Valentine’s Day, a holiday with a long history and great contemporary relevance, is just around the corner! February 14^th is celebrated as love day, but it was not always a holiday like it is today. Are you ready for Valentine’s Day? Traditionally, people send valentines, or love notes, to show their love at this time of the year, but you can also show love by changing your décor at home or in your work place. Artwork is a perfect way to celebrate this holiday that dates back to the early centuries A.D.

About Valentine’s Day

In ancient Rome, February was the month for the fertility festival called Lupercalia. At some point around the third century A.D., the Christian church began to observe Valentine’s Day, either as a way to Christianize the pagan Roman festival, or to commemorate the martyr Saint Valentine. The history is murky, but eventually February 14^th was established as the day of love, which we still celebrate today.

Inspirational Decorations

February 14^th is recognized as a special day for love, but it is by no means the only day for love. You can get your décor ready for the special day by changing your wall art. At Fulcrum Gallery, you can find dozens of inspirational posters on the theme of love. “Love Conquers All Things” and “Love Is All You Need” are just two of the beautiful sayings you can find here.

Birds

One poster you may like in particular is Alan Pelletier’s “Birds on a Wire – Love,” an evocative yet simple depiction of two birds together in space, balanced on a wire supporting the letters L O V E.  Birds are a fitting motif for Valentine’s Day because of the historic association between romance and birds. During the Middle Ages, when the celebration of Valentine’s Day was developing into its modern form, February was thought of as birds’ mating season, hence the connection between birds and romance. If the birds like February, it must be a romantic month!

Romantic

If you feel that there is nothing more romantic than Paris, Fulcrum Gallery has plenty of selections in its Romantic Art section. From prints called “Paris Romance” to Gustav Klimt’s well-known “The Kiss,” there is something sure to please your loved one this Valentine’s Day. If you or your loved one is more of a daredevil, or if you are a fan of Marilyn Monroe and James Dean, the black and white “Speedbound Red” may be what you are looking for.

Lips, Kissing

Decorations are great way to get into the spirit of Valentine’s Day, and Fulcrum Gallery also has lips- and kissing-themed posters in a variety of sizes, shapes, and styles. These posters can be given as gifts, but using them as decorations leading up to Valentine’s Day can make the holiday even more special.

It’s All About Love

We love people every day, but Valentine’s Day gives us a special opportunity to make people feel loved. Let’s get into the spirit and make the most of the holiday!

Do you love felines and long to participate in Adopt-a-Cat Month® but suffer from too many allergies to invest in a pet? If so, let us help you adopt a cat that won’t make your eyes water or itch and is welcome in homes that are not animal friendly. We're talking about dedicating your walls to cat art. Find the perfect cat piece by shopping our selection of over 500 cat prints. With this great selection of feline art, you will have the best, maintenance free addition to allergy sufferers’ homes.

For Colorful Cats

If you consider yourself a colorful cat, consider adopting a feline from the Dean Russo Collection or from Romero Britto. These pop art pieces are filled with vibrant colors that showcase a wide variety of cat breeds. Because these feline focused artwork contains a lot of similar colors, many pieces could be combined to create an entire wall devoted to cat pop art.

A few pieces from the Dean Russo Collection are Tilt Cat and Ragamuffin. The breeds shown in these two pieces are the main breeds that Dean Russo uses in his collection. Romero Britto's pieces are images of cats that are not of a specific breed. Cat and Happy Cat and Snoob Dog are some of Britto's pieces that are shapes that make a cat figure that is not breed specific.

For Comical Cats

Another popular type of cat art is humorous cat art. This type of cat art is apt to make you grin or chuckle every time you pass it by. Will Rafuse Collection is a great place to start looking for cat art that will brighten your day. Will Rafuse's cat prints have lots of personality which shines through easily. In his pieces, bold uses of color and human expressions are clearly shown. His prints also have cute names like Sadie Marmalade, Queen Zelda, Ruby, Oswald and Pipin.

Yoneo Morita is another artist who's cat prints are certain to brighten your day with a touch of humor. Cat agenda and Cat Party are two of the many prints to give you an idea of what Yoneo Morita's humorous art is like.

For Realists

For all of you realists out there we have photos of cats in some of the most charming poses. There are cat photos fit for just about every location in the home, including the kitchen and bath. Titles to look for if you like black and white prints are David McEnry’s Kool Kats and Kim Levin’s Not While I’m Reading.

To adopt the purr-fect piece of feline art and make your Adopt-a-Cat Month® celebrations complete, take a look at our many cat art prints. We have tons of categories, including the ones that were mentioned and hundreds of prints as well.

