$$$$ - SIX BILLION a Year in Art Theft - Where is the Outrage?

ART CRIME: Shining Light On A Serious Problem

Unfortunately, the general public as a whole has no idea of the depth and the damage to our cultural heritage that the theft of works of art inflicts on society. It has been determined that over 170,000 pieces of art are missing and only a mere 10% have been recovered. Art Crime: Shining Light on a Serious Problem is a well-written article by Anayat Durrani that delves deeply into this overwhelming subject. The shocking details of how such masterworks by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Manet, Degas, and Cezanne, to name only a few, have gone missing. It is also unfortunate that only the high price pieces get the publicity. There are works by contemporary artists that have been ripped off and are left on the back burner. The effort in the attempt to recover them is low priority since those that investigate such cases are overburdened with the losses of the high-end art works. Read more

Just for Fun, Part I

In my previous post, I introduced you to soBIGsoHUGE Magazine, the brainchild of some schoolmates and I. Trying to start your own magazine can be quite a challenging endeavor, and while we wanted to focus on some serious issues, we couldn’t help but long for the camp and artlessness of our former “ Seventeen” magazines and YM’s. The editor in chief created a small quiz that analyzed one’s romantic compatibility with certain majors. I found the whole thing to be quite clever and amusing, and in response, composed a small analysis of my own. It is theory on personality type based on your medium of choice for the visual artist.

Ceramic/ Sculptures: Probably the most sensual and earthy character, the implied hands-on technique can be very appealing. Depending on which was their sensibilities lie, this individual can be mistaken for being childish or even crude. But someone with a discerning eye and a sharp mind might be able to appreciate the dual nature of this artist, as both a soulful creature and classic study.

Glass Blower: A quirky dreamer, with enough of a bizarre touch to make you laugh. Very observant of both people and their surroundings. Moods in this one come and go.

Metalworker: Even under great pressure, this mysterious enigma will manage to keep their cool. The bohemian prototype will intrigue with their darkness and surprise you with their soft touch. Delicate, but strong…

This is just the first half, tomorrow, for the rest of the analysis, read tomorrow’s blog!

Making A Magazine

Two friends and I recently began putting together a new magazine for the visual and literary arts. Being the sort of individuals that were raised on our mother’s fashion magazines and later hand-made ‘zines, we found out that where the high color glossies might be lacking in substance, the others were dragging their feet in terms of aesthetics. Content is, of course, everything, but style must be there to hold its hand. Bridge the sensibilities of the two, we came up with something of our own.  Thus was born soBigsoHUGE Magazine. We might be little, but we like to think BIG. The main concept of our little baby is that we want to provide global  freelance artists and writers with a censor-free soapbox. We like to think of it as more of a hand-held art installation, if you will. 

So far, soBIGsoHUGE had been dedicated to collecting articles and submissions of artwork from people who want to contribute. It will be published on a quarterly basis, with the theme of content changing with the seasons. This fall, our first issue will be a classic, dedicated to thoughts on higher education in America and “ Back To School”. 

As supporters of freelance artists in general, we are very interested in the concept and workings of the Fine Art Registry, and would like to form an encouraging partnership. We are always interested in freelancers and subscribers who might like to contribute to our cause. For more information, e-mail us at : sobigsohuge@yahoo.com

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