Frequently Asked Questions
M Curry Arts
If you have a question not addressed here, please email me! mcurry451@gmail.com
“What about your materials" I use high Artist Quality Materials. Some brands I use: Schminke, Winsor & Newton, Sennelier, Royal Talens, Holbein, St. Petersburg, Liquitex, Golden, Utrect, and others. I only use rag, or acid free supports.
“Why do you do different media, subject matter and styles?" I am a multidisciplinary 2-d artist. I liken this to a musician who can play many instruments. I create artwork in oil, watercolor, acrylic, pastel, and others. In learning different media, over 40+ years I strove to master them. I am driven to push my own visual boundaries, and am constantly evolving in my work. I am an artist who has a high level of creativity, enjoys problem solving, and different kinds of composition within the visual arts. Art is communication, and sometimes one media’s expression will be better suited to what I want to convey. I enjoy a wide spectrum of creation from realism, impressionism, expressionism, minimalism, to abstraction.
“How do you price your artwork?" Originals: Pricing is based on size, media, subject matter, fair market value, and gallery representation. That being said, I use a per square inch methodology that incorporates these elements for my originals. The dimensions of height x width are figured in. For commissions, I require 1/2 of the total end cost before I begin the work. Any treatment such as matting, framing, embellishments, whatever that costs me, is added on to the end price, as well as Sales tax, and any shipping costs. I will accept layaway payments by agreement with a quarter (non-refundable) down payment. I am willing to trade valuable goods, or services for art, based on if I need or want that item, and by written contract and agreement. All sales are final, no refunds or exchanges.
Gift Shop items: Pricing is based on size, media, subject matter, fair market value, as much as possible. Fine Art America handles transactions for this area.
“Gift Shop" Prints of some of my traditional media artwork, and digital painting, and montages, as well as select objects de arte, are handled by Fine Art America. They use the same archival, giclee, epson technology I have utilized for my prints for years. I have long enjoyed fine quality items that enrich my home and daily life, such as favorite and inspiring paintings of artist’s, that have been made into stationary, notebooks, tee, or a coffee cup, purchased at a gift shop in my local Art Museum. I am thankful to live in a day where I can do the same for my art, that can be made affordable, and can be translated into common objects that can beautify our lives. If the art of Van Gogh, Monet, DaVinci, and Picasso can be shared in this way, so can mine! Take a look at the Gift Shop page for a beautiful gift for a special someone, or for yourself! Of course, if you want to have an available original, that can be found on the Shop page, or you can commission me to make an original piece of art for you!
“What is the meaning behind your logo?" The original logo is a play on my first name, Michelle (Shell), like a rebus. It references times in ancient painting history to times before palettes, or paint containers, when an artist would use seashells to put their bits of pigment colors in. The nautilus shell is a natural example of the “Golden Section," and is used by Artists and Musicians through time. I attempt to incorporate its principles in my art, as a formula for beauty that resonates deeply in the human spirit. The “Golden Section" is a pattern known as God’s fingerprint, as seen in nature, all over the world. The white portion in the very center references the prismatic quality of white light that refracts into all colors. White is the color of purity, and light. It is also the color of a blank canvas or paper, a symbol of new possibilities. The gold paint spot is a symbol for a high standard of excellence, that I try to achieve through my work. The paintbrush is a symbol for the Artist’s tool that I employ, and create my artworks.
“Do you restore paintings? I have done restoration work over the years. As I have worked extensively in traditional media, often I am able to repair a painting, working in the media that I specialize in. Someone will have a painting that has been damaged, and wants to see it repaired, to be able, once again, to hang proudly in their home or office. I only take on work that I am confident I can repair, so I reserve the right to decline something beyond my expertise. I have repaired watercolor, photographs, pastel, and acrylic and oil paintings. For example, I have been able to fix oil paintings with warping, fist sized holes, and damage caused by rubbing, as well as missing color to exactly match and replace, as well as paint layers.
(See the example below. This large painting, by an unknown artist, had undergone extensive damage. It had small and large holes, warpage, and missing paint layers and missing color, as well as layers of heavy dirt from being in storage. This artist, though unsigned, was masterful in handling composition and color, and effects in sensitively portraying depth and movement. It was sad to see this fabulous painting in this state. The owner loved the painting, but was thinking on scrapping it. I offered to try to repair it, and I am so glad he said yes! It is now restored, and proudly hanging in their home, and you have to look hard see any damage in it!)
