Oil Paintings, Art and Wall Decor Blog

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Top Decorating Trends for 2008

It’s that time of year again to start thinking about a new look and all the things that we can do around the house to make our home more fashionable and trendy.

So what’s hot for decorating in 2008? Think affordable luxury with a wide variety of styles and flavors to suit any Decorator!

As the wheels of fashion turn, so do the wheels of home décor trends, observe the coming of Neo-classic art back into modern décor in the year 2008. Luckily, it’s never been easier to create a luxurious home to suit your lifestyle with these simple decorating tips:

1. Eco-friendly decor – The focus this year is on organic and the natural artifacts. In the past, eco-friendly or what is now termed Green Design could be summed up in one word: ugly. That isn’t necessarily the case anymore. Eco-friendly design has met a stylish interpretation proving that earth friendly decor can at the same time be elegant, beautiful and exciting as well as Green.
2. Contrasting color combinations - Contrast colors and textures like smooth against rough add a touch of the unexpected to your décor. Pair up accessories or furnishings for that special feeling and spark to lighten up your décor.
3. The ‘X’ factor - X is everywhere, Find it in furniture and accessories. It was first spotted at the Highpoint European Show and has since been making its way down the trend ladder to almost every trend seeking home in America.
4. Beautiful Design is simply not enough - For today’s multi-tasking, on the go lifestyle, home décor needs to be multi-functional as well. Home Décor shoppers want utility as well as sheik in their furniture and accessories. Look for furniture and decorative accessories that will make your everyday life easier and more organized. It’s time we demanded more from our décor!
5. Expect to see the softer side of leather – Earth tones on smaller pieces of furniture with contrasting more feminine like colors.
6. Art that Inspires Luxury - 2008 is all about the Classics of luxury. Add elegance via home decor, and specifically wall decor. Shop for hand painted art reproductions of famous works of art. Hang a hand painted Impressionist masterpiece like a Monet or a Van Gogh. Like David Sasson, President of OverstockArt.com says: “It is sure to bring many admirers…”
7. Whites - From pearl white to ivory, the white color family will be on display in 2008. From your furniture to your wooden frames. Adorn your home in soft whites.
8. Make a dramatic Impact – Oversized décor for a dramatic look. Shock your friends and add one focal point piece as a jaw dropper. Imagine one huge work of art in your living room that would leave everyone in awe.
9. Gray tones and Metals – Add a touch of steel to your design with elements such as Silver, brushed nickel and aluminum. Recycled would be a preference (remember to think green!).
10. Feng Shui – In this hectic and fast pace world we all want a bit of piece and tranquility in our home. Let your design and furnishing make you feel at ease. Add the Feng Shui elements and embrace piece on earth.

Have more trends to add? Post your comments and hopefully we can all create the right environment for growth and exploration in our homes in 2008. I wish you all a fabulous and enjoyable year full of joy and successful decorating endeavors.

Theater Love

The oil painting The Engaged Couple painted 1868 oil on canvas by Pierre Auguste Renoir reminds me of how great it is to go to the theater.

The couple side by side, a beautiful woman, in a long formal dress with elegance, blossom in her hair and corsage.

Her companion a man dressed in black formal attire with handkerchief in his hand enjoying a wonderful event.

There are numerous couples that attend Broadway plays who are season ticket subscribers to Broadway productions tickets ranging from $20.00 for standing only to over $150.00 for plays such as Wicked.

From my experience, it doesn’t really matter what the play is about when it comes to Broadway (they are all excellent!!!) what makes a play enjoyable is the feeling you have attending such a pleasant and intriguing event with the one you love.

When was the last time you dressed in formal attire with a spouse or friend and attended a play? What a wonderful opportunity to take in the mood formal attire puts you in.

Theater is an opportunity to meet people before the play or during intermission while having cocktails or refreshments. When thinking of the grand oil paintings of Renoir with the beautiful big hat’s the woman wore and beautiful elegant table settings it makes me want to dress-up and go out on the town!

The next time you see an advertisement for a Broadway play, become Renoir’s couples and don’t forget to dance the night away…

The Impressionist Dome Home

The glamorous Hollywood stars are continuously re-inventing the definition of style… trying to out-ritz the rest of the stars is not an easy task.

One creative visionary has re-defined the meaning of a Hollywood getaway by completely renovating and redesigning a massive majestic abode – a wooden dome home in the heart of Southern California’s retreat – Big Bear.

The home is an architectural marvel and located in one of the most beautiful parts of the country.

