Indelible Art

The Art Ministry asked:


Art Investment Guide

Second only in size to the US market, The UK art and antiques market is worth well over £4 billion a year, and holds a global share of some 26% of the world’s total art sales. In terms of volume, the UK is the largest marketplace for art on the planet.(1). In 2005, the index covering sales of old masters showed growth of 18.8%, while the similar index covering post-war and contemporary art rose 8.3%. Over the past five years, the average annual returns were 3.1% and 17.7% respectively.(2). That’s a better return than investing in stocks and shares.

Buying art can represent a fantastic long-term investment opportunity. In order to help you make an informed decision on the art you buy through The Art Ministry website, we have put together some key considerations to bear in mind when selecting work from our galleries. With over 25 years’ experience in the art market, our team have followed the same steps to ensure all work available in our Online Store is fairly valued.

1. Buy what you like

It’s important to trust your own taste when buying art. Our aim in providing this collection is to offer artwork for every budget that adds interest to your home or office, a talking point that enriches your environment and lifestyle. Great art needn’t be expensive, and buying artwork should primarily be an expression of your own personality. Like stocks and shares, the value of artwork can go up or down, so it’s crucial you buy what you like and can afford. Ultimately the true value of art is in the pleasure or feelings it evokes. The more people that find it appealing the more demand increases, which inevitably increases the value.

2. Do your homework and understand the value of the work

When you view a piece of artwork to buy, pay attention to detail. If you look into the way it has been physically created, how much time it took and the journey the artist went through in producing the piece, you will come to appreciate the skill of the artist and the effort involved in making the work. When it comes to value, don’t be taken in by the medium either. For example, oil paintings are in general more expensive than watercolours, but the latter can require more skill to achieve the desired impression.

The more artwork you look at and the more background information you obtain on various artists and how they work, the more you will learn what you like and why. Comparing the merits of a work with other artist’s work will help you determine the inherent value in any given piece and assist your buying decision. If you want to know what similar work has sold for, use a source like The Art Sales Index, which has catalogued art prices since the 1950’s, or the Mei/Moses Fine Art Index, which tracks various auction price indexes and compares them to the stock exchange to gauge relative performance.

The comparative merits include:



The artist’s exhibition history

The nationality of the artist

What country the artist works in

The medium the artist uses

The size and dimensions of the piece

The price their work has sold for in the past

3. Buy from a reputable dealer

Only buy artwork from a reputable dealer. The best ones will provide extensive background information on the artists in their portfolio, giving details on how they work and what inspires them. Knowing the artist’s passion might also help you find a work that is right for you. Click here to read ‘About the Artists’ at The Art Ministry.

Reputable dealers will also provide a ‘Certificate of Authenticity’ with all original and limited edition artwork sold. This will be signed by the artist and proves the work is 100% genuine and has been accurately valued. These also include the following information:



The title and visual description of the artwork

Edition numbers and collection details

Materials and techniques used

Size and dimensions of the work

The copyright holder

Distributor details

Release date of the artwork

Printer’s details if relevant

Comments from the artist

Notes on caring for the artwork

Sources:

1. The House of Commons Select Committee on Culture, Media and Sport (Sixth Report)

2. ‘Is it just art, or is it investment?’ by Joe Bolger, Times Online 17th April 2006, quoting figures from the Mei/Moses Fine? Art Index

If you require more assistance with buying art from our website, please to contact us, alternatively, feel free to browse our to view the work of all our artists.

Looking for tips and advice on art and design, visit our blog.

Donna Clovis asked:


Once an industrial section of cold cement warehouses and rusting rail yards with a flurry of yellow taxicabs passing through, Chel­sea now sparkles with art galleries, trendy new restaurants and its first expensive residential explosion. The conversion has been gradual with an unusual symbiotic relationship be­tween the industrial and the art mart.

The photography gallery of Yossi Milo exists upstairs from a taxi garage. The PaceWildenstein’s Minimalist mausoleum on West 25th is down the street from old artist’s coops. Elite art collectors rub shoulders with auto mechanics as they walk through the streets. But despite this unusual relation­ship, after more than ten years of growth, the Chelsea neighborhood possesses more than 250 galleries that extend from West 13th to West 29th Streets and from 10th Avenue to the West Side Highway in Manhattan, about twice the amount of galleries SoHo had in the early 1990’s.

The migration to Chelsea is a large scale New York City event that has never hap­pened before. All species of art galleries exist in Chelsea in different stages of development. Its crop of galleries consists of parallel reali­ties catering to different audiences and mar­kets from the avant-garde to the academic. With art from places as far as India and as close as Williamsburg, Chelsea reflects con­temporary art’s global marketplace.

