02.15.12
Posted in Uncategorized at 7:38 am by Administrator
In recognition of American Heart Month, this February we will be donating a portion of all profits from sales this month to the American Heart Association.
As the number one cause of death in women in the United States, heart disease kills more women each year than all forms of cancer combined.
Heart disease is a problem that we all need to be concerned about, both women and men.
Hopefully, if we all kick in and do our part, we can help cut down the number of people that contract, and die from, this disease.
Many people don’t understand the disease and the things we do that make us prone to developing problems. So, here is a little information to help you out.
What is heart disease?
Heart disease – also called cardiovascular disease – is a simple term used to describe several problems related to plaque buildup in the walls of the arteries, or atherosclerosis. As the plaque builds up, the arteries narrow, making it more difficult for blood to flow and creating a risk for heart attack or stroke.
Do you know how these controllable risk factors affect your risk of heart disease, stroke and metabolic syndrome?
smoking
high blood pressure
high blood cholesterol
diabetes
being overweight or obese
physical inactivity
The American Heart Association recommends that heart attack prevention begin by age 20. This means assessing your risk factors and working to keep them low. For those over 40, or those with multiple risk factors, it’s important to calculate the risk of developing cardiovascular disease in the next 10 years. Many first-ever heart attacks or strokes are fatal or disabling, so prevention is critical. The sooner you begin comprehensive risk reduction, the longer and stronger your heart will beat.
EAT RIGHT
Who would have thought you could fight cancer, diabetes, heart disease and stroke … with a fork?
Many people don’t know it, but one of the most important things you can do to protect yourself from these diseases is to eat a healthy diet Whether or not you have a family history of cancer, diabetes, heart disease or stroke, what you eat – and how much you eat – can help reduce your risk. As a matter of fact, if you are one of the many Americans who do not smoke, eating well – along with being active and maintaining a healthy weight – is your best defense against disease.
Following a few simple recommendations from the American Cancer Society, American Diabetes Association and the American Heart Association can help you eat your way to a healthier weight – and a healthier YOU!
Make Healthy Choices
Eat at least five servings of vegetables and fruits each day.
Does “five” sound like a lot? Serving sizes are actually smaller than you might think!
One medium piece of fruit
¼ cup of dried fruit
½ cup chopped, canned or frozen fruit
6 oz of 100% fruit or vegetable juice
½ cup chopped, canned or frozen vegetables
1 cup of leafy greens
Focus on fruits and veggies that have the most color. They’re generally the most nutritious.
Choose whole grains over processed (refined) grains and sugars.
Choose whole-grain rice, bread, pasta and cereals.
Not sure if it’s whole grain? Look for “whole wheat” or another whole grain as the first ingredient on the label.
Limit consumption of refined carbohydrates, including pastries, sweetened cereals, soft drinks and other foods high in sugar. .
Substitute healthier fats for not-so-healthy fats
Choose monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats such as olive oil, canola oil and peanut oil.
Avoid trans fats, found in many margarines and baked goods.
Limit your intake of saturated fats and cholesterol found in meats and dairy products.
Select lean cuts of meat (look for “round” or “loin”).
Trim excess fat from meats.
Choose low-fat and fat-free dairy products.
Choose poultry, fish and beans as alternatives to beef, lamb and pork.
Add avocados and nuts to your diet. (These are high in healthy fats, but also high in calories, so don’t go overboard!)
Dining Portion Sizes
Eating out? Restaurant portions are frequently two to three times larger than normal portions. Remember these tips next time you dine out:
Split an entrée with a friend or save half of it for lunch the next day.
Have an appetizer and salad or soup as your main course.
At home, serve appropriate portion sizes, and store the rest for leftovers. Avoid eating directly out of a bag or carton. Think about buying foods packaged in individual serving sizes to help you control portions. Serve dinner on your smaller salad plates instead of your dinner plates!
Watch Your Portion Sizes
No doubt about it – our portion sizes are getting bigger and bigger, and unfortunately, so are our waistlines. Beware of portion distortion, and help trim down the number of calories you eat each day.
Use these visuals to help you judge what a normal portion size is:
½ cup of vegetables or fruit is about the size of your fist.
A medium apple is the size of a baseball.
A three-ounce portion of meat, fish or poultry is about the size of deck of cards.
A single-serving bagel is about the size of a hockey puck.
1 ½ ounces of cheese is the size of a pair of dice.
One tablespoon of peanut butter is about the size of the tip of your thumb.
Eating out? Restaurant portions are frequently two to three times larger than normal portions. Remember these tips next time you dine out:
Split an entrée with a friend or save half of it for lunch the next day.
Have an appetizer and salad or soup as your main course.
