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Artist Jack Vettriano (birth name Jack Hoggan) was born in Fife, Scotland in 1951. But unlike many gifted artists who start painting while very young, Vettriano only began teaching himself to paint after a girlfriend gave him a set of watercolor paints for his 21st birthday.

In 1989, at the age of 38, he felt ready to show his paintings in public and submitted two works to the Royal Scottish Academy's annual exhibition. Both were accepted and sold the same day, after which the artist was approached by several galleries keen to sell his work..

In 2004 The Singing Butler, Vettriano's best known painting, was sold at Sotheby's for close to £750,000. In the same year he was awarded an OBE for Services to the Visual Arts.

Although his work is often dismissed by art critics as lacking imagination, Vettriano is one of the most commercially successful living artists. While his original works regularly fetch six figure prices, it is believed he earns more from the sale of reproductions.

And that's fortunate for non-art critics who appreciate his work as prints by Jack Vettriano are now readily available and affordable for those who can't fork out large sums of cash for originals.

Thanks to modern technology and breakthroughs in digital printing, it's now feasible to produce art reproductions at budget prices. The quality of fine art prints has simultaneously improved. Advanced inkjet printers using a wide range of inks can bring out brilliant, saturated colors, outstanding detail and subtle hues previously only manageable with the most expensive of machinery.

This means the normal person now has access to Vettriano posters and fine art prints reproduced from his original artwork. Reproductions are made on archival quality materials and often include stretched canvas prints, giving an even more authentic look.

When looking for quality reproductions, it's worth checking if the work is available as a Giclée print. Giclée prints (pronounced "zhee-clay") are fine art reproductions using special inkjet machines that print on a variety of paper surfaces or substrates, including textures such as watercolor paper, canvas, or artist textured vinyl.

When choosing a fine art print, one has various framing options available that allow one to infuse the artwork with personal preferences, ensuring a measure of originality.

Choosing a frame that complements not only the print but also the room's interior will add immensely to one's appreciation of the artwork. Unless you're very brave, it's safest to keep it simple - contemporary frames with contemporary art, and so forth.

Using established interior design principles allied with considered selection of the artist's framed prints, it's now quite easy to decorate your home or office walls to look like a personalized art gallery - without breaking the bank.

When you are riding or operating a motorbike it's extremely important to have the right safety equipment.

A motorbike helmet is the single most important item of safety equipment, but it will only provide adequate protection if it's the right type and fits properly. How often have you seen a child riding a motorcycle wearing an adult-sized helmet? If a calamity were to occur, the helmet would offer very little, if any, protection to the child's skull.

It is of vital importance to try on any crash helmet to make sure it fits right. If you're buying online or from a catalog, make sure you're able to return it if it turns out not to fit correctly. You need to bear in mind that each manufacturer sizes their helmets differently. If you now have a size large helmet, that doesn't mean another manufacturer's size large will fit you necessarily.

It's worth measuring the circumference of your head and asking for the helmet dimensions, if purchasing online. And very important: never buy a used motorcycle helmet - it may have been in an accident and may no longer offer adequate protection.

Helmets should be tried on with any other accessories you will be wearing while riding. Many women, for instance, like to ride bikes with their hair in a ponytail but may try a helmet for size with their hair straight. And if you wear prescription glasses or contact lenses, it's important to wear them while trying on motorcycle helmets.

A motorcycle helmet needs to fit very securely. Make sure it surrounds the whole of your head. Chin straps are adjustable but try them to make sure they go tight enough to fit around your face. It's also a good idea to try on the same brand of helmet one size larger and one size smaller to make doubly sure you really have the optimal fit.

Some helmets offer extra comfort by means of air vents, which can be easily slid open or closed to allow more air to circulate while riding.

Helmets are available in a range of materials. The safest and highest quality is found in helmets made from organic fibreglass and layers of carbon fibers. This combination of materials makes for a very powerful shock-absorbent shell. It's also important that the liner features a three layer system, for additional shock absorption.

If you ride your bike regularly for any length of time, you might want to choose a helmet that allows you to change the visor without hassle. This can be very useful if you ride during both day and night time. The visors should also be impact resistant and offer fog resistance.

While a quality helmet that offers decent protection will never be a cheap option, it could well be one of the best investments you ever made. Statistically, riders who have accidents while wearing a motorbike helmet have more than a third less chance of suffering head injury.

A well-fitting helmet is a pleasure to wear - you can even have it custom painted to match your motorbike colors.