Purrr-fect Gifts for Cat Lovers

Cats are interesting creatures to say the least, and they come in as many sizes, colors, and shapes imaginable. People have debated for centuries over whether cats can be taught to do tricks, or if they can really fit into the classification of being intelligent. However, for the cat lover, these things are unimportant. We can love cats simply for being what they are.

Cats provide a loving presence, and maybe it's just the feeling of a cat cuddling up next to you that symbolizes love and warmth. It doesn't hurt to feel that wonderful vibration when cats purr either! And, just think of the joy you feel when your cat is had a tasty meal. There's nothing better than watching a cat lick its whiskers. When that happens, somehow it makes life feel good through and through.

Cat's can be of tremendous help if a person is sick or under the weather too. They seem to intuitively sense the need for a person's attention, and in giving it in their own unique way; they serve a wonderful purpose in making that person somehow feel better. Be on the lookout though! Cat's are legendary for being finicky, and it's this almost human-like quality that makes them so endearing.

Cats live long lives, and we can enjoy them for many years. Often, the passing of a cat is equivalent to losing a loved one. Steve Hank's limited edition, "The Cat's Lair", is the perfect celebration of those little furry gems we just can't seem to live without.

Get Rid of the Stress - Relax

There's nothing like having a home that is inviting and relaxing for friends or family. "Relaxation" by Patricia Govenzensky" is a beautiful work of art that says it all in the stroke of a brush. She is fast becoming a rising star in the International world of art, and is well known for her richly textured acrylics and watercolors. Her paintings offer center around "romantic" mysteries, and her use of watercolors are able to evoke feelings of intense happiness or sadness in her characters.

This is a superb work of art that will enhance any room décor. The colors are vibrant, and represent every major color on the spectrum. This means that it immediately becomes a perfect match for any wall in the home or office. And, let's face it! It's a great conversation piece. Great art that evokes an emotional response is what make are great in the first place.

The vibrancy and life in her work is perhaps a result of her youthful years in Tel-Aviv, where from a young age she was enrolled in art courses sponsored by the Tel- Aviv Museum. Later, she studied at the Avni Institute, and continued to expand her knowledge at the Ramat Hasharon Art Academy, where she graduated with honors.

This is art that has the ability to create a relaxed mood-of which we can never have too much of. Your orders will usually ship in 3-9 days, and may take a bit longer if you're ordering "custom framed" products, so if you're getting this outstanding piece for a gift, order a 2-weeks or so in advance to ensure you'll have your beautiful piece in time.

Decorate By Season - Think Summer!

It's hard to design for summer in your decor when snow is still on the ground, but many people do as much entertaining in the summertime as they do in the December holiday season and they want their homes to look a little different in the summer and reflect and warmth and life of the season. A beautiful hand signed artwork of Sueellen Ross. "Summertime and Living is Easy" is the perfect suite to celebrate the long awaited summer, and compliment your art collection.

Flowers and a sassy cat are the highlights of this design and the bright colors will enhance and yet, not overpower your room. This design is a beautiful mix of media including watercolor, India Ink, and pencil. These cats will tempt you to find an easy chair in your favorite spot on the front porch, or that hammock strung between two trees out in the back yard, kick back and enjoy the day with family and friends.

An exceptional artist, the works of Sueellen Ross have been exhibited worldwide, and she has been listed in Who's Who in American Art since 1987. The love of painting comes natural, and her two cats are no doubt inspiring. There's an almost "playful" attitude that she's able to bring to bare in all of her works. And, it's this spirit of pureness and realism that touches the heart of those that love animals.

Her attention to detail is most impressive, and no matter what the background in her painting, the animals seem to dominate in a graceful and playful way. She's able to capture her animal's personalities in a way that no other artist of her caliber can. Add some summer breeze to your room with this refreshing artwork!

Patriotic Art for Election Year

You don't have to just get your patriotic spirit on during the summer months around the 4th of July. This is election year and there's plenty of reason to celebrate your American spirit all year round!

