January 29, 2019

The History of Oil Paintings - Oil Painting Reproduction Company


photography, art, oil paintings, paintings, history of oil paintings

The origins of oil painting date back more than a thousand years and is an artistic practice that’s been utilized everywhere around the world.

One of the earliest examples of the practice reaches back to the 5th century A.D., when Chinese and Indian artists created hundreds of oil paintings in caves located in the Bamian Valley of Afghanistan. 

However, it wasn’t until about the 15th century when oil painting made its way to Northern Europe and achieved its widespread prominence that’s known today. In fact, an artist from the Netherlands, Jan Van Eyck, is mostly accredited with the discovery of the practice after experimenting oil painting techniques on his wood panel creations, which include the famous Arnolfini wedding portrait. 

The practice eventually took off and swept through the rest of Europe to replace tempera painting, which was the most popular medium at the time, as well as becoming the medium most commonly associated with famous artwork from the Renaissance period. 

Today, thousands of works of art have been reproduce by companies that offer online art reproduction service, so that millions of people around the world can hang famous art in their own homes.

Why Did Oil Painting Become Popular?

Both the brightness and richness of the colors are the reasons as the why oil painting has become so popular. Although, the practice has been able to transcend time due to its ability to be adapted to suit an artist’s specific needs.

For example, during the Renaissance period, oil painting artists painted in layers, painting thicker layers over thinner ones, as they slowly built up their medium. This is usually referred to as indirect painting and involves gradually adding more oil to the pigment as successive layers of paint are applied. This allowed the artwork to dry properly and prevented it from cracking. 

Additionally, this practice allows artists to build up their paintings, starting with a heavily toned under layer and gradually building up to a final finished glaze.

Indirect painting remained common until the Impressionist period when oil pigments were manufactured in tubes and artists were able to begin painting “wet on wet”, by mixing the colors directly on the surface without needing to allow each layer to dry. 

Learn more about oil painting here.

photography, art, oil paintings, paintings, history of oil paintings

Today, most artists who use oil paint combine both of these methods into their works.

Another major benefit to painting with oil is that its sheen, translucence, and thickness can be adjusted to suit the artist’s desire. Oil paint can also be mixed with a variety of resins, waxes, and varnishes, allowing the process to be as variable as the artwork that has been made from it throughout the centuries.

Below, you’ll find several examples of famous oil painting throughout history.

The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dali (1931)

This landmark masterpiece is known as one of Dali’s most enigmatic pieces of his career. The work reflects his interest in the achievements of modern science and combines aspects of physic’s most prominent theories, such as Einstein’s theory of relativity, as well as Freud’s research about human unconsciousness and the importance of our dreams. 

Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci (1503 – 1506)

Possibly one of the most famous oil paintings of all time, this masterpiece was created by Leonardo da Vinci and took roughly three years to complete. It is known as the “crown jewel” of The Louvre museum in Paris, France and is regarded as one of the most valuable works of art of all time. 

Experts have many theories about who the oil painting is meant to represent, however, most speculate that the woman is a representation of Italian politician and merchant, Francesco de Giocondo’s wife.

Because it is known as one of the world’s most famous oil paintings, it is also the painting that has been reproduced and reinterpreted the most throughout history.

Learn more interesting facts about the Mona Lisa here: http://www.softschools.com/facts/history/mona_lisa_facts/2140/

The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli (1483)

Known as Botticelli’s most famous painting, The Birth of Venus was a rather revolutionary work of art for its time. This is largely due to the fact that it was the first large work of art to represent a secular, mythological theme, as opposed to being a religious work of art.

The masterpiece portrays the arrival of the goddess Venus, otherwise known as Aphrodite, being born from the sea and coming onto dry land. Although the goddess is depicted naked, the painting is not meant to suggest anything erotic. Instead, her nudity was meant to imply a sort of delicate purity.
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January 15, 2019

Benefits of Working with Local Professional House Painters


home, home and living, house painting

Most people regard house painting as something easy, something that anyone can do if they have the time. It’s not uncommon to find people who only outsource their painting jobs because they claim not to have the time to do the painting themselves.

There are many self-help sites that can show you the basics of how to paint your house. You can find one example here. However, when you try it out for yourself, you just might find that there is more to painting than just those instructions.

Just to help you put things in proper perspective, we will look at a few benefits you can derive from having a professional painter handle the painting of your house or office.

What a Professional Painter Offers

home, home and living, house painting

Time Saving

If you have ever tried to do a top quality paint job, paying attention to color choices, trims and other little things that make the different between a professional job and a shabby one, you will agree that it does take a lot of time.

Let’s assume that you can indeed paint your home perfectly, can you spare the time needed to do this? When a professional painter handles the painting of your house, you can enjoy the luxury of having the time to focus on other important stuff while your home gets a quality of painting you can be proud of.

