Posts Tagged ‘expressionism art’
Studio Time
It’s amazing to me how much I can accumulate when I’m gone. For the 3 days I was in Chincoteague, I had a car full of things to return to their usual places, a big bag of laundry to do, mail to read, newspapers to scan, a blog to write, and more emails than I ever wanted to deal with!
Tomorrow is studio day. I have several abstract oil paintings to finish, and paint the edges. If the day turns out to be anything like today, it will be a good day to do whatever anyone wants to do!
The Don King Chairs
In Beth’s yard (see yesterday’s blog) are several gardens. These are round, about 20’ in diameter, and are filled with many beautiful hostas and other shade loving plants, always with a tree in the middle.
In each garden among the flowers are always 2 chairs which are hand made from willow trees. The backs of the chairs are made of branches about ½” in diameter and the ends of the branches with even smaller diameters just stick up another 2-3 feet, much like Don King’s hair. Hence Beth’s husband calls these the Don King chairs!
It was near one of these gardens that I stood doing my oil painting of a huge maple tree. It was wonderful being in such a lovely and serene place.
The Weeping Hemlock Tree
Yesterday, Thelma and I painted at the home of Beth, a retired teacher, who lives in a lovely home with a large yard. The yard is about 3 acres in size, full of trees and gardens and lawn.
One of the trees is a weeping hemlock, some of whose branches hang down to the ground. The area inside the weeping branches is about 15 feet in diameter and Beth has hung tea lights on the branches. The “ceiling” is about 5 ½ feet high – enough that children love going in and feeling like Alice in Wonderland after she went through the looking glass. Beth’s grandchildren love playing inside the tree where it is cool.
Thelma does expressionism art and last week painted from a photo taken from inside the tree. Yesterday, she painted the weeping hemlock from the outside. She, also, loves the tree!
Defining “Contemporary”
The term “contemporary” connotes the zeitgeist of the current times. This is an interesting concept, as often it takes time to conceptualize what the trend is, and by the time it has been correctly analyzed, there is often a new movement coming to the fore. Nowhere is this more evident than in the realm of art.
It is mind-blowing to consider that the pieces of art that we consider classics were contemporary in their time. And as this cycle continues, our contemporary art, such as abstract expressionism, will undoubtedly be referred to as classic by future generations. With the intrinsic fluidity of temporality, it is a constant struggle for critics and laymen alike to accurately define what is contemporary.
Adding Life to the Living Room
A living room is the first room your visitors will see upon entering your home. This is where you most often entertain guests and visiting family and friends. Hence, it is important to keep this room attractive and inviting. Redecorating your living room doesn’t have to be burdensome.
You do not need to overhaul the whole room by painting the walls a different color or replacing all the furniture. The secret is to start with the small details. You can add decorative throw pillows to make the couch more appealing or perhaps change a vase or two and the room will look new already. Make a room look more contemporary with some abstract expressionism paintings. It’s all a matter of finding the right new pieces to blend with the old.