For many reasons, people look forward to having a great celebration with their friends and family members on the Fourth of July. Go ahead and have your gathering now. It might be a little cold outside but as the old saying goes, "When the heart is warm the home is warm" and you can fill your home with warmth by sharing good times with your family and friends and you don't have to wait until the 4th of July. Host a debate party and watch the candidates in action. Invite friends from both sides of the political spectrum (establish ground rules to keep it friendly though).

You may want to rev up your walls for some get togethers and include a new piece of art that will invigorate the patriot in all of us. One magnificent choice in patriotic artwork happens to be the limited edition print entitled "The Dream Keepers". This fun piece features children, who truly are our future putting up a flag. This is a great piece that will start a lot of conversations from the colors and attention to detail used in the creation of this beautiful artwork.

Celebrate Halloween 365 Days a Year

Do you love Halloween? Do you find your decorate more in October than December? Then we have something you will love!

Tim Burton made The Nightmare Before Christmas where Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King decides that he can do the job of one Mr. Claus a lot better with some scary and hilarious results. The Nightmare Before Christmas broke the mold in the stop-animation field, and still remains to this day one of the most popular films for collectors of memorabilia.

Certainly, when you love a movie such as this incredible feature from the Walt Disney Studios, you simply cannot wait to get your hands on some of the great pieces that come out to decorate your walls with. You may even see that it is difficult to enter into any mall without seeing two or even three stores that are filled with images and figurines of Jack Skellington and his little dog Zero, or even the Mayor, Sally or Lock, Shock and Barrel.

If you are truly looking for the ultimate in Nightmare Before Christmas memorabilia, perhaps it is just about time you decorate your walls with "Trick or Tree". This is a gorgeous framed giclee triptych, which features a tri-fold design. No matter where you place this wonderful limited edition giclee within your home or apartment, you are sure to have fond memories of this amazing film each and every time you glance at it upon your wall. A magnificent find for a collector and an equally incredible gift for the fan, this Nightmare Before Christmas piece is a must have.

Meditation The Other Fine Art

Do you find yourself just thinking about collapsing at the end of your busy day? Between the kids, your partner, your job, your social obligations and then personal errands, it can be difficult to relax and many people have actually forgotten the fine art of relaxation and actually must learn to do it. There's an ancient tradition that can help you relax and you don't need costly equipment to do it. You just need to make a little time for yourself.

Meditation is a wonderful way to teach your body to unwind and relax. There are many different disciplines of meditation and with a light amount of research, you will find that one that will be right for you. The most basic type of meditation is a combination of visualization and deep breathing.

Flooding your body with oxygen through deep breathing is calming in itself. The technique is to breath in through your nose and exhale long and slow through your mouth. A deep breath or two will relax almost everyone and it's a good idea to take a couple of "cleansing breaths" before you start your meditation.

Make your meditation session your own. If you enjoy music, put some on. It doesn't have to be Eastern Indian; if you enjoy country and western - put a slow song on. Remember, this is relaxation for you and you need to do what you find comfortable. Many people enjoy sitting in a sunny spot and allowing the sun's warm rays to bring their relaxing touch to a meditation session. Another helpful way to get relaxed is to create a focal point. A good way to do this is to have a painting or sculpture to concentrate upon and start letting your thoughts wander as you do your deep breathing.

Meditating daily for about twenty to thirty minutes has been found to help lower blood pressure and increase oxygen levels in the body. If you've been feeling stressed and you aren't sure you even remember how to relax, take up meditation and you'll find that you can feel alot better about life in general and yourself in particular.

The Power of Small Elements

When you're pulling together the entire look of a room, you can use small elements in your design to make the entire look blend and flow as a whole.

When you're adding pieces to your room. Consider the design impact of every single item you bring into the room no matter how small or needed purely for function. For example, if you find you need shelving, a great addition to any room are ornately scrolled brackets. You can do so much more with them than you might think. They can be used as focal points on walls, used for pure function to create shelving that is very individual to your decor, used to set off a fireplace mantel, draw attention to a doorway or highlight an artwork on your wall.

Another way to add a "little" flair to your room is to add a small mirror or even better a small collection of mirrors. Mirrors can do the job of adding the illusion of space to your walls as well as adding some character to your decor. They also reflect light and will automatically brighten a room.

