Creating Artwork for the Basement

Before the kids headed back to school, I decided that we would work together on a fun, easy art project for the basement to add to the growing collection of artwork on the different walls.

 

 

 

 

This is just a preview of what we did. It took up very little time and we are thrilled with the result. I will share the inspiration and our piece next week.

 

Enjoy the weekend!  I plan to take my kids biking on the local parkway which is closed to traffic on certain Sundays in early and late summer for this particular family activity. Our first opportunity this year.

 

If you require any help with Interior Decorating please click on the tab at the top of my page marked 'Services' or click here for further details.

 

I would love for you to leave a comment. Thank you for stopping by; please do check back often.

 

 

 

 

 

Itzchak Tarkay Artwork and The Piano

Several years ago we bid on this large framed artwork at an art auction fundraiser for the kids' preschool. A beautiful cafe scene. It is so vibrant. For some reason, ' Silent Conversation' seems stuck in my mind as the title for this piece. I am not sure whether this was the original title - I cannot seem to find any evidence of that online. Nevertheless, I see energy and movement even though the women do not seem to be obviously conversing. This could be the result of the bright and bold colors and pattern. Perhaps I can imagine them listening to music that might be playing.

The artist is Itzchak Tarkay (1935-2012), a figurative artist who drew inspiration from French Impressionism and Post-Impressionism like Matisse, for the refinement in his use of colors and the drawing style of Toulouse-Lautrec. Tarkay has done many such cafe scenes.

He was a master at graphic art and with all of his talents, created stunning serigraphs like this one. (A serigraph is a silkscreen print on paper. They are not reproductions of an original). Tarkay created his serigraphs by layering colors one over the other to create texture and transparency.

This special artwork was hung in the dining room for a few years and then in the living room above the couch.  When the grand piano was moved to a more suitable spot in the living room about a year ago, it struck me that this piece would be perfect above it with its cafe scene and its size would balance that of the piano - typically artwork should be about two-thirds the size of that which it hangs above.

The artwork is now centered on that wall. It adds gorgeous color to that corner of the room.

I have come to realize that I enjoy different styles of art. It has to speak to you in some way. I love the colors, the patterns that have been achieved with this particular technique of painting and yes, the size at approximately 4.25 ft x 2.5 ft (framed) is phenomenal. This was a special purchase which will be appreciated and enjoyed for many years to come.

Are you a fan of such a style?

To learn more about Itzchak Tarkay go here.

 

 

If you require any help with Interior Decorating please click on the tab at the top of my page marked 'Services' or click here for further details.

I would love for you to leave a comment. Thank you for stopping by; please do check back often.

Art For The Basement Walls

I have been redecorating the basement for the kids. It has always been their playroom but the room needed to "grow" with them and required updating. I wanted to move toward adding more color with the artwork. I have some old and found some new ones which I am incorporating into the plan for the space.

Last summer I purchased some stunning prints from Etsy shop, Margin. These Kaleidescope Flora pieces have so much vibrant color and are such fun. I thought they would be beautiful displayed as a set. These are just the patterns. Each is sold separately as an A4 size print.

I have found the perfect frames for them and will share those with you later.

We have had these 2' 3" x 1' 6" laminated wall maps from Lakeshore Learning Store for a few years. They have great color and the kids still use them as learning tools and to play school so I have held on to them.

 

 

This metal subway sign was purchased last year on ebay.

 

And this huge, stunning piece was created on brown paper by my daughter, Isabel, a couple of years ago, when she was 12. At the time she did it, it was just a person. I have interpreted it to be a person in motion - dancing, exercising, having fun. This was part of an art class in school. By the time the piece made it home at the end of the school year it had been rolled up and had crinkles all over. It lends the piece some texture, I think.

 I purchased a roll of white paper from Michaels' last year and used Mod Podge to adhere the brown paper piece onto it to give it a frame of sorts and to highlight the piece against the taupe wall color. It is now 3' 2" x 5' 2".

This artwork has been up on a wall in the basement for a while - an appropriate spot which will be shared with you in time.

So far so good. The basement is coming together.

I would love for you to leave a comment. Thank you for stopping by; please do check back often.

Old Artwork, New Dining Room Wall

As I put my dining room pieces back in place I have been taking a look at the artwork I have in the house and what I had in the dining room before it was repainted. Does it still work?

