Fun With Texture...

If I see an interesting texture, I have to touch it. It’s a compulsion, I admit it. Fabrics, pets, buildings…I have to know what they feel like. I like to play a little game and imagine what else has the same texture. (Fleece jacket? = Wooly sheep!) I can’t fight the irresistible urge to examine textured materials, but maybe that explains why I like to include them in my framing. Whether it be a rustic moulding or a course linen mat, I enjoy adding a little something tangible to a design. So, if you ever happen upon me at the design counter, suede mat in hand and a faraway look in my eye, please understand what is going through my head:

~Tracy~

Can it really be summer?

Finally!
This is my favorite time of year; the warmth, everybody out in their yards, and of course, the vacations!

I love summer vacation memories. I want to be reminded of them daily.
One of my favorite things to do while on vacation is look for that perfect silhouette picture, frame it and put them in my bathroom – I go there everyday – why not?

It all began when we were on in the Cayman Islands, just relaxing on the beach – not a care in the world – watching the sun fall into the horizon - when suddenly we spotted a tall ship – I grabbed my camera (always with me) and took a couple of pictures. When I got it developed (pre-digital days) I noticed my husband’s big toe in the frame. At first I thought ‘we can crop that out when we frame it’, but the more I looked at it, I liked the big toe! It brought a whimsy and personal touch to the picture.

Then, when we were in Key West, again watching the boats on the water, and the sun fall into the horizon, I had to take a picture. This time my husbands head right there! Oh man, I really want the sunset and the boats. I took several pics from different views, but the one with him in it is my favorite.
So when we went to Hawaii, I looked for that silhouette picture. In Hawaii, you can’t get away from the fresh smell of water, or the gorgeous sunsets sailing down from the sky. So it wasn’t hard to capture that perfect picture of my husband enjoying a good cigar, without a care in the world. How did I do?

Yes, there is a tall ship in the distance-and toe at the bottom center

-Pat-

Healthy Obsessions

Art & design have always been a huge part in my life. (In fact, it has almost grown into an obsession!) I can’t go into a hotel or an office without noticing the quality of the framing…or lack thereof. This obsession was tactfully brought to my attention while I was in Mexico with my husband. (Let’s just say, not everyone has an understanding of the importance behind proper framing & design techniques). It makes me wonder if other professions are affected the same. For example, when a dentist first meets someone, are her eyes drawn immediately to the person’s teeth? Does an English teacher notice eech and evary germaticle airor?

My obsession with art also makes me find creative ways to bring my vacation home with me. For example, while we were in Mexico, the staff at our resort would put a card on our pillow telling us the weather forecast for the next day. On the back of these little cards were wonderful images by the artist Frida Kahlo. Needless to say I was inspired and had to collect all 6 images so I could frame them when I got home. The only problem was that I was getting duplicates, so to ensure my quest, my wonderful husband, who speaks fluent Spanish, did his best to communicate ‘framing’ terms to the staff so that I could complete my collection. I’m sure they thought I was nuts! The art didn’t cost us anything, (aside from a trip to MX…), yet this remains one of our favorite pieces on our walls because of the story behind it.

I guess our little obsessions aren’t a bad thing—they just mean that we love what we do so much that we take it out into the world with us.

~Barbara Ann~

Frig art?

The other day a grandmother walked in, beaming from one ear to the other, with art her grandson had composed. She told me about how proud she was of him. She talked a little about his personality and I could see how that came out in his art. She thought carefully about colors and framing; she wanted it to reflect his personality.

As a grandparent myself, I get excited when clients come in with art that kids have painted, drawn, pasted … . It is my favorite type of art to frame. Usually there is such color variety mixed with energy & whimsy; it has an uninhibited flare to it.

At times the ‘artist’ themselves come in to pick up the framed piece, and you can tell it means a lot to them, they try to hold back that smile that they want to beam from ear to ear.

I see every time that by framing the child’s art, it shows the artist how proud you are; that you care and that their effort is worthy of hanging in your home or office. What a great way to encourage a child!


Isn't this a great piece?

-Pat-

Destined To Design

I find art & design to be an unspoken language revealing the thumbprint of our unique personality. If you look at your walls, surely you’ll be able to identify either an image you have an attachment to, or a color you feel a connection with. Images are all around us telling stories...

As I’m sure you can envision, I was one of those children who always scanned through a book to see if there were any pictures before reading it. Not that I wouldn’t read a book without images, but rather, I’ve just always been excited by art. If you think about it, authors typically go through numerous attempts with artists until the vision of their work has been perfectly captured within the illustrations. So, judging a book by its imagery isn’t quite the same as judging a book by its cover, right?

Some of my favorite images from storybooks are:

We came across “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” at a garage sale,

and I just had to snatch it up. I love the mystery behind the shadows in the room.

It removes the characters from the story as if you were standing in one of their footsteps.

I love that the artist gives you a visual, but never really shows the faces of the characters.

It leaves more to the imagination, yet gives you insight into what he was imagining while he wrote it.

I loved images then, and am thrilled that I get to be around images everyday now!

~Barbara Ann~