At home, serve appropriate portion sizes, and store the rest for leftovers. Avoid eating directly out of a bag or carton. Think about buying foods packaged in individual serving sizes to help you control portions. Serve dinner on your smaller salad plates instead of your dinner plates!
Choose Foods That Help Maintain a Healthy Weight
In addition to watching your portion sizes, substituting lower calorie foods for higher calorie foods can help influence what your scale says.
Cooking Tips
Use low-fat cooking methods like roasting, baking, broiling, steaming or poaching. Limit deep-fat frying and sautéing in a lot of oil, butter or margarine. Use a cooking spray, broth or water to sauté meats.
Substitute vegetables, fruits and other lower-calorie foods – lowfat dairy products, lean meats and cheeses, whole grains, and reduced sugar foods - for calorie-dense foods such as French fries, cheeseburgers, pizza, ice cream, doughnuts and other sweets
Dairy Substitutions
Use evaporated (skim or whole) milk instead of higher-fat cream in baked goods, sauces and soups.
Use reduced-fat or fat-free yogurt to replace all or part of the sour cream or mayonnaise in a recipe. Replace part of ricotta cheese with reduced-fat cottage cheese. Use a puree of cooked potatoes, onion, and celery as a creamy base for soups instead of cream or half-and-half.
Sharp cheese gives extra flavor so that less can be used. This helps trim the fat.
Select yogurt or milk products without added sugar or flavorings. Mix in fresh fruit for a flavor boost.
GET ACTIVE
Being physically active for at least 30 minutes on five or more days each week can help you not only look and feel better, but it can also help reduce your risk of these diseases. Living a physically activity lifestyle has many benefits, and all of these benefits can begin with moderate activity. This includes things like walking, biking – even housework and gardening. And if you enjoy more vigorous activities, that’s great too. The more active you are, the more benefits you gain. The most important thing is to get more active everyday. And it’s never too late to start.
Who’s Got the Time?
With today’s fast-paced, hectic lifestyle, it can be difficult to find time to add another thing during the day.
It may sound impossible to find another 30 (or more!) minutes for physical activity. Good news! You don’t have to do all 30 minutes continuously. Being active for 10 to 15 minutes at a time can help improve your health. Stretch for 10 minutes in the morning before everyone gets up, take a 10 minute walk during lunch, and go for a 10 minute walk after dinner, and you have managed to work in 30 minutes of activity.
Another key to finding time for physical activity is to reduce the amount of time spent doing things that are inactive. Try these tips for making your routine more active:
Use the stairs instead of the elevator.
If you can, walk or bike to your destination.
Take a 10-minute activity break at work to stretch or take a quick walk, or use your lunch break to add some more activity to your day
Walk to visit co-workers instead of sending an e-mail message.
Go dancing with your spouse or friends.
Take a look at what you do during a normal day. Are you sitting when you could be moving around?
Plan active vacations – go hiking, biking, swimming, and pack your tennis racquets.
Wear a pedometer every day and watch your daily steps increase.
Join a sports or recreation team.
Use a stationary bicycle or treadmill while watching TV.
Plan your activity routine to gradually increase the days per week and minutes per session.
Whether you plan a set activity routine or find ways to be more active during your day, the important part is that you get up and get moving.
DON’T SMOKE
Smoking is the single most preventable cause of disease and death in the United States. It’s scary but true: Tobacco is the only consumer product known to kill half of its users. Don’t you be one of them!
But there’s good news too. The health benefits of stopping smoking are immediate and long-lasting. And it’s never too late to quit – for your health and the health of the people you love.
Smoking causes almost one-third of all cancer deaths and one-fifth of deaths from heart disease and stroke. Smoking complicates diabetes, and recent studies now link tobacco use to an increased risk of developing the disease.
If you’re a smoker, ask your doctor for help with quitting, and contact us for resources that can double your chances of success.
Quitting smoking is one of the hardest things you’ll ever do, but you’ll be glad you did.
SEE YOUR DOCTOR
There are three ways your doctor can help you stay healthy – prevention, screening and treatment. Unfortunately, many people see their doctors only to get treated when they are sick. These people often miss lifesaving opportunities to prevent health problems or catch them at an early stage, when they can be treated most easily.
Be sure to ask your doctor about screening tests recommended by the American Cancer Society, American Diabetes Association and American Heart Association and other tests and services to determine which ones are right for you.
Your doctor will ask about your family history. Certain forms of cancer, diabetes, heart disease and stroke can run in some families. Information about health problems among your closest relatives will help tell your doctor whether you need to be especially cautious about preventing certain diseases through lifestyle changes or medication.
Thanks to the American Heart Association for providing this great information.
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02.14.12
Posted in Uncategorized at 5:56 am by Administrator
We have something new that will “knock-the-socks-off” of any boxing fan.
It is a hand print of none other than boxing great Mohammed Ali himself!
