I never stop being amazed at all the fascinating ways that people create and what materials they chose to create with. I also find it interesting that simple can far exceed the complex things in life. Sometimes we get too involved in all the "politics and business" of creating art by attending conventions and all we hear is BUY, BUY, BUY. Of course alot of these are good products, but also expensive. Maybe it is high time we get back to the basic things in life.
Today I happened onto a fascinating and INEXPENSIVE way to create absolutely beautiful art using MUD. I have always loved the smell of dirt after a rainfall and as a kid I could spend hours in my playhouse making mud pies. Maybe my true inner self has just been waiting for a time in my adult life that I can go back to the basics of just having fun with MUD.
If you would like to know what I am referring to you must check out this fascinating website:http://www.strawbalestudio.org/ and take a look at that gorgeous work of art on the wall. It is sculpted MUD. With all the interest in going green, this is just a perfect answer. Amazingly, I was also looking at pictures today from a friend's recent visit to Africa and there were lots of beautiful pictures of MUD homes, isn't it funny how some countries think they are so advanced and yet we are just getting around to figuring out some of these things that the so called "not so advanced" countries have known for years. I just found this all rather interesting, hope you are following my thoughts on that.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Monday, May 9, 2011
Collaborate and Innovate
I periodically see articles that really hit the spot and a recent one sent by Alyson Stanfield, a marketing coach with ArtBiz.com. did just that. You know how sometimes you feel like the pastor has been listening in on your private thoughts because the sermon he just gave seemed to be directed totally at YOU. Well, maybe some of you don't have a guilty conscience and have not experienced that but how about when you just seem to have bitten off more than you can chew and rather than coughing some up and admitting that you have done it, you would rather quietly just sit there and choke!
This article seemed to be written especially for me as I feel like I have got too many irons in the fire and if I don't watch it, I just might get burnt. See what your personal take on it is.
In order to innovate, something that takes time and energy has to go. When you have no extra SPACE on your plate you need to delete, along with working smarter not harder. There needs to be a challenge in order to get me motivated.
Ask yourself some questions like:
Are you a member or leader of an organization that is no longer serving you?
If you are doing something that you think might not be working ask yourself:
Is it fun?
Is it a challenge?
Am I learning anything?
Am I working too hard and not smart enough?
The answers to these questions should reveal alot of things that maybe you didn't even have the time to think about before. You only get one shot at life, this is not a dress rehearsal. Therefore, make each day count and if you are not truly enjoying what you are doing you had better figure out what will make you happy and DO IT!
I love to create and do my art. I don't like computers but it seems to be a necessary evil in order to allow my "fun" jobs to expand and allow me to do what I like. I love cooking and teaching my gals new and differant dishes they can fix for their families. I also like to spend time with my kids and grandkids. Maybe the next article will be about finding "balance". I can't wait to see what suggestions there may be.
If you have any suggestions please let me know.
This article seemed to be written especially for me as I feel like I have got too many irons in the fire and if I don't watch it, I just might get burnt. See what your personal take on it is.
In order to innovate, something that takes time and energy has to go. When you have no extra SPACE on your plate you need to delete, along with working smarter not harder. There needs to be a challenge in order to get me motivated.
Ask yourself some questions like:
Are you a member or leader of an organization that is no longer serving you?
If you are doing something that you think might not be working ask yourself:
Is it fun?
Is it a challenge?
Am I learning anything?
Am I working too hard and not smart enough?
The answers to these questions should reveal alot of things that maybe you didn't even have the time to think about before. You only get one shot at life, this is not a dress rehearsal. Therefore, make each day count and if you are not truly enjoying what you are doing you had better figure out what will make you happy and DO IT!
I love to create and do my art. I don't like computers but it seems to be a necessary evil in order to allow my "fun" jobs to expand and allow me to do what I like. I love cooking and teaching my gals new and differant dishes they can fix for their families. I also like to spend time with my kids and grandkids. Maybe the next article will be about finding "balance". I can't wait to see what suggestions there may be.
