As discussed in an article that we have posted at the Laszlo Tar Art Gallery, entitled “Making Watermarks Meaningful” by Kitty Nicholson, National Gallery of Art and published by the American Institute for Conservation..

“The presence of watermarks can help establish the date and place that an artwork was made, but only if significant features of the watermark are recognized and recorded…. The basis of the study of watermarks is that at a given period of time a specific paper mill would have on hand a limited number of papermaking molds, and these molds had a finite useful life.”

At our gallery, the issue of watermarks is of significant importance because 1) a large segment of Laszlo Tar’s original art consists of works on paper (watercolors, drawings, woodcuts) and 2) almost all of these works are created on fine papers that have watermarks. Mr. Tar primarily used papers made in Italy, France and England.

Oftentimes, new collectors of Laszlo Tar’s work voice concern to us when they see the semi-transparent lettering showing on some of his watercolor paintings and prints — and this is completely understandable because the issue of watermarks is rather dated and unfamiliar to most. Indeed, the majority of modern mass-produced paper is not watermarked and therefore to the uninformed, the markings visible on Laszlo Tar’s art can at first seem to be some kind of defect - but nothing can be further from the truth. In fact, when an artist uses fine art paper and watercolor paints, which are inherently transparent (so that the color of the paper actually plays a role as a color illuminator), it is very possible that watermarks will show through on the finished work. And to the historian, what could be more authenticating than to know the types of paper the artist was known to use and then to see the watermarks of those very papers in his creative works. Some watercolor artists do make special effort to paint over paper watermarks, but Laszlo Tar never concerned himself with that issue, as his primary aim was to be purely creative. He always made a point to use the finest papers, paints and brushes, but that was the extent of his concern with his tools.

In closing, the age-old craft of paper making traces its roots from China through the Mideast to Europe. The equipment used to transform raw material into paper has been improved by modern technology, but the process and principles remain virtually unchanged. Watermarks are a wonderful reminder of a highly regarded hand craft that today is largely forgotten and that in Laszlo Tar’s works of art will become an invaluable means of dating and authenticating his beautiful creations.

Be sure to visit the Laszlo Tar Art Gallery at: http://www.TARART.com

Please pass along any comments or questions.

In October, I had the occasion to visit this exhibit with my father, Laszlo Tar, which for me always adds something very special to any art viewing experience. Indeed, the Metropolitan Museum of Art is the place where he, so many years ago, meticulously introduced me to the art world. For my father, many of the artists whose work is featured in this wonderful exhibit are his great masters. I know this, because there are countless books from all of them (and more) in his extensive art library and he would often speak to me about their work in great detail - pointing out similarities, differences and finer painterly aspects. On this visit, I chose to try (for the first time) the audio narration services in the museum, which involves a pair of headphones and a small radio receiver. As you walk from room to room, small notations on sign plaques instruct you to dial into a channel number on the receiver to hear the respective narration. ($5 for members, $6 for non-members) I was quite impressed at the general quality and effectiveness of this service, although I have to admit that when we return for our second visit - which we most definitely will - I will leave this item out, so that I can examine each work even more carefully - without having to play around with the technology, etc.

The art in this exhibit truly must be seen. Many pieces were completely new to even my father. Moreover it is very rare to have such an excellent and rich mix of masters from the same era in one exhibit (let alone one museum) - and again these are not the usual popular pieces either. The exhibit seems to go on forever, but ends all too soon - with numerous rooms, filled with paintings, hand-made books, pottery and prints. The display layout is superb as is the lighting.But what makes this exhibit so extraordinary is that the star of the show is not any of the artists. It is a dealer! Notice that I avoided calling Ambroise Vollard a collector. Vollard was never a collector. He was a master salesman. Everything that came into his hands was potentially for sale, even some of the portraits that painters did of him. And if you take some time to read the associated (excellent) book published for this exhibit - which I highly recommend you own - you will find that Vollard was quite a salesperson. As noted in the book, his hard selling tactics have been admired and studied by generations of art dealers. With artists, Vollard was apparently not the eternally nurturing sort. He could be generous when it served him, but also quite cold and aggressive. Because of this, many of the artists he traded had significantly differing (and sometimes quite negative) views of him as a person. One interesting fact learned for instance, is that Vollard rescued Cezanne, almost single-handedly, from obscurity. Cezanne’s art only became known to the world, through Vollard. Indeed, Vollard became the single greatest source, before World War I, for the spread of the then modernism in Europe and in the United States. Who knows what beauty the world would have missed, had there not been a Vollard! If you have the time and proximity to get to the Met, prior to January 7, 2007, we would strongly encourage you to take in this exhibit. The Metropolitan Museum of Art is located at 82nd Street and Fifth Avenue. For your convenience, the associated book for this exhibit can be purchased at a significant savings at Barnes & Noble via the following link — “Cezanne to Picasso: Ambroise Vollard, Patron of the Avant-Garde”.

