Painter Robert Saueressig - technique

What is your technique?

Most of my work is done in acrylic paints, with a combination of brush work and palette knife, on board or canvas. My field sketches are done in oil pastels.

How to Hang Art

Hanging and displaying art can be a daunting task. Need some help? This three minute video will give you ideas on how to give your art collection the attention it deserves.

Robert Saueressig - How did you get started?

How did you get started?

Like many artists, I started with drawing cartoons as a kid. The little one-room school I attended out on the North Dakota prairie didn’t have art classes. Neither did the high school in town. My first formal art instruction was on the first day I arrived at the College of Visual Arts (CVA) in St. Paul, Minnesota., fresh out of high school.

Robert Saueressig - Why do you paint?

Why do you paint?

It is what I love to do, and what I was trained to do.

Monday's agriculture website - Tractor House Used Tractors

*A note for new readers to the Cow Art and More blog: every Monday, blog author Kathy Swift shares an agricultural website of interest.*

Today's agricultural website centers around helping readers find the perfect used tractor. Tractor House is an online classified ad site to hook up buyers and sellers of used farm equipment. In addition to tractors from different a variety of manufacturers, the site also lists tractor parts for sale and connects buyers with tractor dealers nationwide. The website is a complement to the print edition of the same information.

April's featured artist - painter Robert Saueressig

April's featured artist is acrylic painter, Robert Saueressig. Robert's career as a graphic design artist eventually led him to painting, which he has been able to do full time since 2000. Robert's original only work can be found in collections across the United States and Europe. He will be answering a series of questions over the month here, on the Cow Art and More blog.

Purchase any of Robert's art this month and receive free shipping.

View all of Robert's paintings in the Cow Art and More specials section.

Friday's art article: Art Copyright laws

I have received several questions from customers pertaining to what they can do with the images displayed on Cow Art and More. These situations are specifically governed by copyright laws. I will go through a few of the situations here and explain what customers can and cannot do.

The moment someone creates anything "artful", the only person legally allowed to makes copies of that artwork is the original creating artist. If the artist decides to make copies (e.g. prints, multiple sculptures, etc.), he or she can. If anyone else does, without written permission from the creating artist, this is a copyright infringement. The artist has the legal right to take the offending party to court and sue for damages. In fact, copyright laws are so strong that family or legal heirs will still own the copyright to the artist's artwork until 70 years after his or her death.

Artists that display their work online or allow their art to be published in books or magazines often put a copyright symbol (letter c encased in a circle) next to the image. Just because the symbol isn't there doesn't mean you can copy the work; copyright is automatically implied when the art is created. The symbol is there as a reminder.

Art collectors should be aware that even after buying an original work of art, the artist still holds the copyright. This is what allows the artist to sell prints of the work. The buyer cannot make prints or sell copies of the art unless the artist has given express permission in writing. If you as the collector want to buy a piece of art, without giving the artist the right to make reproductions, please make this clear up front. If this is an artist that makes prints of their work, it is likely the artist will want to do so for that original piece. If you as the buyer want to also own the copyright, I would also suggest getting this fact in writing since the laws are written in the artist's favor.

There are three areas where I see art collectors fall into problems when it comes to copyrights and art work.

1. You cannot use an artist's image for anything without their explicit consent. This includes using an image of the artwork to represent your business or organization. This is still the case even if you have purchased a copy of the artwork.
2. You cannot download a copy of the artwork to use as a screen saver, t-shirt logo, avatar on your Facebook page, or other assorted activities without written consent from the artist. Even though you are using it for your own behalf, with no plans to resell, it is still considered "stealing" unless the artist has consented.
   
3. This next area is a bit more fuzzy, but you cannot post a copy of the artwork on your own website, blog, facebook page, etc. without consent of the artist. Generally, if the artwork is identified with the creating artist, copyright symbol, and even a title and date created, problems can be averted. But without that identification, problems usually arise. Many artists like to have the publicity, so an email is usually all it takes to avoid problems. Nowadays with social media sharing buttons, I would suggest using one of them to "share" the artwork with others.
   

In general, the few copyright problems we have had to deal with have not been malicious in any way. People were just unaware of the laws and were happy to comply with our request once we asked not to use it in the manner they were.

My advice: when in doubt, ask. If you've made a mistake, rectify it. If you're caught, be honest.