What the Internet Can't Do

Interior, Romanesque Priory of Serrabone - George Wittenberg

If you've read this blog at all, you know what a proponent of the Internet I am. Not only do we use it for our business in all kinds of primary and secondary ways, we use it for personal use too. For instance, just recently, we were having a disagreement about actor Morgan Freeman's career. Look it up on the Internet, problem solved. Need a recipe, look it up, problem solved. It almost makes me giddy sometimes when I think of all the hours I used to spend in a library looking things up.

We hope we have added to your ease by providing beautiful art works, and fine handmade things on the Internet as well.

And while you can almost find anything on the Internet (ah, yes don't we love Wikipedia), there are a few things left to that you must solve with your own resources. Like where are your car keys, or your ipod ear buds, your sun glasses or that important file you needed an hour ago.

Alas, we still need our short term memory to function.--Ruth Mitchell

(c) 2008 - Ruth Mitchell - all rights reserved

Black Friday

Hand Dyed Silk Rayon Scarf - Sharon Lewis

In a bleak economy, Black Friday as the day after Thanksgiving has become known, is a bright light in an otherwise dark economic time. In the spirit to support our artists, we are offering at buyoutsidethebox.com a special one day 10 percent discount on any sale made on this upcoming Black Friday, November, 28th. Don't miss out on this wonderful opportunity to purchase or gift art, hand crafted jewelry, hand made accessories, decorative items, or even hand made toys. Just make your purchase as usual, and anything purchased on this date will receive 10 percent off the ticket price. Happy Thanksgiving to all--Ruth Mitchell

(c) 2008 - Ruth Mitchell - all rights reserved

New Work by Pavel Rehurek

Our featured artist this month is Pavel Rehurek. When I first discovered the work of Pavel, I immediately recognized his ability to transform photography from a medium of documentation to an art form that stretches the imagination. We are very pleased to represent Pavel and have his new work on the site!

A Canadian artist of Czech origin, Pavel Rehurek was influenced by some Czech and Slovak émigré artists in the late sixties and seventies. He has since then been involved in fashion photography, worked in the photographic research lab at a Canadian university, assisted a leading portrait artist and exhibited his photo based graphic art prints in Europe and the U.S. For a time he left the art scene for missionary and teaching work.

Rehurek has recently re-emerged as a contemporary artist whose fine art photography and digital media fusion demonstrate his passion for the figurative, expressionist style of art. His strong and memorable images are stimulating, provoking recollections of the physical freedoms we sacrifice in living out our busy lives.

REHUREK has a wonderful sense of colors and forms and he will capture your attention with his suspenseful if not bizarre figurative compositions and portraits with unique subject orientations.

REHUREK achieves this initially in the photographic stage, and then through special cropping and processes of alteration that enhances textures, colors and shapes till the point that his art becomes almost desirable to touch, to communicate with.

by (c) 2008 - Ruth Mitchell - all rights reserved

Get Human

I don't have to ask. I know you've experienced being on the telephone with some automated system, you punch, 10, then 5, then 16, then 2, then you accidentally punch the Spanish button, and you have to start all over again because you didn't do so well in the subject back when boys were on your brain.

Guess what, there is a solution. Next time you have to call one of those huge companies use gethuman.com. This message brought to you by the website that doesn't have an automated system.--Ruth Mitchell.

Firefox is Fast

I can't believe it took me so long to convert to Firefox. I love it. It is fast, efficient, streamlined and customizable. I recommend it to anyone using the Internet. Several people have said I should try it, but having to cope with adopting a new software is about as much fun as going to the dentist to me, which I hate, sorry dental profession.

For the past several years Mozilla's Firefox has steadily been growing its presence in the market. For instance in October 2004 Internet Explorer had 92 percent of the market; in September 2005 that dropped to 86 percent; and as of September 2006 Internet Explorer's market share dropped to 82 percent, with Firefox's rising to 12.5 percent. Our statistics show 13% of our customers are currently using Firefox.

By early 2008, Firefox had around 15% worldwide usage share of web browsers. Recent studies have shown an average of 28% market share in Europe with chilly Finland at 45% market share for Firefox.

For me it boils down to ease of use, and above all speed. It literally took me just a few minutes to convert including importing my bookmarks from IE. I can tell you from personal experience, Firefox is much, much faster, but one test in particular found Firefox to be 5.42 times faster than IE. To read more detail about the a comparative study click here.

Mozilla is bringing out Firefox 3 in just two days. There will also be a participatory Guiness Book of World record day on June 18. For downloading the latest version click on the logo.