Better Color Choices

To get the very best of a paint job, the colors for one have to be right. Choosing colors is not just about your favorite color. Yeah, there’s that too but there are other important considerations some of which are shown here: https://www.thespruce.com/choosing-interior-paint-colors-4011484.

A professional painter knows the things to consider and how to pick colors that will work best together. If you allow a pro recommend the colors with which your house should be painted, you will end up with a color combination that will bring out the best of the different aspects of your home.

Better Paint Choices

Did you know that aside from just choosing a set of colors, there is also the issue of the quality of the paint to consider? If the quality of the paint is not right, the quality of the painting won’t be right.

The interesting thing is that it’s not just about the quality of the paint but also about the suitability of the paint for the surfaces to be painted. When you put into consideration all the different issues you will need to figure out before choosing the right paint, you will find that it will be a much easier choice to allow a professional handle these choices.

Top Quality Paint Job

Now, after all these difficult choices have been made, the actual painting then needs to commence. Though to many folks, painting a house is just about applying some paint on the wall, if it was really that easy, you truly won’t need a professional to handle this for you.

Painting a house is an art and so it requires some skill. This kind of skill is acquired over many years of work and therefore cannot be something that just anyone can possess.

Proper Prepping

Aside from the actual painting, what happens before it begins is very important. Let’s start from the prepping of the surfaces to be painted. Did you know that for a surface to be painted, it has to be properly prepped? Unless this is done, the actual painting will not come out well. A professional will know how to properly prep any surface.

Have you seen a place where a painting job has just been completed? It’s usually a very big mess. Cleaning up after such a painting job can be quite a job on its own. When a professional handles a painting job, they ensure the area where the painting will take place is properly protected. Cleaning up after is therefore much easier.

Conclusion

There is no doubt that there is a lot to be gained by using a professional painter. The challenge for some may however be how to find one. A painter that should handle your job should ideally operate close to you. I should be able to find professional Highlands Ranch painters near me if that’s where I reside.

Start your search locally by asking around. Word of mouth referral can be quite effective. You will find it much easier to choose the right painter simply from the reviews and recommendations you will get from folks who have previously worked with them.

It takes just one experience with the right professional painter to understand the benefits of working with one.

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January 12, 2019

Car Essentials To Protect Your Car


Having a new car does not end as is. Sometimes, there are accessories that you need to purchase like mud guards, carpets, car cover, seat covers which adds protection to the unit. Here are some car essentials to protect your car.

DashMat Suede Dashboard Cover
This is a dashboard cover for cars and rated on top just because of its features. The features of this dashboard cover are written below:

 This car dashboard covers is very much rich in appearance because it is made up from suede-like fabric. This dashboard cover will help out people to enhance the beauties of their car.

All the vents and sensor openings of this dashboard cover have a pre-cut for a factory finish look.

This cover protects the dash from the harmful UV rays of the sun. This dash cover is available in only four color options and with 2 years of warranty for its usage.

These above-mentioned are the reasons that make this car dash cover on the top in the list of car accessories.

DashMat Velour Dashboard Cover
This is also a dashboard covers that are used by people on a wide scale due to the features it gives to the users. The features of this car cover are mentioned below:

This car dash cover is very much soft and elegant and will help you in enhancing the beauty of the interior part of your car.

This dash cover is made from foam-backed velour. This cover is easily available online at cheap- and affordable prices.

This dash cover is available in 12 colors and has approximately 2 years of warranty for its usage.

ViewShield See-Through Indoor Custom Car Cover
This is a Ford car covers with so many features. This car cover is rated on top with five out of five stars just because of the features it gives to the users. Some features and benefits of this car cover are given below:

The material of this car cover is very much light in weight and can be easily carried and stored by people.

This car cover gives the interior of the car great dust protection. Therefore, this ford car cover is 100% dust and water resistant.

One of the best uses of this car cover is that it is made from custom fit material that means it fits properly on the surface of the car.

This is the car cover that is recommended for indoor use only. This car cover has four years of warranty for its usage.

Sunbrella Intense Sun Outdoor Custom Car Cover
This is a Chevy car covers for outdoor use only. The key features of benefits of this car cover are written below:

It is made up from best fabric that gives protection to car from intense sun environment.

This car covers specially made for water and fades resistance. Therefore, this car cover is 100% water and dust resistant.

This car cover is available in grey, tan and blue color with approx 6 years of warranty for its usage.

This is the best car cover that is made in the USA with 100% UV rays protection. These above-mentioned are the factors or features that attract people to use this car covering for their cars.
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January 3, 2019

What are the Best Pets for Depression?


depression, health, mental health, depression treatments, pets,
photo source
Depression is a silent killer. One of the most prevalent forms of mental illness, depression alone affects 300 million people worldwide. Statistics in the U.S. show that in the past year alone, 16.2 millions adults, or 6.7 percent of the population, have experienced a major depressive episode. That's a whole lot of us. Added to this is the unfortunate fact that depression is a mental illness with one of the highest mortality rates of all diseases due to its link with suicide, especially in young people. Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death of people between the ages of 15 and 34, and the 10th leading cause of death in the country overall.