Be sure to visit the Laszlo Tar Art Gallery at: http://www.TARART.com

Pass along any comments or questions.

We usually receive nothing more than something like this (an actual recent inquiry) - “I have a painting with a boat on it and the number 322. It is signed. Can you help me find out who it is by and it’s value?” Now, with all due respect to the writer, this kind of request is absolutely useless in helping to get a meaningful response. There is simply a huge amount of missing information that is essential for an unknowing person to even begin to help. For instance, all we know from this example message is 1) the owner has a painting, 2) it has at least one boat on it, 3) somewhere on the painting is the number 322 - maybe on the boat and 3) that is it signed. Some of the immediate questions that come to mind are, 1) what signature is on it (even a guess would be better than nothing), 2) what is the size of the painting?, 3) is it an oil, watercolor, print?, 4) is it framed?, 5) what material is it created on - paper, canvas, board?, 6) where did you get it? and much more.

Unfortunately, the truth is that if your inquiry is poorly written, you will likely not get a response - and you may just be left frustrated and wondering why nobody writes back.Whether it is a painting, photograph, bronze or sculpt, there are some very basic things that can be done to prepare yourself for this kind of research. The first and most fundamental guide is to remember that you are communicating with somebody remotely who has not seen your work of art. They have nothing but your description to go by. And remember, they really have no compelling reason to help you, other than for reasons of kindness - but they are also likely very busy. They will only help you if you make it convenient for them to do so immediately and on the first contact. — This is not like baseball, where you get three strikes. One shot might be all you get. And if you are trying to get the best answer, from the most qualified person, you had better make your first message to them detailed and complete, otherwise it will be pushed aside and possibly never replied to.You can raise the likelihood of getting a useful response to your inquiry by carefully constructing your initial inquiry. Here is a quick list of things that are important to have available and include in your FIRST inquiry. Think of it as needing to covering the complete WHO-WHAT-WHEN-WHERE-HOW about your art.

ART RESEARCH INQUIRY INFORMATION - (include this information in your first inquiry)

Open your message with a brief introduction stating what you are seeking (no long essays, please). Get to the point in one or two sentences and move on to include the following items.

• WHO is it by? - If you know the artists name, state it. If not, state whether it is signed and where it is signed. If it is signed, take a guess at what the signature is (something is better than nothing). Are there any markings like initials or stamps anywhere on the art (including the back/bottom of it)? - many artists, publishers and printmasters also sign or initial the back of their art. Is there a name written somewhere - sometimes there is a name, but no artist signature. You must carefully and completely check the art, front back and sides and note markings of any kind.
• WHAT is it? - Is it a painting, drawing, print, bronze or sculpt? Include the size, color, material, framed or unframed, glass facing or not, weight - if applicable. Is it an oil painting or watercolor? What are the primary colors? - the most dominant colors. 
• WHEN was it created & WHEN did you get it? - Is there a date stamp somewhere on the work? - many artists date their art right near their signature and many publishers and framers do the same - sometimes even on the back of the work. If this is a paper work, is there a watermark on the paper that is visible? Watermarks are often used to validate dates and origins of art. Is there an invoice or receipt or a Certificate of Authenticity that shows a date? When did you receive the work? Was it handed down to you by an older relative? Any time history can be helpful. 
• WHERE was it create & WHERE was it bought? - Is the scene recognizable to you? - ask others for help on this. At least state whether it is a skyline, park scene and point out anything that stands out as the main subject. Sometimes there is something in the actual art, like a building or street sign, book or even the style of dress, that may help identify where (and when) it was created - be observant when looking at and describing the art. From where did you purchase the art? - the city, state and country. Anything about the original purchase may be helpful in finding out where it is from and associating it to an artist.
• HOW did you come to own it? - Again, we are trying to establish the history of the art, so how you received it may help point to a date of origin and artist. Any documentation that indicates ownership will be helpful.

