The Emotional Effects of Colors in our lives

Color truly has an impact on our lives, and often in unconscious and mysterious ways. Colors can create conditions that can

• cause fatigue
• increase stress
• decrease visual perception
• damage eyesight damage eyesight
• increase possible worker errors
• negatively affect orientation and safety

A color circle, based on red, yellow and blue, is traditional in the field of art. Sir Isaac Newton developed the first circular diagram of colors in 1666. In visual experiences, color harmony is something that is pleasing to the eye. It engages the viewer and it creates an inner sense of order, a balance in the visual experience. When something is not harmonious, it's either boring or chaotic.

Colors act upon the body as well as the mind. Red has been shown to stimulate the senses and raise the blood pressure. Where as Blue has the opposite effect and calms the mind. It seems People will gamble more and make riskier bets when seated under a red light as opposed to a blue light.

While painting, using warm colors for foreground and cool colors for background colors for background enhances the perception of depth.Use of color as a therapy has a long history– ancient Egyptians and Greeks built healing temples of light and color – use of color became deeply embedded in Chinese and Indian medicine.

Actual physiological changes take place in human beings when they are exposed to certain colors.Colors can – stimulate, excite, depress, tranquilize, increase appetite and create a feeling of warmth or coolness.

An executive for a paint company received complaints from workers in a blue office that the office was too cold. When the offices were painted a warm peach, the sweaters came off even though the temperature had not changed.

Each color has many aspects to it, but we can easily learn the language of color by understanding a few simple concepts which relate to the body, mind, and emotions. What have scientists learned about how our thoughts and behaviors are influenced by the colors we see? What does the color we choose say about us?

Red: Physical

Positive: Physical courage, strength, warmth, energy, basic survival, 'fight or flight', stimulation, masculinity, excitement.

Negative: Defiance, aggression, visual impact, strain.

Blue: Intellectual.

Positive: Intelligence, communication, trust, efficiency, serenity, duty, logic, coolness, reflection, calm.

Negative: Coldness, aloofness, lack of emotion, unfriendliness.

Yellow: Emotional

Positive: Optimism, confidence, self-esteem, extraversion, emotional strength, friendliness, creativity.

Negative: Irrationality, fear, emotional fragility, depression, anxiety, suicide.

Green: Balance

Positive: Harmony, balance, refreshment, universal love, rest, restoration, reassurance, environmental awareness, equilibrium, peace.

Negative: Boredom, stagnation, blandness, enervation.

Violet: Spiritual

Positive: Spiritual awareness, containment, vision, luxury, authenticity, truth, quality.

Negative: Introversion, decadence, suppression, inferiority.

Orange: stimulating

Positive: Physical comfort, food, warmth, security, sensuality, passion, abundance, fun.

Negative: Deprivation, frustration, frivolity, immaturity.

Pink: soothes

Positive: Physical tranquility, nurture, warmth, femininity, love, sexuality, survival of the species.

Negative: Inhibition, emotional claustrophobia, emasculation, physical weakness.

Grey: suppressive

Positive: Psychological neutrality.

Negative: Lack of confidence, dampness, depression, hibernation, lack of energy.

Black: absorption

Positive: Sophistication, glamour, security, emotional safety, efficiency, substance.

Negative: Oppression, coldness, menace, heaviness.

White: reflection

Positive: Hygiene, sterility, clarity, purity, cleanness, simplicity, sophistication, efficiency.

Negative: Sterility, coldness, barriers, unfriendliness, elitism.

Brown: Supportive

Positive: Seriousness, warmth, Nature, earthiness, reliability, support.

Negative: Lack of humor, heaviness, lack of sophistication.

Indigo: intuition and perception and the higher mind.

Positive: Powerful and dignified, integrity and deep sincerity.

Negative: intolerant and prejudiced, fanaticism and addiction.

Turquoise: emotional balance and stability.

Positive: peace, calm and tranquility.

Negative: boastful and narcissistic.

Silver: fluid, emotional, sensitive and mysterious. It is soothing, calming and purifying.

Positive: inspires intuition, clairvoyance and mental telepathy.

Negative: indecisive and non-committal, dull and lifeless, neutral, cold and insincere, deceptive and two-faced.

Gold: success, achievement and triumph.

Positive: abundance and prosperity, luxury and quality, prestige and sophistication, value and elegance.

Negative: egotistical, self-righteous and opportunistic.

Though this guide to the special “powers” of particular colors make our mind pop, we have to use color and not opt out and live in a under- stimulating beige world.

