Archive for the ‘Philosophy’ Category

Thinking Globally by Limitation

Monday, October 3rd, 2011

This post was set to draft and never posted last week – so it is now the post for this week…After my last post regarding collaboration of collective art media and initiatives that generate positive public art, I was inspired to think more holistically in my blogging approach. It is not the quantity, well sometimes it is in the blogosphere where it can be only about the SEO rankings, but the quality of posts generated. After reaching over 500 posts — this is my 512th — I’ve decided to cut back to one post a week. I realize this is bucking the trend of posting more not less but time, mental health, my other business and my family are all more important. It takes quite a chunk of time to write blog posts and I’ve been doing this since 2008, so no fly-by-night here, but with more things needing my attention, there is just so much time to be able to spread my self any thinner. I had thought about ending this blog altogether, although, I have always received enjoyment from writing it, in particular due to the discovery of all the new things out there each day. I would never be able to post all of the 60 pages of 12 entries on each that I’ve collected to write about over the years. Some of them, although interesting, are out of date, needless to say.

This is the end of the month and start of a new fall season so it seems an appropriate time to switch my posts to Wednesday’s Once a Week. I’ll still keep reporting on all of the same topics, Murals and Kick Starting the Weekend won’t go away but they will share the post time and will most certainly alternate with other subjects. That is what this blog is about — many subjects with Art being Everywhere.

On this note, I saw this texturized painting, which reminds me of of a sculpture, called “hope” by Segun Aiyesan and thought about the past meeting present and it seemed to sum up my state of mind. Blogging has been an education – always reflecting on what has come before in relation to what is new and there is joyfulness within the search, correlation and discovery. I thought this interview on Next with the artist was quite interesting to learn that he was self taught, coming from an engineering background and to learn about his creative process and what inspires and drives him to create art. Learning about this from other artist’s perspectives gives introspective insight that is always enlightening and often inspirational to me.

Segun-Aiyesan.StreamServer via Next, as seen on Art Is Everywhere

Segun Aiysean's sculpture

michelangelo-creation-of-man as seen on Art Is Everywhere

Michelangelo's Creation of Man

You see the reference right? On a humorous note, I’ve been saving this mural below and can’t resist posting now….and how cyclical it is. This mural, a spoof on God’s Gift to Woman, is by Studio Vertu, as described here on The Huffington Post, and painted in Cincinnati (see last post, where this one started).

1_Clooney-mural_StudioVertu_as seen on Art Is Everywhere

George Clooney as God's Gift to Woman painted by Studio Vertu in Cincinnati

Now you know what is weird about this trail, is it leads me really full circle, back to my decorative art business.  I’ve been following this group for their Fresco Wall™ technology, where a mural can be commissioned and ordered as a portable fresco to install — either permanently or with Velco®. This has been interesting to me ever since I first learned about it over a year ago in my Faux Finisher magazine, which has since stopped publishing. I’ve been following because it generalizes the same concept of my decorative painting being transferred to a wallcovering substrate that is independent of the wall and in my case, removable and reusable, Casart coverings. We’ve gone one step further in being able to also customize the work.

I can’t leave this without sharing  recommended readings for the following: 1) Blogging is Big Business (2008 / WTAE.com) — where the state of blogging started (when I began) to although not saying goodbye yet but cutting back, and Saying Goodbye (ArtTalk – Chicago, 2009), which states some great parting sentiments regarding art reviews from writer Kathryn Born – well worth reading.

Finally what you’ve all been waiting for, a little music to Kick Start Your Weekend (and in this case, your week, as this is posting late ) — a collective One Love by Bob Marly by various artist around the world through the effort Playing for Change.

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A Few Follow Ups

Friday, July 30th, 2010

Thinking of last Friday’s post, I thought I’d post links as follow ups.

• I think Eric Maisel’s  blog on Creativity Central is interesting. I particularly liked this post by Beth Barany who describes the Artist Entrepreneurship pretty well. Putting the art first is a wise philosophy.

• Todd Henry of Accidental Creative describes the Paradox of Rejection in how it can provide growth for the artist.

• Since he quotes Michelangelo, this is the latest scientific discovery that “unlocks some of the Mona Lisa magic.” It’s no mystery that Michelangelo used multiple layers of glazes called “sfumato” (softening of contour lines) to create his subtle effect of this painting’s memorable smile, but modern x-ray technology shows the precises layers as they are built up as well as the exact pigments that were used.