Muhammad Ali Hand Print
HAND PRINT WITH SIGNATURE OF BOXING’S GREAT, MUHAMMAD ALI
THIS RARE AND UNUSUAL PLAQUE CONTAINS A HAND PRINT, A SIGNATURE AND A PLAQUE.
THE PLAQUE READS:
“MUHAMMAD ALI THREE TIME HEAVY WEIGHT CHAMPION OF THE WORLD”
This same item is currently listed on eBay for $1,299.99 !!!
Not a joke. Check it out yourself by clicking the link below.
ebay listing
Muhammad Ali Hand Print - rear signature
Muhammad Ali Hand Print - front signature
MOHAMMED ALI BIO
American boxer Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr, was born on January 17, 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky. Better known as Muhammad Ali, he was perhaps the most celebrated sports figure in the world during most of the 1960s and ’70s. His rise to prominence may be attributed to a combination of circumstances his role as a spokesman for and idol of blacks; his vivacious personality; his dramatic conversion to the Black Muslim religion; and most important, his staying power as an athlete. Ali first came to world attention in 1960, when he won the Olympic light-heavyweight championship. He then won a controversial championship bout from Sonny Liston in 1964 to gain the heavyweight title. He produced a steady stream of headlines. The fight was questioned because Ali seemed to be quitting before the bout was over. After that he produced a steady stream of headlines. He then changed his name to Muhammad Ali. He was the first boxer to benefit from satellite television, making him all the more visible.
Muhammad Ali however, proved to be a “fighting champion,” accepting the challenges of every heavyweight with ranking credentials. He was stripped of his title in 1967 for refusing to join the Army during the Vietnam War. The government prosecuted him for draft dodging and the boxing commissions took away his license. He was idle for three and a half years at the peak of his career. In 1971 the Supreme Court ruled that the government had acted improperly and was allowed to resume fighting. He won back the championship in 1974 in about with George Foreman. He lost the crown again in 1978 to Leon Spinks but regained it the same year, thus becoming the first man to win the title three times. Other than Joe Frazier (in 1971) and Spinks, the only boxers to defeat Ali, who had a 55-5 record, were Ken Norton (1973), who later lost to Ali; Larry Holmes (1980), who foiled Ali’s try for a fourth heavyweight championship; and Trevor Berbick (1981), after which fight Ali retired. The Ali-Frazier fights rank among the greatest in fistic history. In later years Ali developed Parkinson’s disease, caused by blows to the head from boxing.
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02.13.12
Posted in Uncategorized at 12:36 am by Administrator
Melanie Taylor Kent – BIO
MELANIE TAYLOR KENT
Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Melanie was raised and has spent most of her life in Southern California. She won her first National Art Competition at age 12 and studied with several celebrated artists. Melanie graduated from the UCLA School of Art and taught art in the Los Angeles City Schools. In 1980 she started her own publishing company and has published a series of art chronicling America by depicting famous streets and famous events. She continues to work and recently her artwork has been licensed to Warner Bros., The Walt Disney Corporation and Hanna-Barbera.
MELANIE TAYLOR KENT - Statue of Liberty Centennial
MELANIE TAYLOR KENT - Statue of Liberty Centennial (close-up)
Melanie Taylor Kent is one of the most treasured and collected painters living and painting today. In just a few years she has achieved recognition as “the artist of famous celebrations, streets, and landmarks of America”. She combines her art talent and love of history with a whimsical imagination to produce images of brilliant and vivid colors, yet informative because of Melanie’s attention to detail and quest for authenticity. Melanie’s serigraphs are noted for the famous personalities that delight and challenge collectors to identify them. Melanie was the first artist to be licensed by the Walt Disney Company to portray Disney theme parks in limited edition prints. Melanie has been selected as the official artist of the LA Dodgers and the 30th anniversary of Dodger Stadium. Melanie was selected as the official artist of the 50th anniversary of “The Wizard of Oz”, the 15th anniversary of “Star Wars” and the 10th anniversary of “E.T.”. Melanie’s depiction of the 1984 Olympics, “Let the Games Begin”, was licensed by the US Olympic Committee. Most of Kent’s limited edition works are done as serigraphs, utilizing as many as 200 separate color plates and heavy, acid free archival papers. The production values complement these terrific works, which are collected worldwide.
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02.11.12
Posted in Uncategorized at 9:16 pm by Administrator
JERUSALEM by LEONID AFREMOV, Limited Edition, Hand Signed, Artist Embellished Giclee JERUSALEM by LEONID AFREMOV, Limited Edition, Hand Signed, Artist Embellished Giclee
SHORT BIOGRAPHY
Leonid Afremov was born in Vitebsk, Belarus in 1955. He graduated from the Vitebsk Art School, which was founded by the art legend Marc Chagall in 1921. Like Chagall, Afremov favors the use of a palette knife rather than a paintbrush. Afremov enjoyed painting very much, however he realized that the only images that would be purchased in Russia would be propaganda posters. With this in mind he decided to move to Israel where, almost immediately, he found employment with a local advertising agency painting billboards. Shortly thereafter Afremov moved once again, this time to the United States, where he resides and continues to paint in his Florida-based studio.
