Colin Ruffell

AUTHORITY IN THE ART WORLD Authority is “… the confident quality of someone who knows a lot about something or who is respected by other people.” [dictionary definition] This blog is about ‘authority’ in the art world. I set myself the task of writing this post concerning ‘authority’ because there is a new face in town. A brand new sheriff for the art world. And the new authority is [drumroll for effect] the GSA. GSA stands for Guild Society of Artists. It’s a new branch of t

FAT OVER LEAN... Fat over lean is a phrase that comes from traditional artist’s studios. It refers to the sequence that should apply when painting with oil paints. Just like all paint, oils are a mixture of pigment, extender, and binder. Pigment is the colour, usually a powder. Plus the extender which is a neutral powder bulking up the pigment. The binder is the juice that holds it all together. In oils the binder is traditionally linseed oil plus a thinner or solvent such as

A DARK ROOM German astronomer Johannes Kepler was the first to coin the term ‘camera obscura’ in 1604. The word ‘camera’ translates as ‘vaulted room’ in Latin, and ‘obscura’ is dark or darkened. So the term ‘camera obscura’ actually means ‘dark room’. Nowadays the term usually refers to the ‘pin-hole image’. This refers to light showing through a small hole into a dark space. On the surface opposite the pinhole the image appears but it is upside down and right to left, instea

MORE ABOUT ACRYLOGRAPHS from the studio of Colin Ruffell Some artists thrive using established techniques while others enjoy experimenting with new methods. History points a finger at the influence of mirrors and lenses in the 15th century. And in 1502 Leonardo described the camera obscura that changed the way artists understand perspective. Turner was interested in the new invention of photography in the late 19th century but was rather dismissive because it lacked colour. D

A so called ‘elevator pitch’ is a valuable tool in any sales process. The term comes from an imagined scenario where the sales person gets into a lift, or ‘elevator’ in the States, and finds that they are alone with a very important prospect. They have a sudden very quick opportunity to sell. The prospect is trapped, but only for a very short time before the lift door offers a chance for escape. So the sales person should have ready, in their arsenal of sales patter, a succin