Meet very talented local artist and teacher Alla Golets Baltas, Alla was born in Kharkiv in the Ukraine where she studied and received her degrees in Art and teaching. Like most child prodigies she became interested in art at a very young age. Alla’s gift was recognized early on by her family and she was encouraged by her father whose artistic influence enabled her to begin painting at a very early age. In 1992 she began her formal art education at the Kharkiv State Art School where she graduated with honors. While Alla was still a student she traveled and spent time in Saint Petersburg Russia where she studied the technology of oil painting in the Hermitage Museum and also the Russian Museum of Art, this tremendous experience had significantly broadened and deepened Alla’s understanding and knowledge of the history, development and evolution of art.

Alla continued to further her education and study of art by attending the Kharkiv State Pedagogic University where she earned additional degrees and her specialist diploma certifying her to teach in the fine arts, drawing and applied arts. In 1998 Alla became a member of the young artists association and her Paintings were soon on display at the Ukraine Union Art Exhibition.

In 2004 Alla moved here to Baton Rouge and adopted our great city as her new home town, she soon began applying the passion in her life which is her art.

Alla’s work soon captured the eye of Baton Rouge’s serious art lovers and everyone else who appreciates beautiful paintings and the word was out, it wasn’t long before her work was adorning homes throughout the greater Baton Rouge area.

As her popularity grew so did the demand for her paintings and it wasn’t long before she was working full time at her craft. With the help and support of her loving husband and partner Bill, they opened Alla’s Fine Art. Here begins and continues the story of a truly gifted and talented artist who is contributing immensely to the beautification and the ever evolving culture of south Louisiana with her work. Alla not only paints she is also skilled professional who teaches those who would like to learn about art.

Alla’s Fine Art Gallery is truly a one of a kind gallery where all the paintings come alive and speak to you in a very special way that only something truly unique and beautiful can do. Alla’s Fine Art Gallery offers the widest selection of the finest art available, the prices are the best you’ll find anywhere and they will deliver the art to you when you need it, integrity honesty and quality are the cornerstones of their business.

The gallery provides a broad range of original and giclee artwork both on canvas and on paper. They currently represent professional artists from all over the United States, Ukraine, and Russia. Their work includes everything from traditional themes to custom painting, they can do whatever it takes to handle their client’s needs, the artists they represent work with various techniques and many different genres. Whatever the theme we can produce or already have in our huge inventory, flowers, animals, landscapes, cities, still life, religious, abstract, Louisiana swamps and cities plantation homes and Greek and European images.

"My fine art allows me to create a unique expression of experience that has its own language of form, color, space, emotion and technique, all of which unfolds from a marriage of instinct and passion. I believe art deals with the essentials of life, an affirmation of the human spirit. So, I paint moving among stylistic areas freely and question assumptions about art, myself, my audience, exposing the vulnerability of the creative process while on the journey of my artistic expression...ever changing, always growing," says Alla.

Alla does many commissioned paintings for a variety of clients who are looking for a personal element of their own that they can contribute in some way to Alla’s unique style, Although Alla has been trained in the European tradition, her art is boundless in expression. She has been exposed to such an in depth view of art that she can work with you personally to create a truly one of a kind work of art that will forever be your very own masterpiece. Alla’s talent and experience allows her to create and paint in a variety of styles and expressions.

You can choose your subject for your commissioned painting from a wide range of ideas; it can be almost anything that is significant to you. It can be a portrait of a family member, or yourself, maybe a favorite place, pet, or even your home. Whatever is important enough to be commemorated by a painting can be commissioned. Alla can work with a subject directly or from photographs of the subject, or any combination of these elements, what is so very important is the rapport between the client and the artist in order to create the desired finished work.

A commissioned painting will vary in cost depending on many factors including the nature of the subject, the approach agreed on, the difficulty of the work, the size and finish of the work.

Owning a work of art is a pleasurable, enjoyable experience. You may have previously purchased art or have been unsuccessful in finding that right piece. If so, why not commission a work directly from an artist.

Commissioning an artist to produce a work of art can be highly rewarding for both parties. The work is personal and unique, it will be specifically produced for you and your requirements.

Step 1
Determine what media you're interested in (pastel, oil or acrylic) and the project's budget before you begin.

Step 2
Beyond aesthetic considerations look for an artist who will listen to your ideas, follow your direction and clearly understand what you want the finished piece to look like.