• If you want to see some wonderful drawings and artwork by Michelangelo, go here — Michelangelo, the Man and the Myth. Although this exhibit is long since over, you can still tour it through a virtual gallery.

Syracuse University Michelangelo Exhibit on Art Is Everywhere

Syracuse University's Michelangelo Exhibit

• Because my father was a neurosurgeon, I can’t help but be fascinated by science that relates to the brain and this is just in the latest Science News: “Study finds a link between personality traits and the size of certain brain regions.”

Above-average conscientiousness was associated with a larger region of the lateral prefrontal cortex, which is involved in planning and voluntary control of behavior…The only trait without a significant neuroanatomical relationship, according to the report, was openness/intellect, which researchers said reflects imagination, curiosity, and artistic and intellectual interests…genes and the environment play important roles….When it [personality] does, that change is accompanied by changes in the brain.

I’m ready to get my brain scan...

Ending with some strange new music to Kick-Start another heat wave of a weekend, “…And the World Laughs with You,” by Flying Lotus from their Cosmogramma Album. Thom Yorke of my favorite band Radiohead sings the lyrics. Another interesting thing about this musical choice is that my son Jackson has told me about Flying Lotus for over a year. We listened to sound tracks on the long, long roadtrip back home from Sewanee last year. Even though, this is not my favorite song on the album, their other work is very interesting and it’s really nice to share musical interests with your children. On another side note: I have to give high marks to David Cameron, the new prime minister of England, who exchanged art gifts with Obama, during his recent visit to the States, including music by Radiohead and the Smiths….Good taste.

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The Marriage of Two Posts for Gulf Coast Aid

Friday, July 23rd, 2010

This is where two posts meet. I could have easily found a quick mention for Friday and included my weekly Kick Start your Weekend music but I’m dealing with a conundrum and in also trying to find something to write for my other weekly blog post, Slipcovers for your Walls, I realized as I was searching for this one, that in thinking through this creative process, I found the answer to both. I’ve already posted this on the casartblog but here it is with more thought process.

I keep  list of topics to write on and my favorite always comes back to the creative process. It is how artwork begins and how it evolves. There are hoards of information on this topic but I always find inspiration in unlikely places: from the creative innovation of the Old Spice commercials that I just blogged on; to research for finding visual inspiration; to explanations regarding how to give good critical analysis; to the visual humor describing the interactions between artist and client (I’ve had some of these types of moments); to some brilliance and clarity in a web enthusiast’s and an electrical-engineer graduate’s take on The Art of Design and Creative Thinking, just among many. I believe the analytical process of design is similar if not the same as creating artwork. Artwork may not always have function whereas design might. If you click my Design category (on the right), you’ll see plenty of examples that involve art. Richie Thimmaiah of Richworks above states, “Design is Everywhere.” Well, I can’t help but agree and also in that Art is Everywhere.

Here’s my conundrum (not only trying to figure out what to write) but the value — the artistic merit and importance of some latest designs / artwork that I’m working on for Casart coverings. We posted a while ago on the Slipcovers for your Walls blog about our efforts to help the Gulf Coast recovery. It’s an issue that is very personal to me and I’m passionate about wanting to do something.  As Louisiana Governor, Bobby Jindal, states so truthfully in his editorial, this area needs some help. It’s still reeling from Katrina and now this?!

As an artist, I think about art to help in the response, so I have created a Gulf Coast Mural and designs where proceeds will go to two selected organizations that are at the forefront, helping in this effort. I helped this way for Katrina and other artists that I have posted on, have done the same. But what do you do when you start to question whether or not it makes sense to do. Will people like it? How will they use it? Will they purchase it? Will they even understand it? I have some valid answers that I think apply to all of these but I know I am too close to decide.