Addiction in Art - Smoking

Mayas were perhaps the first people to represent tobacco smoking in art. Numerous depictions of smoking can be found from the Mayan era. Deities, kings and shamans are often depicted smoking in Mayan art and iconography.

During the 17th century, Dutch paintings with pipes symbolized misfortune. The Dutch artists meant to send a moral message that foolish behaviors like smoking will lead people into hardships.

Smoking’s prevalence among sailors, soldiers, and the rural poor along with its intoxicating effects led to an association with the lowliest people. Thus, smoking became a tool for artists to designate someone’s rank in society, and painters including Adriaen Brouwer, the Ostade brothers, and David Teniers II employed smoking in their portrayals of the low classes. Smoking also became a comedic prop for painters especially in festival and burlesque paintings.The impressionists painted scenes of everyday life that included cigars, cigarettes, or pipes, but they did not put symbolic importance in them. The post-impressionists returned symbolic meaning to smoking instruments.

Vincent van Gogh’s painting, Skull with a Burning Cigarette was a notable one which seems as an anti-smoking warning.Vincent van Gogh says in The Letters,Van Gogh Museum. "Now you well understand that if alcohol was certainly one of the great causes of my madness, then it came very slowly and would go away slowly too, should it go, of course. Or if it comes from smoking, same thing."This was produced in a time when Van Gogh's health was poor (due to stomach ailments and rotting teeth) and may reflect Vincent's own concerns about his state of well-being. Some interpret the work as being a statement of defiance against Vincent's faltering health.

 

Various forms of modern art have also included cigarettes. The Museum of Modern Art in New York City displayed Jac Leiner’s Lung in March 2009. This piece features 1200 Marlboro packs neatly folded and strung together. Leiner illustrates her own personal addiction by presenting the sickening amount of cigarettes that she unconsciously consumed over three years.

Another example called Why Can’t I Stop Smoking is on display at the St. Louis Art Museum,by Artist Sigmar Polke.This piece portrays an incompletely painted man on a large canvas with the title of the painting written across the top. It demonstrates the addictive power of cigarettes because the artist cannot overcome the addiction to finish something that he presumably loves to do: paint.An archetype in this piece could be The Test or Trial because the man is trying to quit smoking.

Artists worked out that smoking represented death centuries before doctors did. In Philip Guston's painting, The Hand: a hairy wrist thrusts from nowhere into air the color of ash. A cigarette is clamped between stubby fingers, and a wristwatch tells us it is four in the morning. Time is getting very short. Guston painted this in the last year of his life.

Smoking was in no way associated with death in English Painter William Hogarth's day - no studies had yet proved anything bad about it - yet he intuitively associates it with decay and decline, with time running out. He engraved a single word coming out of Time's mouth: "Finis", meaning the end. It looks like a puff of cigarette smoke.

For the truly cultured smoker, smoking is about knowing you will die. It is about acknowledging the fragility of your body and the marvelous terror of addiction. Every time they finish a cigarette they think about death.

Then why can’t they stop smoking?

Schizophrenic Artists

Some of the world's leading artists, writers and theorists have had mental illnesses - the Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh and Norwegian Edvard Munch to name just two.

Vincent van Gogh battled severe depression, and famously cut off his own ear. In spite or perhaps because of his troubles, he created legendary masterpieces, such as his "Sunflowers" series.

Paul Gauguin, a close friend of Van Gogh, also experienced severe bouts of depression and tried to end his life. He left his native France for Tahiti, where he produced a series of sensual paintings such as "The Spirit of the Dead Watch".

Celebrated Norwegian artist Edvard Munch's life was fraught with anxiety and hallucinations.Munch described his inspiration for his painting The Scream:Shown left.

One evening I was walking along a path, the city was on one side and the fjord below. I felt tired and ill. I stopped and looked out over the fjord ,the sun began to set - suddenly the sky turned blood red, he wrote. I stood there trembling with anxiety - and I sensed an endless scream passing through nature. it seemed to me that I heard the scream. I painted this picture, painted the clouds as actual blood. The color shrieked. This became The Scream.

Spanish painter Francisco Jose de Goyay Lucientes was another famous artist who succumbed to a serious case of the blues. His paintings often depicted images of insanity.Shown left is one of his black painting -  Saturn Devouring his Son.(shown right). It depicts the Greek myth of the Titan Cronus (in the title Romanised to Saturn), who, fearing that he would be overthrown by one of his children,ate each one upon their birth. The work is one of the 14 Black Paintings that Goya painted directly onto the walls of his house sometime between 1819 and 1823. It was transferred to canvas after Goya's death and has since been held in the Museo del Prado in Madrid.

