Take advantage of winter and give gifts of art for people who enjoy sailing and yachting.

Van Gogh’s Seascape at Saintes-Maries-De-La-Mer is an excellent art piece for the nautical décor lover. It goes in virtually any room of the house including boat lovers garages that are decorated as an office or as a personal Nautical museum.

Often times when people enjoy a particular subject they become collectors and turn their attics, basements and barns into quality blissful galleries showcasing their passion.

This particular painting by Van Gogh is no exception of someone who enjoys collecting a variety of nautical oil paintings. What vigor as the sea pushing itself against the boats. To get involved with nautical art collection and the peace of mind it puts you in is the best winter season cure of all. For art, of any kind, is simply meant to be admired by the beholder.

Often times, people try to figure out every aspect of LIFE. If they cannot figure out LIFE and their soul purpose on this planet, they tend to give up! Giving up on LIFE or someone you love is not a part of healthy self development and understanding.

I’ve known of people who refuse to give up on LIFE. Artist Thomas Kinkaid “Garden of Prayer” is an excellent reminder of Gods beautiful earth. This oil painting on canvas is one of the best garden scene’s you will find to decorate any room of your home.

Take time and put yourself in Kinkaid’s setting of quietness, trees, shrubs, flowers, stream and steps that make you feel you are walking towards heaven. Remove yourself from your cell phones and TVs and embrace LIFE.

Have you ever thought of saving old postcards and using them as decor for the kitchen, family room or office?

Henry Matisse sent an envelope of letters to Andre Rouveyre, a 1943 decorative Gouache pen and ink with beautiful yellow inset surrounding three flowers with black ink, this series of postcards is considered by many to be the most beautiful correspondence of the 20th century…

We might not all be Matisse, but the decorative nature and emotion that holds a small card sparked an idea, which I’d like to call “postcard décor!”

One idea would be to arrange the post cards in alphabetical order by state or country and placing them in a nice big frame.
Another suggestion would be to make an oil painting out of your favorite cards, the Turn Photos into Art service by OverstockArt.com is an inexpensive way to poster-size your memories into a big hand painted oil painting…

Poster size post cards will enable your guests to appreciate decorative art in your home or office; but this hand painted postcard is a one-of-a-kind reproduction and an excellent conversation piece.

It can spark memories of who sent you the postcard, your relationship with them and your fond memory of that occasion.

Postcard decor is a great way to bring home the memories of your travels, long lost friends that shared wonderful moments with you, a passionate piece that will liven up your décor with excitement and fond memories.

The oil painting The Engaged Couple painted 1868 oil on canvas by Pierre Auguste Renoir reminds me of how great it is to go to the theater.

The couple side by side, a beautiful woman, in a long formal dress with elegance, blossom in her hair and corsage.

Her companion a man dressed in black formal attire with handkerchief in his hand enjoying a wonderful event.

There are numerous couples that attend Broadway plays who are season ticket subscribers to Broadway productions tickets ranging from $20.00 for standing only to over $150.00 for plays such as Wicked.

From my experience, it doesn’t really matter what the play is about when it comes to Broadway (they are all excellent!!!) what makes a play enjoyable is the feeling you have attending such a pleasant and intriguing event with the one you love.

When was the last time you dressed in formal attire with a spouse or friend and attended a play? What a wonderful opportunity to take in the mood formal attire puts you in.

Theater is an opportunity to meet people before the play or during intermission while having cocktails or refreshments. When thinking of the grand oil paintings of Renoir with the beautiful big hat’s the woman wore and beautiful elegant table settings it makes me want to dress-up and go out on the town!

The next time you see an advertisement for a Broadway play, become Renoir’s couples and don’t forget to dance the night away…

Global warming is a very serious issue. Former vice-president Al Gore recently won the Nobel Peace Prize for his continuous battle to educate the world about the effects of global warming. His search for finding methods to help stop global warming in the documentary film Inconvenient Truth was a turning point for many in the battle to save our ecosystem. We must as a society do all we can to stop what seems to be the destruction of our beautiful planet.

I recently had the privilege of gazing on a Claude Monet reproduction called Floating Ice- near Ventheuil, and my first impression was that this painting symbolizes global warming more then any other art piece I have seen even from more contemporary artists.

The splashing waters and breaking ice of the Monet masterpiece explains the changes of environment and lighting. Excellent conversation piece, even though Floating Ice near Vetheuil was painted many years ago, it evokes interest and depicts the changes that our planet is going through.

Dangers of changing climate I’m sure may not have been running through Monet’s mind as he began to imagine Floating Ice near Vetheuil. However, the water and its surroundings in the painting give insight on natural changes and the importance of recognizing differences in weather and natural conditions.

Claude Monet is not only the father of Impressionism, but his unique style and depiction of light and water make his works Environmentally Conscious as well. His art captures the shadows and movement of the waters, which makes his art very current and newsworthy due to global warming affects around the world.

Claude Monet has many oil paintings that have that “global warming conscious” feel, I don’t think it would be right to title him from an Impressionist to an Environmentalist but his appreciation of nature and love for the intricacies of light and water make him the father of Environmental Impressionism in my book.

While busying yourself to complete your itinerary, do not neglect the art that surrounds you while on vacation. While eating your meals or walking along the narrow paths of a European city, their in the art around you lies the history, the passion of the people, and the true story of the place.

Another option is to look for up and coming artist on the walls of the cafés. While enjoying your “Café Ole” ask management, waiters and find out about interesting art you find on the wall. It is a great way to take back memories with you from your travels, and who knows, your small investment could grow into what could possibly be the beginning stages of your child’s college fund.

Pablo Picasso’s Old Guitarist (1903) a masterpiece from the artist’s Blue Period depicts a man sitting cross-legged playing a guitar. Reminds me of art decor you will find in a small French or Spanish cafe while traveling. No laptop computer, no business meetings, no carpooling children to soccer games, simply enjoy yourself and take in the cafe decor.