The beauty of the exterior is surpassed by an exquisite decorative interior, spot lights illuminate the central living room shinning light on over a dozen hand painted Impressionist oil paintings – reproductions of Vincent Van Gogh, Claude Monet, Gustav Klimt, Pier August Renoir, Pablo Picasso and many more…

The Impressionist Dome Home is a one of a kind retreat that the wealthy and the famous of La La Land will be standing in line for many years to come…

See more of the Dome Home: http://www.bigbeardomehome.com/

Fight Boredom with Eccentric Art

Office fluorescent lights, blurring computer screens and entirely functional, dull office furniture give the impression that you’re living in mono? And when you get home, does everything go where it should?

In short, is your decor lacking in the unusual, inspiring, extraordinary department?

Wassily Kandinsky, the Russian born Father of Abstract Art – helps me get inspired with lines, colors and geometrical shapes.

Bright, bold and tickling to all the senses. Kandinsky makes you feel good as you go about your day, ads sophistication to your space as well as your life.

The Throughgoing Lines express well, whatever you like, from Music Symphony, to a Culinary masterpiece in the Kitchen. And while the news of the world may be bleak, that’s no reason for you to sit at home and moan. The oscillating music wave design of Kandinsky’s Art adds rhythm to your space, even when your radio is turned off.

Setting the mood with Art

Your bedroom is your sanctuary where you are free to express yourself. Here are 3 tips to help you set the mood. Just in time for Valentine’s Day!

The Colors
Reds inspire lust and passion; add reds with pillows, drapery, or a red accent wall.
The combination of cream and browns is attractive to both sexes, as are soft pastels. Add touches of nature by adding plants or freshly cut flowers. Or, consider hanging narrow vertical oil paintings of abstract or modern artists.

The Lighting
Bedroom lighting should be adjustable and come from different sources. Above your bed, mount a pair of lamps with which you can rotate or set to shine bright for reading or dim for a sensual mood. A cool trick is to adjust your wall lamps to act as spot gallery lighting for your artworks when you are not in bed.

The Art
Place your bed in the center of your wall, or where it looks best when you enter the room. If you don’t have a view, hang a tantalizing image to take in as you lie in bed. Perhaps it’s an image from your past, or a favorite artist reproduction that reminds you of your first infatuation.

Add these key elements and watch your bedroom transform into a seductive place that you’ll find hard to resist.

New Wall Decor Tool - Color Names

Ever wondered what color corresponds with “Eggshell” or “Gohst White”? This useful tool will help you match the color to its name Visit our Wall Decor Tools page and get started!

This is the first of many wall decor tools that we hope to develop. if you have any ideas let us know…

“Designing By Art” with Gustav Klimt

Who says that the design always comes before the art? Oil Paintings along with other forms of art offer us endless inspiration and new direction for our surroundings. I’ve always believed that the framework of a beautiful design is hiding in that one piece that you view as extra special. We just have to take a look around us and start with the art!			Expectation; by Gustav Klimt is a phenomenal piece of work to examine when in need of creative motivation. Klimt was considered an artist of Art Nouveau, although his technique encompassed a variation of style. This one in particular has a very distinct Egyptian feel—the figure seemingly two dimensional with the head turned at a nearly impossible angle. We recognize a resemblance of the Eye of Ra both in the background and in the woman’s dress. A perfect balance of organic and geometric shapes along with vibrant color makes this piece complex and captivating. With a good eye, and some treasure hunting, your interior can be the same! Such a royal color palette calls for bold furnishings and mediums.
Look for designs that overlap or repeat one another. Find furnishings that reflect the shapes in the piece—triangles, spirals, lines, knots, etc. Egyptian-like statues, pottery, and angular woodwork will contribute! Curvaceous patterns compliment Expectation. The work seems to flow within itself as if the figure dances before a warm and blustering wind—keep this in mind. Motion in stillness is the key element in this masterpiece. Applied to your interior this will have a peaceful yet striking impact!

Designing by Art

Claude Monet
		Artist’s Garden at Giverny; Claude Monet
Who says that the design always comes before the art? Oil Paintings along with other forms of art offer us endless inspiration and new direction for our surroundings. I’ve always believed that the framework of a beautiful design is hiding in that one piece that you view as extra special. We just have to take a look around us and start with the art!			Take the Artist’s Garden at Giverny, for instance. Impressionistic works like this one portray harmony through the beauty of nature. The gentle style of the piece promotes free flowing lines and soft colors. In fact, the timing of Impressionism flowed directly into the Art Nouveau movement, which also sought inspiration from organic lines and the balance of the environment. Whiplash curves, asymmetry, and rich mediums such as gold, dark woods, and rustic metal truly compliment this style. The Impressionists were revolutionaries in that they painted only en plein air (in the open air), so as the color schemes are both ambient and authentic to the natural world. What I’ve demonstrated here are only a very few examples of the inspiration I pulled from this Monet
masterpiece! I would suggest choosing an array of paint colors from the artwork first, in this case some soft pastel hues (you can save the deeper tones for your pull pieces later—throw pillows, pottery, etc.). Choose the most versatile color for your wall and take the others with you to match up fabric swatches for your furniture! In the end, your favorite piece of artwork will be reflected throughout your interior! Now who’s the artist?