JERUSALEM by LEONID AFREMOV, Limited Edition, Hand Signed, Artist Embellished Giclee
FULL BIOGRAPHY
The artist Leonid Afremov was born in city of Vitebsk, Belarus in 1955– the same town where Marc Chagall was born. Leonid Afremov graduated from Vitebsk Art School in 1978. The school was founded by Marc Chagall in 1921. Along with Malevich and Kandinsky, Leonid Afremov is one of the elite members of the famous Vitebsk art school.
Leonid was building up his experience by painting a lot with oil and participating in various exhibitions. But nevertheless, his talent achieved its real heights only when he moved to Israel in 1990. The scorching southern sun filled with colors and brightness made Leonid’s paintings positive and joyous. The artist himself is a convinced optimist and this can be easily seen in his creative artworks. His paintings make viewers feel lighter and more positive.
Artist’s personality reflects his unusual technique which was developed and perfected many over years of hard work. His artistic style is unique and easily recognized. Leonid uses palette-knife instead of regular brushes to put paint on canvas. Palette-knife itself is intended to be used for cleaning old paint from canvas. It is very rare that any artist ventures to use it as an instrument in painting together with a brush, and it is even more rare that any artist uses it as his or her only instrument. Working with palette-knife gives fantastic possibilities, but it is also fantastically difficult to master. It took 10 years for Leonid Afremov to build up his palette-knife handling skill up to the level that it is now, and the work is far from being completed. Look at the paintings of Leonid Afremov. Can you believe that all small details on them were literally carved out from paint with little steel blades, smallest of which is only one and a half of an inch long? His painting technique is accepted by specialists to be completely unique and not capable of being copied. He even does not really need to sign his artwork, it impossible to confuse it with other painters work or to forge. By the words of the Artist, he very enjoys traveling. Traveling fills out his soul with all the energy he needs to create fabulous art. Now Leonid Afremov lives on a beautiful side of Atlantic Ocean in Florida. That lovely place with all its beauty of nature makes him create, create, and create….’
Leonid Afremov (Born July 12th 1955 – ) is a Russian – Israeli modern impressionistic artist who works mainly with a palette knife and oils. He developed his own unique technique and style which is unmistakable and cannot be confused with other artists. Afremov is mainly known as being a self-representing artist who promotes and sells his work exclusively over the internet with very little exhibitions and involvement of dealers and galleries. Before the advancement of online sales and ebay, Afremov was a very struggling artist. He was born Vitebsk Belarus and lived there until 1990, between 1990 – 2002 he lived in Israel and Between 2002 – 2010 in Boca Raton, Florida. Leonid Afremov currently resides in the popular resort town Playa Del Carmen , Quintana Roo, Mexico near Cancun. He paints mainly landscape, city scenes, seascapes, flowers and portraits. Most of his work is considered very colorful and politically neutral
Early Life and Education:
Leonid Afremov was born on July 12th 1955 in Vitebsk, Belarus (Then former USSR) to Jewish parents – Bella Afremova and Arkadiy Afremov. His father was a shoe designer and shoe maker, His mother was a worker in a metal factory in Vitebsk. Ironically he was born in the same town where Marc Chagall was born who later became a significant role model to Leonid Afremov.
Leonid was raised in a traditional Jewish home. His parents and grandparents spoke Ydish at home. Despite extreme centralized government supported anti-Semitism in Soviet Russia the family practiced many Jewish traditions and risked imprisonment for practicing their religion and speaking their language. Their birth certificates and government IDs stated their nationality as Jewish. During his years in school Leonid was beaten on regular basis by fellow students for his Jewish heritage.
Leonid was a good student in school. He received good grades and has been very interested in history and art. He attended all the possible art classes offered in school and taken private lessons from local artists. Leonid’s parents noticed his talent for painting in early age and encouraged him to develop the talents. Leonid was collecting postal stamps and pins during his high school years; he also was reading hundreds of different history books. At age 14 Leonid was exposed to extreme cold which resulted in kidney damage, he had to spend that whole year at home and ultimately redo 8th grade in school. Later in life the kidney damage resulted in hypertension which he still struggles with to this day. During his teenage years he was also taking care of his grandmother which was paralyzed.
In 1973 Leonid Afremov graduated high school number 10 in Vitebsk and was admitted to the Vitebsk Education Institute where he studied in the arts and graphics department. During his years in college Afremov was introduced to the work of March Chagall, Picasso, Dali, Modigliani and the 19th century French Impressionism.
