Tag: art

Movie Review: Monuments Men (2014) 3 Stars

Monuments Men (2014)

3 out of 5 stars

Watched BluRay May 2014

I am sheepishly relieved I did not pay to see this in a movie theater when it was first released.  I enjoyed watching this movie, but ended up feeling disappointed by the time I reached the credits.

The pacing of the movie seemed off and the story too disjointed.  I barely had time to get to know the characters so I found it difficult to relate to their trials and tribulations.

I also suffer from being one of the few in my immediate family who knows next to nothing about art history.  Continue reading “Movie Review: Monuments Men (2014) 3 Stars”

ASOD: Phases of the Moon

Beautiful sketch work in this Astronomy Sketch of the Day posting from this past Sunday:

“Phases of the Moon” by Erika McGinnis

Moon; full moon facing, two views of dark side.
Sketch was made in my studio.
2009; published on album cover for jazz band Four, 2009
Graphite on archival paper.

Visit the Astronomy Sketch of the Day website for more great astronomical sketches.

Maitz on Art Pact: “On Fantasy Publishing, and Negotiating Contracts”

Don Maitz, a renowned (and one of my favorite) fantasy and maritime artist, wrote an excellent article over at Art Pact.  This paragraph especially caught my eye:

So that being said, most producers of a product want to see a fair profit for everyone involved in their production line. Things get dicey when the financial bottom line takes precedent over content and when a legal department does it’s job too well. In Ian Ballantine’s day, as many artists such as I remember, the company, be it a publishing house or gaming company, was answerable to the president who made ultimate decisions on the products they chose and how they were to be conceived and marketed. These self owned enterprises were able to go out on a limb to try something on their own. Today, such companies are owned by corporations that also own many other companies in the Entertainment industry and the person that makes the bulk of the important decisions is now the accountant, as the quarterly bottom line that is fed to the corporate board and stockholders sets the guidelines. Profit over content is something that publishers are struggling with and I believe is the core issue of why this website was established.

— Don Maitz, “On Fantasy Publishing, and Negotiating Contracts“, Art Pact (May 2014)