 Legendary artist Pablo Picasso is said to have struggled with depression. That didn't stop him from producing canvasses of vivid and explosive color, such as '"weeping women" (shown left).The model for the painting, indeed for the entire series, was Dora Maar, who was working as a professional photographer when Picasso met her in 1936; she was the only photographer allowed to document the successive stages of Guernica while Picasso painted it in 1937.

"Dora, for me, was always a weeping woman.And it's important, because women are suffering machines."explained Picasso about his model.

Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama voluntarily checked herself into a psychiatric institution in the 1970s, where she became a permanent resident. Obsessive themes are dominant in her work, and her installations.Her installation named Narcissus Garden (shown right)-The tightly arranged 1,500 shimmering balls constructed an infinite reflective field in which the images of the artist, the visitors, the architecture, and the landscape were repeated, distorted, and projected by the convex mirror surfaces that produced virtual images appearing closer and smaller than reality. The size of each sphere was similar to that of a fortune-teller’s crystal ball. When gazing into it, the viewer only saw his/her own reflection staring back, forcing a confrontation with one's own vanity and ego.

We may never know what it's like to be in the mind of someone suffering from schizophrenia. The closest thing we may ever have is art like this. Much of this art may look scary and negative, but the act of setting the anxieties to paper is a positive for the artists.

Schizophrenia is an intense and unforgiving mental disorder whose symptoms can include everything from abnormal social behaviors, to hearing voices, and not knowing what's real. It often accompanies other, less severe mental conditions like depression and anxiety.

But there are some who have turned to something far less harmful to cope with their condition: art.

Karen May Sorensen recently began pushing the boundaries of her "madness," by posting drawings and paintings on her blog while on varying levels of medication.(shown right)

While some of them may be disturbing to look at, for their creators these works help to visualize the unrest in their heads. This makes the harsh consistency of their thoughts a little more bearable. Except the fact that one major characteristic of schizophrenia is that they don't realize they're ill, so for them there aren't hallucinations or voices in their heads, they're extremely convinced that all of this is real.

Spooky, strange, but probably an accurate portrayal of schizophrenia feels like on the inside.(shown left)

The most wrong thing to do is trying to convince them they aren’t real. Because they see them, they are real to them. And no amount of "you aren’t real" will change it. But to give power over them, put them in control of the voices/sights. Make it so they can keep them in line, they are the master, not the hallucination. Basically you can’t get rid of them, but you can be the master in the situation. They work for you, you don’t work for them.

Introducing children to art

‘Every child is an artist.

The problem is how

To remain an artist

Once he grows up.’

Pablo Picasso, visual artist

The visual arts are two distinct activities, art making and art appreciation. The first is about expressing ideas while the latter is more about responding to art. Both are important ways of learning and should be supported and valued by us parents. Art educators say it's never too early to introduce kids to art through books, projects, and museum visits.

We can find artistic expressions everywhere, from illustrations in children’s books to images on calendars to decorative artwork displayed in homes, schools, and parks. Look for art and symbols in everyday life. Point out beautiful wall papers, mosaics, stop signs, and store windows, and discuss what the colors, shapes, and images tell us. Encourage your child to create a story by drawing, cutting, and gluing pictures and then have you guess what the story is. Early experiences with the visual arts foster important skills while providing a sense of joy and excitement that can last a lifetime.

Art appreciation begins with the simple yet common practice of telling stories to young children from book with illustrations. I remember story telling time with my 3 year old daughter. Those days there was a children’s magazine, Young Times, which was a weekly edition. I used to make different stories every day, with the illustrations in it, till the next edition comes.

For younger children, art is often more about the process of exploring

materials than about creating an end product. Exploration should be

valued for its contribution to self-expression and to learning. Simply saying, “Would you like to tell me about your art?” gives a child the freedom to talk about the work from his or her own point of view. It is important to respect the child’s motives, preferences, and aims. Parents should not force their children to do the type of art they like.

At home have your child sketch portraits or let them try their hand at landscapes by looking out a window, going into the backyard, or visiting a park. Kids feel they can't do art if they can't draw realistically. Drawing with them helps them see that it doesn't have to be perfect and that one image can be seen in lots of different ways.