Taking Inspiration from the Masters

It seems lately that many people are looking for inspiration regarding their walls.

Different textures on the wall are always interesting to work with, but where lies the muse behind the surface? If you are an art fanatic like myself, you may look at art in a different way than most. Two inches away, three feet away, a mile away (ha!)…Do you ever notice the brushstrokes in a painting? Are they vertical, horizontal, heavy or light? Every different painter throughout history has had a different technique, and I believe upon closer observation, we can use these techniques to make our homes unique and stunning! Use small areas on your walls, or go crazy with the entire room! Consider the following examples.

Starry Night; Vincent Van Gogh: Who can deny this great masterpiece?! Vincent used thick, quick brushstrokes applied by a course brush, or even a palette knife. Why not add a little Van Gogh to your bedroom? Coat your wall with a base color and then apply sweeping spirals and organic lines in a shapely manner. Take notice of the way Vincent used continuous outline on certain objects until the outline of corresponding objects met. This technique makes for a calming and graceful interior. Try it in your bedroom, bathroom, or nursery!

Fulfillment; Gustav Klimt: Klimt created one of the most exciting and unique styles of painting. Spirals of monochromatic color, cryptic shapes in lively colors, and a jumble of diverse forms are key to this method! Try starting with a cast of neutral tones, developing a pattern over the top with a monochromatic, (tints and shades of the same color—as shown here with a taupe background and a terracotta pattern of spirals) add small bursts of color in various shapes and sizes. One of Klimt’s most charming aspects was his incorporation of different objects such as flowers, eyeballs, grids—whatever shapes came to mind!! Use this to your liking or follow a theme in your particular space. Now this is what art is all about!

Black and Violet; Wassily Kandinsky: One of my personal favorites. Now, if you are into the mod, the chic, the avant-garde, then I assume you are familiar with Mr. Kandinsky! If not, then check this out! Imagine a canvas about 7’x 8’, i.e. your wall! Slap on some gold, or maybe some crimson, how about black?! Take a look at Black and Violet, Gravitation, or any of his abstractions. Here’s the key—simple geometric shapes, overlapping with different color schemes. Throw in some lines and grids as well. Think Frank Lloyd Wright meets Klimt!

Cliff Walk at Pourville; Claude Monet: Into more soothing spaces, earth tones, and nature? Take a look at Monet. Pointillism is a method used by most of the Impressionists. Small dots of different colors bring out an ultimate color and a realistic looking scene. Sea sponges may be a more convenient way to accomplish this in modern day, as most of us don’t have the time to sit in front of the wall with a paint brush for eternity. The sponges are cheap and you can get them at any home deco store. Grab some Periwinkle, Sea Green, and Violet paint while you are there. Dab a sponge into each and go to work on your sky scene. Drag the sponge a bit to create wispy clouds. And voila! How’s that for a good Impression?

Mark Rothko: If you are more interested in mood than detail for your interior, here’s an interesting painter for you. Rothko focused more on color, composition, and shape then anything else. Although the paintings seem arbitrary to some, I believe they bring out an instant rush of emotion. As a designer, I see each of his paintings as it’s own definition of color theory. I also see them as an insight to modern interior décor and design.

• Long streaks of color, side by side, horizontal and vertical.
• Color on top, texture on bottom.
• Outline or none. Simple and unpretentious.

Which style can you consult to create your own– one in particular, or a combination? These are only a few ideas to get those gears cranking and those hands working. Who’s your favorite artist? What do you like about his/her paintings? What grabs you about it? Inspiration is all around you! Put it on your walls and let it surround you!

*All of the paintings above and many more are available at overstockart.com!!!

Grouping Oil Paintings and hanging it over your staircase

Julie had a great question about hanging art over a staircase and hallway:

“Dear Brei,

I have two staircases which are at opposite ends of my hall. I have a Victorian house with rounded corners and 7 doors off the hallway. I have about 8 to 10 feet of solid wall on either side of the straightway. I have very high walls next to both staircases. After 19 years in the house our hall has been restored. Is there a book or pictures of the best way to hang my art up the stairs and along the hall? Any suggestions would be appreciated.”

Well, a Victorian house sounds spectacular; I would love to see what you’ve done with the place. Read More…