I’ve always felt like artwork and décor work together to create a room. That there is a synergy between them that elevates each. Watching over the years, I’ve seen rooms transformed through artwork, new life being roused from decades old furniture, and wall color subtlety shifting depending on the work he hung. Quite often in the design process artwork is left to the end or it finishes a room by matching the décor. I know you want more from your art than just something to coordinate with pillows. You want it to make you feel something. To surprise you when you walk in the room with a detail that suddenly shows itself today. You want your art to remind you of the moment you first saw it or make you feel something that you can’t quite explain. Maybe I have a romantic vision of finding and connecting with a piece over and over. But that’s only because I know it’s possible. The thing is, art like that isn’t at TJ Maxx or Homesense. It often does not match the pillows or bring out the blue in the carpet. Art like that comes from an artist’s studio. It’s been worked on and sometimes battled with. It might be a landscape or a portrait, it could be an explosion of color or softly textured monochrome, it could be hundreds of different styles or themes, but it came from a person. If you really want room changing art you have to find art with life in it. If you really want to personalize your home, the simplest way is to add artwork you connect with. Art that has a story, of where you bought it or how it made you feel when it caught your eye. I promise that if you surround yourself with art that you really love, it will slow you down, bring you contentment, prepare you to take on the day, and maybe be a little happier. Still have questions on how to start? Download the questionnaire below!
I get stuck sometimes. I think it happens to everyone but you probably noticed it without me even having to mention it. Three years ago, I put together a collection of swatches. I took all the paint that I had in the studio and spread a bit on squares of 300 lb watercolor paper. Each color is shown as it truly is, right out of the tube, and mixed with white. It is a very useful tool to have when discussing color. {I’ve often found that my definition of bright pink, for example, and your definition don’t always match}. Sitting with a client with a range of colors laid out before us makes it so much easier to fine tune preferences. I came up with about 35 samples. And for the next couple of years, I stuck with about 5 of those colors. Yes, I still have most of them in the studio but my go to colors are very limited. If I want a blue, I reach for Payne’s Grey. If I want red, it’s Quinacridone Scarlet. Strangely I have two blacks on the list, Mars Black and Carbon Black. And of course Titanium White. Stuck! Looking at it with her, I could see the possibility of it. My mind was suddenly running with combinations. I, of course, went out to buy several new tubes {finding the old one seemed unlikely and it had probably dried out}. I had to force myself to work on her piece first. But when that was finished I went town, trying different styles, different palette combinations, really getting to know Azurite Blue. Discovering a new color can be like meeting a new friend on the commuter train. There are bursts of intense “getting to know you” and then a mellowing as we fall into “comfortable conversations.” I am looking forward to making new friendships as the years go on.
What color is taking over your world lately? Is it a new discovery or a long-time favorite? There is this thing with some artists about painting on big canvases. I’m not sure if it is supposed to prove something or if it somehow validates the title of artist but I do find a freedom in movement when working on bigger canvases. I can remember being in the art supply store shopping for my first really big canvas. I had decided I wanted to make a statement piece. There I stood before a wall of various sized canvases that wondering, how big was really big? When I took out my two contenders my thoughts went to price… it hit me as I chatted with a friend on messenger, that my hesitation was due to whether or not I could justify spending $100 on a canvas not whether I could paint something that would cover 6 feet of white space. In that moment, I felt like I was deciding whether my painting was a hobby or a more serious pursuit. My friend pointed out that I could spend $100 just as quickly on something more frivolous and why not do something daring.
Have I mentioned that my home studio is in our basement? Needless to say, I did not get the canvas into the basement. I painted it in our entrance, flat on the floor. It was finished on one session without hesitation. I knew what she would be as soon as the canvas came into the house. I was reminded of that first size challenge this week. I finally decided to paint a larger canvas that I had ordered last year. It sat as a backdrop while I pondered what collection it was meant to be a part of. The important thing to note is that I ordered it online and it was delivered. It just fits down the twisting stairs to the basement. It does not fit in my car.
Four years in and I still have a lot to learn…. |
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November 2019
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