Winter Ramble

Artist kEITH kIMMEL is back from several months on tour in South Florida. He's home in Fort Collins for a bit of peaceful rest. "The weather right now is perfect, crisp, clean, slow and easy," he says.

Recent forays have included time in Santa Fe, New Mexico where he played some music and did some painting with friends. "Seems like there is an art gallery on every corner," he says.

"Driving through New Mexico always offers some fabulous photos. Here's one that particular defines it for me.""--kEITH kIMMEL

Get to Know Artist Rayhart

"An untimely loss of innocence has sparked my inclination to dream in color again. I tumbled like tumbleweed across a great wide-open space, onto the plains of ecstasy. Creation has gravitated towards me and offered up the gift of painting. So, now, I shut off past inhibitions and soar beyond the norm, and stand for what has yet to be created, the mysterious unknown. My aim is to share as I have been given. Through art, I wage war within myself, for the rewards of peace. I adore each painting like a mother's first glimpse at its newborn. In short, I paint to allow for creation."--

Style
Original, abstract and somewhat surreal

Background
Born in N. Miami Beach, FL
Queens University of Charlotte, NC

Bon Air Art Affair Judges Choice Award, 2006
Chosen as a finalist in the Salem (Orbe) Emerging Artist Search in NYC, 2000
Member of Amsterdam Whitney Gallery (NYC), 2003-05
Member of Washington Project for the Arts at the Corcoran (WPAC), 2000-present
Member of The Loudoun Arts Council, 2006-present

Publications

Paint Magazine, Washington City Paper, Washington Project for the Arts at Corcoran Artist Directory, Book Art Press (BAP) - New Art International, ArtWanted.Com- Creative Minds, American Art Collector, Decor Magazine, Art Business News, Loudoun Times-Mirror, élan Magazine

Selected Showings

Middleburg Holiday Show, Middleburg, VA - 2006
Fall Into the Arts Fall Festival, Leesburg, VA - 2006
Tarara’s Great Grape Wine Festival, Leesburg, VA - 2006
Art Market At Ballston, Arlington, VA - 2006
Capital Fringe Festival, Washington, DC - 2006
Arts in the Alley, Purcellville, VA - 2006
Magnum Opus Gallery, Chadds Ford, PA - 2006
Dulles Town Center, Dulles, VA - 2006
Artscape Artist's Market, Baltimore, MD - 2005
Cleveland Fine Art Expo, Highland Hills, OH - 2004, 2005
Herndon Labor Day Jazz/ Wine/ Art Festival, Herndon, VA - 2002-2006
Loudoun Arts Council's 2005 Designer Show House, Landsdowne, VA - 2005
Power of Prayer Breast Cancer Awareness Fine Art Show, Newark, NJ - 2003, 2004
Fine Art at the Riverfront III, Wilmington, DE - 2004, 2005
Philadelphia International Art Expo, Philadelphia, PA - 2003, 2004
New Harlem Renaissance Art Show, Indianapolis, IN - 2002
Papp Gallery, SOHO, New York City, NY - 2001
Gallery 13, Denver, CO - 1999

An Intimate Conversation with Artist Ildikó Kalapács

One of our exceptional artists Ildikó Kalapács has shared with us a video, of a recent conversation she had with Bruce Beal, one of her past art instructors. Take a look at this intimate coversation, and get to know Ildikó a little bit better. View her portfolio here.

Vote for Alex Koll

Alex studying to become a comedian

He's talented, he's funny and he's our son-in-law. You can vote for him and help him make it to the finals. This week Comedy Central is running an Open Mic Fight, sponsored by Burger King. If you'd like to help Alex forward his career, please take the time to vote for him, and join in the fun.

Finishing What We StART

"Echoes II" - Oil Painting by Rene Hein

I went through a stage where I would allow myself not to finish a book. This was good for me, but almost as wasteful as not eating everything on my plate. I just woke up one day, and said, "the world will not come to an end if I decide in the middle of a book that I don't want to finish it." And lo, and behold, the world did not come to an end.

On the flip side, I recently read the last page on a book I did not care for, but you know what, I really liked the last five pages.

Generally, my nightstand has two or three books stacked up on it. Currently, there are six, and the stack is growing. I actually enjoy each of the books, but only in small doses. The last book I gobbled was all over in two days. My reading habits are kind of like my stock investing. The good ones go fast.

That's not necessarily true of art. Art sticks around and grows on you, and continues to enrich you every time your look at it. If you liked it the first time you saw it, chances are you will like it even better the next time you see it.

Take a look at this abstract painting by Rene Hein. It is simple and yet, complex, and every time I view it, there is something else I discover about it.--Ruth Mitchell