Art that shapes mood, presence and connection
Explorations of the aesthetic, emotional, and symbolic dimensions of workspaces, drawing on art practice, organisational life, and Human Relations thinking — including what becomes possible when we pay attention to the artifacts in our own home work environments and the quiet ways they communicate meaning
I was thinking back on the course I did at CSM this week. Those thoughts helped my plans to integrate paint skins into more of my pieces.
I tried to review at least three of the big famous artworks that use skin, but I got distracted by the work of Frank Bowling. Tate. Arts seem to think he does it, and I need to investigate further. Perhaps it’s that he uses canvas-like skin. I still need to read more of that very long paper.
Continue reading “Putting Skin in My Art Game”This week I had time off from my 9 to 5 and immersed myself in making while fighting a head cold. But determined to stock up for my Etsy shop and develop the idea of a decor solution for people working from home. Realised that being a lowly crafter, artist and maker has advantages for pushing the art envelope further to improve how businesses work.
Continue reading “Two Ways & One Why on Art for Home Offices: Modern Master, AI or Lowly Crafter?”I shared a video of lux interior designer Sophie Paterson talking us through her husband’s home office decor. I love that she did dark walls and combined the look with a few pieces of antique brown furniture. You can see in this picture I am trying out shades of dark paint as I love that inky almost black look but cannot decide on red/purple inky black or blue inky black.
The video SP refers to a couple of plain and simple square/ oblong lampshades, she got redone. And in the background, you can see some coolie french bell-type shades. See my finger-pointing on the left.
I probably would have been bolder with my lampshade choice. If it were me I would have gone for the taupe shades with amber or the straw in a small oblong or round shape, made of fabric like the ones below. It’s probably that she didn’t want to take away the attention from the beautiful ornate lamp base but I wonder if something in a plain light blue to echo the light tones in the wallpaper and in the blue in the base might have tied these lovely elements together more tightly.
Both the taupe and straw lampshades are available in the shop now. Here
I’ts Christmas and I’m very excited this season to have designed and made these sustainable lampshades. I created them out of recycled upholstery nails and my favourite banana fabric. I mainly designed them to be a modern development to the traditional banker’s lamp. You know the one I mean, they’re the old green glass shade and bulbous brass lamp base that fit traditional victorian inspired office spaces.
These new desk lampshades I love because they are sleek, modern and fit the mid-century trend as well as fit in with traditional spaces as well as those with apartments with a minimalistic vibe. They will be available to buy on my Etsy shop Home Office Charm in early January 2020
I got the inspiration for the form of the new collection of the sustainable lampshade from a traditional handstitched version I did (see image below).
Over the years, I’ve enjoyed its warm golden glow as my bedside table lamp. I knew it would be appealing after hearing the reaction to it while I had it on display at West London interiors showrooms. It was also a favourite shade in my Etsy shop. I had to price it high ( the soft hand-stitched version) as it took me ages to make and it hurt my thumbs along the way. I vowed never to make it again. But I was so enamoured with the warm glow that the shade generated I wanted others to experience it too.
So to make it easier for more people to buy and so that I could make more of them while fitting in with my earth shiny vibe, I created the new collection. I dreamed up the new collection and experimented with these sustainable lampshades at weekends and evenings to fit around my full-time work. I attended courses this year on wiring and batch make them during high days and holidays. I’m so excited to hear what other people think of them when they get listed in my Etsy shop from January 2020.
So I did this study in various shades of brown. It’s not really an on trend color but i was at the end of a painting spree and had quite a few shades left over.
When i took pictures of the painting and situated them in various parts of the the house I noticed how much it reminded me of African safari with a 70’s vibe. Again not a look that is on trend at the moment, unless you include the appetite for mid century. However I’m rather proud of this. It’s feels like the neatest and more balanced of my works so far.
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