Monday, March 24, 2014

Living Design



 
Blog One - Focal Point.
 
Start your table with a linen table cloth. 

 
Add a little color for a focal point.

 
Next add a centerpiece.

 
 Add some placemats.
 
 
Choose your place settings and cutlery.

 
For a sense of value use some colored and coordinated glassware and you have a finished table with a colorful focal point.



 
Blog Two - Balance.
 
Design can be used in ordinary places but it can add interest to an unexpected place.  Here I chose the top of the refrigerator and added a few pieces for a balanced look.

 
The ginger jar and the pottery pots created some interest.

 
  Adding more than one element besides pottery, for instance glass, adds another element for additional interest. The addition of using glass expands the openness by allowing the glass to act as an open element that catches the eye.  You now have a point of interest that has balance.



 
Blog Three - Scale and Proportion.
 
Nothing says welcome more than an entry with warmth and design.  I started here with a large floral painting and chest and added a piece of sculpture.  The chest is the perfect size for proportion and the painting is the correct scale.  The sculpture helps with the aesthetics.

 
Adding a key piece like this sculpture was good but in this case something else is needed.  The addition of a ginger jar blended with the colors in the painting and completed that correct scale and  proportion.

 
Blog Four - Rhythm.
 
Everyday we select our clothes and we make choices of how we look.  I started with a plain pair of black slacks and tried some different pieces.

 
It's always good to try and coordinate what we wear and putting one piece against the other helps make that decision.  Here a chose a multi-colored top that has more than one color.

 
If at first you don't like something, simply try something else.  Yellow is always a great contrast to black and is always a bright addition.

 
Sometimes color works with how we feel that day and sometimes it doesn't.  Some days are just black and white and that's okay too, but it doesn't have to be dull !  Add a little style with the rhythm created by a pattern.

 
And sometimes you just have to put them all together and see what speaks to you.  Sometimes the fit, the scale of the pattern, and the occasion dictate what works!  
 
 
 
 
Blog Five - Variety
 
Design doesn't have to stop in your home or with yourself.

 
Design can mean the way you see the world outside your door.  This includes the same aspects as any other design.  Here I used a variety of objects to add interest to an outdoor space.

 
Adding pieces to your yard and garden are just as fun and satisfying as decorating your home.  It is part of your world.  Here I've added ceramic yard critters to tree beds.

 
For variety add a pottery birdhouse or ceramic yard ornament or concrete birdbath to attract wildlife.

 
Even adding a little sunshine to your view can add some design. You've just made your yard an extension of your home with a variety of objects, adding a sense of interest.

 
With a little sunshine in your view, you may add a little sunshine to your life and design can make it all the more pleasant!

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Drawing Assignment

 
Elements and Principles

 
Gregor's Room

 
Momento's  Assignment

 
It's About Time

 
Paper Stacking

 
Inventive Design

 
Masked Identity

 
Class Drawings

 
Class Drawing

 
Class Drawing

 
Class Drawing

 
Class Drawing

 
Class Drawing

 
Class Drawing

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

3D to 2D Stonehenge Revisited

 
When I thought of what I wanted to do for my 3D to 2D assignment, I immediately thought of the Elements Project.  There are some very architectural pieces and one almost prehistoric piece.  The first thing that came to mind was Stonehenge with its stone tablets to contrast the new, my checkpoint piece, against the old, Stonehenge itself, and the suggested old, my chrysalis against the historically old, again Stonehenge itself.  The other two pieces simply flow with the backdrop.  I have dropped the pieces in front of the site at dawn and think this is just exactly the perfect complimentary setting for the contrast and comparison.

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Inspiration for Masked Identity - Our Lady of Perpetual Tears

The inspiration for this project came to me through my background of parochial education.  It's a bit allegorical with the basis routed in the Virgin Mary and the influence of the nuns from the twelve years of Catholic education.  As one experiences life, there are many times when the only recourse with dealing with the circumstances we do not understand is to simply cry and allow ourselves the cleansing of sorrow that comes to us with this simple human emotion.  Our Lady of Perpetual Tears is the product of religion, human experience, and the need for the link with the human and divine.

Masked Identity - Our Lady of Perpetual Tears

 Starting to create the framework.
 

 Starting to take shape.
 

 The shaping continues.
 

 Starting to see the overall shape.
 

 The framework is complete.
 

The first layer of  tracing paper. 
 

 The side view showing the shaping with the tracing paper.
 

The first assembly starting to add the layers of shredded paper layers or tears.
 
 

 Side view showing the additional front and back panels.
 

 Final product with the addition of the final veil.
 

 Part of the inspiration for the piece is the Madonna or Virgin Mary.
 

 The piece worn and taken in front of the inspiration of the Madonna in the Cathedral.
 

A kneeling pose before the altar. 
 

A front view of the penitent.  
 

A pose with a more expanded view of the altar area. 
 

 The last pose with the mask of Our Lady of Perpetual Tears.
 

The drawings of Masked Identity.