His early artistic work was very influenced by Chagall and Modigliani. During his years in college Afremov participated in various school exhibitions and even sold some paintings. In 1978 Afremov graduated the institute and took private lessons from the local famous artist Barowski who was teaching art from the time when Marc Chagall was still living in Vitebsk. Afremov always had the drive to become a better and more skillful artist.
Life and Carrier in Soviet Russia (1976 – 1990):
In 1975 Afremov met his wife to be, Inessa Kagan, who he married the following year. In 1977 his first son Dmitry was born. The young family lived in a 2 room apartment together with inessa’s parents, grandmother and sister. In 1982 they bought their own home where they lived until 1990. After graduating college Afremov worked as a label designer in a local beer and liquor factory. Then he briefly worked in a local theater as a set designer.
In the early 1980’s he started doing free lance work for communal farms and schools. He was designing and making various propaganda posters, themed rooms and walls for certain communist events and holidays. He was also doing template sculptures of Lenin from plaster. He had a very good reputation in that field and was invited back by many farms and schools. This type of work was available only during the summer and spring. In November 1984 his second son Boris was born.
During the cold Russian winter, Afremov stayed at home painting. He was not allowed to participate in government exhibitions because of his Jewish roots and was not allowed to be a member of the local art associations. His early work was sold privately via family and friends and was not seen by many people. A lot of his work in the 1980’s was just given away for free. He did not keep records of his work then and not much of it survived. He currently does not have pictures of anything before 1990.
In 1986 the Chernobyl disaster happened. Vitebsk was only a few hundred kilometers from Chernobyl, close enough for radiation to travel with the wind and rain. The ecological situation in the area become worsened, local crops and water was poisoned with radiation. Small children were affected strongly including the 2 year old son of Leonid Afremov. His son was having serious digestion and stomach issues which were traced to radiation poisoned foods. The doctors could not do anything to help. At the same time Leonid Afremov was experiencing serious discrimination and insults for his Jewish heritage. Tolerating Acts of antisemitism became part of his daily. The liberal politics of Mikhail Gorbachev allowed Jewish soviet citizens to migrate to Israel in the late 1980s. After being fed up with antisemitism and problems caused by radiation, Leonid decided to move to Israel without hesitation as soon as the doors were opened.
On may 14th 1990 the Afremov family left by train from Minsk to Warsaw where they stayed in a hostel for 3 days then on May 17th 1990 they took a flight to Israel provided by the Israeli immigration authorities. The Afremov family was among the first to migrate from USSR in the Russian – Jewish immigration wave of the 1990s.
Life and Career in Israel 1990 – 2002:
On May 17th 1990 the Afremov family entered Israel in Ben Gurion airport. They had to give up their soviet citizenship in favor of Israeli. To this day Leonid Afremov and his family are citizens of Israel only. The Afremovs had some family in Israel who lived there since 1970s and 1988. The family rented an apartment for them in Ramat-Gan and helped them to assimilate. A few weeks after moving to Israel, Leonid Afremov found a job in an advertisement agency making signs and posters. After working in an advertisement agency, he worked in a gallery- frame shop where he learned to make frames and was introduced to the palette knife for the first time. The Russian immigrants in Israel were seriously underpaid and discriminated in favor of local Israelis. They were getting paid much less than local Israelis for same jobs. They were constantly insulted for being Russian and denied equal opportunity almost on official level. Leonid Afremov found himself trapped in the same situation he ran away from in USSR.
Because he was a recent Russian immigrant, the locals considered his work with very little value. Galleries took paintings for 50 shekels (15USD) and were reselling them for 500 to 5000 shekels. When Leonid confronted galleries about the extremely low prices, he was always getting the same answer “you a Russian immigrant, you a new piece of junk, you have no choice, if I don’t buy your paintings, your children will starve tomorrow’ The galleries refused to sell his work for percentage commissions just because he was a Russian immigrant. He was only given the option of small price for each painting which took a day to make. Afremov felt like he was exploited and discriminated by the galleries and Israeli society just like he was by the Soviet Government.
Afremov was trying to sell on street fairs and exhibitions in local social clubs. However, it was difficult because the social stigma of Russian Immigrants. His wife was forced to hold an underpaid job as well in a textile factory where she was constantly refereed to as Russian pig by her Bosses and fellow workers.
During the early 1990s Leonid Afremov was mainly working with watercolors and acrylic. He was very little experimenting with palette knife. He was painting what people were buying. he had very little artistic choice; he had to paint what was putting food on the table.
In 1993 the Afremov family bought an apartment in Ashdod because it was a city of mainly Russian Immigrants. Leonid Afremov hoped to avoid constant insults and discrimination by moving to a place where mainly Russians live. However, the city was primarily residential without much opportunities. Afremov had no choice but to keep dealing with the discriminating locals from Tel Aviv area.