Small statues work wonderfully in most rooms. Put them on a shelf or on a table beside a lamp. If you have a small collection small statues or sculptures, display them in a lighted curio cabinet for extra impact in your room.

There are so many ways to use small items to make your space more "you". If you have a love of small dogs for example, a small lithograph of your favorite breed will meld beautifully into your decor and your interior will still have your personal design stamp.

Think Ahead to Spring

Sure it's cold now but spring will soon be upon us and if you don't have time to go till up your yard to make a garden area, a great solution can be the creative placement of planters around your yard. Not all plants do well in planters but you can make a glorious springtime presentation in your yard if you choose your plants wisely. Whether you choose small, medium, large or extra-large planters, you can make a great display.

In a small planter, put delicate looking violets. For as fragile as they look, they are really quite hardy plants and if you're the type that doesn't remember to water your plants on a regular basis, violets are very forgiving. If you'd like something a little aromatic, try planting some lavender. It has a delicate scent that attracts hummingbirds in the early morning and late afternoon hours as well as butterflies and bumble bees. Two herbs that make a nice presentation in a planter are Rue and Feverfew. Both will produce a lot of leaves and masses of small delicate flowers.

Wild flowers also look nice in planters. When you buy the mixed packets, you are never sure exactly what you'll get but generally they begin blooming in the mid-to late spring and continue until the late summer. Bulb flowers such as tulips and jonquils do very well in planters and if you live in a cooler climate, they will thrive. In the winter, many people advise to dig up your bulbs and wrap them in dry paper and store them in a cool, dark area like a basement or a cupboard in your utility room.

Bring the blooms of spring indoors to your walls with a beautiful piece of artwork that is literally dripping with fresh colors. A gorgeous piece with flowers all around will bring the freshness of spring into your home.

Add Space With Shelves and More!

It's no secret that wall shelves can do wonders when you are looking to add some extra storage space to any of the rooms within your home. While this is true, wall shelves can also be wonderful when you are looking to find great ways to give your decor a little boost.

A great way to set off a wall shelf set is to display a single sculpture or perhaps a set of framed artworks. A single piece on a shelf will lend the idea that the piece is not only unique but also valuable. If you want to further enhance the illusion, choose a reproduction print that is printed on canvas and enhanced with brush strokes. To all but the trained eye, this type of print often is mistaken for an actual artwork. Other people just don't like prints and prefer an artwork on canvas. Printed reproduction piece or not. Many of the canvas pieces are signed by the original artist, just like the original painting as well, increasing the value in many cases of the reproduction piece, especially in the case of a limited edition run where only a set amount are numbered and signed.

If you want to add a touch of "you" to your room. Put a collection of sentimental photos or items on a wall shelf. You could include your now-grown children's first hand prints cast in plaster beside their own children's hand prints to show off both your kids and your grand kids. Other fun items include vacation photos, weddings and more. If it has sentimental value, include it.

Viva La Difference!

No one captures the beauty of diversity better than James Rizzi. His whimsical creations have been delighting collectors for years now.

He is best known for his 3-D artwork where he typically made an etching then printed it twice and hand colored it. One etching was then placed on top of another one and slightly moved over so the other etching could be clearly seen underneath. Windows in buildings, photos, picture frames and various other items would be cut out of the top artwork so the bottom artwork could shine through, enhancing the 3-D appeal of the artwork.

His other serigraphs include the highly detailed, "We're All the Same But Different" has a huge number of individuals with each one doing something different. All of the individuals in the artwork are at a party and each one is wearing something different and drinking something different from everyone else. There are people with flasks, glasses and bottles. This would make an outstanding addition to a living room or a central piece in your bar area.

This serigraph would make an equally good gift if you're looking for an unusual gift for a special friend. When you have a serigraph matted and framed at Gallery Direct, only museum quality archival items are used. The print is protected from touching the mat and therefore no acids can exchange in the papers so there is no break down of the papers used for both matting and the serigraph itself.

