This week’s featured art is Wisdom by From God’s Hands

What strikes me most about this piece is the way the photograph has been digitally manipulated to look almost like a wood carving. The fine detail in the feathers is simply awesome. Like flowers, animals are overdone in commercial art; but when a piece is well executed, it can stand apart from the masses. This is a well executed work of art.

Wisdom by From God’s Hands — View Larger

Images like this beg for custom frames and mats. Although I like the thin frame chosen for display, I highly encourage viewers to play with the framing and mat engine at Imagekind to find a great combination. There’s a ton of combinations that would work great with this piece!

Prices for Wisdom begin at $33.96, subject to change.

New art featured weekly, courtesy of the artists at Imagekind.

This week’s featured art is FirstKiss by Wendy Edelson

For my final holiday-themed review, I’ve chosen this great image of childhood innocence. This illustration by renowned artist Wendy Edelson perfectly captures that romantic spirit of youth, when all things were possible and good. Idealistic? Maybe. Does it matter? This is still an example of what life should be like, even if life doesn’t have the decency to respect our wishes.

FirstKiss by Wendy Edelson — View Larger

Detail, color, composition - there is nothing about this piece that isn’t great. The frame and mat are perfect, though they may be customized by the buyer.

Ms. Edelson currently has fifteen images available for purchase at Imagekind, each as wonderful as the next.

Prices for FirstKiss begin at $25.47, subject to change.

New art featured weekly, courtesy of the artists at Imagekind.

This week’s featured art is Snowy Christmas Eve by Joe Vittek

Perhaps the most recognized symbol of the winter holiday season is the Christmas tree; at least, according to the study that I made up for this review. Santa Claus might be more widely recognized, but whilst browsing for art today, this is the piece that struck me. Santa will have to wait.

Snowy Christmas Eve by Joe Vittek — View Larger

What really jumped out at me about this photo is the starkness of it; the thousands of points of light against the flat black background. The illuminated ground adds depth and character in a wonderful way. The feeling of the piece, what I get from it… is that the holiday season should be a time for reflection and introspection, and I think that this photo speaks to the hope for peace and basic human kindness that everyone desires.

The frame and mat are basic, but then again, so is the shot - in a good way. Of course, they may be customized by the buyer or left out altogether. In fact, considering the composition of the piece, with the title border at the bottom, I’d prefer to see the art without a mat and with a more ornate frame.

Prices for Snowy Christmas Eve begin at $33.96, subject to change.

New art featured weekly, courtesy of the artists at Imagekind.

This week’s featured art is Christmas landscape by Zdenek Sasek

For the second of my four-week series of holiday-themed artwork, I’ve chosen a beautiful fictional landscape. From the wispy sky to the soft glow of the house light on the snow, this is a quintessential image of peace.

The attention to detail is striking. Individual icicles adorn the roofline, and trees are visible in the mountainous background. I particularly like the soft edge given to the piece. Great, great work.

Christmas landscape by Zdenek Sasek — View Larger

The frame and mat may be customized by the buyer, which is fortunate because they are the only aspects of this piece that I am not thrilled with. I’d much rather see a brighter white or midnight blue mat with a more classic frame. Of course, the artwork may be purchased without a frame or mat as well.

Prices for Christmas landscape begin at $16.98, subject to change.

New art featured weekly, courtesy of the artists at Imagekind.

This week’s featured art is Iceflake I by Maureen Grey

I love to be surprised, and I love having the opportunity to feature the art of people that I know. I did a search in the Imagekind marketplace for “Christmas” because this week marks the first of four weeks that I will be featuring holiday-themed art. I wasn’t looking for a particular artist, I was looking for a piece of art that jumped out at me and said, “Hey! Talk about me!” This one did, and I was surprised and thrilled that it turned out to be a piece by my friend, Maureen Grey.

Iceflake I by Maureen Grey — View Larger

The attention to detail is fantastic. I like the frost patterns quite a lot, even if they are symmetrical across the piece. I’m a big fan of symmetry. The water drops that can be seen toward the middle are a nice addition, giving the piece a touch of dimension and realism. The color choices are quite appropriate for a winter-themed piece.

The choice of frame and mat here are great. A lighter shade on the mat would risk washing out the art, and the frame, being basic, is just what the piece needs. The frame and mat combo here really augments the stained glass effect.

Prices for Iceflake I begin at $19.10, subject to change.

New art featured weekly, courtesy of the artists at Imagekind.