In 1994, out of extreme desperation, his 16 years old son Dmitry tried to sell Leonid’s paintings door to door around the neighborhood, This practice proved itself very effective and Afremov suddenly became selling many pieces he painted and was getting little better money than from galleries. Dmitry proved himself as a good door to door salesman. He was selling Leonid’s paintings in the new neighborhoods where recent Russian Immigrants were living. In 1995 Leonid acquired enough funds to open his own gallery and frame shop in Ashdod.
The gallery was not popular among local Israelis, it was mainly visited by fellow Russian immigrants. The gallery was vandalized and broken into on several occasion. On one occasion the windows were sprayed with writings ‘Russian Pig, go back to Russia’ . Local police was refusing to act and never held a real investigation. The local Israeli newspapers were refusing to publish advertisements for Afremov’s Gallery. Afremov was advertising only via Russian Immigrant press and radio station. However, artistic freedom could not be achieved completely.
During the late 1990s Leonid was constantly holding exhibitions in Russian community centers around Israel, everywhere else the doors were closed because he was a Russian immigrant . During this time he already worked mainly with a palette knife and oils, he began establishing a unique artistic identity , however it was difficult to paint what he wanted because of the financial obligations and the picky customers. One good artist note happened in Israel, Around 1999 Leonid became friends with Russian speaking Israeli Jazz musician Leonid Ptashka. Leonid Afremov was a big fan of classical Jazz and holds a vast collection of vinyl records of Jazz. Leonid Ptashka inspired Leonid Afremov to paint a collection of portraits of popular Jazz Musicians and helped him to hold a successful exhibition in the International jazz Festival in Ashdod. Since then Leonid Afremov has painted dozens of his favorite musicians.
In March 2001 Afremov’s gallery was completely vandalized inside out. Dozens of paintings an were destroyed , the artistic equipment was stolen and the facility was turned into rubble. The local Police once again refused to react. Then Leonid Afremov decided its time to move somewhere else where he can be treated equally. He eventually moved to USA in January 2002.
Life and Career in USA 2002 – 2010:
Leonid Afremov was preparing his move to USA very carefully. For several months he did not sell any paintings, everything he painted he sent to his sister in Brooklyn. When he arrived in the US in January 2002, he had more than one hundred paintings at his disposal. Him and his son were systematically going gallery to gallery in New York. They found galleries that liked and purchased paintings, however they only took what kind of Judaic themes and Musician portraits. Afremov found himself forced to paint only limited themes and subjects for living. There was no room for artistic freedom when he had to put food on the table.
Leonid had good opportunities in New York but the cold climate affected his health. He was constantly struggling with arthritis and muscular pain caused by drastic temperature changes. Thus he moved to Fort Lauderdale in April 2002, The rest of the family joined him few months later. In Florida Afremov had the same changeless like in New York , only certain themes and subjects were selling. Afremov had no room to paint something from his soul, something he really wanted to paint. He had to paint what the galleries wanted and were able to sell. He almost gave up hope of painting what he really wanted. He was faced with a hard dilemma , paint what he wants and starve or paint what the galleries suggest.
In 2004, After graduating high school Leonid’s son Boris was introduced to ebay.com by his friends. He researched the site and saw other artists selling their work. They tried to sell a couple paintings by auction and immediately received magnificent success. Paintings were sold for hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars and everything sold without exception. For the first time Afremov was given an opportunity to paint what he really wanted. He was able to forget the pressure of making a sale and explore himself as an artist. At this point the real artistic journey began. Afremov finally began painting what he really wanted from his personal inspirations. He finally was able to explore his artistic vision and abilities all the way. All of the popular paintings you see on hundreds of blogs and sites were painted during this period and after to this day. You will see almost nothing from old Afremov work on sites and blogs because it was painted under pressured circumstances without true artistic freedom .
The exposure on eBay gave him opportunities for commission orders and access to different galleries. However, because of negative experiences with galleries, Leonid preferred to sell directly to the collector. Thanks to the internet exposure , Afremov participated in various local TV shows around USA. His art was declared very relaxing and calm by notable psychologists and psychiatrists. To this day Afremov’s art is used in various psychological and psychiatric therapy procedures. Afremov’s paintings were published not only in art magazines but also in various medical and health magazines as examples of stress reducing paintings. In 2005 following a successful year, The Afremov family moved to Boca Raton. In the same year, they started taking their first family vacations in Cancun and Playa Del Carmen.
In 2009 Leonid underwent heart bypass procedures. The doctors recommended Leonid to stay away from managing a business , keep a calm lifestyle and ultimately retire. Since then his sons Boris and Dmitry handled his sales and business aspects like customer service and shipping.