Step 3
Once you've identified an artist who is willing and able to work with you, set a date to hold a planning session and begin to write down as many ideas and detailed descriptions about the commissioned piece as possible.

Step 4
Create an agenda for the meeting that will ultimately become a creative brief. Include as many details as possible in your discussion. What is the piece for? How large will it be? What format? Are there specifications that need to be met? This will help guide you and the artist through the meeting and ensure that you express all of your ideas and concerns. The more successfully you and the artist communicate with each other, the more closely your expectations will be met.

Step 5
Most established artists will have contract drawn up and signed before further work is done. This will protect both you and the artist. This legally binding contract should include details regarding the following: preliminary designs, payment schedule, completion date, insurance, shipping and installation, termination agreements, ownership and copyright, alterations and maintenance, contact information, and the state in which the work is produced.

Art Instruction for Children
There are a number of good reasons to expose your children to art. Art promotes creativity in learning and this is a very good reason to teach your child art. In a recent study of several art classes in Boston-area schools, they found that arts programs teach a specific set of thinking skills rarely addressed elsewhere in the curriculum. Realistic drawing and painting skills help strengthen confidence, which in turn lessens frustration.

Alla's Fine Art offers instruction coupled with practice, bringing about an independent and confident artist.

Alla teaches a quality program from which students enjoy learning the skills necessary to draw and paint realistically, progressing step-by-step at their level of ability, to become more competent and skilled at every level of the program.

Alla provides a warm and friendly environment in which inspirational teachers excel at helping, encouraging, and challenging each student to reach his or her individual, artistic potential.

Alla's Fine Art provides service that is helpful, cheerful, and caring; creating a comfortable atmosphere that puts your family at ease.

Fact:
Some people do have more of an inherent talent, or an aptitude, for art than others. But worrying about how much talent you do or don't have is just a waste of energy. Everyone can learn to master the techniques fundamental to good painting and to improve their creativity. Having bucketful’s of "talent" is no guarantee you'll be a good artist because it takes more than the ability to be creative.

The advantage of believing (or others believing) you've ‘got talent’ when you start out, is that initially artistic things come easily to you, rather than your having to strive to achieve, and you get lots of positive feedback. But relying on talent will only get you so far. Sooner or later you'll reach a spot where your talent isn't enough. What then?

If you've worked at developing artistic skills, from how different brushes work to how colors interact, and are used to actively pursuing ideas rather than expecting creative thoughts to come to you, you're not at the whim of your so-called talent. You've already in the habit of exploring possibilities, of investigating, of pushing things one step further. You're set for the long term.

And if you believe you haven't any artistic talent at all? Let's skip the platitudes about everyone having some creative aspect to them and how everyone has some special talent. If you truly believed you didn't have any artistic ability, you wouldn't have any desire to paint. It's that desire, combined with persistence and the systematic learning of painting techniques, not talent, which make a successful artist.

If you or your child would like to become one of Alla’s students she would be more than happy to teach you, simply contact her directly to learn all about the programs she offers and the cost of lessons. Remember that you are never to old to follow your dream of being an artist.

Form
Is an element of art that is three-dimensional and encloses volume. Cubes, spheres, and cylinders are examples of various forms.

Line
Is an element of art which refers to the continuous mark made on some surface by a moving point. It may be two dimensional, like a pencil mark on a paper or it may be three dimensional (wire) or implied ( the edge of a shape or form) often it is an outline, contour or silhouette.

Shape
Is an enclosed space defined by other elements of art. Shapes may take on the appearance of two-d or three- objects.

Color
Is an element of art with three properties 1) Hue, the name of the color, e.g. red, yellow, etc. 2) Intensity or the purity and strength of the color such as bright ness or dullness. And 3) value, or the lightness or darkness of the color.

Texture
Refers to the surface quality or "feel" of an object, such as roughness, smoothness, or softness. Actual texture can be felt while simulated textures are implied by the way the artist renders areas of the picture.

Space
Refers to the distance or area between, around, above or within things. It can be a description for both 2 and 3 dimensional portrayals.

Value

Describes the lightness or darkness of a color. Value is needed to express Volume.

Emphasis
In a composition refers to developing points of interest to pull the viewer's eye to important parts of the body of the work.

Balance
Is a sense of stability in the body of work. Balance can be created by repeating same shapes and by creating a feeling of equal weight.

