Fine Art Blog

Category: Original Art

  • Muhammad Ali (signed) portraits by his official artist Simon Bull

    London art gallery Picture Perfect Gallery has scooped a national exclusive and will be the first gallery in the country to sell new portraits of Muhammad Ali by British American artist Simon Bull. The portraits are from a series of works that hang in the Muhammad Ali Museum in Louisville Kentucky and are personally signed by Muhammad Ali. Until now they have only been exhibited in the USA.


    (Distant Thunder, original by Simon Bull – also signed by Ali)

    Gallery proprietor Russell said: “This is a real coup for both the gallery and the City, to have an exclusive UK exhibition of perhaps the most iconic man of the last century is fantastic”

    Bull, who in 2009 was commissioned to paint joint portraits of Ali and US president Barack Obama said: “Muhammad Ali is an icon, not just for sports fans, but politically, spiritually and culturally. His story is a noble one and one that reflects and represents the wider human narrative. His life has been and continues to be an inspiration to a global audience. Bringing a selection of these works for exhibition in the UK represents an exciting moment for fans and collectors alike.”


    (Simon Bull meeting Muhammad Ali & Lonnie Ali in their home)

    Others from the series are in exhibition at the Muhammad Ali centre in Louisville, Kentucky in the USA

    thank you

    James

    Links:
    The Muhammad Ali Educational Centre
    Muhammad Ali biography
    Picture Perfect Gallery can be contacted in the UK on 0845 644 7877

  • National Portrait Gallery – ‘ideath’ Painting of a girl on her iPod wins BP Visitor’s Choice Award 2010

    A picture of a girl on her iPod has become the annual winner of this prestigious prize sponsored by BP. The piece was taken from the ‘Visitor’s Choice’ exhibition that has been on display in the gallery.


    ‘ideath’ painting by Michal Ozibko

    Interestingly this was voted on by people actually visiting the museum, not by some ‘panel of experts’ as so often is the case & visitors where able to vote via a touch screen monitor outside the exhibition – new for the 2010 competition.

    Michal Ozibko, a Czechoslovakian born painter, produced a major piece measuring 65 inches across by 86 inches height & called ‘ideath.’ Nearly 26,000 visitors to the National Portrait Gallery voted & ‘ideath’ received over 15% of those, scooping the BP sponsored Portrait Award for 2010.

    You can see the voting results on the Gallery’s website on the links section

    Thank you

    Jessica

    Links:
    National Portrait Gallery

    Daily Telegraph’s coverage

    The Guardian’s coverage

  • Timmy Mallett – from ‘Im A Celebrity, Get me…’ to the art gallery?!

    In our previous blog on Timmy Mallett, we delved a little into his past & how his love for art began many years ago. Today we will start to comment on his actual art work.

    After his stint on British TV’s “I’m a celebrity get me out of here” 2008, Timmy made the decision to concentrate more on his art & the process of choosing which of his painting he felt where good enough to produce limited edition prints from.

    Many remain surprised to hear that he paints & on viewing his art, are even more surprised at the depth of his artistic talent.


    ‘A Day At The Seaside’ limited edition by Timmy Mallett

    I do feel his painting style juxtaposes his zany personality and wacky dress sense because he often uses sombre colours in his pieces & typically he paints ‘traditional landscape’ subject matter: such as fields, streets and houses. However, I can see that he subtly adds unorthodox colours to his art, brightening up pictures and giving them a somewhat unique ‘Timmy’ style.


    ‘Tower Bridge’ limited edition by Timmy Mallett

    ‘Tower Bridge’ is one such piece. He has added purple and blue as well as a little green, which help accentuate the reflections on the river Thames. I love what he has done with the colouring here, making the piece vivid & eye catching despite being quite dark. To see its true greatness you need to be in its presence as a computer screen can not do it justice.


    ‘Oh To Be In England’ Original painting by Timmy Mallett

    Again ‘Oh To Be In England’ is another painting you need to be in front of to truly appreciate & take in. Clearly painted with the use of oil, the cliffs are built up with thick paint and the sea and the sky have there own unique colours & textures. As you gaze more at the picture you notice the castle on the landmass and to the right of it your eye flickers over to the church on its right. A few more minutes starring & the seagull then comes into view, what a subtle use of white paint to create the little fella. As an artwork it is superb & clearly Timmy has a talent that has only just started to come to fruition.

    thank you

    Vicki

    Links:
    How to paint landscapes with oils
    How to paint the sea

  • Artist Nicky Belton – shes not all bras & knickers you know!

    Nicky Belton is a popular contemporary artist with a lot of influence from the textile and fashion industries.

    Her preferred mediums are handmade papers and bright inks, which she uses to create her Original paintings. This style may sound unusual but it matches her art perfectly. Her limited editions are then reproduced from these original works.


    ‘Naughty Little Number II’ limited edition print by Nicky Belton

    Nicky Belton is most well known and loved for her pictures of corsets and other lingerie, however she also paints cats, dogs and female accessories such as handbags and shoes. This means that her art tends to appeal to women a little more than it does to men but I have still heard men say how beautiful her art work is!


    ‘Corsets I’ – original artwork by Nicky Belton

    Her designs are beautiful yet a little bit saucy. Her original art with their intricate designs & colours actually matches the colour & feel of the paper well. The slightly creased, materialistic texture of the handmade paper gives an interesting look to the artwork and I don’t believe it would looks as good without it. I especially like her pictures of corsets with pretty designs of flowers embellished with silver paint. The colours in these pieces are more subdued yet opaque.


    Kinky Corsets I, limited edition print by Nicky Belton

    I think it worth paying that little bit extra for an original piece of artwork, after all, how could one not appreciate more the handmade paper and the hand-embellished artwork? Of course all original work is unique – so when a person buys a piece of her art there will never be another exactly the same & that is another reason buyers prefer them. I have heard several viewers say that if only Nicky actually made the lingerie accessories she paints, because they would buy them!

    Links:
    To learn how to make your own paper
    How to buyer Lingerie for your body type