Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Make a statement in your foyer!



I create a lot of custom artwork. Which is usually designed to go in a specific room. I love creating work for my clients, especially if I have painted the room.
 I also create a lot of art just for the sheer fun of it. Designed for no one in particular, and with no destination in mind.  I thought it would be fun to create a room around one of my paintings....in this case my mixed media painting entitled "A Crack in the Universe Through Which We Fell".



I imagine this piece to be in a very crisp setting, in this scenario, I imagine a foyer.  Because the piece is pretty chaotic, the rest of the setting needs to be razor sharp and clean.
This imaginary foyer would begin with a coat of  Fine Paints of Europe, Delft Blue. 

It is my personal belief that lighting can make or break a space, and I like to see my clients INVEST in lighting. I fell in love with this modern chandelier dripping with crystals at Victoria Dreste's blog.   The murano glass lamp is an antique, however I have seen lots of blue glass lamps at different major retailers like TJ Maxx and Crate  & Barrel.



The painting as well as the room are grounded by a simple black Bombay chest, this one from House to Home (.uk) To me it looks like a silhouette of a Bombay chest, which adds a little humor to the space.



I love a chair in a foyer, a place to sit and slip on or remove your shoes.  A slipper chair is perfect,  especially when upholstered in a pale neutral. It's an investment piece that can easily be changed with just a pillow.

The 'Bright Stuff" pillow from One King's Lane pulls the colors of the painting into the furnishings. The geometric pattern also mimics an element from the painting.



I am CRAZY over  this "Brooke" rug, by Madeline Weinrib in  Goldenrod yellow. I think the color is unexpected, but it refers back to the painting. This yellow sets a cheery 'welcome home' mood!





I really wouldn't mind re-creating this scenario in my own foyer!
If you are interested in having me create a custom piece of art for your foyer, or ANY room in your home or office, contact me through my etsy shop!

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Etsy shop now open! And Spring upcoming events!


 
 It seems there is never a loss for things to do at Studio Chicpaint!
I finally got my Etsy shop up and running. Wow, what a lot of work! Not only do you have to have a marketable product, you need to be a pretty good photographer as well as a word smith!  I will be adding more and more pieces as they become available! Will you take a moment to check me out? Please feel free to link my blog, my shop, this posting....
Click here for the link to my etsy shop!


It's time to start planning for the next "Hollywood to Highpoint" Open House, held once again at Designer Finishes, which is now being called " "The Perfect Pair Antiques and Salon" in Warrensburg,IL, the weekend just before Mother's Day. My friend Wanda, owner of Designer Finishes, has decided to take on a new journey with her daughter Megan. They are teaming up to open a boutique/ salon, featuring Megan's styling talents, and Wanda's love of antiques and reproduction furniture.  To celebrate Mother's Day, and my own journey as a mother, I am creating a "Flowers for Mum" series of paintings for this show.

 I love the work of artist Christy Kinard, and am inspired by her whimsical, floral abstractions.  My work is less realistic, more abstract, but I love the use of bright color and happy subject matter such as this painting by Christy.






 Getting back to my etsy journey ( is it getting older that makes me thing of every life experience as a 'journey'! )....having to describe my own work made me realize that I'm not so much of a 'painter' as I am a 'layer-er'. My work leans heavily on texture and layered elements. I love how Christy's paintings too are a process of layered papers underneath the paintings.


When Mike was choosing a painting from my Cork showing for his office, he made the comment that my work was slightly girlie. Hm...never thought of it that way. I do love some rust and crumble! I always thought my work tended towards masculine. Well, I am going all out for my Spring showing...I'm not sure how it will end up, but I know there will be flowers and glitter involved!
 I will be posting more information about this show as it becomes available.

























Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Unpainted Walls




I have been gathering some really cool ideas in my absence from blogging. This is the busy time of year for a decorative artist, everyone is coming out of hibernation and dialing those digits! "Hello, can you do something cool with my walls?"
I'd love to incorporate some of these non Paint ideas into my portfolio. Any takers!?
 All photos from Pinterest....to see original sources and more ideas too, view my board "Unpainted Walls".
 Tin can lids!
 Skateboard decks!
 Cookie trays!
 Scrabble tiles!
 Ceiling Medallions!



Firewood Slices!


Pennies!   ( although I think I would clean them all first)

Many of these ideas would be great for floors too. I predict with the rising cost of, well, everything...that recycled materials are going to become a viable option for many homeowners.  Now to start counting those pennies......