Art Quote to Ponder!

Art is an aspect of God and there is only one God, but different people see Him in different ways. Though He is always the same He doesn't always look the same... (Emily Carr)

"Echo of Amboseli"

Very soon The Art of BAS will launch the Echo Project which will highlight the invaluable research work of the Amboseli Trust for Elephants. The research is lead by Cynthia Moss, the worlds foremost expert on elephants, and the research team are based in Amboseli National Park, Kenya. Echo is the name of the matriarch of one of Amboseli's elephant herds, she's a distinguished lady with several BBC documentaries to her name! BAS spent some time with the researchers in the field and the resulting painting "Echo of Amboseli", together with Fine Art Canvas Limited Editions, will be sold to raise funds for the vital work of the Amboseli Trust for Elephants.

Save the Tiger!

This is a photo of a Bengal Tiger that I was fortunate the see in Bandhavgarh National Park, India. It's not easy taking photo's when on the back of a nervous elephant!

The Bengal Tiger is amongst the most beautiful yet endangered of the worlds big cats. To see such an animal in the wild is truly an awe inspiring privilege and surely a treasure to be guarded for future generations. Many of India's National Parks and Tiger Reserves have now relinquished their tigers to poachers and loss of natural habitat, this represents a sad betrayal of the National treasure and it is an urgent need for the nation to act decisively to preserve the Bengal Tigers existence in the wild.

There are many dedicated people and organizations trying to save the tiger from extinction in the wild, they can always benefit from our support in whatever possible way we can lend them a hand - for the sake of the beautiful tiger!

What is an Artist Proof?

The above painting, "The Crossing", resulted from a wonderful research trip in Yellowstone National Park, USA. Yellowstone is an excellent location for North American big game and bison in particular are in healthy numbers within the Park. The painting comes from an area called Haydn Valley, where Yellowstone River winds gently through the landscape and the waters are shallow enough for wildlife to easily cross over to new pastures.

Here's another term within the world of Fine Art which often needs clarification:

An Artist Proof is a Fine Art reproduction intended for the artist's personal use. It is common practice to reserve approximately ten percent of an edition as artist's proofs, although this figure can be higher. The artist's proof is sometimes referred to by it's French épreuve d'artist (abbreviation E.A.). Artist's proofs can be distinguished by the abbreviation AP or E.A., commonly on the lower left of the work.

With modern printing, artists proofs are not better quality prints than the regular edition, however they are desirable to many serious collectors in that there are fewer signed in this way, making them even more valuable. Each Fine Art Artist Proof produced by The Art of BAS is personally signed and numbered by the artist.

Quote of the Day!

"Art seems to me to be a state of soul more than anything else." (Marc Chagall)

Something to ponder on!

What is a Certificate of Authority?

Sometimes the art world has certain terms which may not be obvious to the general public, one such term is "Certificate of Authority", so here's a definition to help clarify things:

A Certificate of Authority is a statement of authenticity of a Fine Art Limited Edition reproduction that states the title of the work, the prints number within the edition, the number of artist's proofs and the release date. It guarantees that the edition is limited and that the image will not be published again in the same form. Each Fine Art Limited Edition that The Art of BAS produces comes with this Certificate personally signed and numbered by the artist.

Two Brothers Movie Painting.

Two Brothers - Ancient Rites is part of The Art of BAS Tiger Project, raising funds for tiger conservation through the sales of the Original Oil Painting, Fine Art Canvas Limited Edition and Fine Art Paper Limited Edition. The majority of the Tiger Project revenue supports the vital work of world-renowned tiger researcher Dr. Raghu Chundawat.

It's an honor to be associated with the Pathe´/Universal movie Two Brothers, raising awareness of the tiger's plight and necessary funds for tiger conservation through his Two Brothers - Ancient Rites artwork. The movie was directed by Jean-Jacque Arnaud, director of other films such as Seven Years in Tibet, Enemy at the Gates and The Bear. Jake Eberts produced the movie following on from much acclaim gained through producing Dances with Wolves, the Killing Fields, and other well known titles.

I ventured out to the film location at Angkor Wat, Cambodia, so as to place the stars of the movie within the setting of the temples. One of the challenges of creating such a painting was to somehow portray the tiger cubs in a way that displayed their individual characters. Hopefully this was conveyed in the final composition together with the mystique of the ancient surrounds. Two tiger cubs begin their foray within the ruins of an ancient temple. The more adventurous of the brothers has his attention aroused by a resting butterfly. The other more passive brother prefers to observe matters from afar while his sibling leads the way.

The painting also depicts an ornate figure from Ta Phrom Temple, Angkor Wat, Cambodia. The Temple was built around 900 AD by the Kmer Kingdom, later to be reclaimed by the encompassing jungle.

Two Brothers - Ancient Rites is available as a Fine Art Canvas Limited Edition and Fine Art Paper Limited Edition.