"Chelsea is now the dominant mar­ketplace for art culture in New York," said Renee Vara, an Adjunct Professor at New York University and Lecturer at Guggenheim Museum, where she teaches art history, art theory, and museum studies, and is a private independent curator and art historian. "It offers efficiency and a separate enclave with a collective and attractive element."

The breakthrough into Chelsea be­gan in 1988 with the opening of the Dia Foun­dation, now Dia Center for the Arts. This cul­tural pioneer set up camp in a vicinity where spaces were large and rents were cheap. By late 1994, Matthew Marks, then a young Up­per East Side dealer, expanded to West 22nd Street and started the "art party scene" in the new neighborhood. At the time, it was impos­sible to predict how Chelsea would be trans­formed or how fast changes would happen.

Paula Cooper arrived in 1996. Cooper had opened SoHo’s first art gallery in 1968 and then joined about 15 other art dealers and moved to far west Chelsea. The space in Chelsea opened in an old garage on West 21st Street, between 10th and 11th av­enues. Because of Cooper’s prominence in the art world and her role in developing SoHo, many art and real estate entrepreneurs took her move as a sign that the neighborhood west of 10th Avenue and bound by 20th and 26th streets was about to be transformed.

The transformation of Chelsea was the answer for rents that had spiralled out of control in SoHo. With most galleries renting and not owning their spaces in SoHo, galler­ies sought out new ventures in other territo­ries where rents were cheaper or the option of owning a building was presented. The idea of Chelsea was ripe for its time when the art world was ready to break old traditions with SoHo. They found them in Chelsea.

As Chelsea dominated the art scene, Mary Boone signaled another stage in her personal evolution as a dealer by estab­lishing a Chelsea branch of her high profile gallery. Gluckman Mayner Architects created a dramatic Chelsea gallery for Boone. Rich­ard Gluckman’s association with Boone dates back to her days on West Broadway. He also designed her gallery at 745 Fifth Avenue.

Boone opened her first space in SoHo on Broadway in 1979 moving into the same building that housed Leo Castelli and Ileana Sonnabend’s legendary galler­ies. Boone later looked for space on 57th Street in the traditional neighborhood of the New York art world.

The layout and details of the Chel­sea gallery originated from the design of her uptown space. The architect created a pow­erful juxtaposition between the details associ­ated with his work and the rugged quality of original wood trusses and wood plank ceiling, which are exposed arcing over the space. The floors are steel-troweled concrete slab, which mimics the floor treatment uptown. And the fa-cade’s storefront of translucent glass reminds one of Gluckman’s design at Boone’s West Broadway gallery. In Chelsea, all three rooms receive natural light by way of the translucent storefront windows in the reception area and through a small central skylight in the rear. The 12-ft.-wide main exhibition area contains a translucent skylight that traverses the entire length of the 24-ft.-high display wall. Spot­lights provide additional lighting.

As the Chelsea area continued to transform, people moved into the area’s first pricey loft conversion on West 22nd Street. Savanna Partners, a young real estate development firm, bought that property at a July 1994 auction for $3 million. Because of zoning requirements, it took Savanna Part­ners one and a half years to get approvals, even though there was very little manufac­turing activity and little hope for any more industrial growth.

Today, Savanna builds huge lofts and rents the street-level spaces to galler­ies and restaurants. Not far to the south, on 17th Street, World Wide Holdings Corp. does something similar, and the Meatpacking District of the far west Village has practically disappeared as old warehouses are being-turned into apartments.

Among Chelsea gallery spaces are other SoHo exiles like John Weber, Barbara Gladstone, Metro Pictures, 303 Gallery, Bose Pacia Gallery, and Agora Gallery.

"Chelsea affords you access to critics and curators that make the rounds regularly to look at galleries," said Dr. Steve Pacia, co-founder and co-partner with Dr Arani Bose of the Bose Pacia Gallery on West 26th Street.

Bose Pacia Gallery, established in 1994 in SoHo, was the first gallery in the West specializing in contemporary art from South Asia. During the last ten years, Bose Pacia has held over 30 exhibitions and is internationally regarded for promoting the South Asian avant-garde. Visual artists from South Asia work within a unique space that is informed by many cultures, languages and re­ligions. Bose Pacia fosters an active discourse between these artists and the international art community by featuring exhibitions that contextualize contemporary art from this geo­graphic region within its rich artistic traditions and current social tensions.

Established in 1984 in SoHo by a fine artist, Agora Gallery more than doubled its space when it moved to Chel­sea in 2003. A gallery without borders, Agora was one of the pioneer galleries pro­viding representation to both national and international artists.

Recent interviews by its director, Angela Di Bello, in Business News Weekend (NBC) Hellenic Public Radio, and the Wall Street Journal have brought additional atten­tion and visitors to Chelsea.