This piece - pastels on canvas - was picked up at a fundraising art auction held at the kids' nursery school many years ago. I loved the marketplace stall as subject. The vibrant colors as well as the texture drew me to the piece immediately although I had found the frame heavy at the time.

This is the only picture I have of the artwork in the dining room before - you can catch a glimpse of some of the previous green paint color to the right. This is when it was taken down from the wall. There is a dusting of antiqued gold paint over the predominantly black frame.

And now, I am trying it on the new walls. The frame blends in and the colors pop!

Remember the inspiration picture I came across after I had started work on the dining room? This was part of the post on the Goldeneye Resort in Jamaica.

And coincidentally, again, back in November I had participated in a mood board party over at Pewter + Sage and the inspiration had been dinnerware with which one had to create a dining room board.

Here is the board I had created. For further details about the items go here.

I seem to be subconsciously drawn to the combination of these colors in a space - burnt orange, gold, shades of aqua, smoky grey. Modern. Global. Vibrant. Calming. All at the same time.

And back to the current artwork. It has some of the blues - a touch of cobalt and some aqua in the background - and shades of orange and gold and some dark grey, and of course, there is the touch of gold on the frame which is apparent on the right-hand side as light shines on it from the living room.

This picture appeals to me in this spot. The eye is drawn to the artwork without taking away from the stencil. And the frame does not bother me.

What do you think? Do you see what I see?

If you require any help with Interior Decorating please click on the tab at the top of my page marked 'Services' or click here for further details.

I would love for you to leave a comment. Thank you for stopping by; please do check back often.

Lisa

Oversized Artwork - Are You A Fan?

Are you a fan of oversized artwork? Sometimes these could be larger than the furniture in a space or in some cases take up almost an entire wall.

The following are great examples of how such pieces can work whether on an entire wall, above a mantle, to the side of a mantle, centered on a wall or not, or anywhere one might choose to place one.

And these could work in any style of decor, too.

 

via House & Home photo Francois Halard

 

via House to Home

 

 I am definitely a fan. The artwork can be the main focus in a space, can add much-needed color, be thought-provoking, set a mood or can enhance the furniture already in place.

If you have been following my blog for a while you will already know that I do not abide by any rules when it comes to decorating. Any space should reflect one's lifestyle and one's personality and, at the end of the day, make one happy. Therefore, there should be no rules in terms of size of artwork if it is what one wants.

What do you think? Is this something you would consider in your own home if you have not already?

On a side note: It has been four days since my last post as I have been busy - my kids have been on Spring break all this time and for the rest of the week but I will be back on Thursday with the next update on the Spring Into Action project party.

If you require any help with Interior Decorating please click on the tab at the top of my page marked 'Services' or click here for further details.

I would love for you to leave a comment. Thank you for stopping by; please do check back often.

Lisa

Interesting Ways To Display Artwork

There are numerous ways to display artwork effectively. Some of the factors that determine placement are the space/room, the style and size of the artwork, the number of pieces, one's own style, height of the ceiling and so on. Here are some pictures for inspiration with some guidelines to keep in mind.

 Artwork is generally hung too high. In a living room, for example, where most occupants will  be seated, the artwork should be at a level at which those seated can appreciate the piece.

 

Mix things up for interest by placing different items on the wall like in the picture below. If unsure of placement, in this type of grouping, start with the largest piece near the center.

via

Photo: Thomas J. Story

The occupant of the room is important in determining height placement. In this case, a kid's room with artwork by bedside at eye level.

Photo: Lisa Romerein

Negative space in a room like in this case, a corner, can be made much more interesting by adding a mix of artwork.

Photo: Lisa Romerein

Bringing the outdoors in adds calm. Note - the artwork is not centered above the bed but above the nightstand and bed together. It works!

Photo: Lisa Romerein

Adding artwork to a shelf can break up the monotony of the shelf display if too large.

Photo: Thomas J. Story

A frame with a personal picture displayed on the kitchen counter warms up the space instantly and can be easily changed.

Photo: Ericka McConnell

Another effective way is to keep everything at the same level (eye level) to create a linear grouping.

Photo: Thomas J. Story

A color scheme (in this case blue, yellow and white) and a symmetrical grouping adds balance.

A tall ceiling allows for a mix of artwork with inches between rather than grouped close together. Note the artwork on table and propped up on floor.

In this room, because of the slanted ceiling the collection has been grouped closer. There is balance with the sizing of pieces on either side of the window.

Scale is very important. A piece or pieces (collectively) should be at least two-thirds the size of furniture it is displayed above.