With the dark black outlines, a simple black frame would be outstanding for displaying this piece.Choose a double mat that picks up different colors in the piece and you'll have a memorable piece of art for your wall.

Tame Those Large Walls With Art!

Making a small room seem larger is a well-known and often used decorating trick. A less used but much needed skill when decorating your room is the ability to make a large wall with high ceilings seem cozy without making the room seem closed in or substantially smaller.

Putting up a large impact piece is one way to break up the monotony a large wall can sometimes bring to a room. A replica piece such as a Claude Monet classic "Poppies" done in a huge 42-inch by 53-inch artwork will make a stunning impact piece on your wall. The brightness of the piece with an elegant museum quality frame will not only give you the impact you seek for your wall space but an artwork that will last for years upon years to come because it is made from archival items. The print is also printed on canvas and then brush stroked to with a heavy bristled brush to give it an air of realism.

Claude Monet is a still a very popular artist for collectors, however he wasn't as popular in his day. In fact, his first showing of his impressionist art was so ill-received that a near riot ensued and his first outing as a professional artist was considered a total and absolute flop. Undaunted and completely believing in his style of expression, he continued to develop his loose style of painting and eventually influenced an entire generation of painters and continues to be considered the Father of the Impressionist movement to this day. If you don't want to do a huge impact piece, an alternate route you can take is to create a large impact piece from many smaller pieces.

If you have a large wall that is giving you a headache trying to incorporate it into your decor scheme, use these tips and use your wall to give your room some impact!

Build the Ultimate Collection of Oil Paintings

Any kind of art buff is sure to come across hundreds and hundreds of oil paintings in their lifetime. If you happen to be a fan of the look of oil paints, then you would probably benefit greatly from a look into the rich history of this painting method. Over the years, the paints as well as the artists may have changed, however the beauty and the depth that only an oil painting can provide will always stay the same.

In a nutshell, oil paint as the basis for all oil paintings consists of a drying oil that is rich with small pigments of color. This is a slow-drying process that happens to date way back into years as early as England in the thirteenth century. Some of the different ingredients to have been used in oil paints over the years include castor, linseed, soybean, safflower, walnut, poppy seed, hemp seed, sunflower and pine nut oils.

The beauty of oil paints for many artists is the sheer fact that these paints are so slow in drying that they can last in the open air to be used for several different sessions on the same project. Fans of oil paintings are also sure to agree that this is a medium with one of the best ways to blend colors.

A short list of artists who have been known to create some of the most incredible works of art with oil paints include Antonello Da Messina, Leonardo Da Vinci, Vincent Van Gogh, Giorgio Vasari, and Jan Van Eyck and you can get many of their masterpieces available through realistic prints on canvas.

The Perfect Gift For Newlyweds

When you get married, you are more than excited to begin your new lives together. After all, you and your partner are going to be able to build on something wonderful and new that you have created together. Hopefully, along with your marriage you will be able to move into a brand new home or apartment. In this case, you might even want to look into some incredible framed art pieces or sculpture to add to your living space.

While it is not always necessary to completely agree on everything as a couple, the same really does go along with your art purchases. After all, a mix of your two personalities and tastes is exactly what brought the two of you together in the first place. When you are on the hunt for pieces of art to express yourselves in your home, there is nothing wrong with looking for items that speak for the both of you. Some couples compromise and have "his wall" and "her wall" to give both partners a way to express their artistic tastes.

Some newlyweds will actually set up online gift registries for certain home items and gadgets that come from various department stores. Well, for the couple who happens to live and breathe art, there is nothing better than a gift registry of fine art and sculpture, which happens to exist at Gallery Direct Art! As your family and friends are beginning to prepare for your wedding, they can shop online from the comfort of their own home for artwork that you have already selected as a couple.

This is the perfect way for everyone involved to be completely satisfied. All of your friends and family members will have the satisfaction of knowing that you will love their gift, and you, the happy couple can enjoy the artwork for many years to come.