It is important that children know and understand the importance of art in our world. Not only will they gain an appreciation for the work of others, but it will open their minds and allow them to create their own masterpieces.

Share and enjoy art with your children.

Failure - a necessary stepping stone to building our dreams.

“Never confuse a single defeat with a final defeat.” — F. Scott Fitzgerald

When I began my online journey, I was overwhelmed to say the least. I had no idea of where to go, what to do, or how to do it. When I simplified the tasks that I needed to do, it all became much easier. I had no problem taking action because I had broken everything down into actionable pieces. And if I didn’t know what to do, I’d ask someone, or join a training program.

It also didn’t hurt that I was determined to make it work. If you don’t have that fire burning inside of you, you should think twice about moving forward. Find your passion, and boldly go where you have never gone before.

We tend to compare our own bloopers to everyone else's highlights. Instead just start with your passion and embrace the fact it might be terrible. But the second endeavor will be better, the third even better. For me the only failure is not improving (or trying in the first place).

If we chose to do something and "failed," we received valuable feedback on what to do or not to do in the future. If we chose not to do something, we are guaranteed to be in the same position until we decide to do something about it. Failure is progress. Stagnation is what should be feared.

When I fear failure, one thing that never fails to overcome that fear is thinking about the terrible feeling of regret. Regret lasts much longer than failure, and it is a thousand times worse. When you fear failure and quit, be warned that regret will always be right around the corner.

Fear is a problem, because it can damage everything in life. It ruins our productivity, destroys our dreams, and keeps us from building what we're trying to build. Fear robs life of its joy. Any entrepreneur, world leader, business mogul, high achiever - every single one of them has experienced fear. They've also dealt with those fears, not by shrinking back, but by going forward.

What is that we're afraid of?

Yoga to enhance Creativity

It happens to most of us, I am sure. We adjust our schedules, make sure we’re well fed and rested, tidy up our surroundings so that there’s nothing else to do-but create. Yet, when we sit down to actually make it happen, our minds are as blank as the white screen we sit staring at. 

We can’t force creativity. Sometimes all we need to do is relax, take a break, and let the wisdom bubble up naturally.  

In my case, while sometimes a cup of coffee or a walk out in the fresh air can get things moving, nothing is more effective at boosting my creativity than a good yoga session. Practicing yoga has changed my life and art dramatically. After my morning yoga practice, with my friends, the day ahead is like a fresh canvas to paint on.

Yoga not only helps to find ease in the body, quiet the mind, and get in touch with our true nature, it can also be a way of helping our creative self. This is why yoga is such a gift for an artist. 

Creativity arises naturally in states of stillness and presence, which can be elusive when we are distracted by daily preoccupations and scattered thoughts. When we practice awareness in asana, pranayama, and meditation, we learn to let go of the distractions of the mind.

Yoga practice helps us overcome creative blockages in our mind and body and significantly enhance energy, focus, and originality. No matter what kind of art you call your own, your yoga practice can more fully connect you with your creative mind, body, and soul, says my yoga master.

Creativity is all about finding new ways of solving problems and approaching situations. This isn't a skill restricted to artists, musicians or writers; it is a useful skill for people from all walks of life. If you've ever wanted to boost your creativity, yoga poses that help get the creative juices flowing are: Pigeon pose, Eagle pose, child’s pose, corpse pose, Downward-facing Dog pose, and of course meditation.

How my Smartphone opened Up a Wonderful New Frontier for my Art

A little more than a year ago – I upgraded to a Smartphone # technocrats: ditched my ancient flip-phone and couldn’t believe the difference. Before my Smartphone era, whenever I used to go out for reference pictures I used to carry a case that held my drawing materials, laptop, paper notebook, digital camera, cell phone, and more. It was not light. Today, it is just the Smartphone and it could perform all my tasks and back at work, I can flip through the images and see if anything can help me with my next project.

I have several To Do lists and the most important for me are those related to my art and what I need to do next. I find it useful to collect them all at the same place and my Smartphone is the one tool I always have on me. Nowadays I always “carry” in my Smartphone a master list of blog ideas and update it every time a new idea pops up and refer to it whenever I am out of ideas.

To my delight, touch screen Smartphone’s can be art tools also. First grey out any white background as you would on an easel, make sure you have an app with adjustable brushes, and work by adding layers. If all that fails, use the undo button frequently. And the results - a visual feast.

One feature that I didn’t know about my Smartphone - is using it as a WiFi hotspot, my daughter said, this is called tethering. The only tether I knew was to tie (an animal) with a rope or chain so as to restrict its movement.