Mother's day is almost here, every mother or soon to be mother should be appreciated always but especially on this day. So, what should you get her to commemorate the occasion? Every mother is different so if you don't already know what mom likes, it can be tricky shopping for a gift for her. An easy and meaningful gift to give mom is artwork. If your mother likes the beauty of flowers or wine then getting artwork is easier than ever. But for mothers that don't like anything specific, that you know of at least, what about art that highlights the special bond between parents and their children? Let’s take a look at some unique fine prints and you’ll quickly see why art is truly the best gift for moms.

For the Flower Loving Mom

Flower art is a great gift for mom's that like flowers and gardening. If you know her favorite flower, you can shop by flower type and get her a painting or photograph of her favorite flower. If she doesn't have a favorite or you don't know her favorite, try searching by color. Giving mom a flower print that is her favorite color is a gift that keeps on giving. Even a print that matches the color scheme in her bedroom or living room. This will make decorating so much easier....all she has to do is open the box and hang the frame or canvas piece.

Another good alternative to getting her flower art that is not her favorite (if you don't know her favorite) is getting a painting or photograph of two flowers together. Giving this to her as a gift can represent you and her and it can also represent your relationship together. If it is a gift from both... find flower art with three flowers.

For the Wine Loving Mom

If mom loves wine, chances are she'll love wine art as well. With over 1,600 art prints in our wine category, you're bound to find one that mom likes. Some women don't like to drink wine, but they love the beauty of wineries and the beauty of wine glasses and bottles. Prints like Vineyard Hill I by Sung Kim and A Wine Tasting by Marilyn Hageman are perfect for the Mothers that love wine for the beauty.

For mothers that love the beauty of wine, but also love drinking it for the taste prints like Wine Bottle, Grapes and Walnuts by Loran Speck would be a better choice. It shows a wine glass with food and also shows foods that go great with wine like fruit and nuts.

For the Animal Loving Mom

Animal paintings are always a great path for a gift, it can speak to lovers and non lovers of animals and gives a personal touch to your gift. The first way you can go about shopping for animal gifts for mom is to shop by animal. If she has a favorite animal, you can start there. If you don't know Mom's favorite animal, you can look for images of animals in pairs. We carry many art prints of baby animals with their mother. Art prints like First Christmas by Bonnie Mohr, Watching the Horizon by Lucie Bilodeau or Makulu by Ron D'Raine are few of the many mother animal and baby animal prints we carry that would make a perfect gift for Mom.

Motherhood Gifts for Any Mother

Emile Munier Collection:

First on our list is Mother’s Day art by Emile Munier. He was a French-born painter who specialized in portraits of women, children and household pets. We have several of his best works in our collection, including Pardon Mama, A Special Moment (1874) and Maternal Affection. Some of these paintings that would be a perfect gift for Mother's Day are ones that include a mother embracing her child.

Giving these paintings to a mother can show that she is passionate and loving. These specific pieces are best when given from the mother's child but can also be given from a spouse or other close relative as well. These paintings can be grouped together or paired with paintings by Munier’s mentor, William Adolphe Bourguereau. Bourguereau is the next French-born figure painter on our list.

William Adolphe Bouguereau

Unlike his student, William Adolphe Bouguereau liked to paint cherubs and angels too. His paintings relate to all mothers as he has paintings of young mothers with their children as well as older mothers. He also has portraits of couples together which would be a great gift from the spouse to the mother. Paintings like Mother and Child and Not Too Much to Carry are perfect depictions of motherhood. In some of William's paintings, women and children often appear in a holy light. Examples include paintings like Awakening Heart and Whisperings of Love (1889). However, not all of his women and children were given angel’s wings. These pieces that show women and children as angels and other spiritual figures are perfect pieces for a religious mother or a mother that believes her children were a gift.

Giving Mom the gift of art is a gift that keeps giving. She will feel appreciated and loved every time she sees it hanging on the wall. Have Mom's gift already hanging on the wall and surprise her! Check out our how to hang framed art and how to hang canvas art pages for help on hanging the art for her. 

If you don’t consider yourself to be a hopeless romantic but still want to decorate your surroundings with seasonal art, take heart. February actually has a lot of different, weird holidays going on that could be used as a basis for a month long art display. To save you and other art lovers’ precious decorating time, we’ve listed our picks for the top five weird holidays in February to celebrate with wall art:

Return Shopping Carts to the Supermarket Month

Did you know that one of the holidays on tap is Return Shopping Carts to the Supermarket Month? It’s about as weird of a national observance as one can get but don’t let that stop you from celebrating it with art. Use artist Paul Edmondson’s Grocery Carts print as a linchpin for the display then surround it with shopping related art. Two wonderful prints to consider are John Jones’ General Store and Scott Coleman’s Oakbowery Store. One print shows the interior of a vintage store and the other shows the exterior of another.