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Visual balance with heavier piece near the bottom.

via

Level the middles of the artwork pieces when working within one room and different walls, different sized artwork. 

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In the kitchen, artwork should be hung away from water or heat.

Do not hang a small single piece on an oversized wall. Place it on a narrower wall or as part of a grouping or else it will look lost. For example, good for between doors and windows.

Layering adds a lot of interest and warmth, like on the mantle.

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Match your style in terms of choice of artwork and the way to display - symmetrical displays are traditional and formal whereas assymetrical ones are more modern.

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This I love. Propped up artwork.

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Lastly, use paper (brown, newspaper) templates to lay out artwork. I use this all the time for clients (even for furniture layouts) as it gives one a better sense of scale and balance.

Courtesy here & here

 

These are just guidelines. There is no perfect way to display art. It is your artwork so make it work for you and make sure you enjoy it. Do you display your artwork in one particular way or do you like to try out different groupings and mixes? Would you now try something new?

If you require any help with Interior Decorating please click on the tab at the top of my page marked 'Services' or click here for further details.

I would love for you to leave a comment. Thank you for stopping by; please do check back often.

Lisa

My Wrapping Paper Artwork

A few weeks ago when I had purchased this amazing wrapping paper from The Container Store I had said that I planned to use it for artwork rather than to wrap gifts in. This paper is made of recycled cotton and was too beautiful to resist.

I wanted to do something festive for the holidays with it. I decided on a trio so I purchased three 8x24 canvas boards from Joann's that happened to be on sale.

I found some ornament images online and printed those out after having enlarged them to a good size.

images via here, here and Google

Alongwith the new wrapping paper and tissue paper I also pulled out some silver and gold paper I already owned.

 First I laid out the paper on the canvas and realized the creases were apparent across the center and would not look good so I proceeded to crush the paper more.

Then I sprayed the canvas and laid it upside down on the tissue paper.

And evened out the paper before the glue dried.

I made cuts on the top sides and folded over.

 Then glued with Loctite glue.

It was a little loose at the back.

I gave this time to dry.

Next, I decided to reinforce the paper by stapling it to the board so I used a staple gun.

I traced out the ornament images I had printed onto tracing paper and then onto the back of tissue and wrapping once I had determined which image I wanted in which paper.

Time to cut...

And move the ornaments around until I was happy with the mix, the layout and the look of each board making sure to have silver and gold on each.

I first used basic Elmer's School Glue to glue the ornaments on.

That red spot on the paper was there when I opened the packaging.

I did the silver star in two layers.

I used a hole punch to punch a hole in the top of this ornament.

Then came time for Mod Podge, of course. For those reading this in countries where this product is not available, this is an all-in-one glue, sealer and finish used for decoupage.

I decided to add some ribbon to the ornaments to complete the pictures and had some old ribbon in my stash of gift wrapping - some silver and some gold.

But as you can see, there was overlap with the ribbon and the ornaments. I had thought I would be ok with that but I was not happy...the ornaments are the stars.

So I cut another round of ornaments in the same paper and did another layer of Mod Podge over the first ones.

To give a sense of a framed look to the artwork I decided to glue some hemp I had around the sides of the boards multiple times until they were covered.

 

And now, here they stand on my family room floor until I have the time to hang them.

I had two small problems - the metallic ribbon did not adhere in a few spots. I guess it adds dimension. Also, I pulled a little too hard on the paper during my final (third) layer of Mod Podge on the third board therefore it has a deeper crinkle to it on the left of the star. I only realized this once it had started to dry and it was too late to spread it out. One has to be a little more careful when using delicate (in this case, tissue) paper. I love how this turned out, though. I have toyed with the idea of just glueing a bow of metallic string to a couple of the ornaments but I might leave that for next time. I did not get to the red wrapping paper but do have an idea for something for the next Christmas season.

You might think I have a lot of time on my hands but truly, I do not. Arts and crafts such as this one are done while I wait for my kids to get off the bus (starting an hour or a half before) and then subsequently after dinner. But these are also easy and really do not take much time once you have some vision.

Linking up to Saved by Suzy

If you require any help with Interior Decorating please click on the tab at the top of my page marked 'Services' or click here for further details.

Please Note: I have not been compensated in any way for this post. The views and opinions expressed in this post are solely mine and are based on my experience with the products mentioned.

I would love for you to leave a comment. Thank you for stopping by; please do check back often.

Lisa