and quiet themes to help the baby (and the new parents!) relax and sleep. As they grow and their eyesight develops, babies are drawn to more visually complex pictures and objects.

For toddlers and older children, playing and learning are their two most important occupations. They may spend as much time playing in their rooms as they do sleeping. When decorating their bedrooms, you can choose children's art from among popular characters, interests, or hobbies. You could design a space that incorporates all of their favorites, or pick a central theme or object, such as a traditional children’s story, and have the artwork complement your theme.

Exposing children to different types of art at a young age can help inspire their own creativity. Furthermore, they will feel more comfortable in a room personalized with their specific interests in mind. When decorating your child’s room, you can explore color and design to create a unique space that appeals to both of you.

For instance, encourage storytelling and imaginative play by displaying art with characters from beloved books and movies. This can motivate children to recall scenes from stories and to expand on them, creating their own fantasy world right in their bedrooms. Don’t forget the playroom or family room, two more locations where you could decorate with children's art pieces.

One of the greatest types of art we offer for children is educational art. Every child learns at a different pace and hanging educational art in their surroundings can influence their learning. Alphabet posters, animal posters, counting posters and more are a great fit for a child's room. These types of posters make learning colorful and fun with pictures of the what they are teaching. Educational posters brings learning to life and is something they can use as they grow up and for their own future children. 

In today’s installment of decorating tips we wanted to talk briefly about the art of conservation framing and how it may protect your favorite, Fulcrum Gallery prints from harm. It is typically a six-part process that starts with selecting art prints that have been created using the highest grade paper possible and goes on from there. Some art lovers may opt to end the process quickly by laminating their prints whereas others may want to continue by choosing museum quality, custom framing materials and techniques. At this time, we’d like to focus on the latter.

If you are hoping to have your print preserved using conservation framing techniques, it’s important to first realize that everything included in the framing package has a role to play. Therefore, it does not pay to only do things half way. In other words, once you make a commitment to a certain level of art conservation, its best to adhere to that level of quality all the way through. Otherwise, you’ll be jeopardizing the integrity of the entire framing package.

The purpose of conservation framing, as you've probably guessed, is to protect the print from moisture, dust, chemicals, insects, temperature change and other atmospheric pollutants. So every piece of framing material must be chosen with that in mind. That said, you’ll typically need the following, acid-free, buffered items for a museum quality job:

- Hinging and Mounting Materials (e.g. Japanese Tissues and Mounting Corners)

- Fade/Bleed Resistant Window Mats

- Frame Backing Paper

- pH-Neutral Tapes or Adhesives

- Frame Backing Board

- UV Filter Glazing

- High Quality Frame

The UV filter glazing is generally placed into the frame first. The window mat is then placed against the UV filter glazing, followed by the print. That way the print does not make direct contact with the glass. Next comes the hinging and mounting materials, which are designed to keep the print from moving around in the mat window. Once the print has been mounted into position, a back mat is added. The frame backing paper comes afterward. It is affixed to the frame using pH-neutral tapes or adhesives. Some framers also opt to finish things off with a few staples to further keep the backing paper in place. Either way, the overriding goal is to make sure that the frame package is air-tight and protected from full UV light exposure.

Black & white photography is timeless. It adds depth to its surroundings and can bring an instant element of class and elegance to a room. However some people shy away from the idea of using black and white photos for decorating, afraid it will look dull and lack creativity. This could not be more untrue. Black and white is the perfect medium for decorating with pictures in any room in the house; even a child’s bedroom. The key is in knowing how to use it.

 Tips for decorating with black and white photography:

Tip 1: Black and white photos are ideal for decorating brightly colored walls because they won’t conflict with the surrounding color. Use the same frame style and color for every picture to prevent competition, while drawing one’s eye to the subject of the photo. Solid black or white frames with white matting work well with vivid backgrounds. 

Tip 2: Adorn a child’s room with black and white prints of a subject they love. Baseball fans will be thrilled by the variety of vintage shots featuring famous sluggers and well-known stadiums. For a child who adores animals, black and white pictures of puppies, kittens or horses play well against pale blue or pink walls. 

Tip 3: Teenage girls enjoy themed decor such as Paris, glamorous movie stars or dance. Paired in brightly colored or black frames against white or cream walls, black and white photos will blend in beautifully with her inspiration.

Tip 4: Neutral colored walls in a living space form the perfect pallet for black and white art. Photos of the beach or ocean framed in distressed white, light blue or natural wood give a special touch to a coastal themed room. A more modern and chic look can be achieved by combining photos in both black and white frames in a beige room with white trim and shelves and black wrought iron wall hangings, candle holders and lamps.  

Black and white photos can be dramatic, playful, elegant or glamorous, bringing tremendous beauty and infinite possibilities for decorating to a home. Consider the possibilities in your own home and then browse our large selection of black and white photography.  

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.

Imagine a background presided over by rocky mountain landscapes covered in slight mist, with a foreground enlivened by surreal characters, all woven by a soft glowing majesty as in a dream.  This could be synonymous with the works of early 20th century American painter Maxfield Parrish (1870-1966).

A product of New England, Parrish was born and raised in Philadelphia.  He graduated from Haverford College in 1892, and attended the Pennsylvania Academy from 1892 to 1894, where he took some of Howard Pyle's classes at the Drexel Institute.  He then moved to New Hampshire during his late 20's, where he rendered prominent works such as "Daybreak," "Ecstasy," and "Evening Shadows," which partly make up a collection of work spanning over four decades.  In some cases Parrish's works appeared as illustrations in several of magazines of his day, such as "Life" and "Colliers."  Parrish also had international success around 1900 when his works were used as illustrations in the classical children's books "Golden Age" and "Dream Days," by Kenneth Graham's books.

Attributes of his artistic technique included the use of glowing colors, achieved through glazing, which involves bright layers of oil set apart by varnish.  In the early part of his career, he often painted women on rocks, then later transitioned to mainly painting landscapes.  His success in book illustrations could be attributed to his passion for reading books.

Consider adding an image of soft glowing majesty from one of America's renowned painters to your home or art collection: Consider the works of Maxfield Parrish.