Fabulous Florida Strawberry Month

Fabulous Florida Strawberry Month is also slated to take place. So it might be fun to hang up an array of strawberry art alongside of prints that give a nod to the Sunshine State. Why not hang Ruane Manning’s print, Christine’s South Beach Café in the center to represent one of the state’s popular foodie destinations. Then surround it with Charlene Audrey’s Island Nectar Series, Ray Pelley’s Strawberry Delight and David Carter Brown’s Sweet & Juicy Strawberries prints. Great places to set up the display include the kitchen, hallway, sun room and dining room.

National Hot Breakfast Month

While you are at it, you might want to create a display in recognition of National Hot Breakfast Month too. Artist Katherine Lovell has created a series of word art prints that talk about breakfast and Pierre Bonnard has completed a series titled, The Breakfast Room. They’d be a great place to start. Afterward, you could fill out the wall with prints of breakfast items like hot tea, toast, coffee, pancakes and waffles.

Children and Pets Dental Health Month

February also happens to be National Pet Dental Month and National Children’s Dental Health Month. Consequently, it would undoubtedly be entertaining to decorate the bathrooms with dental art. Artists Luke Stockdale and Drako Fontaine both have prints that focus on the importance of brushing one’s teeth. Either one could serve as the centerpiece for the display. The surrounding prints could consist of Jim Dratfield’s Smile and the World Smiles with You, Anne Parsons’ Fairy and some movie posters. The ones that come to our minds are for the films Dentist on the Job, Dentist in the Chair and The Adventures of Timmy the Tooth.

Adopt a Rescued Rabbit Month

Finally, we wanted to toss in Adopt a Rescued Rabbit Month. Artist Lisa Hilliker has a great print titled, Small-Some Bunny to Love. It would be perfect for the center of an Adopt a Rescued Rabbit Month display. The rest of the presentation could contain rabbit art by artists like Richard Murray, Sir Edwin Henry Landseer, Will Bullas and John Woodhouse Audubon. To take a closer look at them and additional art ideal for recognizing February’s weird holidays, please contact us.

Selecting the right type of kitchen art is a daunting yet exciting experience. You want your kitchen to stand out and have a concise style that makes it differ from the rest of your home decor. It is a little challenging trying to find the perfect piece to put and the best spots to put it in the kitchen. Finding the perfect piece of art to hang usually is difficult because most likely, you have appliances of a certain color already in your kitchen. This could also make it easier because you now have a specific color to shop for. If you have one specific bare wall in your kitchen, or a place you want to replace with art, try these tips and styles of art to give it an artistic boost.

Old World

The old world look is beautiful for a kitchen that has soft earth tones and dim lighting. Light brown or cream walls with a cherry wood dining table and chairs is extremely flattering for this style. Kimberly Poloson is one of the many artists who create old world prints that would specifically look great in the kitchen. Some of these prints, like Old World Rooster and Vintage Bouquet I- Mini have a main image in the center of the piece, then have a intricate monochromatic boarder with patterns that help the center image pop. Including these images in your kitchen decor will add a vintage feel that will make you kitchen truly unique.

Traditional

A light and airy traditional kitchen needs some accents that bring out its color palette. If your kitchen is white with beautiful pastels, why not opt for some lovely botanical prints? Photographs and paintings of daisies, poppies, sunflowers, and water lilies are eye pleasing and would look wonderful on a blank wall near the dining table. If you already have a lot of patterns in colors in your decor, botanical prints are a great way to add more decor without clashing with what is already in your kitchen. Pauline Eble Campanelli is one great artist who creates many pieces perfect for kitchen decor. A lot of them are simple and elegant with a solo basket on the table filled with fruits or plants. These prints are one example of adding a perfect touch to an already traditional styled kitchen or transforming your kitchen's decor to traditional style.

Contemporary 

Contemporary kitchens are usually sleek and sophisticated with two main colors for the theme and a few stainless steel appliances. It may be tricky trying to figure out what art style would match with this type of kitchen‘s appeal. A great place to start looking for contemporary art for your kitchen is in contemporary food prints. These prints range from paintings of fruits, coffee, wine, spices, and much more! Contemporary food art is also a great place to start looking because within this style category you can find art to fit your theme. For example, there are many prints that are Tuscan themed, educationally themed, and more!

These are just a few ideas that bring out the styles of kitchens. Kitchen art can be as colorful or as simplistic as you choose. Remember to choose a finish like laminate, frame or canvas, that will protect your art from stains and water damage. Check out our website to browse through hundreds of art pieces to find the perfect art that compliments your kitchen decor!

"When I close my eyes and let the sounds take me away, my mind is flooded with creativity. I can almost visualize the sounds," says artist, Natalie Talocci. 

Natalie Talocci is a local young artist who creates unique abstract art. She has been an artist almost all of her life. Talocci received her Bachelor's Degree of Fine Arts from William Patterson University. She has created many pieces that are full of color and life. Though most of her pieces are of animals on land and underwater, she also has painted many portraits, cultural paintings, and has created sculptures.