Recent life and career in Mexico 2010 – today:
In 2005 Leonid Afremov vacationed in Playa Del Carmen and Cancun for the first time. Since then he was visiting the Mexican Caribbean 2 to 3 times per year and completely fall in love with the area. Eventually in March 2010 Leonid decided to take on early retirement recommended by his doctors and move to Playa Del Carmen , popular resort town near Cancun. His children were involved in his business to the point they had to move to Mexico as well. His children manage his virtual gallery and shipping office in Playa Del Carmen. Afremovs also have locations in Cancun and Cozumel where they sell art during the busy tourist season in the winter. Leonid found Caribbean Mexico very relaxing and stress free environment to spend his time painting. In 2011 Leonid sponsored the construction of his own personal ranch near Puerto Morelos where he spends much his time painting in quiet .
Artistic Philosophy :
Leonid Afremov keeps the majority of his art politically neutral. His paintings are not offensive to anyone nor send any hidden messages. The paintings usually reflect certain personal memories and emotions. Leonid Afremov tries to draw the viewer to have a certain feeling rather than tell a story via the painting, or have the viewer see the world how the he sees it. The neutral attributes of Afremov’s art make the paintings appealing to almost any social, ethnic and age group. Leonid Afremov has been traveling quite extensively and has taken many photographs of different scenes that he later painted. Almost every painting he painted has a very personal inspiration. His art can be reflected as very positive through the bright colors he uses.
Leonid Afremov loves cats and other animals; he has had cats throughout his entire life. He has painted many paintings of cats, dogs, horses, tigers and even giraffes. The only political paintings he has are of bull-fighting , where he tries to show the viewer the cruel nature of the sport and discourage the viewers from liking bull-fighting.
Commercial Philosophy:
Leonid Afremov never wanted to become a famous artist or an expensive artist. He considers every painting as his child, or a piece of his soul. The only thing he has always wanted is to share this child with the world. In the past it hurt him much when people could not afford his paintings, so he began selling affordable giclees but he realized that a giclees do not have the same effect as a 100% painted original painting and can never make the viewer have the intended feeling. Therefore, he began a new path of giving his fans a more affordable way to acquire a piece of his soul. Leonid Afremov started recreating paintings previously sold in very affordable prices.
The first painting painted originally cost thousands of dollars, but a recreation looks just as good and does not cost much because it’s not one of a kind. He also paints very small one of a kind originals just so people who really want an original Afremov painting can afford one. Eventually Leonid Afremov sold giclee and print making rights to third party company and focused his attention only on original paintings and recreations.
With his unique palette knife style it’s impossible to recreate a painting 100% the same way. Every stroke of the palette knife is like a fingerprint which impossible to repeat. This attribute gives originality to every recreation he makes. Afremov only recreates popular work sold years ago.
Written by Boris Afremov.
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02.10.12
Posted in Uncategorized at 10:26 pm by Administrator
Alexander Chen - Hawaiian-Sunset
ALEXANDER CHEN - Times Square Panorama
ALEXANDER CHEN - Fishermans Wharf
Electric color and layers of detail in this shining, scintillating serigraph. Filled with intricate detail, multiple scenes within the image, infused with an element of fantasy. Chinese-born Artist Alexander Chen has channeled his truly incredible gift of expression into some of the most startlingly magnificent city and landscape works of the 20th century! From the Grand Canyon to the Eiffel Tower, to a quiet neighborhood in San Francisco, Chen has somehow transformed already spectacular sights into Hyper-Realistic Celebrations of Life, Light, and Color that pop and crackle with Electric Magic!
ALEXANDER CHEN’S BIOGRAPHY
Alexander Chen, an ordinary man with an extraordinary vision and talent, was born in Canton China in 1952. Alexander began drawing as a child developing his craft as he moved through the many changes that came into his life. At age 16, he moved to the countryside where for the next four years he worked as a farmer, all the while continuing to record in his art the world as it evolved before him. Then for six years he worked for an on the road theater, painting stage backgrounds.
At age 26 Alexander found himself once again in Canton, but this time as a student at the art schools and colleges where he continued his studies in art. While in art school, he met a fellow student who would later become his wife. Much had changed for this city born artist who for so many years lived as a country bumpkin.
Alexander’s appreciation for both worlds gave him the broader dimensions visually and emotionally to translate into his paintings — the heart and soul of city life – as well as capturing the creator’s genius that so evident in the beautiful countryside and magnificent mountains.
In 1989 Alexander and his wife immigrated to America where he quickly translated his love for the United States into paintings that reflect deep feelings for our bustling cities and our beautiful countryside and national parks.
Many of these images have been used by companies such as; Toshiba Electric, Northwest Airlines and Shin Nippon Co (Japan). Many others are used as calendars, jigsaw puzzles, book illustrations and other retail products.