If you have read this far, congratulations because I kept the best suggestion for last!

TAKE PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE ART!
We need images of the front, back, and detailed sectional shots of any markings you noted - especially the signature! Take these sectional images as close as possible - zoom in. Make sure the lighting is good. Use the flash on your camera, if needed. Preferably, use a digital camera. Even if you do not have a digital camera, somebody you know likely does. If not, use an old fashioned print camera, but regardless photographs are absolutely essential to your research success.

In terms of the image format your digital shots, the most convenient is JPG format images with a size of 320×200 or 640×480. DO NOT send larger images, because the e-mail services may reject your message due to size and the images may not be convenient to view for the recipient. When you create your message, attach the (digital) photographs to your message to help reinforce your description.

If you only have printed photographs, state that you can mail them to the person, if they like — but remember that this is not the best approach and your message may be disregarded just because it requires another step on behalf of the reader.
Finally, as you receive responses to your inquiries, you may find out new things about your art. Don’t stop your research until you know everything necessary to valuate your art and artist. Remember, most artists did not just create one painting in their life — and every artist has a story. Add any new found information that you discover to your next or follow-up inquiries. It may be that the new information you found will help uncover yet more details about your art. As with many things in life, the level of your success will be directly related to your persistence.Good luck with your research! PS - Incidentally, at the Laszlo Tar Art Gallery, although our specialty is with the art of Laszlo Tar, we respond to all inquiries - whether formatted completely or not - but you will always get a better, more meaningful response, if you just follow this simple guide.

Be sure to visit the Laszlo Tar Art Gallery at: http://www.TARART.com

Pass along any comments or questions.

For the Laszlo Tar Art Gallery, bringing clarity to this matter is absolutely critical, since we are dealing with artistic material that is limited in nature. Although many of our collectors are initially drawn to the art for personal and emotional reasons, our greater goal is to offer them works of art that have further and growing value in that there is relatively little of it in existence. In order for this strategy to be effective, we need to not only do a good job of informing our audience, but also to protect their interests as collectors with product security and enforcement measures. The very fact that we exclusively control all of our artistic assets, (ie: our product is not sold through secondary galleries or publishers) offers us unique capabilities in this regard that we believe are of tremendous value to collectors.

Everyone, by now, is familiar with the music industries efforts to stop illegal copying of music on the Internet. Their strategy to enforce their copyrights has been to aggressively attack violators, with lawsuits and public exposure. And while this approach has brought immediate public awareness and some positive results to the copyright owners in addressing the general issue head on, it certainly has not helped the public perception of the music industry as one that is innovative, friendly nor the protectors of anything, other than their profits.

So what is the root of this problem? How did we come to believe that buying art is the same as buying bananas, for instance? Are we all inherent thieves of artistic product and violators of the law? In my opinion, this is neither likely nor a very constructive way of thinking. The truth is, the topic of copyrights, licensing and the unique distinction of artistic property has in the past never been specifically touched upon in classrooms or in any general public forum - in a non-aggressive and informing manner - and is barely understood by parents or anyone else for that matter. I believe, we therefore have at the very core a basic educational and awareness problem coupled with an enforcement process that is typically weak and inconsistent. That is not to say that I believe there are no copyright criminals or knowingly violators in the world - that certainly would be foolish to believe - especially for someone living here in New York City . My point is simply that there is likely a significant educational shortcoming and that the topic needs more public awareness through thoughtful instruction, regular public service announcements and clear, consistent and continual enforcement ? almost like the anti-drug effort.

