An Overview...Originals and Limited Editions

Art collectors have long had the choice of purchasing art on paper or art on canvas. The paper art included original works such as watercolors, pastels, pencil or ink drawings, lithos, serigraphs and etchings....and limited editions reproduced photomechanically from originals.

Canvases were usually original (and costly) works of art. But now, the growing popularity and availability of limited editions on canvas give collectors “the original look” at affordable prices.

So what are limited edition canvases and how are they produced?

There are several ways of producing canvas limited editions such as the once popular “canvas transfers,” made by fusing the top layer of a paper print onto a prepared canvas surface. The result was an image that appeared as you might expect it to — like a paper print fused to a piece of canvas. Often, to make the print look “original,” the artist (or a technician) added textured varnish or paint to the print surface.

Today's state of the art reproductive technique is the giclée (jhee-clay) method in which high-tech printing equipment sprays millions of digitally-matched ink droplets per second onto a surface. Canvas, paper and archival board are the most common giclée surfaces.

Developed some ten years ago, the giclée has now become the “gold standard” — an important and permanent part of the limited edition world.

This spectacular blend of technology and fine art looks so much like the original work of art that even astute collectors do “double-takes.” Therefore, buyers should be aware that not all “original appearing” works of art are original.

The giclée (unless printed on paper) is meant to be enjoyed without glass, so nothing comes between you and your art.


Architectural Scale Model

I had a 1 48 scale model flying Fortress that was my pride and joy.

When I went to architecture school, I gave it all up. I figured that I could not make a career in models, and should do something else that I enjoyed. Little did I realize what awaited me. I actually got a job in architectural scale model making! If you enjoy working with miniatures and have working knowledge architecture, this is an amazing field to get into. When I make architectural scale models, I get to create complete miniature communities. Most of my architecture scale model clients don't want to just have a model of the building that they are proposing. They want a model that shows the whole surrounding area along with the building. This gives context to the vision, and makes it appear as if it has already come to life. This is where architectural scale model builders coming in.

One of the interesting things about architectural scale model making is how painstaking it is. Despite all the advances of modern technology, there is still only one way to make an architectural scale model: by hand. Sure, there are some advantages that we have that previous generations did not. The individual pieces of architectural scale models can be stamped out. This saves hundreds of hours of work, because you don't have to cut each piece by itself. However, adapting the architectural blueprint to an architectural scale model, designing the pieces, creating the molds, trimming the parts, and putting them together, all still have to be done by human hands. No one has figured out a way to automate the process.

I am grateful that they haven't figured out a way to take the individual craftsmen away from the architectural scale model. This job is a dream come true, and I'm glad it can't be done more efficiently by machines. I think it will be a long time before anyone figures out another way to do it. If it were a matter of mass manufacturing architectural scale models, it would be different. You could create one design and have it stamped out by a machine. But each architectural scale model is custom ordered, and so each must be custom made.


Art - Make It Your Next Investment

There are a lot of people who enjoy decorating with beautiful and original pieces of art. Some may think that they spent a fortune on it, but if the attended an art festival they nay have found a bargain.

Attending an art festival to look for your next purchase of a piece of art is a great way to save money. You never know what you are going to find. There are many different artists supplying a variety in different pieces. Whether it is a wall hanging of sculpture for your prize garden there is a choice. You could even be buying a piece of work made by a future artist who works will one day be worth a small fortune.

If you are a collector or a dealer of art this is an excellent opportunity to purchase for your own investment. It doesn't matter what you are looking for you will most likely find it.

You don't have to go just to make a purchase either. You can just simply get an idea of some things you might want to purchase in the future. Get an idea of the different types of art that is out there. Discover what your taste in art is. It is a nice way to just enjoy your day. Art usually has a calming effect on most people so just go to simply enjoy a day off. There are other things to do when you attend an art festival.

Some people go to art festivals in search of other homemade products. There are stands that sell beaded jewelry. Silver and turquoise is another popular choice in homemade jewelry. This is a great way to purchase something different. Some of it being better quality then jewelry you'll find in a department store.

Crafts are another thing sought out when one attends an art festival. Some of us love crafts, but just don't have the knack to make our own. It is also a great way for crafty people to sell their pieces. Making a profit off their hobby.

Art festivals are annual events in most areas. You may not live somewhere an art festival is held. You can search on the Internet to find out if there is an art festival held in a near by location to you. If you truly love art you won't mind the extra time it takes to attend a festival. Art festivals are a rewarding experience to both who attended them and the artists selling their works. It is something to look forwarded to every year knowing that you will again experience the endless talent of the locals near you.