Scary stuff.

An encouraging aspect of depression is its high rate of success in being treated. In fact, between 80-90 percent of depression cases are able to be successfully treated, which is great news. You can visit BetterHelp.com to know more about different treatments that suits you.

There are many treatments for depression, which means that each individual patient may need a different combination of approaches to improve their condition. One of those approaches is relatively new—using therapy animals to relieve symptoms of depression and emotionally support patients who are struggling in their day to day life.

In this article, we explain a little more about what depression is, how exactly pets can help with depression, and the best types of pets to do the job.

Depression: What is it and How Does it Affect the Brain?

Depression is much more than a bout of sadness. Feeling sad or depressed at times is a normal part of the brain's activity, which everyone experiences. But when feeling of sadness are accompanied by feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness, and continue for long periods of time, interrupting your daily life, it may be due to clinical depression.

Depression is often referred to as a 'chemical imbalance' in the brain, however in reality, it is much more complex than that. Researchers think that depression can be down to a combination of a whole range of factors, including faulty mood regulation by the brain, genetic vulnerability, stressful life events, medications, and medical problems. It's believed that the interaction of a number of these result in the symptoms of depression that a patient experiences. While chemicals in the brain are involved in being responsible for causing depression, it's not simply a case of low and high. In reality, there are millions, even billions, of chemical reactions that are responsible for your mood, perceptions, and how you experience life. Each person's brain chemistry is completely unique, a key reason why treatments must be tailored to individuals.

Depression Treatments

As we mentioned before, there are as many depression treatments as there are patients, and not everything works for everyone. Depression is a serious illness, and if left untreated, it could be life threatening for the person experiencing it. The first step is to see a mental health professional for diagnosis, after which a treatment plan can be developed. The treatments that are used for depression patients fall into the category of either psychological or medical treatments.

Psychological Treatments
A range of therapies are available for depression patients. Some of the most common include:

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Interpersonal therapy
Behavior therapy
Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT)
Animal therapy
Medical Treatments
For those with moderate to severe depression, medication may be required as part of a treatment plan. Those needing medication must have it carefully prescribed and monitored by a professional to ensure there are no unwanted side effects.

Antidepressants
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)
Benzodiazepines (tranquilizers and sleeping pills)
Pets and Depression
One of the newest forms of therapy involves using animals to improve mental health. We've long known that pets make us feel better, and they are now beginning to gain momentum as a therapy tool. Pets can help to fight depression in a number of ways, from boosting feelgood chemicals in our brains, to simply providing love, support and emotional interaction, whenever required. Pets can help us to feel we have a purpose in life, which can help depression sufferers to overcome feelings of hopelessness and worthlessness. The perfect pet to help relieve the symptoms of depression is an animal buddy that we connect with.

The Ultimate Pets to Help Fight Depression
If you or someone close to you is struggling with depression, pet therapy could certainly be a treatment option. The best way to approach this is by speaking with your licensed mental health professional, who can help to advise and assist you on getting an emotional support animal. There are a range of animals suitable for treating depression, so we've put together a handy list that lays out the pros and cons between them.

Dogs
Dogs are the ultimate all-rounders as pets. Dogs are perfect to assist with the symptoms of depression, as they encourage their owners to be active and engaged, but also have the ability to comfort them day-to-day. Dogs may be best suited for someone with mild to moderate depression and make a great ESA dog.

Pros:
Friendly and sociable
Highly trainable
Travel well
Permitted on planes

Cons:
Require lots of exercise and care
Some breeds are high energy and can be overwhelming
Need access to outdoors space when owner is not there

Cats 
Cats are the purr-fect low key companions. They do not require tons of energy, so are a more manageable pet for those with depression. Due to their relatively low maintenance needs, they are suitable for those suffering mild to severe depression.

Pros:
Affectionate and calm
Able to live happily indoors/in small spaces
Do not require intensive exercise
Independent

Cons:
Some cats don't travel well
Depending on breed/personality can be aloof
Can cause allergies

Rabbits 
These compact little sweeties make lovely companions for those with depression. Their fur is super soft, so patting them and generally hanging out with these small animals is extremely calming and good for improving mood.

Pros:
Extremely quiet and calm
Soothing to pat
Excellent for very small spaces
Can live indoor or outdoor
Great for those who cannot have dogs or cats
Shedding is minimal

Cons:
Delicate and fragile
Not good with small children

Pets are a wonderful choice for those with depression, providing a holistic treatment that is safe, natural and ultimately effective. Choosing a pet to suit your lifestyle can have huge positive effects on your life and mental health. A pet that you or a family member connects with could end up being one of the most important parts of treatment for depression.

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