Alexander’s paintings successfully capture perspectives others miss or cannot see. He spends as much as two months to complete many of his major works, all of which become, part of his “Collectible Memories” series. These are gifts to his adopted land, things of beauty to be shared by all in appreciation of being given the opportunity to live a life he could only have dreamed of as a child.
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02.05.12
Posted in Uncategorized at 9:02 pm by Administrator
Our company has been acquired by an internet sales company that owns a variety of online shopping venues. We have now paired with other sites such as Netgalleries, the Collectables Store, Sumner Collectibles, PBM Enterprises Internet Art Gallery and a number of other sites under the CollectNet umbrella. All of the previous listing sites, such as; netgalleries.net , netgalleries.ecrater.com , sumner_collectibles.bonanzle.com , sumner_collectibles.bonanza.com , internetartgallery.org , netgalleries.plunderhere.com, Jewelry Dreams, etc., which could be found on sites such as www.netgalleries.net , www.netgalleries.ecrater.com, , www.internetargallry.org , www.sumner_collectibes.bonanzle.com , www.netgalleries.plunderhere.com , www.jewelrydreams.ecrater.com , ebay, epier, plunderhere, ibid, ioffer, webstore, etc. are now all here under one “roof”, to wit; Internet art Gallery Duo (www.internetartgalley.org).
We understand that it might take some time to get everything up and running correctly, but when we are finished making the transition, you will no longer have to go from one website to the next as everything will be coordinated under one roof.
In the internetartgallery site, there will be direct links to all of the merchandise previous found on the Netgalleries, the Collectables Store, Jewelry Deams, Sumner Collectibles, PBM Enterprises sites such as; number of other sites under the CollectNet umbrella. All of the previous listing sites, such as; netgalleries.net , netgalleries.ecrater.com , sumner_collectibles.bonanzle.com , sumner_collectibles.bonanza.com , internetartgallery.org , netgalleries.plunderhere.com, etc., which could be found on sites such as www.netgalleries.net , www.netgalleries.ecrater.net, , www.internetargallry.org , www.sumner_collectibes.bonanzle.com , www.netgalleries.plunderhere.com , etc.
Our consolidated site will now not only feature fine and reproductive art, but it will also include all kinds of memorabilia; including, historical, police and law enforcement, coins, books, newspapers, a variety of jewelry (such as men’s and women’s watches, rings, necklaces, etc.), celebrity memorabilia (such as autographed photos), and of course, there is an extensive collection of sports memorabilia including everything from bobble head figures to signed baseballs, footballs and baseball bats. We even now have an original Mohamed Ali hand print in stone!
So, whether you are an art collector, a sports collector, coin collector, a police badge collector, or just about any other kind of collector, we are now able to fulfill your needs with a one stop shopping venue.
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01.31.12
Posted in Uncategorized at 10:38 pm by Administrator
NYPD Detective badge
It seems that word is out before we even made the announcement about the new police badges that we have on the www.internetartgallery.org website.
Yes it is true, we have merged with a well established collectables organization to add a section on police law enforcement items, such as badges, police patches, etc. Our new partner CollectNet has been dealing in collectable items for the past thirty years. We are very excited about the police badge collection as well as the other police memorabilia that we can now offer our customers. So far, we have only put the police badge collection up on our site, but there are soon to come; police patches, uniform accessories, badge wallets, mini-badges and many more great items.
There are now approximately 103 badges in the collectables section of the website. This includes Police badges, sheriff badges, city, town, county, state and federal police and other law enforcement agencies.
Some of the most unusual items in the collection include many different ranks of the NYPD (New York City Police), and federal agencies such as the
Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent badge
CIA, FBI, DEA Secret Service, just to name a few.
The NYPD badges alone include; patrolman, detective, sergeant, captain, inspector, Chief of Departmnent, Commissioner, etc.
There are badges listed from a number of state police agencies, police departments and sheriff’s offices, large and small, from throughout the United States.
There are even some badges from foreign countries, such as; Spain, Portugal and Russia.
These badges can be sold all to one collector, placed into sets of particular badges, or sold on an individual basis.
If anyone is interested in one or more of the badges simply contact us with information about what you are interested in and we can discuss the particulars.
Check them out and let us know what you think.
BOSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT DETECTIVE BADGE
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03.01.10
Posted in Uncategorized at 1:24 am by Administrator
We’ve just learned about something very special that the Secret Service has made available for us to offer you. It is a hand blown glass Easter egg that is etched in gold and has become available to us by the United States Secret Service as a way of raising funds for some of the causes that they support. Here is a photo of the glass egg. You can get to it on our site by clicking the link above to our website.
WHITE HOUSE 2010 GLASS EASTER EGG
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02.04.10
Posted in Uncategorized at 12:37 am by Administrator
Welcome to the Internet Art Gallery Blog page.
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