If you have any suggestions please let me know.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Allow Your Home to be a Journey Through Time With Textured Fresco
Inspired by plastering methods once used by craftsmen in ancient Rome, the Old World Look can offer a unique, handcrafted appearance that has incredible depth and dimension. These dimensional qualities offer a journey through time by reproducing the characteristics of aged, weathered walls-adding a true sense of history to your home. This finish is fantastic for new homes as it gives instant character, yet is also perfect for older homes that may already be sporting some "character lines" with cracks in the wall that you no longer want to hide but enhance!
If you would like to create this look for yourself, I would suggest following these easy steps. Before taking on any project, you should always do a sample board for your finished look as there is a learning curve to any new products and tools. I always create a sample board for my client's project, even if I have done the technique 50 times before. Using the colors chosen by the homeowner, they will have a very good feel for what their room will look like when completed. Be sure to always keep in mind however that because this is an artistic piece of work, the design varies though out the finished wall. This will give you a "one of a kind" finish and unique to your personal home. Of course the colors remain the same but the variance of color and pooling gives the highly sought after look and artistic balance. If you prefer an "exacting" finish you should chose wallpaper, that any other homeowner can purchase.
Remove all furniture, cover floors and anything you might not want to be "wearing" plaster. Tape off all areas around doors and windows. You may also need to wash the walls with TSP cleaner to remove any dirt or grime before starting.
Apply plaster with a small sea sponge mini roller in a curving, sporadic motion. Only work on an area that you can manage easily. Don't get too far ahead of yourself because while this plaster is still wet you want to follow by back troweling with a 10" rounded trowel to smooth down the texture of the plaster.
Continue around the entire room. Allow to dry completely.
When dry, apply 2 coats of matte paint in the desired color. Use a sash brush to cut around the edges of doors and windows and then while still wet blend these edges into the body of the wall. This is very important because if you do not blend you will end up with a framed look around the wall and that is not very attractive.Dry completely
Mix glaze and your choice of color for the final finish. Apply small amounts of the glaze mixture in a random circular action using either a mitt, brush and leon neon or whatever tools produces the finish you are wanting. Once again, continue across the walls working wet into wet and blending all edges so there are no harsh edges.
To complete approximately 400 square feet of wall space it will take 2-3 days allowing for dry time. If you would prefer not to attack such a project please feel free to contact me via email at:val@surfacesolutiondesign.com or calling 509-991-8334.
If you would like to create this look for yourself, I would suggest following these easy steps. Before taking on any project, you should always do a sample board for your finished look as there is a learning curve to any new products and tools. I always create a sample board for my client's project, even if I have done the technique 50 times before. Using the colors chosen by the homeowner, they will have a very good feel for what their room will look like when completed. Be sure to always keep in mind however that because this is an artistic piece of work, the design varies though out the finished wall. This will give you a "one of a kind" finish and unique to your personal home. Of course the colors remain the same but the variance of color and pooling gives the highly sought after look and artistic balance. If you prefer an "exacting" finish you should chose wallpaper, that any other homeowner can purchase.
Remove all furniture, cover floors and anything you might not want to be "wearing" plaster. Tape off all areas around doors and windows. You may also need to wash the walls with TSP cleaner to remove any dirt or grime before starting.
Apply plaster with a small sea sponge mini roller in a curving, sporadic motion. Only work on an area that you can manage easily. Don't get too far ahead of yourself because while this plaster is still wet you want to follow by back troweling with a 10" rounded trowel to smooth down the texture of the plaster.
Continue around the entire room. Allow to dry completely.
When dry, apply 2 coats of matte paint in the desired color. Use a sash brush to cut around the edges of doors and windows and then while still wet blend these edges into the body of the wall. This is very important because if you do not blend you will end up with a framed look around the wall and that is not very attractive.Dry completely
Mix glaze and your choice of color for the final finish. Apply small amounts of the glaze mixture in a random circular action using either a mitt, brush and leon neon or whatever tools produces the finish you are wanting. Once again, continue across the walls working wet into wet and blending all edges so there are no harsh edges.
To complete approximately 400 square feet of wall space it will take 2-3 days allowing for dry time. If you would prefer not to attack such a project please feel free to contact me via email at:val@surfacesolutiondesign.com or calling 509-991-8334.
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