Anno's Evangelion: A Study In Mental Disorders

Hideaki Anno's magnum opus of an anime, “Shin Seiki Evangelion” has long been the subject of debate for anime fans. There will always be conflicts on whether the show reinvigorated a stagnating industry or if it was all hype. There will be fans arguing one way or another about the validity of the countless revivals and reinterpretations of the original material, including the latest CG-heavy movie project entitled “The Rebuild of Evangelion.” The debate on whether one of the female leads is better and more attractive than the other is likely never going to end. However, the fact that all of the characters exhibit some extreme examples of severely stunted mental health is a point of great interest to the fans. The latest installment can be viewed as a protracted case study into just how warped a human mind can become.

For a good introduction into this facet of the show, there's always the lead character, Shinji Ikari. The boy exhibits signs of incredible social anxiety, being completely unwilling to engage in social activities at the onset of the show. In some ways, his politeness and tendency to apologize repeatedly for things that are not his fault, as well as apologizing for his earlier apologies, can also be seen as a link to his performance anxiety. Indeed, throughout the bulk of the show, he exhibits signs of performance anxiety when tasked with piloting the massive bio-mechanical constructs known as “evangelions.” The fact that his social anxiety prevents him from truly opening up to anyone makes it difficult for him to find ways to release his tension and fear, even to his trusted guardian. There are a few fans that have theorized that Shinji's myriad of psychological issues also contains Oedipus complex, though the show merely hints upon this.

An interesting mirror to Shinji is one of the female leads, Asuka Langley Soryu. She has suffered the same trauma as Shinji, mainly the death of the mother and rejection by the father. However, her social anxiety seems to have taken the opposite route as Shinji's, giving her a more extroverted and vocal personality but pushing away people when she subconsciously feels that they are getting too close. She also exhibits extreme status anxiety when piloting the “evangelion” units are concerned. She is highly concerned with maintaining her status as the most effective pilot, going to great lengths to stay that way. However, when the data reflects Shinji's performance as being superior to hers, she goes berserk and insists that such an event is impossible. The situation was worsened when Shinji invariably rescued her, as she was rendered incapacitated by a mental attack that forced her to deal with her myriad of issues, all of which she had pushed under the surface. Her mental health eventually collapses in the wake of those events, causing her to rapidly progress from self-doubt, to depression, and finally to a complete mental and emotional breakdown. In the original incarnation, she never actually recovered.

In some ways, Shinji's guardian, Misato Katsuragi, has also experienced stunted mental health. The death of her father traumatized her, such that she was unable to speak for several years after the incident. Her attraction to a co-worker, Kaji, is an overt sign of Electra complex. Characters within the show have pointed out that Misato's attraction to Kaji stems from his resemblance to her father, both in appearance and personality. She has also exhibited some signs of separation anxiety, as evidenced by her unwillingness to sacrifice Shinji in battle, even if it would cost potentially thousands of other lives to save him. Her constant worrying over this fact is taken as evidence of the problem. Her outgoing and happy personality is also hinted to be her way of coping with some form of social anxiety, which manifests by her refusal to allow herself to get emotionally close to her. It is also implied that she understands this, as she notes that any attempt to develop her parental relationship with Shinji would only result in both of them getting hurt. Even the parental nature of her relationship with Shinji is questionable, particularly due to her statements implying that she will sleep with him if he does as she says and saves the world in the “End of Evangelion” movie.

Rei Ayanami, another of the lead characters, is generally viewed as a “poster child” for a number of stunted mental health. She is often seen being incapable of feeling emotions, or at least incapable of expressing the emotions she feels. However, this lack of emotion from her has only added to the speculation on what her myriad of psychological issues are. She exhibited Thanatos, the so-called “death instinct,” on one occasion. Her lack of friends and social contacts has been interpreted by some as being a product of her own social anxiety, which is in turn aggravated by her apparent lack of emotions. Indeed, it is generally assumed that the other students tried to initiate social interaction with her, but that she herself prevented it from going further than that. However, unlike Shinji and Asuka, she does not seem to exhibit anxiety problems regarding her ability to pilot an “evangelion,” though whether this is because she does not feel it or she is incapable of expressing her frustrations is debatable.

All of the other major figures in the show exhibit signs of mental health problems in most incarnations. It has often been stated that the characters are motivated and controlled by their anxiety disorders and psychological issues, with most of them being where they are because of their problems. The anime was heralded as revolutionary because of its psychological and religious themes, as well as showing that the mecha sub-genre could have a deeper meaning than “giants robots fighting other giant robots.” The point is arguable but, even a decade after the show was first released, it is arguable that no anime has had characters as psychologically warped as “Evangelion.”