The New Museum also left SoHo for an interim spot in Chelsea but has closed its doors, with the exception of its bookstore space at the Chelsea Art Museum, for a year and a half until the construction of its much anticipated new building on the Bowery is opened. Designed by the acclaimed Tokyo based company of Sejima and Nishizawa/SA-NAA, the new 60,000 square foot, seven-sto­ry New Museum will be the first art museum building constructed in downtown Manhattan in over a century.

Art Gib asked:


Are you a Washington artist that is just starting to get into the business of selling your work? One of the first things that you should do is hire a Washington art lawyer to help represent your interests. It can be hard work getting a business set up to sell your art, especially if you really would prefer to be just making art and let someone else handle the selling of your art.

Here are five reasons you need a Washington art lawyer if you’re going to sell your work in Washington:

1. To protect your designs — If you are an artist that creates original work you need to copyright and in some cases patent your designs to protect them from being copied or stolen. A good Washington art lawyer can help you start the copyright process that you need to go through to fully protect your designs and your artwork.

2. To go after anyone that steals your designs — Usually all it takes to get someone to stop copying your designs if they have started copying your work or your images is a cease and desist letter from a good lawyer. If you have a good Washington art lawyer on retainer you can clear up any problems with people that are copying your work quickly and easily.

3. To help you sell your art — Many artists that deal in high end art have a lawyer that represents them for sales. This make the process of drawing up contracts and completing sales where lots of money changes hands go much more smoothly and it’s expected for high end artists to have their lawyers handle the details of selling the art.

4. To help you get set up to sell your art — If you are setting up a business to sell your art in Washington then a Washington art lawyer can help you fill out the paperwork that you need to file in order to get a seller’s license and complete your tax information so that you can legally sell your art. It’s important to take care of these things before you start to sell your art.

5. To produce legal contracts — If you are having a gallery or an agent sell your art on commission then you will need to have contracts in place that will specify how much of the final sale price you get, what happens to any artwork that doesn’t sell, and other details that come along with having someone else sell your work.

It’s always a good idea to have a Washington art lawyer look over or even draw up the contracts that you plan to use to make sure that the contracts are legally binding and are in your best interests as an artist.

Jesse Witham asked:


Interior design is a buzzword in today’s modern world. The top interior designers around the Globe consider the walls as the perfect places to decorate a home. Apart from installing different kinds of fixtures and accessories, the interior designers consider the wall art as an excellent, cost effective interior design option. Unlike the costly interior design objects like lighting fixtures, these wall arts are very cheap and are very easy to maintain. People have a misconception that the wall art will fade in time. With the advancements in technology, the wall art can last for a lifetime in all its glory with very little maintenance. For high durability, the wall arts are done using the modern canvas print technology. The canvas art is washable and hence very easy to maintain too. Moreover, the canvas art will be more realistic than ordinary wall art methods.

An artistic approach of interior design

Art forms are known to easy grab the attention of the people. The wall art used in interior design is no exemption. Hence the canvas art in your home will definitely admire the visitors. Unlike olden days when people used to spend thousands of dollars in buying art works for decorating their homes, today, with the introduction of canvas art, people are able to bring home the various art forms to the homes at a very cheap pricing. People can get their desired picture printed as a canvas art within minutes. Moreover, as the canvas art is washable and fade resistant, they require only less maintenance.

Increasing the value of you home with Wall art

The values of the homes are found to be greatly dependant on the wall art. According to a recent survey, the home owners claim that the wall art have the ability to increase the value of a home by more than 30%. Due to this reason, American home owners have spent more than 50 billion dollars in decoration their homes with canvas art. They consider the wall arts as wise investments in their home. Not only in America, but also in all parts of the world, the wall art has gained huge popularity. Hence there is huge demand for the wall arts worldwide.

Selecting and installing wall art

With the increase in demand of wall art, there are different types of wall arts available today. Selection of the best wall art has to be done considering some key factors. First of all, the color of the wall art should match the other interior design objects and furniture in the room. The placement of the wall art is another important factor to consider. The canvas art has to be placed in an elevated position which can be seen from anywhere in the room. The wall art should be able to make the visitors feel comfortable and relaxed as soon as they enter the room.

Bottom Line

Considering all these benefits, the canvas art is a cost effective artistic approach for interior design.

Flor Ayag asked:


Art Galleries are places where art is exhibited and in some cases sold. An introduction to art galleries should explain the difference between a commercial gallery and an art museum.