My Call to Action
A few days ago, I received a telephone call from a prospective buyer. He was in love with our art and in the process of opening a New York-theme restaurant in California. He opened the call with compliments about the art and asked whether it would be ok to display it in a restaurant environment. This is an interesting question, because with some artistic material, like movies and music, such public displays without royalty payments is prohibited. However, with our art (and this may vary by artist), after hearing a bit about the restaurant, I felt that there would be enough of an intrinsic returned benefit from the display of the work to warrant an agreement to display it ? without much fuss. Naturally, I would want to see at least some photographs of the installation, possibly even take a visit to the restaurant and then definitely do some win-win cross promotion. I have to commend the caller for actually thinking to ask for permission ? rather than just assuming that if he bought the art, he could do whatever he wanted with it. And had the restaurant theme been somehow incompatible with our art, I would not have agreed to allow it. The story takes a dramatic and negative twist, when after a very positive first call, I received a second one a bit later - this time from the first caller’s business partner. Again, the call started on a positive note about how they loved the art and wanted to buy 15 to 20 pieces, etc. But then the partner goes on to say the following; “You know, we have one problem with your art ? it’s too small. We have very high ceilings and need your images to be larger.” We sometimes get these kinds of comments ? as well as the opposite - “the art is too big” ? so I politely explained the nature of our business and that we sell limited edition reproduction prints and that because of this, the sizes are set and cannot be changed. Now here’s the kicker ? the partner replied; “I understand that, but I would really hate to buy your art and then have to send it out to another shop to have it enlarged.” I pointed out that that would be illegal due to the fact that when we sell our prints, we do not sell the copyrights. He was surprised and my guess a bit embarrassed, because he simply did not understand what I meant. Now here is an adult businessperson who apparently has some degree of business education (which I guessed just from our brief chat) that I felt should be aware of the topic of copyrights - but obviously that wasn’t the case. Without too much more discussion, I thanked him for the consideration and ended the call - because there really was nothing else to talk about - other than a long discussion about copyright law.

A lot of artists and even publishers, might have blown off this call and simply moved on (as we too have in the past ? ie:this is not the first time we received such an inquiry). In general, I like to give the benefit of the doubt to people and it’s a fair bet that in this case the caller had good, honest intensions ? otherwise, he would simply not have stated so bluntly what his plans were with our art (ie: to make enlarged copies). Clearly, he was not informed or educated on the subject of copyrights, which reinforces my earlier notions about this matter. This experience however, prompted me to write this article, the aim of which is to offer a brief overview of this important topic in a straightforward and informing manner. And for the record, I am not a lawyer, nor do I practice law ? nor do I want to.

So what the heck is a Copyright anyway?
I found an excellent point of reference on this topic at a website operated by the Artist’s Rights Society (ARS) at www.ARSNY.com. At this site, the author describes Copyright as follows:

Copyright is a form of protection provided by the laws of the United States (Title 17, U.S. Code) to the creators of ?original works of authorship,? including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and certain other intellectual works. This protection is available for both published and unpublished works. Section 106 of the 1976 Copyright Act generally gives the owner of copyright the exclusive right to do and to authorize others to do the following:

• To reproduce the work in copies or phono records;
• To prepare derivative works based upon the work;
• To distribute copies of the work to the public by sale or other transfer of ownership, or by rental, lease, or lending;
• To perform the work publicly, in the case of literary, musical, dramatic, and choreographic works, pantomimes, and motion pictures and other audiovisual works;
• To display the copyrighted work publicly, in the case of literary, musical, dramatic, and choreographic works, pantomimes, and pictorial, graphic, or sculptural works, including the individual images of a motion picture or other audiovisual work; and
• In the case of sound recordings, to perform the work publicly by means of a digital audio transmission.

In addition to copyright, certain authors of works of visual art also have the rights of attribution and integrity as described in section 106A of the 1976 Copyright Act.

It is illegal for anyone to violate any of the rights provided by the copyright law to the copyright holder.

In this excellent description, the term creator, usually refers to the author of the artistic product (the artist), unless they have somehow transferred or given up such ownership rights to another party (like a music or movie label or publisher). As covered later, this can happen either through specific written transfer or because they worked as an employee of the publisher. So to summarize, the owner of a copyright has the RIGHT to perform certain specific COPY actions with the artistic product and to allow others to do the same. The owner allows other parties specific copyrights to their artistic product by stating such in writing. That is, nothing is assumed just because somebody buys the artistic product. Essentially then, the buyer of an artistic property has bought the personal right to enjoy the art personally - and that is all. They cannot reproduce, duplicate in any way, distribute, perform or display the work publicly without the consent of the copyright owner. Although this might sound quite restrictive and maybe surprising, in most cases, if you think about it, it wouldn’t change what a typical person would do with the art that they buy. ie: hang it on their wall or put it in their CD player and enjoy it. And by no means do copyright laws restrict the sale or transfer of your art to another party.

So Who Owns Copyrights?
Again, the folks at ARS do an excellent job in describing who owns copyrights, as follows:

Copyright protection subsists from the time the work is created in fixed, tangible form. The copyright in the work of authorship immediately becomes the property of the author who created the work. Only the author or those deriving their rights through the author can rightfully claim copyright.