Great Gift for the Hard to Buy For Art Lover

Sometimes, nothing is worse than having a hard time when trying to figure out what kind of a gift to give the art lover in your life for a special occasion. Do you have a relative who is celebrating a landmark birthday? Perhaps you have a close friend who is going to be getting married or even moving into their very first home. No matter what the occasion may be, if they are into art, then it should be a "no brainer" when it comes to the gift that you should give.

Even though you may already know that the gift recipient that you have in mind loves various forms of art, sometimes it can be quite a bit harder than you would think to come up with the perfect gift. For example, you might know the particular style that they are fond of or even an artist or two that they really enjoy collecting. Yet, art is never something that you can end up picking out for somebody unless you happen to know them really well, that is, well enough to read their thoughts when they lay eyes on a certain piece.

For such occasions when you cannot seem to choose something for your art fanatic, the best possible option is a gift certificate for Gallery Direct Art. You can choose a gift certificate in any denomination, from $25 on up to $500. This way, you can be sure that they will be able to pick out just the right piece to go in their home or office space.

Turn Up Your Decor With Custom Framed Art

If you are spending a good deal of money on a particular art piece that you are simply in love with, then you are certainly going to want to make sure that you have a wonderful place for it in your home or office. Any time you are looking for the best possible way to display your art, you should really think about having it framed. Of course, you could always take your art once you receive it off to a framery to have the work done. But, that can take quite some time and you may even end up having to pay all sorts of extra shipping costs. In addition to that, there is usually nothing worse than having your treasured art in your possession one moment, only to have it off to be framed the next.

When you make your art purchase from Gallery Direct Art, you can choose the option to have your painting or print custom framed and then delivered to your home or office. Included in this beautiful framing service, you will get your purchased print along with a stunning, solid hardwood frame moulding, and picture glass. You will even receive all of the hardware for hanging so your artwork is ready to place in your desired space from the very moment that it arrives.

Custom framing is the perfect choice for the savvy art fan. You will also find that custom framing can be just right as a gift for anyone on your shopping list.

How Do You Spell Cozy? K-I-M-B-L-E

Have you ever had the chance to visit a home where you felt comfortable and cozy from the very minute that you walked in through the front door? Unfortunately, this is not a feeling that you can experience with every home that you visit, however it is quite possible when you stop by a home that is decorated with wonderful country artwork. If you have ever been in a home decorated with such a style, then you are already more than aware of the calming and soothing effect that such decor can have on the human soul.

If you are looking to bring some of that same country feel into your current living space, you can do so with the simple addition of one or more of the wonderful works available by artist Warren Kimble. One of the most celebrated folk artists of his time, Warren Kimble is very well known for his use of exaggeration and incredible, bold color. Whether you are a fan of nautical themes, cats, beautiful Vermont landscapes or fruits and flowers, you are sure to find a bevy of Warren Kimble designs that will speak to your soul.

The nice thing about many of the pieces created by Warren Kimble is that they really stand the test of time. You can rest assured knowing that a Warren Kimble that is purchased today will look just as incredible in your living space twenty years from now. All you have to do is find the right piece for your home and your personality and you are sure to become hooked on this artist!

Add Some Passion to Your Walls!

The artist Hessam Abrishami knows and his outstanding work of art has even released on a hand signed and numbered limited edition giclee on canvas. The piece is titled "Color of Passion" and it features vibrant colors and is a really striking piece. If you're looking for an impact piece for your room, this would make a great choice.

Giclee prints on canvas look like an original artwork. If you want the look of an original artwork without the cost, a giclee print is the way to go. Giclee in itself is a very interesting process for creating prints. The process of giclee was originally created to "proof" art prints to see if the print renderings were ready for mass printing but it was soon discovered the proof was as good as what was produced. The term actually describes any high resolution ink jet printer produced print. Most giclee prints are made with archival inks that are fade resistant and with pigments that hold their light fastness for years to come. Just as serigraph represents any fine art that was produced through silk screen printing methods, a giclee print was produced digitally through the use of an ink jet printer.

This particular giclee is printed on canvas and then mounted, creating a large finished piece that measures 30 inches by 60 inches. The vivid colors will lose none of their impact in the translation from original to giclee and best of all, this limited edition giclee is signed by the artist just like an original piece!