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Androgenetic Alopecia

Androgenetic alopecia a.k.a. male pattern baldness is the most common cause of hair loss among men and women. The only difference lies in the pattern of hair loss. The condition is called male pattern baldness in the case of men, and female pattern baldness in the case of women. This is androgenetic alopecia definition in a nutshell.


<b>Male and female pattern hair loss</b>

In men, androgenetic alopecia causes hair loss in a well-defined pattern. The process starts above both the temples. Gradually the hairline recedes to form a characteristic “M” shape. Hair loss is also witnessed at the crown (near the head top), often resulting in either partial or complete baldness. 

In the case of hair loss in women hair becomes thinner all over the head. However, the hairline does not recede. Total baldness caused by the disease among women is rare.


<b>Causes of male androgenetic alopecia?<b>


Androgen can be called the root cause of male androgenetic alopecia. It is a generic term referring to any natural or synthetic compound (usually a steroid hormone) stimulating or controlling the development and maintenance of masculine characteristics in vertebrates by binding to androgen receptors. The latter is an intracellular steroid receptor specifically binding the two types of androgens - testosterone and dihydrotestosterone (DHT).

This receptor binding allows the androgens to stimulate and regulate the development and maintenance of masculine characteristics in vertebrates. Male androgenetic alopecia is caused by androgenetic function and androgen receptors are at the centre of androgenetic functions.

<b>Genetic factors in androgenetic alopecia</b>

Androgenetic alopecia is influenced by genetic factors. People with a strong predisposition to the disease start balding in their teens. Those with a weak predisposition may start balding in their 60s or 70s.

Less than 15 per cent of men have little or no baldness by the age of 70. As per research, several genes that one inherits from both of his parents play a role in this disease. Paternal hair loss reportedly correlates with alopecia possibility in sons. On the other hand, androgen receptors (AR) - that can correlate with baldness - are X chromosome linked.


American Rock In Its Purest Form - Melissa Etheridge On Stage

Melissa Etheridge has long been known as an artist who produces music that fits the core of what many consider “American Rock and Roll.” Her style combines folk, blues, rock and roll and searing guitar melodies that cut to the soul. Her wide-ranging style has captured the hearts and ears of millions of fans, and Etheridge is returning to the stage in the summer of 2006. A look at her life will at least partially explain how her style came to be.

Early Life

Etheridge was born in Leavenworth, Kansas on May 29, 1961. She almost immediately became involved with music, as she learned to play the guitar at the age of eight and began writing music shortly thereafter. She played in a series of local bands through her teen-age years and was accepted into the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston after high school.

Etheridge stayed at Berklee for only one year, and she dropped out to play in and around Boston for a time before making her way to Southern California in the early 1980’s. She spent her time producing demo tapes, and was discovered by Bill Leopold, who got her steady work at a series of gigs in the Los Angeles area.

Career Highlights

Etheridge’s regular performances at the Executive Suite in Long Beach got her noticed by record companies, and her talent led to a bidding war between A&M, Capitol, EMI, and Warner Bros. Etheridge ultimately decided to sign with Island Records, and she immediately began producing albums.

Her first studio work, entitled Melissa Etheridge, went multi-platinum, and four singles released from this work climbed into the Billboard charts. Her second release, Brave and Crazy, got as high as number 22 on the album charts and had three singles earn spots in the Billboard charts.

Since then, Etheridge has released seven subsequent albums, with two more, Yes I Am in 1993 and Your Little Secret in 1995 going multi-platinum. In all, Etheridge’s albums have sold over 27 million copies worldwide, and her music is as recognizable as any artist in her era.

Personal Causes

Etheridge is only slightly-less known for her personal causes as she is for her music. Perhaps her most famous “cause” was her courageous decision to reveal her homosexuality during President Clinton’s inauguration ceremonies in 1993. Since then, she has been an avid supporter for gay rights, and is as recognizable as any star for this cause in the world.

Etheridge has also performed for countless benefits, including such causes as Hurricane Katrina relief, the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army. Etheridge is widely known for giving her time, money, talents and platform as a star to bring attention to the causes in which she believes, no matter how controversial.

This bravery has only enhanced her standing with her fans and music lovers alike, and it speaks to the nature of her musical style - honest, open, heartfelt and sincere. She will no doubt continue to perform for her causes, and she is sure to bring a crowd wherever she appears.