This November, Natalie Talocci begins her first solo art show at Gold Light Gallery 's opening on November 8th in New Hope, PA. A lot of Talocci's Pieces were displayed at Gold Light Gallery but her Jelly Fish Invasion series was featured. These pieces show the beauty and uniqueness of unique sea life creatures, Jellyfish. "There is something extraordinary about these gelatinous creatures that drift through water so weightless and free," Talocci says. And that is exactly how her art depicts them. When seeing these original pieces, it's almost like watching these animals in their natural habitat.

Natalie created her Jelly Fish Invasion series in a unique way. She started off with a quick sketch. Then she used hot glue to build borders, this gives the finished product texture and really helps it come to life.

Natalie gets her inspiration from music and other famous artists when creating these pieces. Some of her biggest inspirations are Alphonse Mucha, Keith Haring and Wassily Kandinsky. Talocci also stated that New Hope, PA offers a lot of inspiration. Just down the street from Gold Light Gallery, there is a bridge in which you often find artists sitting out with easels painting the beautiful, scenic view. Her advice to upcoming artists is to find a place like New Hope, PA that will give you inspiration.

Natalie is excited to have her Jelly Fish Invasion series featured at Gold Light Gallery. Her series will be featured throughout the month of November during which these original pieces will be available for purchase.

With more than 60 recognized species of herons living on this planet, it’s easy to see why so many nature lovers find them completely fascinating. And the love affair shows no signs of stopping. Why just this summer, a group of black-crowned night herons had researchers and Washington, DC, residents enthralled and scrambling to track their every move. Of course not all of us are blessed with such unique opportunities. So thankfully, there are pieces of heron themed, animal art that can help us remain close to these majestic, coastal birds.

 

Two pieces to consider are Rosiland Solomon’s Night Herons and John James Audubon's Night Heron. Solomon's depiction of the birds is very colorful and shows them in a classic wetlands scene. Color wise, Audubon's rendition is more muted and shows them perched on a branch in seemingly quiet response. Nonetheless, both feature the bird's thick necks, dark crowns, wide bodies, and beautiful color patterns. 

 

For those that want to surround themselves with photos of herons, we’d suggest taking a look at the work of Moises Levy. He is a talented photographer with a penchant for capturing waterscapes and related wildlife. That said, he has a series of photos that feature herons on the water as well as standing on boats, piers and pylons. There are even a few that depict the winged creatures in flight. Just look for the photos that start with the word, Garzas, or a number followed by the word, Herons.

 

 

Rosiland Solomon, John James Audubon and Moises Levy are not the only artists known for their animal themed pieces. Heron lovers may also want to check out animal artwork by people like Jennifer Goldberger, Sydenham Edwards, Alexander Wilson, Chris Vest, Utagawa Hiroshige and James Harris. To learn more about their animal art and tips for filling living space with heron themed decor, please contact us at the Fulcrum Gallery today.

If you are a fan of abstract paintings, there is a good chance that you’ve at least heard of artist Maeve Harris. For those that have not heard of her, please allow us to make the introduction. She is a versatile, Seattle-based phenomenon that’s known for her intuitive use of organic forms and blending techniques. In addition, she tends to incorporate elements of photos, literature and history into her work. Here’s a look at several excellent examples of her innate talent:

Maeve Harris Collection: Moment Series

Maeve Harris’ Moment Series is a prime example of her brilliant use of brush strokes to create the illusion of movement. The paintings in the series are appropriately titled Moment I and Moment II. In both instances, she blends blacks, whites, yellows and browns to create two distinct, abstract focal points. Because of their abstract nature and coloring, the paintings could very easily be used in a variety of settings.

Maeve Harris Collection: Jetty & Crème Series

Understandably, Maeve Harris does not restrict her color palette to the ones found in the Moment Series. She has two series that would be ideal for use in beach homes or areas ripe with cool tones. Those two series are Jetty and Crème. Each abstract painting in the two series incorporates white and off white colors. The Jetty Series, however, also infuses those colors with shades of blue and green. As such, all four paintings would look wonderful paired with natural items like pressed seaweed, sand sculptures, bowls of beach glass and driftwood fragments.

Maeve Harris Collection: Floral Paintings

No discussion of artist Maeve Harris’ work would be complete without a mention of her floral paintings. She has several collections that focus on flowers. Among the flowers highlighted in the various collections are marguerites, orchids, chiaroscuros and roses. Colors used in Harris’ floral paintings vary greatly. Therefore, it is easy to find one that will fit in with most design schemes.

Would you like to learn more about artist Maeve Harris and her exceptional paintings? If so, stop by the Fulcrum Gallery today.