Introducing FAR^® Web TV!
Lights, camera, action and drum rolls, please! Now playing on the FAR website is the very first of many planned video presentations, created especially for you — to keep you abreast of FAR activities. To that end, we have assembled a crack team to write, shoot and edit these movies. The first, Frankie Brown: Taking Up Where Jackson Pollock Left Off, introduces long-time splatter-dash artist, Frankie Brown, who, in a fascinating interview, gives his expert opinion regarding Teri Horton’s thrift-store painting, allegedly by Jackson Pollock. Click on your ticket above and grab a seat for the premiere of FAR Web TV!

FAR^® Artist of the Month - Vanessa Newton
by Dan Koon
Creating colorful collages and culturally expressive paintings, Vanessa Newton is a modern day scribe of life. “Painting is so much a part of me, it’s hard to define where it stops and I start,” says Vanessa.
Read the full article by Dan Koon here:
Vanessa Newton Article

The Latest in the Teri Horton/Jackson Pollock Saga
Questionable art brokers, respected art experts, a Hollywood producer and now fingerprint analysts have joined Teri Horton’s fray in an attempt to prove whether or not her unregistered, uncertified $5 painting with no recorded provenance is an authentic Jackson Pollock or the work of another artist.

Horton engaged a so-called “forensic art expert”, one Peter Paul Biro, who claims that a fingerprint found on the back of her painting matches that of a Pollock print preserved in a studio paint can.

When FAR^® Founder Theresa Franks published an article on the FAR website recently (Getting to the Truth of Authentication), Ms. Horton commented on the article, quoting a legal description of an expert witness. Her comments prompted FAR Columnist and legal expert Cindy Hill to offer the full legal perspective (The Legal Perspective). All FAR members are encouraged to read these articles and to take seriously this cautionary tale of an tale of an artwork whose history has been lost, and the repercussions of failing to register and authenticate one’s creations.

Meanwhile, splatter-dash artist Frankie Brown, who thinks the painting in question could be his, has just gotten his fingerprints taken for eventual comparison to the partial print found on the back of the canvas.

For more on Frankie, and his incredible paintings, see the new FAR Web TV video release Frankie Brown: Taking Up Where Jackson Pollock Left Off.

Reward Offered for Stolen Hitchhiker
A $300 reward is being offered for information leading to the recovery of the stolen Hitch Hiking Pioneer of the Valley of the Heart’s Delight, Robert Noyce. Reported stolen on 9/14/06, the sculpture, by FAR member Jim Pallas, was last seen in the vicinity of the Budget Inn Motel in Adair, Iowa.

If you have seen this artwork (FAR ID 04073) or know of its whereabouts, please contact exhibits@ylem.org.

Piece of the Month
Brilliant colors abound in this sun-filled mixed media painting by artist Matthew Higdon. Small cottages nestled near an azure blue sea fill the canvas with warmth and a feeling of contentment. Pools of blue respond to the shadows of the mountain peaks in the distance. This lovely painting is offered for sale at $219.00.

Provenance - What It Means to You
Provenance means the origin or source from which something comes, and includes the documented history of ownership (also known as Chain of Custody). Comparative techniques, expert opinion, written (and sometimes verbal) records, and the results of tests can all be used to establish provenance.

In the field of art, this is highly important. Documented, incontrovertible evidence of provenance is absolutely critical in determining that an art object is made or created by the hand of the artist, and that it has not been altered or forged. Provenance established by the artist can mean the difference between absolute authentication or mere attribution. Making a permanent record of provenance can also establish title or ownership rights in a work, including copyrights. All of these factors prevent disputes and affect the value of the work.

Thus, it is vital that any transfer of ownership be recorded, and that that record be preserved as part of the history of the piece. A break in the Chain of Custody can itself devalue the work.

At the Fine Art Registry, we are fully aware of the importance of this step. Each work of art registered and tagged with our patented system becomes part of the permanent FAR database. When the artwork changes hands, it can be easily and properly transferred to a new owner, with full documentation and logging in the database. Read more here at our website.

Latest FAR Exclusive Articles

Art Brokers: Let the Buyer Beware... Very Beware | by Cindy Hill, Esq.
An art broker is a matchmaker, connecting art owners, be they artists, collectors, or investors, with art purchasers. Like real estate brokers, art brokers do frequently get up to... Read the full article here html or pdf



Fine Art Registry, By "FAR" the Best   |   by Anayat Durrani
An objective comparison of existing art registries. Art registries are sprouting up all over the information superhighway. Careful review of some of the more wellknown art registries reveals... Read the full article here html or pdf



The Ancient Chinese Art of Ivory Carving   |   by Lihua Zhao
To the Chinese, carving is a very important art form and has been for thousands of years. Learn how to tell authentic from fake, and why ivory is a safe investment... Read the full article here html or pdf



Drown in My Own Tears   |   by Cork Marcheschi
David and I left San Francisco about 7 a.m. and headed east with Minnesota as our destination. We were driving my 1970 Volkswagen van, a veteran vehicle of many cross-country... Read the full article here html or pdf

New FAR^® Article Categories Allow Easier Access
To make the treasure trove of material in the FAR articles more accessible, they are now categorized and soon can be searched via the home page Search box. Categories include FAR Contemporary Artists, Legal, Art Crime, Educational and Informational. A great deal of care and attention goes into making these articles timely and valuable to YOU, so make it part ofyour routine to read up on what is happening in your field and how it affects your career. Check out the new categories here.

Make Yourself Heard!
Post your comments on the FAR articles after you have read them. Comments will be available for all to see and the author will be able to post a response to you as well!