Turning your photos into works of art has become a reality in recent years thanks to improvements in modern technology. Technology and art have been somewhat associated for centuries since it has been suggested that some of the great Renaissance painters might have used a camera obscura to project an image of their subject on to a plain wall so that it could be copied easily, or even directly on to a large canvas which could then be painted over. When photography was introduced the pictures were all in black and white and artists would set to in order to colour them in by hand for a small extra fee.

Nowadays you can simply take a photo in digital format and send it off to a company like photosoncanvas.net who will print it on to a large canvas which is then stretched on to a frame. Thus, if you have a favourite photo it can easily be turned into a real picture that looks like a painting and can be hung on the wall. Your only alternative would be to try to copy an enlarged print using paints such as oils or watercolours.

You can easily find a company online to transcribe one or more favourite photos on to canvas for you. Family portraits are always much in demand, but other subjects such as landscapes would also make terrific pictures on canvas. (more...)

Whilst nobody would deny the skill and craftsmanship in many paintings from great artists throughout the world over the last few centuries, many would concede that often the subject matter is not entirely appropiate to hang on our living room walls today. Pictures such as the Last Supper, the Tempest, the Scream, the Drunken Hercules, the Torture of Madame de la Motte, or the Nightmare, might well be good conversation starters, but are not exactly what you want to see when you come in from a hard day's work.

Contemporary art is extremely diverse and there is a huge amount of work available, often decorative or colourful, and pleasant to the eye, or interesting and intriguing in some way. Contemporary art is often not representational in its intention or expression, but rather more about expressing or eliciting emotion, or providing a vision, a pattern, or a message of some sort.

Some of our modern artists like Banksy are quite unorthodox to say the least. He is of course a graffiti artist and his work is to be seen on public buildings rather than in art galleries although you can buy Banksy prints at quite reasonable prices right now. His work embodies a sense of humour that fortunately is appreciated by many; even the local councils who will often leave his work undisturbed whilst other less pleasing graffiti is hosed and brushed away. Banksy is an accomplished artist with a satirical side like Gerald Scarfe, attempting to tilt at capitalism, the injustices in society, and the establishment. (more...)