Benefits of 3D Art

3D art provides realistic shadows and reflections that are more life-like.  Notice in the videos below how various items in the images such as trees, people or other items appear to change position as the viewing position changes.

My 3D art is created using a variety of techniques, including but not limited to painting on several layers of acrylic or glass.  Using mixed media including various found and created items, add to the intrigue. The design of the pieces draw the viewer into the image.

PRESS RELEASE:

AK Nielsen will be unveiling this piece on Nov 26, 2023 at 3PM

At Pacific Art Market, 1448 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC

The homing pigeon is holding a key with a tag that says “No Vacancy”. A glass window is broken and a sign says “Homeless in Vancouver”. Many windows display a “No Vacancy” sign and ONE window shows a “For Rent – One Bedroom $3750” sign. It says it all. Soon even the homing pigeon will not be able to find a home.

Homeless In Vancouver:

Art can evoke emotion, make a statement, stimulate conversation, motivate, and even make a difference. My Mixed Media 3D Art “Homeless in Vancouver” was created with all of those in mind. We as humans, all too often ignore problems, trying to turn a blind eye or saying it doesn’t affect me – until one day the problem(s) have escalated to the point of no return. Then we want an instant fix.

We bemoan the pain we are going to go through in the process of rectifying a problem we needed to address long before it got to this point.

Art is Powerful

As a capitalist society we have all too often leaned into ‘survival of the fittest’ beliefs ignoring the inequality those beliefs fostered. This decade to a great extent has been one of reckoning with some groups who have been trampled far too long, finally being heard. We have a long way to go. And, while some who were oppressed by societal norms and values, others remain unnoticed. Vancouver Rentals have become a complete crisis.

We proclaim our intentions to create change, but all too often want it to come at the expense of others while we continue on a path of indulgence, or at least self-interest. Take for instance bike lanes. We say the environment matters, but how many car owners gripe about the impact of bike lanes. Or, unionized groups that lobby for something they perceive their members or coworkers need, while continuing to ignore the incredible wage and financial inequality our society allows.

Vancouver Rentals: Does Equality Matter?

Vancouver Rentals have become so expensive even people who have jobs are becoming homeless. I am going to ask a few questions and ask you to reflect on it as you continue to read this. Does equality matter? When does equality matter? Does it matter that we no longer have a middle class? How do we measure the ‘worth’ of a person’s work? What is the difference between a want and a need? Is having a place to call home, something all people should enjoy? Who matters?

Core Issues: Homeless in Vancouver Challenge

In all probability, most of us would agree that housing, healthcare and the environment are three of our most pressing issues. Because this piece of art was motivated by housing issues, I will leave healthcare and environment on the side table during the rest of this post.

The housing issue is shockingly widespread. It is not a problem for Vancouver only. It is a problem across BC, and across Canada, and across North America, and across the world. How did it get like this? One of the key points, IMHO is that we ignored the problem when it was ONLY Vancouver and Toronto. While those who were most affected spoke out – they were ignored. They were the minority.

Unaddressed the problem expanded. It grew to include suburbia. Affordability issues expanded to neighboring cities – Burnaby, Coquitlam, New Westminster, and it went further and further. Homeless in Vancouver and beyond is a situation that should never occur in a modern, progressive country.

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Vancouver Rentals Crisis

The problem grew. Those who were thriving and riding the wave enjoyed it and many of those turned a blind eye saying, “Nobody needs to own a home. They can rent.” As long as renting was affordable renters continued to struggle to save assuming they would be able to own some day. Now, many live in fear of losing their rental space through any number of avenues to eviction.

The rental problem escalated dramatically. The December 2019 cost of renting one bedroom in Vancouver was $1382. “As of October 2023, the average rent for a 1-bedroom apartment in Vancouver, BC is $2,736. This is a 9% increase compared to the previous year.” according to Zumper. 

First we have to ask “How can rent increase 9% in one year when we have rent controls?” Sadly, it is not 9% across the board. Those who are evicted result in vacancies which landlords rent for enormous increases – sometimes a 30 to 40% increase if the tenant had been long-term.

I got hit with this myself. I was renting a recently renovated 2 bedroom basement suite and the day Covid rules slackened allowing Real Estate sales, my landlord listed. It sold and the new owners wanted the space – so I was legally evicted. I got hit with a 36% rent increase – even though I downsized from 2 bedrooms to one. Had I rented 2 bedrooms again, I would have been hit with a 50% (plus) increase. One year later it happened again. The landlord of the condo I rented decided to sell so I was again thrown into a hostile rental market. I came very close to joining the Homeless in Vancouver.