In the case of works ?made for hire?, where an artist has created the work while in his/her capacity of employee, the employer and not the employee is considered to be the author and copyright holder. Where more than one artist created a work jointly, the authors of a joint work are all co-owners of the copyright in the work, unless there is an agreement to the contrary. Copyright in each separate contribution to a periodical or other collective work is distinct from copyright in the collective work as a whole and vests initially with the author of each contribution.

The mere ownership of a book, manuscript, painting, or any other work does not give the possessor of that work its copyright. The law provides that transfer of ownership of any material object that embodies a protected work does not of itself convey the copyright or any interest in the copyright. This remains in the possession of the creator and is often referred to as the underlying artist?s copyright; distinct from the physical object with embodies it.

Any or all of the copyright owner’s exclusive rights or any subdivision of those rights may be transferred to another party, but the transfer of exclusive rights is not valid unless that transfer is in writing and signed by the owner of the copyright or such owner’s duly authorized agent. Such transfers are comparatively rare in the U.S. and are almost never knowingly engaged in by European artists. For more on this subject, go to ?Related Topics? and see the pages titled ?Do U.S. Owners of Works of Art Also Control the Copyrights??

The key points here are 1) that an artistic copyright starts the moment an artistic product comes into existence in real touchable form ? ie: it’s not just an idea, and 2) the creator or creators or those employing the creator(s) of the artistic product are the only ones who can claim to possess the copyrights, and 3) just because you own the artistic product (through purchase or gift) does not automatically mean you also own the copyrights to the product - in fact you do not, unless specifically stated in writing and 4) an owner of copyrights can transfer their rights, but it must be done it writing and signed by the owner (sort of like selling a house - ie: transferring title).

In closing, I hope that this brief information helps to bring some initial clarity to this important topic. In future articles, I plan to continue to unravel other important aspects about Copyrights and Licensing and the benefits that these laws offer consumers, businesses and our economy. I believe it’s a great topic to understand and appreciate - and not very complicated when taken a bit at a time.

Be sure to visit the Laszlo Tar Art Gallery at: www.TARART.com

Pass along any comments or questions.

Hanging art can involve mixed personal preferences. Everything from decorating to theme setting, lighting, colors, shapes - the possibilities are almost endless and so would the length of this article be if I tried to cover them all. So, I am going to focus on just these important issues:

Height, Grouping, Placement and Hanging Steps

Height
Although there are no strict rules for the correct hanging height of artwork, in general, I recommend that art be hung so that the center point of the image or group of images is at about nose level for an average height person. An average height person in this case is assumed to be about 5′8″, which means that the center point for the art would be at about 5 feet - or 60 inches from the floor. While this is not perfect or possible in every situation, it’s a good guide to keep in mind - Center of the artwork 60 inches from the floor.

Grouping Artwork
Placing art in organized groups can be very interesting. Groups of images should be thought of as a single unit - as if it were one work of art. Grouping art can be tricky because it introduces issues of interrelationship - ie: which piece should be on top, bottom, left and right and getting the spacing and height just right can be complicated. You can test the actual group arrangements by laying everything out on a large table or on the floor, playing with combinations until you hit upon one or more that works. For the actual hanging process, a very helpful approach - assuming you have paper that is large enough - is to carefully lay the grouped artwork on paper and then trace around each object to determine where the picture hooks should be installed. Just tape the paper up on the wall as a template to determine where picture hooks should be installed. - No heavy lifting. There is a bit more involved with determining exactly where the hooks go, which I will cover later in this post.

Placement
In my opinion, it’s important that each work of art have sufficient space around it. That’s not to say that you need to agree with me. In fact, some years ago, when my father and I visited The Barnes Foundation (located outside of Philadelphia, PA), we were both amazed at how closely art pieces were hung and how great it looked. On top of that, Dr. Barnes would often hang impressionist works (like a Renoir) right next to an African mask or some other completely unrelated piece - which we found to be really quite exciting.

In general, I find that high ceilings will allow for tighter groupings of large works of art, while lower ceilings will require that you space the same pieces apart.

The important point is that usually art needs space, so you should select a wall location that has sufficient space on the right, left, top and bottom sides. Placing art is sort of a gut feel thing. Personally, I can’t give you exact measurements on this, but in general large walls will support large pieces and small walls, small pieces. Choose smaller pictures for narrow walls and larger works for big wall spaces.

