German website DW-World.de announced that an old world German piece of art of a side-profiled monotonous woman is actually an original Leonardo Da Vinci painting. Not surprisingly, the value of the art work has skyrocketed since the discovery.


Here is an excerpt from the article:

"An announcement in the art market weekly publication Antiques Trade Gazette has caused a major stir in the art world. Martin Kemp, an Emeritus Professor of Art at Oxford University, claims that a small chalk, pen and ink drawing on vellum is the work of the Italian genius Leonardo da Vinci.

And so far, most of the art world seems to agree with him.

After being missing for centuries, the portrait turned up at an auction at Christie's in New York on January 30, 1998. Listed as lot 402 in a sale of Old Master Drawings, the art work was described as "a Young Girl in Profile in Renaissance Dress." It was catalogued as “German, early 19th century.” Initial estimates put its value between $12,000 and $16,000.

Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Once the piece was attributed to da Vinci, its value jumped to $160 million. When the hammer finally came down, it had been sold to a New York art dealer named Kate Ganz for $19,000. She later sold it for about the same price to a collector named Peter Silverman in 2007.

According to the article in Antiques Trade Gazette, it was Ganz who suggested that "the portrait may have been made by a German artist studying in Italy ... based on paintings by Leonardo da Vinci."

The painting has now been re-valued at 100 million pounds ($160 million)."


The article goes on to describe the authenticity of the painting along with a brief history. Ganz is probably wishing she didn't resell the artwork right about now.

Big Art Blog is very proud to give to you our exclusive interview with airbrush extraordinaire Leon Jones. Being the genuine and amazingly talented artist he is, Leon was generous enough to answer questions about his personal history, inspirations and special experiences with friends and celebrities. Enjoy!

This classic painting sums up the constant bickering from the Good Day L.A. morning news team.


Do you have any personal inspirations such as people or art movements that inspire you?

Yes, and he is a person we all know and love. Michael Jackson and others like him who’ve shared themselves and their talents with the world inspire me to become the best that I can be. I also want to leave something behind. Something that says “Hey, I was here!” long after I’m gone.


At what age did you start airbrushing? Tell us a little about your airbrushing history.

I started painting when I was nine, but started airbrushing when I was 30. Airbrushing is very soft, and I think the perfect medium for portraits. By using different colors of transparent paint, you can achieve shading effects that would be difficult and time consuming, if not down right impossible with other mediums. I’ve airbrushed everything from huge wall murals, to cars, t-shirts and even peoples faces on Halloween. There’s no end to what you can do with an airbrush.


Have you worked much with other mediums besides airbrushing?

I love working with oils and have quite a large collection of work in various subjects floating around. I’ve drawn and sketched in pencil and charcoal, painted in acrylic (I’ll often use acrylics to detail my airbrushed work) and have even tried my hand at a little sculpting.


Can you give us a brief background about yourself, such as your hometown, upbringing, family and life’s enjoyments?

Although I was born in Texas, I spent most of my childhood and early adult life in Denver, Colorado, then moved to Southern California in 1984. I’ve got 5 children, 4 of them boys with my daughter being the oldest. Lots of grand babies too! I love to fish, shoot pool, putt around on my Harley (which I don’t have right now) and look for buried treasure with my metal detector.. but the love of my life is painting.


You were recently articled in the Orange County Register regarding your work done at Michael Jackson’s ranch. What three words would best describe this experience?

I felt honored, special and blessed.


You use a lot of celebrities as your models for airbrushing and I know you have had personal contact with these celebrities. Can you tell us a little about it?

I’ve had my fair share of ‘celebrity encounters’ and to make a long story short all I can really say is that they’re just like the rest of us. Some of them are real jerks with others surprisingly nice. The jerks (and jerkettes) seem to think they’re better than everyone else and everyone should be so in awe of their mere presence that they can do/say whatever or act however they want. Others talk to you like you’re a real person and are genuinely interested in what you have to say. Some of them act like they’re almost ‘in love’ with themselves or with the ‘image’ of themselves. Most all love to be in the limelight and the center of attention, which I suppose is a good thing since that’s where they are.