The piece of Art “Homeless in Vancouver” was inspired by this. If this continues, even Homing Pigeons won’t be able to find a home! The art is somber, depressing, and shows a Homing Pigeon holding a key in his beak that has a tag attached saying “No Vacancy” – it optimizes the frustration of people seeking rental accommodation. It seems there are more scams, than there are authentic opportunities and when does arrive to see the property, if your teeth aren’t white enough, or you’re having a bad hair day, you are rejected. Talk about an opportunity for discrimination.

Home Ownership: Rental Landlords

Landlords are crying that tenants have too many rights and that they can’t put rent up enough. They say they aren’t making money. I wonder what part of being in business they don’t understand. Many businesses have years when they don’t show a profit, but they are in it for long term gain. Real Estate is a long term investment and even 5 years is not a realistic time frame to judge profit or loss. Few have lost money when they liquidate.

According to Canadian Immigrants  average Vancouver house prices are as follows:
• 2017 $905,800;
• 2018 $1,067,900;
• 2019 $1,021,000;
• 2020 $1,001,700;
• 2021 $1,059,200;
• 2022 $1,190,000;
• 2023 1,111,400

The only landlords who possibly got hurt were those who bought in 2019 and sold in 2020. Any other landlords, who got hurt, were either over financed or making poor business decisions. The real value of a property in the past 5 years increased by on average $43,000 or an average of $8,700 a year or $725 a month.

If they were subsidizing the rent by less than $725 a month either broke even or made money. Both of which pales by comparison to the renter who is now paying on average $1382 in 2019 (according to CMHC) and now pays $2736 in 2023 according to Zumper. That is almost double and amounts to $16,248 annually. This is money landlords are collecting. And, in the same time minimum wage went from $13.85 to $16.75 which is a 20% increase or about $3300 a year.

From that perspective, being a landlord beats working as an employee by more than 5 fold. I do realize there are risks – such as structural or expensive renovation or maintenance costs, but that is business. All business decisions bear risk.

Seniors are amongst the fastest growing group of people becoming homeless. The average senior in Canada gets about $1870 a month in government pensions. How far does that go towards rent at the present prices? While younger seniors may be able to earn some income, it is untenable for older seniors. People with fixed incomes are hooped.

Where do renters to get the extra money to pay their rent? People are being forced into homelessness or adult children are being forced to move back home and countless people are struggling. Perhaps it could be debated whether or not home ownership should be a right, but having safe and affordable housing is not up for debate. Something is gravely wrong with our society if the bottom 50% or more of the population is struggling to have a place to live. The Vancouver rentals crisis is a serious social issue.

Moreover, lack of rental inventory is the biggest issue. Nobody deserves to be Homeless in Vancouver.  Even if one has ‘enough’ money they may not be able to find a place.

Even homeowners who bought low and are lower income earners are in desperate problems as interest rates on mortgages climb. I always believed this would happen. I was 31 in 1981 when mortgage rates hit 21%.

Values and Value

What is the value of a person? Where are our values? Hasn’t it been the whole survival of the fittest philosophy that has got us to this point? If not, it has been a big factor. Why do we have people who are earning 10x what others earn, and people who own homes that are 10x the price of the average house? What are the motivations behind legislation? What about those who fall through the cracks (for example rent increase legislation not protecting displaced people who have to rent at current market values)? Is it only the people with deep pockets that count?

Marginal Equality

At this point there are many of us that would be glad to accept marginal equality. Yes, that is sad. Marginal equality – we wouldn’t accept that in gender, racial, or other human rights, but the right to live our lives with dignity, and having a place to call home, seems to be up for debate.

Homeless and Financial Disparity: Homeless in Vancouver

Even if we suddenly could have enough rental units, the cost of rent is out of proportion to the income or financial means of the bottom 30% of the population. None of us would argue fair trade. We clearly believe that factories in third world countries ought not to be forcing child labor, and/or unfairly compensating their adult workers. We believe this is morally wrong. So, how about taking that and looking at it on a local level?