This tethering was basically sharing the data connection with other devices, similar to how we use the WiFi at hotels or a coffee shop. And so I head to Settings > Tethering & Hot spot (or settings > more) on my Android Smartphone and enabled the hot spot feature, and viola! My phone shared its connection with my Laptop. But hey, let me remind you, it seems many service providers charge extra for this, so double check before you start streaming movies to your laptop.

Being an artist is a lot of fun. It’s also one of the few hobbies and jobs out there where you can express yourself how you want. Believe it or not, you can produce art from your Android devices with some great Android apps for artists.

Being a Self Taught Artist

A gallery owner asked to see a portfolio of my work and enthusiastically agreed to hang several in an upcoming show. She presented me with a contract stating her percentage. The contract asked for my academic experience - you know, my art school, my instructors, etc. When I told her I was self-taught, she withdrew the contract and thanked me for my time!

The same goes for some online galleries. They didn’t agree to display the paintings, when they found I wasn't trained as an artist.It was then I decided, a gallery that is only interested in my degree or lack of one is probably not the right gallery for my work anyway. Working with galleries should be a mutual relationship, not an unbalanced power relationship.

I don't have an art degree - so I had to build up my resume with local shows (Beauty parlors, restaurants, small local art groups, cafes, etc) and some exhibitions in the buildings where I lived.

My question is, is a self-trained artist really considered an artist in the real art world? Or a college degree is necessary for success?

The truth of the matter is most self-taught successful people have no college degree; they’re simply driven and have no aversion to finding their way through whatever it takes to reach their goals. According to me, an artist's work should speak for itself and not what kind of formal art training he or she has had.

At the same time however, people who likes art, would own it if they found something nice that they could afford and feel comfortable about buying. This is where the self taught artists come in.

In other words, I am a normal everyday person just like those who might be interested in buying my art. I know how to paint, I can relate to everyday people in language they can understand, and some of them even like my art enough to buy it. And I know, I can't ask for much more than that. So far, I've made a modest amount of sales, and that's even better.

To all my self taught Artist friends out there, your best ally is the Internet. At no time in history has it ever been easier for an artist to establish a profile and attract a fan base with absolutely zero involvement in either the gallery system or "established" art world regardless of their education, experience or qualifications. All they have to be is GOOD.

You don’t have to have a great idea, all that is required is that you’re passionate about what you do, and dedicated to making it work – and sometimes the learning process and work involved leave you drained and downright exhausted, but in the end it’s definitely worth it.

People who buy art could care less about where you went to art school or how many diplomas you have. They're looking for one thing and one thing only,good art. As far as I am concerned, creating art brings joy to my life and selling it brings joy to the lives of others. That's called success and it's everything being an artist is about.

Balancing Art and Life

Fulfilling my desire to be an artist and develop a business while dealing with the distractions and commitments of everyday life can be very frustrating. There are sacrifices to be made, but also planning to be done.

The ultimate challenge for most artists is how to get  those periods of solitary, uninterrupted time to work. Life is full of distractions, and finding pockets of time to work is the most difficult.

I separate my work area from family space, and keep it that way and give myself the time to make art. It takes self-discipline and commitment to set my boundaries. Plans change, things come up, attention will be divided. ”Making” time is important if art is a priority. It’s not easy, and things are often left undone as a result, but it’s OK if art is kept as a top priority.” Guess if you’re passionate about something, I guarantee you its all-consuming. Sometimes I ask myself: “Does my current situation bring me joy? Am I spending enough time with my family and friends? Do I feel like this gives me purpose?

There is so much art just sitting around in Galleries, begging for a home. Why should I keep making art when there’s already so much out there trying to be sold? I know that seems pessimistic to you probably, but I just don’t know where I fit into all of it. Or if I there’s even room for me”. Here is the answer…  

“Paintings are not just a nice thing to have or to do if there is free time or if one can afford it. Rather, paintings and poetry, music and fashion, design and dialogue, they all define who we are as a people and provide an account of our history for the next generation.”

Art cannot stop, and it’s my responsibility as a creator to see to its thriving, fruitful continuation. If we let art stop, then our culture, our time, our history might all disappear.

I feel blessed for the talent I have been given. Not everyone has the ability to create art, and not everyone can even learn it with someone else teaching. If you have been blessed with artistic ability, be happy with doing your personal best, and know that studying your favorite artists’ works and practice will take you to new levels that will excite and inspire you!