The make it out art galleries is depleted interchangeably between an actual art gallery where art is exhibited and sold for a profit and an art museum where collections of art are merely exhibited for the enjoyment and education of patrons. For the purposes of right now introduction to art galleries, the former will be used. Although some of the most famous and sizeable operates of art are exhibited in art museums around the world, they are not for sale. The exhibiting of art for the purpose of sale is the necessary function of the commercial art gallery.

A commercial art gallery exhibits art for the enjoyment of the patrons, but the art is in addition for sale. This means so the collections in an art gallery are changing quite ever as works are purchased and removed from the exhibit. The gallery might often have special exhibits featuring particular artists whose works are the centerpiece of special events. In most cases, the art galleries make their profits from taking a commission on the sale of the exhibited art, although in some cases, admission is charged. This is quite rare in the commercial art gallery business, however. In other galleries, the artist pays a fee to be allowed to exhibit at the gallery.

The majority of work exhibited in art galleries are Residual art through paintings being the most common form. Some galleries furthermore exhibit more sorts of art the as sculpture and photography also. Some galleries the specialize in sculpture are also renowned as sculpture gardens and those that specialize in photographs are celebrated as photo galleries. The hard work art gallery is most often used in place of these terms and many galleries feature all of the a good number of forms of art.

The expression contemporary art gallery performs not refer to a style of art, but is used to describe the modern commercial for-profit art gallery. The term is used to distinguish it from the art museum. Many contemporary art galleries tend to be clustered up in certain regions in larger cities. Greenwich Village in New York City is an example of this although most medium sized neighborhoods will usually have at least one gallery for local artists.

There are also art galleries that are artist collectives and not run for profit, but as a place for the artist to exhibit their own works. Regardless of the type, art galleries and art museums offer the public a possibility to enjoy art of all kinds and moreover the commercial galleries allow them the opportunity to take some of that art home with them to add to their own collections.

The Art Institutes asked:


Jacquelyn P. Muller, AVP - Public Relations, (412) 995-7262 Devra Pransky, PR Specialist, (412) 995-7685

(PITTSBURGH - September 12, 2005) The Art Institutes announced today that it will assist both domestic and international students from universities in New Orleans, southern Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama universities, which have been closed for the foreseeable future due to the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina.

The Art Institutes will make available both on-campus and online courses that might be able to permit dislocated students to progress in their academic careers during this semester of disruption. Students at a university forced to close by Hurricane Katrina may register at any of The Art Institutes 31 locations across the nation for courses, on a space-available basis, for the fall semester.

The Art Institutes will waive tuition for dislocated students who have already registered and paid tuition at their home institution for the fall 2005 semester. If dislocated students have not yet paid their tuition at their home institution, they will be assessed the lesser of the current published tuition and fees at the home institution, or The Art Institutes’ published tuition and fees for the fall semester, as determined by the school president.

“The Art Institutes strives to assist college students who have been affected by Hurricane Katrina,” says Dave Pauldine, president of The Art Institutes. “The Art Institutes offers this initiative as a way to reach out to the students in the Gulf Coast region whose lives and education have been impacted by Hurricane Katrina and do what we can to assist those students.”

The Art Institutes is a group of 31educational institutions located throughout North America. Offering a broad range of programs including: audio production, culinary arts, culinary management, fashion design, fashion marketing, graphic design, industrial design technology, interior design, media arts & animation, multimedia & Web design, photography, restaurant management and video production. Not all programs are offered at all schools.

The Art Institutes operate in Atlanta, Arlington, VA (as The Art Institute of Washington), Boston (as The New England Institute of Art), Charlotte, Chicago and Schaumburg, IL, Cincinnati (as The Art Institute of Ohio - Cincinnati), Dallas, Denver, Fort Lauderdale, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles (as The Art Institute of California - Los Angeles and California Design College), Miami (as Miami International University of Art & Design), Minneapolis, New York, Orange County, CA, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Portland, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Tampa, Toronto , Vancouver (as The Art Institute of Vancouver, York, PA (as Bradley Academy of the Visual Arts) and The Art Institute Online, a division of The Art Institute of Pittsburgh.

Students seeking additional information about The Art Institutes’ initiative can view the policy in its entirety at (www.artinstitutes.edu/katrina) or call the National Admissions Information Center at 1-888-328-7900.

The Art Institutes (www.artinstitutes.edu), with 31 education institutions located throughout North America, provide an important source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary professionals. The parent company of The Art Institutes, Education Management Corporation (www.edmc.com) is among the largest providers of private post-secondary education in North America, based on student enrollment and revenue. Student enrollment exceeded 66,000 as of fall 2004. EDMC has 71 primary campus locations in 24 states and two Canadian provinces. EDMC’s education institutions offer a broad range of academic programs concentrated in the media arts, design, fashion, culinary arts, behavioral sciences, health sciences, education, information technology and business fields, culminating in the award of associate’s through doctoral degrees. EDMC has provided career-oriented education for over 40 years.

vernie evangelista asked:


A friend of mine due to hard times has sold some of his properties and one is a painting that belongs to his family years ago. He was astonished to know the “market value” of the said painting when he had it for appraisal. He doesn’t realize what he had been admiring at their living room as child turns out as to what it can be considered a masterpiece!