That gives me two reasons for pricing my piece of art “Homeless in Vancouver” at $1500. I think considering what I pay in rent that is a legitimate price. Second, I would argue, that artists of all types are worthy of being paid fairly – and all too often they don’t even get minimum wage for their time and talent.  I think “Homeless in Vancouver” accurately depicts the Vancouver rentals crisis.

In lieu of the fact that the rest of my art is not priced accordingly – that is because if I did, I would sell too few pieces. Therefore, this piece is symbolic.
For all of the reasons stated in this article, I challenge the buyer of “Homeless in Vancouver” to put me, on a level playing ground with high income people just for one month. Seniors have worked all their lives and do not deserve to be worrying about having a roof over their head.
My reason for singling out and asking for help for, a senior is they are all too often too polite to fight for their rights, making them one of the easiest groups to neglect.

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3D Art – Lighting Matters

Make your 3D art pop! Adequate, strategically located lighting makes all the difference when displaying your newly acquired artwork. The angle of lighting changes the way the shadows are cast. As you view the 3D art from different angles the shadows shift.

Choosing the right lighting is as important as choosing the right location for your newly acquired 3D art. For maximum success, try moving your lighting if it doesn’t seem to be ideal.

Care for 3D Art

Care for your 3D art with the same care as you would any piece of fine art, and it will last for years. Do not use any cleaning products – homemade or commercial. Dust lightly and do not allow the piece to be in environments where it is exposed to grease splatter, or excessive heat or direct sunlight.

Most of my 3D art is framed, or framed and matted. Larger pieces may be sold unframed, allowing you to choose your own frame. Multiple surfaces on which I have painted and/or added various mediums to create the effect make it pop.

Composition

The outer layer may or may not have paint and/or other mediums on it. This sometimes helps break up with the reflective aspects of the outer layer of glass or acrylic surface used in the framing process.

If there are mediums on the outer layer, the same cleaning techniques as would apply to an original acrylic or oil painting apply. Simply lightly dust the piece with a feather duster or similar. Do not use cleaning products or rub or clean like you clean windows, as this will ruin the 3D art piece.

The surfaces I use to create the 3D art effect include high definition acrylic or occasionally glass. Sometimes this creates reflections and glare. There isn’t a good alternative. Non-glare acrylic mutes and blurs things. This diminishes the advantage of producing a great piece of 3D art.

Others agree that anti-reflective acrylic sheets reduce the contrast between colors considerably. That reduces the meticulous hours of work to create dimension by using tones and hues to show depth or dimension. If excessive reflection is a problem, the answer is to hang your 3D art in a location with a little less reflective light or redirect the angle of the lighting.

Framers

If you do decide, now or at a later date to reframe your 3D art, here are a few things you may want to know.

While one framer, I talked to, suggested the answer is museum glass. I don’t think that is a feasible answer either. It is counterproductive to use a frame with museum glass, if the inner layers still have a reflective quality. As an artist, just as I enjoy the clarity of seeing Vancouver scenery first hand, I want my customers to see the art with the least blurriness.

The cost of museum glass can run $400-600 for a piece the size of one of my larger 3D art pieces. Seeing as I often use 2 or 3 layers that means a cost of over $1,200 – $1,800 in glass alone. Moreover the more sheets of glass used, the higher the risk becomes with regards to breakage.

Museum glass, often used in art galleries,  transmits about 97-98% of light compared to non-reflective acrylic transmitting 88-89%. Museum glass is about 12 times more expensive than regular glass per sheet.  I have talked to a number of Vancouver artists, and most do not use museum glass. Vancouver artists tend to use regular glass, despite the challenges with reflections because it produces better clarity.

Best Results:

High definition acrylic offers the best results. It provides for clearer crisper images. While there are two grades of acrylic that reduce glare, both have challenges when doing 3D art. The anti-glare is less effective and the expensive stuff is anti-reflection. The anti-glare is really ineffective for 3D art due to the fact that it mutes the tones and hues leaving for a much less dramatic 3D art piece.

It creates the reduced glare by blurring what you are seeing. I don’t think anyone invests in a piece of 3D art, setting out to see a blurred image. It reduces the glare by making the reflection fuzzy. However, that fuzziness does not end at the glare, it has to be all over the whole sheet meaning it is impacting the 3D art.

Reducing the image’s dynamic color range has a disappointing result when aiming for a good quality 3D art piece. Anti-glare acrylic reduces the glare by reflecting the light in different directions. The problem is it still reflects a lot of light.

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