Harmony
Is achieved in a body of work by using similar elements throughout the work; harmony gives an uncomplicated look to your work.

Variety
Refers to the differences in the work; you can achieve variety by using difference shapes, textures, colors and values in your work.

Movement
Adds excitement to your work by showing action and directing the viewer’s eye throughout the picture plane.

Rhythm
Is a type of movement in drawing and painting. It is seen in repeating of shapes and colors. Alternating lights and darks also give a sense of rhythm.

Proportion or Scale

Refers to the relationships of the size of objects in a body of work. Proportions give a sense of size seen as a relationship of objects. Such as smallness or largeness.

Unity
Is seen in a painting or drawing when all the parts equal a whole. Your work should not appear disjointed or confusing.

You have always loved art. Now you want to buy art either for your home or to begin a collection.

How do you buy art?
Where should you look for art?
What kind of art should you buy?

These are all excellent questions that most emerging collectors ask. Before any art purchase is made ask yourself some questions:

First determine what kind of art speaks to you.
Do you love large, abstract paintings with beautiful colors and exciting shapes, or do you love paintings of cities or landscapes? Will your collection be of regional works?

This decision is very important because it gives you a starting point and a direction. It helps to narrow down the art that you really like and appreciate vs. becoming overwhelmed by the infinite numbers of artwork being sold today.

What colors do you like?
This may sound like an inane fact to take into consideration, but most collectors notice that their collections have a predominate palette. Usually this is an unconscious choice, but many collectors know what palette feels right to them. Take a while to think about color, and how the artist has used it.

Where will you hang your art purchases?
How will you present it?
If you like large imposing pieces, then you will want to buy striking pieces that work alone on their own wall or in their own space. If you like small intimate pieces or a combination of large and smaller works then you might consider hanging work salon style.

What direction will your collection take?
Don't worry if you don't know. Your early career as an art collector may be entirely different from your later career as an art collector. When this happens both generations of your collection will generally begin to mesh.

Are you buying the painting or the artist?
You should buy both. Always buy what strikes a chord with you, but don't
discount the background of the artist. This could be very important should you ever decide to sell a work from your collection.

How often do you want to buy a work of art for your collection?
Collecting can become addictive. You buy one piece and then decide that you need two more by the same artist or the same genre. You might want to limit your art purchases to one or two works every other month until you find the direction that you want to go in.

A piece of art is a passionate creation, which not only reflects the soul of the artist, but your soul as well, because you chose it. For most people if they like a work of art, it is because it profoundly affects them. It reminds them of a time in their lives that was personally moving or important. And the exact same piece of art work will mean totally different things to different people, because every person is unique. A piece of art work can inspire lives and has the power to nurture and nourish the spirit.

If you compare a room with bare walls to one with art work, the one with artwork is vibrant and alive. People will want to visit that room, very much the same way they want to visit museums, because the art work touches their soul in a very personal way. It reminds them of their humanity, of their significance in the world, something that is lost is the business of everyday lives.

Art is inspiring and moving; it helps people get up in the morning, get through that meeting that they just didn't want to go to. It can give people the courage to go on, because it expresses something wonderful and profound about themselves, which they may not be able to articulate.
That's why people say, "I don't know why I bought this piece of art, all I know is that I love it!"

Every piece of art reflects different moods and aspects of life. Some like joyful mood of art, while others like sad aspect of life. Every other art lover has a different choice.

At Alla’s Fine Art, you will get to see painting on a variety of moods and aspects of life. The art is meant to infuse a sense of feel in the life of art lovers and if the artist's are really good, then one can experience and understand the true nature of art. Besides having a variety of art pieces, Alla’s Fine Art also guarantee the originality of art masterpieces.

Just selecting art pieces to be displayed at Alla’s Fine Art is not the only task of Alla and her husband Bill, they also take extra care in meeting their art buyers personally. Through this contact they can get a feel for what the buyer is looking for and they can assist them in a very meaningful way.

Alla’s Fine Art gives art lovers the opportunity to share and celebrate the inspirational work they offer. “We're passionate about our subject, bringing attention to the work of talented artists, from around the world, who share our belief in the power of art to change the way we feel,” adds Alla.

If you are at all planning to buy paintings from Alla’s Fine Art, you can be assured that proper assistance in selecting and originality of art is guaranteed. To vist Alla's website click www.allasfineart.com