Art can be lucrative if you had the eye and if you can research a little.

BUYING ART FOR THE NEWBIES

It is not simply for art for art’s sake. You must really know what you want and if you are planning to display it at your house, condo or building. As art is very broad in terms of styles and kind. Asked yourselves if you want a landscape, an abstract, a still life, a pen and ink etc…

How much is your budget? How much are you willing to pay? Most paintings now a days are competitively priced but usually…if you are buying from a relatively unknown artist it can prove to be affordable and the same time it can also be gamble ( hoping the art or the artist in the future can turn out to be another Jackson Pollack, Picasso or Juan Luna).

Well known artist or established artist works are usually high priced but it can prove to be worth your money in the long run. The market value of the art you bought is usually tied up with just how well respected or career driven the artist was. The tendency is his or her price would surely go up if there is a demand for it especially if that artist becomes a national artist—you hit the goldmine!

When buying art works, it pays to asked around either an art curator, professional art dealer, an art gallery owner or used to your advantage harness the power of the net. But really nothing beats when it is recommended by close friends or relatives.

 BUYING ART FOR BEGINNERS

 1) You must know the difference between buying oil, watercolor, pastel or acrylic. It is important to know what art materials are involved with the creation of that art work you are buying. Materials used by the artist should be high quality so the colors would be preserve or retain for a long, long time.

 2) Decide if you are going to buy directly from the artist itself, to an art dealer or go straight to the art gallery. Consider the framing, delivery and other services involved when negotiating with the price or what is included to your payment.

When buying through an art gallery, you usually get to know the profile of the artist and essentially getting a proof or certificate that what your buying is real not fake (as in original) and also verify if it has several reproductions already such as the print version.

If you are buying directly from the artist, you have the option to ask for an authentication paper complete with the artist’s signature.

3) Regardless if what you bought is from a relatively unknown artist or considered a masterpiece, you should also know how to preserve or maintain it. As time goes by it will be moisture and humidity to be the art pieces main enemy! Colors can fade. A retouch might be needed. Furthermore, don’t expose the painting to the sunlight as the harmful ultra violent rays can affect the colors of the paintings.

4) Your art should reflect your aesthetic taste. Choose art that can help you relax like a landscape or underwater. An art that can make you think like abstracts, an art that reflects your dreams and fantasies like surreal paintings. It brings out your personality and something that brings a certain kind of fulfillment—one that you can be truly proud of hanging at your walls.

5) You must remember value or price of your art work will not go up over night. Hence, treat it like a mutual fund or a time deposit. 

6) Always buy from reliable sources. The traditional way is still the best there is.

FACTORS TO CONSIDER WHEN RE-SELLING YOUR ART

1) Finding a prospective buyer is not easy. Unless, you have a cultured/art loving network. You can off course go through the expert hands of an professional art dealer or art gallery owner but they also get a great deal of share of your selling price.

2) Keep all the receipts, relevant documents like a copy of artist resume or any proofs of ownership. Especially if is a high end piece of art work.

Later on with enough experience you can build a collection that you can benefit from it in the long run. Always remember…time is your friend; don’t assume you can profit from your art work right away. The good news is…art doesn’t really decline instead its price usually goes up!

In the meantime, enjoy that priceless beauty of the art work you had purchased.

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Michael Bridges asked:


Being an artist myself, I know how hard it can be to sell your art in the real world that is one reason you might what to try to sell your art online. A few years ago I decided to start selling my art online and I’m glad I did. Now, I’m not getting rich doing this, but I have made more sells online than I ever did in the real world. Plus I don’t have schlep my artwork from place to place.

Lets just take a look at some reasons you should consider selling your art online.

Convenience

In the real world you have to sale your art in galleries, art festivals, fairs, libraries or any place that will allow you to place your art and sell it. Now consider you have to pack up your artwork and carry it to these places and in some of cases hung the work yourself. Also consider that the pieces that don’t sale you have to take them down, pack them up and carry them back to your home or studio

However, when you sell your art online you just put up some photos of your artwork on a website with some information on the size, medium and price and depending on where you put it you may be able to keep your artwork there indefinitely. Even if the artwork doesn’t sale on a site where it has to be removed, all you have to remove is a photo and some information. No packing and no carrying bulky paintings back and forth.

