Saturday, July 30, 2011

Art Centered Room Redo...use what you have!

One of my favorite parts of working in the art and framing world is the potential of the product after we as artists have created or as a framer, framed. Art and framing are the perfect cherry on top of the home decor sunday. I have never felt you need to buy art or frame necessarily for a room, but buy what you love and it will all work out. This is true of our little project last weekend. Ursula and I had the opportunity to take a friends house apart and start over. We did a no cost-shop your own house-art centered-room redo!

The home owners are both artists and have a wonderful art collection from local artist and photographers as well and antiques and unique art objects. They just needed some help with the presentation and orientation of this beautiful collection.

The home is also small and so every inch must be useful and have purpose as well as displaying the art work well. This was the biggest challenge. We did small changes all over the home, but the main living space was the biggest transformation and so this is what I will be focusing on today.

One of the first problems we saw was in the entrance way. The home is a beach side cottage style home and you enter almost directly into the living room. They needed a place to hang coats and set down keys as well as a home for the kitty food. And since wall space is limited they also need these spaces to hang art.

This is the before photo showing not the best usage of space.

This is the after. Now they have a proper place to hang coats, set keys and bags, feed the cats and still display art and treasures!

The next area we needed to tackle was the window box nook.This area is small and quaint with ample potential for artistic display. It was important for the home owners to use this space to its max and they hoped to have seating and a desk area.
This is the nook before. At this point is was mostly storage and an eye sore since it was attached directly to the main living room. At this point it had very little aesthetic qualities and mostly no function.

From this view point after it simply looks cleaned out! But we were able to create a livable space that offered comfortable seating and even a little desk area and book case storage.


This photo is of the largest wall in the nook area. It was cluttered and under utilized.

This is the same area after. We were able to create the seating area and allow the home owners to enjoy three pieces of the collection with form and function.
 
The next area of the no cost-redo was the main living area. This being a small home the owners need to be able to relax and entertain in the same area. This room is also the first thing you see when entering the home from the front door. We wanted it to feel inviting and spacious for guest, but intimate and serene for the home owners. Again this was a no cost redo so they already owned everything in the room. We just moved and organized to best show off the art collection and fit the needs of the house.

This photo from before shows a space with no identity and purpose. You are not able to focus on the amazing art that surrounds you!
 
These photos from after show the results of simply organizing like images, lowering and centering groups and changing around some furniture pieces that were hidden in other rooms. In this image alone we can now enjoy six original pieces of art and photography as well as a lovely antique cupboard.
Simple things like changing the placement of art work and finding proper fitting wall areas sometimes is all you need for a fresh start!
 
This room transformation took under two hours and cost nothing. The point of this blog is to hopefully inspire art lovers to take a look at how art in their own home is displayed.Can you enjoy your collection? Are you using your space to its best potential?

If you decide to tackle a no cost-art centered-room redo feel free to send me before and after photos and we might feature you in a future blog!

josey@wisedesignz.com










Friday, July 15, 2011

Featured Artist for July 2011: Laurie Crawford

This month at WiseDesignz we have local pastel artist Laurie Crawford. Her work in soft pastel is just lovely. I have always been a big fan of loose painterly pastels. In particularly landscapes! Her show this month is "Travel Escapes": work done Plein Air from her travels to Europe as well as here at home in the Pacific North West. I hope if you are local you have the opportunity to stop in the gallery to see her show in person. Her Artist reception is Saturday, July 16th from 4pm-7pm during the Everett Art Walk. You can come meet the artist and enjoy the sensory delight that is a travel escape!

Laurie Crawford
“Travel Escapes”
It is easy to love painting in the Northwest.  We have the deepest, richest values of color with surprise lighting at every turn.  When the rain stops, run outside into neighbor's gardens with a pack of supplies and paint plants capes. When the rain starts, try painting the scene another way in the studio.
 
Lifelong educational creative experiences in teaching for the Everett School District and Everett Community College (1974-2000) led me to this point in my life when I can pursue pastel painting with a passion.  After drawing little houses, animals, trees, or flowers for school children to stimulate their own images, I now get to drive around and find cityscapes in Everett and beyond.  Plein air, outdoor painting with other painter, in France ('05), Italy & Greece ('08), Cornwall, England (‘10), Tahuya/Sequim, WA ('04-'08) or Lopez Island ('07), Plein Air Painter’s US Open on Whidbey Island (‘10), all give painting color and light a new challenge.

Being a member of Northwest Pastel Society makes connecting with other artists a year round opportunity. By participating in local art workshops, Artist’s Way and writing groups, I keep my creativity flowing through many channels. Being accepted into juried exhibitions and shows like Mukilteo Lighthouse Festival ('06- First Place Pastel '08), AAUW  Invitational Art for Education Show (‘08-’11), Arts of the Terrace (‘08), Sequim Arts ('07), Puget Sound Bird Fest ('07) and International (‘06) & National Pastel Society shows ('06-'11), extends my vision. Everett Public Library ('07-08), Lyussy Hyder Gallery ('06), Everett Historic Home Tour gallery Show (‘08), ICOS Biologicals, Bothell, WA, Lassen House, Red Bluff, CA, Edward Jones Investments, Snohomish, WA ('10,'11) and tea rooms & coffee houses ('06-'11) provide me with year round joy in showing my art.  I contribute my poster (Assistance League ‘09) & pastel pieces to local church and charity fundraisers (‘06-’11) for local art to make a difference in our community.

~Laurie Crawford



 Laurie's work will be up for the rest of the month of July


www.wisedsignz.com
www.everettartwalk.org

WiseDesignz
Framing & Gallery
2908 Wetmore Ave
Everett WA 98201
425-259-2361