Another important point when installing art near furniture (for accenting) is to relate the size of work of art to the furniture size. In general, when hanging art over a piece of furniture keep in mind that it should not be longer than the width of the furniture. And when placing pieces above furniture, be sure to exactly center it individually or grouped, in relation to the furniture. Sometimes, you might find that your furniture first needs to be moved a bit to make the overall centering with the wall and art look just right.

Hanging Procedure
Here is the step-by-step process that I use when hanging art. It involves a small bit of math (addition, subtract division), so it might be handy to have a calculator.

Tools required: calculator, pencil, tape measure, masking tape, scrap paper, hammer and hooks & nails that are strong enough to hold the artwork in question.

IMPORTANT TIP
There is one really important measurement that you must know to effectively hang artwork (individually or grouped) and that is the distance of the hanging wire or hanging bracket located on the back of the artwork, to the top edge of the frame. This is an important measurement to know because it relates to the spot where the hook (or nail) will actually attach to your artwork — and there are absolutely no industry standards for this distance. If you have five works of art, it’s unfortunately likely that you will have five different measurements from the hanging wire to the edge of the frame - even when the five pieces come from the same artist or gallery!

MY STEPS FOR HANGING ARTWORK

1. Find the horizontal center point for where the artwork will be hung. This could be in relation to furniture or simply the wall or both. For instance, if placing the piece above an existing sofa, desk or bed (for accenting purposes), this will be the center point of the furniture. If simply installing the art on a wall (with no association to furniture), the center point will be the width of the wall, divided by two. Use your tape measure to find the exact center and place a piece of masking tape on the wall to mark the spot. 
2. Once you have the center point of the wall, measure 60 inches from the floor and place a small pencil mark (or masking tape) on the wall to mark the spot. This is the center point of the image. 
3. Measure the height (top to bottom) dimension of your artwork and divide that number by 2. This will give us the vertical center point of the artwork. For example, let’s say we have a piece that is 20 inches high. Divide this by 2 and we have 10 inches. 
4. Add the value calculated in Step #3 to 60 inches. In our example we end up with 70 inches. 
5. Now measure the distance from the top edge of the frame to the hanging wire or bracket located on the back of the artwork. In the case of hanging wire, be sure to take the measurement while pulling up on the wire - because when you hang your art, the wire will be pulled up (like an upside down “V”) as it attaches to the hook (or nail). In our example, let’s assume that the distance between the wire (or bracket) and the top edge of the art is 6 inches. 
6. Subtract the value found in Step #5 from the value calculated in Step #4. In our example, we end up with 64 inches. This is the exact spot where the hook or nail will attach to the artwork wire (or bracket). 
7. If you are using a hook — and for most cases I recommend that you do, just because in it is usually stronger and safer — the hook nail WILL NOT be hammered at the Step #6 measurement (in our case 64 inches). Remember, 64 inches is where the hook will attach to the wire or bracket on your art. The nail will actually be a bit higher than 64, depending on the size of hook you are using. The easiest way to know where to hammer, is to put the nail in the hook and position the hook, so that the bottom (or hooked part) is at the height measured in Step #6. (Again, in our example that is 64 inches). You should see that the nail is a bit higher than the spot where the hook attaches to the art. If you are using only a nail to hang, then the Step #6 measurement will be exactly where the nail goes.

THAT’S IT

That’s all there is to it. Repeat these steps for each work of art and you should end up with no surprises — other than a beautifully hung work of art.

One final note. Usually wall spots have different lighting. Some locations are darker than others. In general, I recommend placing bright works, with strong colors, in darker locations and darker works in locations that are better lit. This approach will actually help create an illusion of light uniformity, while avoiding darker pieces becoming lost on less than optimally lighted walls.

I hope that these pointers help make your art hanging experience a just bit easier.

Be sure to visit the Laszlo Tar Art Gallery at: www.TARART.com

Pass along any comments or questions.

As I walked around, I came across one art print that at first glance looked like an interesting abstract piece from a distance, but at close-up (and after some careful visual inspection) was in fact an impressionistic floral print that was covered by something brown and fuzzy. I spent some more time looking at this piece, when I realized that the brown matter was actually mold - YUK! Apparently, the print was so slowly being covered in mold that I guessed it looked sort of interesting to the staff and maintenance people (kind of like living art) — so nobody did anything about it - or felt they should — after all maybe this is what the artist intended, they guessed.