You Have Total Control

By selling your art online you take over total control of your art career. No more middlemen telling you how much to price your art for and then taking a cut of your money when the art sells. Galleries will take anywhere from a 40 to 50% cut of your art sales. Art Festivals will charge any where from $200 to $500 fees just to be in the festival and demand that you have a certain amount of inventory, which you have to pay for. If you don’t sell anything at the festival you are just out all of that money.

If you sell your art online you can decide when where and how long you have your art up on a website and although there are some sites that may charge you to have your art on them, most of the places are free and the ones that do charge it’s usually a very small amount. Also most places where you can sell your art online will let you set your own price and won’t charge you a commission. So you can keep 100% of your art sells. Also on most places that allow you to put art on their sites, you can put up as many or as little as you want.

A Worldwide Customer Base

When selling your art in the real world your art sales are usually limited to the place where your art is at the moment. If you are exhibiting at a gallery your art sales are limited to that gallery and the people that come into that gallery. If your art is being shown at a fair your art sales are limited to the people that see your art at that fair. I think you get the picture. For the must part in the real world your art sales is going to be limited to local or regional sales.

On the Internet you have a worldwide audience to market your art to. Because of selling my art online I now have my artwork in Japan, France, Great Britain, Canada and other places that I would not have been able to reach in the real world. It doesn’t matter where you are in the world you will be able to reach people from different countries. An artist in Italy can sell a piece of art to a buyer Russia or an artist in India can sell a painting to a buyer in the United States. Your online presence is your art gallery to the world.

I’m not saying not to sell your art in the real world, but as you can see by opting to sell your art online you have more control and a wider buyer reach. However there’s no reason you can’t do both.

Christa Kowalczyk asked:


Martial Arts come in different forms and they are not only confined to Kung-fu or Taekwondo, which is popularized a lot in television and the movies. You would be surprised to know that certain forms of fighting are also called martial arts. To learn and practice martial arts, one should be well equipped with the proper supplies.

Martial arts have different origins. The term “Martial” is derived from the Roman god of war named “Mars”. Martial Arts simply mean “the art of war”. Although most people think that martial arts only came from the Asian cultures, it is also found in America and Europe. Martial arts feature a type of combat system that has codes within a single objective of physically defeating a person.

Aside from this, it is mainly used for self-defense against any bodily harm. Some martial arts techniques are actually based on a spiritual or religious philosophy such as Aikido and Judo. This is while others base it on a certain code of honor such as fencing. Hence, martial arts techniques are being practiced as a form of combat sports and some in the form of dance.

Thus, regardless of where the art originated, they have similarities with one another. Each style has a systematized fighting style. They even have forms and routines when they do sparring, which is practiced either alone or with a partner. Martial arts are grouped in a way that each style will focus on a certain area.

Below is a list of samples for each group:

Grappling

• Throwing - Judo, Jujutsu, Sambo

• Joint Lock - Aikido, Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, Hapkido

• Pinning Techniques - Wrestling, Judo

Striking

• Punching - Boxing (Western style), Wing Chun

• Kicking - Capoeira, Savate, Taekwondo

• Other Strikes - Muay thai, Karate, Shaolin Kung Fu

Weapons

• Traditional Weaponry - Fencing, Gatka, Kendo, Kali

• Modern Weaponry - Eskrima, Jogo do pau, Jukendo

For some, most of the styles are well known as a form of Martial Arts technique and only a few would know that boxing and fencing is also categorized as such. At present, most styles of martial arts are being used as combat sports. For the others, they are used in military or police training as a form of self-defense.

Hence, Tae Kwon Do, fencing, boxing, and wrestling are events in the summer Olympics. This is while other martial arts such as Wushu of China and Muay Thai have tournaments held around the world. Aside from this, there are also those, which are regarded both as a form of dance and as a type of Martial Art. Good examples would include the Capoeira of Brazil, Yolah of Oman/UAE, and Buza from Russia.

Here is short description of some of the techniques mentioned above.

CAPOEIRA

The slaves in Brazil created this martial art during in the 16th century. It’s a blend of dance, game, and as mentioned already - martial art, where in, music is incorporated. It’s more of a skill based art rather than injuring the opponent. The players’ form a circle called the Roda, where in, they will take turns in playing inside the circle.

The basic movement in Capoeira is called the ginga, in which, they need to swing and rock back and forth. They should move with the rhythm of the music being played by the bateria. Hence, the players usually use acrobatic movements such as cartwheels, handstands and use kicks, sweeps, and head strikes as a form of attack. They also do rolls and ducks, as their defensive move and as type of preparation for an attack.

Thus, this is more of a combination move for self-defense that makes use of a cartwheel with a blocking kick and an attack at the same time.