Of all the celebrities I’ve met, there was one so real and down to earth I’ll never forget her. While painting out in front of the Café Tu Tu Tango restaurant at Universal City Walk, I was approached by a tall, slender, blond woman in sun glasses wanting to commission me to paint a portrait of her and her best friend, to give him as a gift since he was quite ill at the time. Once we started talking, she asked if we could move off to the side a bit (out of the steady stream of people walking by) so as not to attract a lot of attention. I started joking around with her, teasing her, asking if she were famous, who she was, stuff like that. She looked at me, puzzled, and seeing the blank look on my face said “You really don’t know who I am?” I didn’t. She pulls her sunglasses down so I can see her eyes then asks me “Do you recognize me now?” I had no idea who she was. Her husband, who had been standing there the whole time (wearing sunglasses too, by the way) just smiled at her as she gave him that “Do you believe this guy?” kind of look over the top of her sunglasses. She says, “Well here, let me show you.” So taking me by the hand, she made her way to the souvenir shop a couple of doors down. She stops at the magazine rack, points to numerous magazine covers and says “There, that’s me!” It was Rebecca Romjin Stamos!

I bought a magazine (I just had to get her autograph!) and after getting back to the restaurant, we got a table for the three of us to talk and finalize the deal. She took a well-worn photo of her and her friend from her purse, pushing it across the table to me. With tears in her eyes, she asked how long it would take and after letting her know I could have it done by the following weekend, we agreed to meet at the restaurant the following Saturday. With it being such a personal picture and all, I left it in my van when I brought it the following week. When Rebecca and John arrived that afternoon, John sat at the table while Rebecca followed me down to the garage to get her painting. When she saw it, she broke into tears and kept thanking me and hugging me and crying, and then thanked me, hugged me and cried some more. It was very emotional. I’ll never forget it.


Can you tell us where we might be able to see some of your work in person? What upcoming events or galleries will you be or are you already featured in?

You can find my work at Galerie Michelangelo in Caesar’s Palace, Las Vegas, Old Town Gallery in Seal Beach, the Universal Music Group building in Santa Monica, the Fox 11 Newsroom and Image Conscious. I’m currently doing a large project for “Rembrandt’s”, a celebrity themed restaurant on Yorba Linda Blvd. in Placentia. Most weekends, you’ll usually find me painting ‘live’ at the Orange County Marketplace in Costa Mesa and my art can also be found online at many art and poster websites.


If you were not an airbrush artist, what do you think you might be doing with your life right now?

I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. Painting is my life and always has been. If I didn’t have a job or work as an artist, I’d just be unemployed.. but still painting!


Thanks so much Leon for doing this interview! Much success to you… please keep us updated with your newest achievements.

It’s been my pleasure! Thank you for having me.



Next week we will explore Arkansas, continuing our Galleries Around the World series.

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We are very proud to announce that next week we will have an exclusive interview with very talented airbrush artist Leon Jones . Don't miss it!

Found this interesting article from www.associatedcontent.com. Being that Airbrush Art is our theme right now, I thought I'd share it with all of you. Just a little tidbit on Airbrushing and the history behind it:

"Airbrush Art is one of the most common forms of painting. It can be done on virtually any surface, inclusing clothing, automobiles, walls, canvas and even the human skin. Airbrush art is commonly displayed by murals on buildings. This is a unique way for artists to show the world their art. Airbrush techniques allow artists to create unique forms of art. The history behind airbrush art is almost as fascinating as the creations that are produced. The airbrush form has been used for centuries. It wasn't until recently that technology advanced this art form, allowing us to use compressed air and hoses to paint. It is believed that early civilizations used a form of airbrushing by blowing through hollow tubes, usually made of wood or bone. This form is actually still employed today. Many airbrush sets designed for small children require the child to blow through a tube or paint pen to get the airbrush effect.

The first official airbrush device was developed in 1893. It was patented by Charles Burdick. The primary purpose of the tool was to retouch photographs. This system was used until the early 1900's. This was a growing time for airbrush art. Techniques were developed and enhanced, and the equipment was upgraded to make use easier. During World War II, airbrush art was very popular. The military used this art form to paint on American planes. When this occurred, artists around the world became more interested in the art form and began experimenting with different devices, trying to perfect the airbrush tools.

Artists continue to realize the unlimited possibilities by using airbrush art. Walt Disney instituted the form into his work. During the 1940's, Disney began using airbrush art for animation. He used airbrush to create the background for animated movies. This brought about a new change in the industry, now allowing animated movies to have more effect. It allowed the use of shadowing and gave depth to backgrounds. This was a major breakthrough for airbrush art. Artists began to elaborate on Disney's methods and continued to develop the art nto what we know it as today."



We will have features on some fantastic Airbrush artists soon. Stay tuned