Artwork Fit For the King of the Beasts

Simon Combes is an amazing artist that turned his love of big cats into a large part of his art that he creates. He has a stunning work available in a 150 run limited edition. The piece titled, "In His Prime" depicts a young male lion leading his pride from a muted and dreamily colored background into a bright and sunny plain. You can feel the steam from the African day and the sheer heat that is depicted in this piece.

Simon Combes grew up in Africa and has a first hand knowledge of his favorite subjects, big cats. His beautiful animal portraits and sweeping landscapes earned him honors from The Society of Animal Artists, the Pacific Rim Wildlife Art Show and the Florida Wildlife Expo. In the early 1990s, Combes set out to paint a series of the world's largest cats for The Greenwich Workshop, a project which eventually resulted in the trade book Great Cats: Stories and Art from a World Traveller and included in the book is a collector's portfolio of limited edition prints.

His artworks are collected all over the world and he's a prized artist in both private and public collections. Part of Combes' mission is to raise awareness about wildlife conservation through his art. He is a large contributor and has served on the councils of several wildlife conservation organizations.

Now that you know a little more about this amazing artist, help the big wild cats stay wild and support his art by adding a limited edition piece to your own personal collection.

Easily Enhance Your Decor With Art

Happy New Year! Want to liven up your interior for 2008?

Livening up your interior can be as easy as adding a piece of custom framed art. Getting a custom framed artwork begins with choosing the piece itself. A good way to choose art for your decor is to pick a subject you are interested in or even collect. If history is your interest, consider getting an artwork that features a historically significant location that you've enjoyed learning about; if you have a collection of cats - consider getting an artwork with that as a theme.

Another way to choose an artwork is simply by the colors reflected in the piece. Before you start looking at artworks, sit down in the room you're going to be choosing a piece for and close your eyes for a few minutes. Open your eyes and look around - what are the two major colors in the room? Either or both of those will be the main color in your artwork. Now look around, what are a couple of the lesser used colors you want to bring up in the room? If you have a primarily off-white and dark beige room with dark red accents; you will want to choose an artwork with off-white or dark beige colors and you can further blend the artworks into your decor by choosing a piece that has a dark red accent within the piece.

Now comes the fun part, once you've chosen your artwork, you will want to choose a mat (in most cases, unless the artwork is on a canvas which needs no mat)or a double mat and a frame to match. The frame is the part most people feel a little "stuck" at; but in reality - it's the easiest part of your artwork to plan. If you're going for a wooden frame, look around your room and note the color of the wood used for your furnishings. Get as close to that color and grain of wood as you can in your choice of frame. If you want to opt for a piece with more of an impact on your wall, go for a darker stained frame that won't call attention to itself apart from your artwork.

Nervous About Buying Art Online?

You know that it looks odd, but you are not quite sure if you should say anything. Is this the feeling that you have gotten in the past when you lay eyes on a gigantic piece of wall art on display at the home of a close friend, acquaintance or relative? This is often times something that you will come across because many people are not exactly sure of the right size they should choose for the walls in their home or apartment. Lucky for you, since you have seen the damage that the wrong size can cause aesthetically, you can look into finding a couple of tips that should help you to choose the right size wall art or sculpture every single time.

Chances are very good that you are not going to be able to eyeball the position of every piece of art that you will be placing in your home. Some people will go ahead and begin measuring in order to find the right size for every sculpture or painting. While this may work for some folks, others really need a bit more of a visual aid to ensure that they are making the right choice.

Does this make you nervous about buying art online? Never fear - there is a very easy solution. In order to see if it will be the right size for your wall without overpowering it, you can always take a piece of paper measured and cut to the same size. Go ahead and stick this up to the wall in the position that you desire, then take a look at it from several different angles to see if it will work. If you're using several pieces to create a theme, you can use papers cut to scale and get a real feel for how it will look best on your walls. And best of all you can do this for any room in your home from the kid's rooms to the bathroom to your living room.

Use these tips and make your art buying easy - why pass up the great deals online when you can arrange and choose the best sizes for your walls so easily?