BOXING

The ancient Greeks first introduced it as a sport and there are different forms of boxing done around the world. As a combat sport, usually two persons with a similar weight class fight with each other using their fists. There is the presence of a referee, one who needs to watch over and control the fight.

Since boxing is a type of contact sport, certain precautions must be taken in order to prevent injury. Hand and wrist wraps and boxing gloves are worn in order to protect the bones in the hands. During practice or sparring sessions, a headgear is also worn to protect the head and face. A mouthpiece is also worn to protect the insides of the cheek and lips from getting cut and also the jaw joint when the face gets hit.

Boxers practice their punches on a “speed bag” or on the heavy “punching bag” in order to develop speed, agility, and strength. Other training equipments include free weights, jump ropes, and medicine balls. The trainer uses focus mitts as padded targets for the boxer during practice.

MODERN ARNIS

A Filipino style of martial arts founded by the late Remy Preses was created as a self-defense system. Influenced by the style of the Bolo (machete) and the art of Balintawak (Stick-Dueling), rattan sticks are used as weaponry, in which, it is called a “baston” (baton) or cane. Two techniques are taught using the baston - the single and double stick technique.

The cane is considered sacred to the practitioners of the art. This is the reason why, during combat, the arm or hand of the opponent is hit and not the cane. This method was called “defanging the snake”, where in, the opponent will drop his weapon, making him less of a threat. Then this technique has been discouraged a lot from learning the art. This is because it was too painful to learn.

Plus, this caused the Filipino martial arts to become almost extinct! Therefore, what Remy Preses did is to preserve the Filipino martial art via developing a method of cane-to-cane combat during practice. This is in order to attract would be practitioners of the art. Thus, the “defanging the snake” method remains the practical application.

TAEKWONDO

Taekwondo is the national sport of South Korea and perhaps the most popular martial art in the world. It is a combination of self-defense, sport, and combat techniques, which makes it an official event in the Olympics. The training of taekwondo usually involves the use of the power of the hips and legs. It also has blocks, punches, sweeps, and joint locks.

Taekwondo is distinguished from other techniques because of its kicking techniques. They believe that the leg is the most powerful weapon especially with the back kick of taekwondo. The union of the mind and body is developed and practiced in this art, while developing other aspects such as discipline, strength, flexibility, and stamina.

The “dobok” is the official uniform of a taekwondo student and is usually white, and with it, a belt is worn around the waist where its color will indicate the person’s rank.

FENCING

A European martial art that involves the use of swords, knives, bayonets and other similar weapons used in armed combat. Presently there are three weapons used:

• Foil - light thrusting weapon

• Epee - heavy thrusting weapon

• Sabre - light cutting and thrusting weapon

Dueling gained popularity with the Europeans in the 17th up to the 19th century, where in, the cutting style of swordplay became a thrusting style or “foining”. During that time fencing involves defending one’s honor so no duels using sharp blades took place unless a formal insult was made.

After World War I, dueling was almost non-existent and went out after the Second World War. Therefore, the training and using of sharp swords disappeared. Plus, the emphasis was more in the technique and training styles of fencing.

As a form of martial art, the goal of fencing is to be theoretically trained for a duel. In classical fencing, where in the art of swordplay is applied and even expected to become applied in their training for an actual duel or fight, they utilize the standard foil, epee, and the blunted sabre. As for historical fencing, the use of a variety of weaponry with realistic weight will demand a different way of handling them, even affecting the movement of the body.

Today, fencing, as a type of sport, uses protective clothing during practices or events. The complete set includes the following:

• Croissard - form fitting jacket covering the groin with a strap that goes between the legs.

• Gorget - small fabric to protect the neck

• Plastron - under arm protector

• Glove - to protect the hand and prevent the blade from going into the sleeve

• Breeches or knickers - short trousers

• Socks - knee length or thigh high

• Shoes - with flat soles

• Mask - with a bib to protect the neck

• Plastic chest protectors - required for female fencers

Things you need when you are planning to join a martial arts class:

1. Uniform - most students are required to have a uniform. There are available uniforms for students of the following:

• Taekwondo

• Karate

• Judo and Aikido

• Kung-fu

• Ninja

• Belts

2. Protective gears and sparring gears

• Head gear

• Hand gear

• Foot gear

• Chest guard

• Shin guard

3. Weapons

• Practice swords

• Escrimas

• Weapons cases

• Weapons stand

• Knives

• Bo’s and staffs

• Kubotan

4. Training gear

• Breaking boards

• Mats

• Conditioning gears - hand grips, double end ball

• Hand held pads -mitts and arm shield

• Heavy bags

5. Boxing equipments

• Gloves

• Cardio wraps

• Jump rope

• Leather speed ball

6. Exercise equipments

• Medicine balls

• Chin up bars

• Heart rate monitor

• Free weights

• Ankle weights

• Stretching equipment

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‘Creative and Commercial Arts’ are an upcoming and much in demand field today. Those with creative aptitude and good art skills have no lack of job opportunities with a rise in the media, advertising and publishing sectors. To hone the inherent skills, one can avail the formal training which is available for fine arts at the certificate, diploma and degree level at a number of institutions. The course duration could vary from 1-5 years. Those who want to make a career out of it can pursue courses at institutes across India and abroad. To become a successful commercial artist, one must have a creative bent of mind and an eye for detail. Apart from this, for more details visit to www.insomnia-battle.com one needs perseverance and an indomitable will power to pursue this field of fine arts as a profession.

Commercial fine arts could refer to painting, sculpting, applied art, graphic interior design, ceramic design, mural design, metal craft, pottery design and painting. It is important to get training as a course helps one nurture and align the creative energy and gives the technical edge and finesse required to survive in an industry where competition is ever increasing. There is training available at both degree and diploma level. For doing a Bachelors Degree course in Fine Arts (BFA), one must have successfully cleared the Higher Secondary Examinations or 10+ 2. Subsequently, more details visit to www.101-save-money.com for acquiring a Post Graduation Degree in Commercial Fine Arts; one must be a graduate in Fine Arts.

There are many premier institutes in India where Commercial Fine Arts is taught as a subject of study. These include Sir J.J. Institute of Applied Art (Mumbai), Faculty of Fine Arts (Baroda), Kala Bhavan, Shantiniketan, Jamia Millia Islamia (New Delhi) and College of Art (New Delhi).

Sir J. J. Institute of Applied Art is based in Mumbai. It is a state government college that has four departments which offer training for various types of Degree and Diploma courses. The Department Of Painting offers BFA (Painting) 4 years, Post Degree MFA(Painting ) 2 years, MFA (Painting) (by papers) in Portraiture, MFA (Painting) in Graphic Art, MFA (Painting) in Creative Painting. The Department Of Sculpture And Modelling offers BFA (Sculpture) 4 years and Diploma Sculpture and Modelling 4 years. The Department Of Arts And Crafts offers BFA (Craft- Metal Work) 4 years, BFA (Craft - Textile Design) 4 years, BFA (Craft- Interior Decoration) 4 years and BFA (Craft - Ceramics) 4 years. The Department Of Art offers Teacher Training Art Teacher’s Diploma ( A.T.D.) 2 years, Diploma in Art Education (Dip. A. ED.) 1 year and Art Master Certificate Course (part-time) 1 year.

Symbiosis Institute of Design based in Pune offers the following degree programs: Bachelor of Design (B. Des) in Communication Design, Bachelor of Design (B. Des ) in Product Design, Bachelor of Design (B. Des) in Fashion Communication and Bachelor of Design (B. Des) in Fashion Design. The institute tries to offer an optimum mix of traditional skills, new media skills and soft skills.

Other than these, Jamia Milia Islamia, Loyola College, Amity University, University of Calcutta, Rabindra Bharati University, International Institute of Fine Arts, Apeejay College of Fine Arts, Aligrah Muslim University, University of Jammu, Animation and Fine Arts Academy, Anna University and the University of Delhi offer courses on fine arts.

Those who have acquired a degree or diploma in fine arts, commercial arts or creative arts can work as freelancers. This allows for variety and free hand in their projects. There is demand for specialists in drawing in the publishing industry and newspaper houses as illustrators, cartoonists, and designers. Those who are good at applied art have unlimited opportunities in advertising agencies as graphic artists, designers, visualisers, and creative directors. Trained artists have a wide arena of options in front of them, ranging from working in art studios, advertising companies, fashion houses etc. Other related careers are teaching, direction, photography, television, clothing and fashion, as art directors for magazines, on-line services, software companies, manufacturers, promotion and product design.

In the television and media field, one could design the non verbal presentations for television programmes involving trade figure analysis, election results, etc. A commercial artist can also design stamps and letter heads for government organizations. Software firms in India require experts in commercial fine arts as ‘Graphic Equalisers’.

Apart from working in India, one can also explore career options abroad. One can organize exhibitions and auction his creations abroad. Then, there is an option to conduct various workshops on fine arts and its related fields. Other related option is to be art critic and write reviews for various art magazines which are quite popular abroad. Thus, there is no dearth of job options for skilled and trained artists in creative arts, fine arts and commercial arts. After a course from a good institute, one can land a job with either a good company or work on his/her own and earn name, fame and wealth. This field can give one high visibility and recognition with one good piece of art.

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