Honing your skills when you’re an artist is a process that continues forever; be inspired, be motivated, and most of all let your art reflect yourself and your passion!

Painting and emotions

Have you ever noticed how much music, or doing an activity like drawing or painting relaxes you after a long day? That is because it is very therapeutic. Studies have also proven that coloring, even as an adult, has tremendous benefits. It can help someone express themselves, explore their emotions, manage addictions, and improve their self-esteem.

A painting can tell stories or depict ideas, it can be realistic or abstract. However, the most important issue in it is that it expresses or stirs emotions. Painting can be a record of what the artist is feeling and, at the same time, it can bring about emotional reactions in the viewer.

When you first encounter a painting, sculpture or photograph, you generally relate to it through your emotions. While the painting may or may not always contain meaning or symbolism, it usually stimulates your senses and leads you to experience feelings. Experts say that the best way to express pure emotions is to create nonobjective or totally abstract artworks in which colors, lines, shapes, and textures directly convey their emotional state.

The saying , ' Painting is an expression of the artist's mood ' is very true according to me. The state of my heart at the moment of applying paint to canvas gets into the mix somehow. Customers actually 'feels' when they regard my work, how I felt while I was doing it.

In the art movement called "Expressionism,”the artist is more interested in expressing an emotional experience and less focused on depicting realism. The art work could be a record of what the artist was feeling at the time of making it, and it could also bring about emotional reactions in the viewer.

Should a painting be beautiful for someone to relate to it?

People respond emotionally and intellectually to visual images, often recognizing characteristics that make something seem beautiful without even thinking about it. This responses may vary from person to person, and individuals often have different ideas about what makes a painting beautiful. Some people respond to certain subjects because they associate them with pleasure. Others may find a particular combination of lines, colors, and shapes appealing without understanding the meaning of the painting.

Judged by traditional standards, many contemporary artworks would not be described as beautiful or pleasurable. For many, it is more important that the works are interesting, thought-provoking, and challenging.

Care of Acrylic Paintings

Acrylic paintings are a great choice!

They are expected to have a longer life span than oil paintings, and are considered more resistant to aging. That is, they develop cracks less often than oil paintings and are more resistant to pressure.

Original art is an investment not only valued monetarily. Your painting will be appreciated by future generations, not just by those who view it today.

Here are a few things you can do to avoid or reduce some types of damage in a painting:

• The best type of light for your painting is indirect sunlight, recessed lighting, and halogen lights (not ultraviolet)
• Try to display your paintings in a place where the relative humidity and temperature levels are fairly constant, not very high (above 60%) or low (below 40%),
• Keep the artwork away from direct sunlight. Direct sunlight can cause fading of certain pigments, increasing yellowing of varnish and excessive heat on the painting surface.
• It is not advisable to place the artwork above a heat source such as fireplaces. In addition to the damage caused by radiating heat, dirt that rises with the heat may cause damage.
• Ultraviolet light should be kept away from the paintings as fugitive dyes and colorants used in paints will eventually discolor under exposure to this type of light. The fading of pigments and dyes will affect the color balance of the artwork.
• It is inadvisable to hang paintings in a moist environment such as a room which has a bath or shower. Rapid environmental fluctuations will be harmful to the paintings
• A painting can be safely dusted using a clean, soft natural artists brush. Be careful not to bump or scratch the painting. The painting should be held in an upright forward angle so the dust falls away from the painting.
• Another safe way to remove dust is to use light compressed air to blow all dust particles off the acrylic surface.
• Never use dry or moist dust cloths, stiff bristle brushes or feather dusters to clean a painting as threads can catch on areas of raised paint and dusters can scratch the painting.
• Never use a liquid or commercial cleaner on a painting. Avoid spraying any fresheners, polish etc directly onto a painting.
• It is advisable to remove paintings off the wall when steam cleaning carpets, plastering or any other things near the artwork.
• Touch the painting as little as possible.  The oils and dirt on your hands can make the paint deteriorate. Wash your hands before handling the painting, and wear cotton gloves when you have to touch it. Skin oils are acidic and can damage artwork over time. Abrasion from rubbing or touching the paint surface can damage or alter the appearance of the work significantly.
• Handle the painting carefully. Take off accessories like rings or bracelets so you don’t nick or tear the canvas. Carry the painting by holding it on its opposite sides with both hands. Don’t carry it flat on top of your open palms.
• Smoking near the painting will damage the paint surface as well.