Art - The Answer for the "Hard to Buy For" Question

You love them dearly but they sure do stress you out around gift buying season. Who am I talking about? That hard to buy for person on your list. Fortunately, art is a great way to please someone with something they will enjoy for years to come and you have so many choices when it comes to making a gift of art.

Fine Art Prints are the Bomb

Let's talk fine art prints as gifts. There are so many amazing choices. Major artists like Thomas Kinkade, Terry Redlin, Robert Duncan and Pino all have limited edition prints. Many people begin collecting art from getting their interest peaked in an artist or a particular style of art by getting a gift. The beautify of a limited edition is only so many are made in a series, the artist is usually involved from start to finish and they are usually signed by the artist.

It's not like someone slapped a completed painting on a copy machine and sent you the print out. It's a lot more involved than that and you're not limited to getting a print on paper, often there are prints produced on canvas. It's fun to watch the market year after year and see if your limited edition grows in value, often they do. 
See our fine art prints showcase.

Designer Decor 
For the ultra-hard to please on your gift giving list, that is also a lover of designer decor - consider the fantastic productions out of Paragon. From living rooms to kitchens to all rooms in between (including kids) there is a Paragon design to suit every taste. See the huge number of selections Paragon offers in our showcase.

Sculpture Lovers
A sculpture makes a fantastic gift and there is literally something for every taste in our gallery. From religious to fantasy to western to bronze and more. 

If you have someone that collects frogs - you can find a sculpture to make their eyes bright and their smile huge as they unwrap your gift of art. This Mark Hopkins sculpture "Found a Frog" is a great example of the humor in his work. 

See all the sculptures available in our showcase now.

Symbolism in Thomas Kinkade Paintings

One of the most intriguing things about Thomas Kinkade artworks is decoding the hidden meanings behind many of the common features he used in his works.

Thomas Kinkade "The Lights of Christmastown"

Let's look at some of his most common themes in his new release "Thomas Kinkade Signed and Numbered Limited Edition Fine Art Print and Hand-Embellished with Painted Accents Giclee Canvas :"The Lights of Christmastown".

In this piece you will see his theme of light. It's more than beautiful glows and colors. It also represents faith and guidance.

Notice the smoke rising from the chimney from some of the homes? Kinkade often used that to bring an element of warmth to that home.

Thomas Kinkade was famous for his rendition of lights in homes, churches and buildings. They were more than just elements to brighten a painting, they also represent traditional family values that Kinkade himself held dear.

The activity in the piece is a lot more than just cars driving, or a tractor moving along at a pace, for Kinkade, the use of people or vehicles in a state of movement represented the constant changes in life that we are faced with.

Two fun elements to look for in his paintings are lamp posts and the letter "N". The lamp post was meant as a reminder of welcoming our friends and loved ones, also it's still the symbol used by the Thomas Kinkade Company. Frequently Kinkade would hide the letter "N" around his paintings, they are difficult to find but you can find them in nearly every one. They are a tribute of love to his wife Nanette. Want to know how many "N's" are in a piece? Just look to the lower corner (it varies whether it is on the left or right hand side) and there will be a number in red. This number is how many hidden "N's" to look for in the painting.

Thomas Kinkade is a fabulously collectible artist and learning his language he used when creating his artworks, you can see that every painting really does tell a story.

Limited Edition Art Prints Are Not Like Photocopies of Paintings

I  was discussing the blog post "Thomas Kinkade and Lionel Trains Celebrate Christmas 2012" with a friend that is so crazy for trains she and her husband actually have train tracks with model Lionel trains running around their house; and she said something that really took me back.

I mentioned that it was one of the last paintings that Kinkade completed before he passed away in April of this year and I felt the limited edition had some value besides the fact it was done by Kinkade.
She said, "I would never bother with a print, they are nothing but xeroxes of paintings, there's no value in that." 
Seriously?
At first I thought she was pulling my leg, and then I realized all the artwork in her home consisted of some gorgeous vintage posters and a lot of art done on canvas by her enormously talented mother and aunt.
I realized here are probably a number of people that feel the same way about prints and they shouldn't.

Fine art limited edition prints are an exact and true copy of the artist's original work. No one slaps a painting on a xerox machine and packs up the copies as they shoot out the bottom on cheap white paper. Instead it's a process. It's very normal procedure for the artist to work through the process with the production team from start to finish. Limited editions are often numbered and/or hand signed by the artist and they usually have value that increases over time because of the limited nature of the production. It gets down to this: since only a limited number was ever available - people got what they got and there's no more to be had. There are collectors that go after specific numbers in a given series.

The quality that goes into a limited edition print run is amazing. 
Along with only a select number being produced, then each print is inspected by the artist and signed, inspected again by The Publisher then numbered, certifying your art’s quality and individual identity.

Robert Finale's "A Winter Stroll"

A great example of a hand embellished Giclee print on canvas is Robert Finale's "A Winter Stroll".
Look at the how brilliant the colors and shades are in this print. His use of light elements just makes this piece pop with life. His attention to detail is amazing. 

Itzchak Tarkay's "Afternoon Tea"

Looking at this piece, you can imagine that someone in any of those windows is looking out and wondering what's going on - perhaps looking the window you're looking out of into the painting.

If you want to see a great example of a print on paper with colors that come to life, check out Itzchak Tarkay's hand signed and numbered limited edition on paper titled,"Afternoon Tea". Itzchak was placed in a Nazi concentration camp when he was only 9 years old and survived. He tends to paint bright colors and subjects that are fast snapshots in time. Like these ladies enjoying an afternoon tea together.
Spend a little time in our showcase and find an artist you relate to and start collecting their works, as you can see, a print can be a great investment.

See the selection now at http://www.gallerydirectart.com/dealer-gallery-of-fine-art-prints---posters.html

Thomas Kinkade and Lionel Trains Celebrate Christmas 2012

"All Aboard for Christmas" by Thomas Kinkade

Thomas Kinkade and Christmas go hand in hand, no denying that. And another icon of the holiday season are Lionel Trains. For Christmas 2012, Thomas Kinkade has paired up with Lionel trains in this amazing piece to celebrate days gone by.

One of the things that makes this piece so incredibly special is that it is one of last pieces done by Kinkade before he passed away in April 2012.

This artwork brings a life a snapshot in time that he himself drew upon boyhood memories that took him back to a childhood when the security of family traditions and remembering what a fun adventure that traveling by train could be.

No one, but no one can capture lights in the sky as well as buildings as well as Thomas Kinkade. The play of light versus dark in his artworks is one the key elements in the reason Thomas Kinkade artworks will meld literally into any decor scheme. If you have a lighter type of decor, the lights in the piece will compliment your lighter items in the room. If you have a darker color scheme in your room you plan to display this piece, the darkness of the Lionel train and shades on the water-tower and other shadow elements will make this piece pop when combined with a darker decor.

Also consider this piece as an excellent housewarming gift for someone who is getting married or setting up housekeeping during the holiday season. It will be a warm reminder year after year.

There are 4 size options :

• 12x18 
• 18x27
• 24x36
• 28x42

There are two styles to choose this limited edition in. Either a Giclee on paper or hand embelished canvas. Either will look outstanding and celebrating a traditional Christmas with a beautifully done Thomas Kinkade calling back to the romantic days of Lionel Trains causing a buzz in town on a snowy Christmas Day, can be the perfect way to showcase your own holiday spirit.
Make this artwork your own "All Aboard for Christmas" Thomas Kinkade.