There are some valid points from the links above to consider and some quotes I’ll pull:

I like to say, to find inspiration, one should take a look around. What is surrounding you?” — Rebecca Reilering (Research to Feed Your Visual Mind)

“...destroying your designer’s artistic confidence by tearing down a design without acknowledging any positive points, is usually not good policy…One reality that I feel escapes many clients who hire graphic designers is that while this is a form of commercial art, the process is still art. The creative process is still emotional, inspirational and can be very personal, so it’s important to acknowledge…” — Fuschia Mac

” I’ve looped my mother in the conversation…she has a good eye for design….The design you put together needs some brighter colors…perhaps a little pink? Throw in a kitten or two. Everybody loves kittens!…All hope is lost…You are no longer a [web] designer.”Oatmeal (How a Web Design Goes to Hell)

“Success without taking risks is impossible. Mistakes are a part and parcel in the process of achieving extraordinary results. A good designer is not taken apart by such mistakes, rather he learns from itSome people embrace it and others don’t. If you want to to survive in a world which is changing rapidly as we speak, I suggest you listen closely to the former kind and try your best avoiding the latter.”Richworks (The Art of Design/Creative Thinking)

And a quote he pulled for his blog that I found really thought provoking:

“Talent hits the target no one else can hit; genius hits the target no one else can see” — Arthur Shoepenhauer

OK, so now I know why some artists, myself included at times, feel a little crazy and that part may explain the stereotype. Can you have talent and genius together? I would say yes, I hope so.

Here’s a glimpse at the latest work. I’ve posted a blog poll to get feedback and of course you can always comment with more specifics but I’d like to know your thoughts. The concept here is to offer an interactive mural — a way for the customer to design their own mural (from these already painted creations). This is an example. The hard part is how to explain this on a website where we don’t have the technology to create something with code to drop and drag in the images. I wish we did.

casart_Gulf-Coast_Mural_ArtisEverywhere_casartblog

This mural can be created in any configuration with these separate panels

Here’s an example of one of the individual panels with wording. They will also be offered without wording in a white or water background.

casart_Pelican_wWords2_blog

Casart Pelican for Gulf Coast recovery



Since you can’t bring your wall artwork with you to show others in public, what about wearing your mural, or parts of it? I came up with a new Crawfish Cotillion design made with the crawfish that I painted. So, I thought, why not make it into a weekender or beach bag that you can hopefully use on the Gulf Coast beaches? Here are some preliminary designs for this concept, showing two ways to offer the crawfish design + we’ll have this in many colors. Cross over the the Casartblog to vote on your favorite patterns, after you vote here.

Casart-coverings_BagConcept2_blog

Weekender Bag concept with Crawfish Cotillion Design

Casart-coverings_BagConcept1_blog, ArtisEverywhere

Casart coverings Beach bag concept with a mural element


Many thanks for your input and in keeping with tradition, here’s some appropriate music to Kick Start your Weekend, and one of my very favorites for New Orleans’ music, “Yes We Can” by Allen Toussaint, accompanied by Elvis Costello:

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Engineering and Art

Friday, July 2nd, 2010

This post brings several aspects of engineering together with relation to art.

1) Teaching art and creativity can be done through “Reverse Engineering” — thinking backwards from the final product on how the artist created/constructed it and his or her creative process in the making to improve upon, rather than copying the object or artwork.

2) Reading about Tony May’s work on ArtShift SanJosé, made me think of the engineering needed to construct his sculptures, some of which are made with books.

Tony May_good-reading-light_courtesy ArtShiftSanJose, seen on Art Is Everywhere

Tony May_good-reading-light_courtesy ArtShiftSanJose

Tony May_third-variable-construction_via ArtShiftSanJose

Tony May_third-variable-construction_via ArtShiftSanJose

Tony May_red-branch-books-open_Via ArtShiftSanJose as seen on Art Is Everywhere

Tony May_red-branch-books-open_Via ArtShiftSanJose

Tony May_open-red-branch_via ArtShiftSanJose as seen on Art Is Everywhere

Tony May_altco-open-red-branch_via ArtShiftSanJose

3) The late  George Adams was an engineer and a self taught artist, who helped restore many murals in the US Capitol. His engineering skills helped him decipher the best innovative tactics for this important restoration work.

George Adama_via WashingtonPost. Photo by Paul Vignola, seen on Art Is Everywhere

George Adams via Washington Post.

4) Murals entitled, The History of the United States Locomotives, which were painted as part of the 1930′s WPA government program to employ artists, have been returned to the original owners, The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen. They are on permanent display at The Standard building in Cleveland, after a circuitous route of finding their way back home.

Train Murals via Cleveland.com as seen on Art Is Everywhere

Train Murals via Cleveland.com

5) I like how in this article, The Art and Science of Innovation, by Jeffrey Phillips on Blogging Innovation describes how the innovation of science requires thinking like an artist. I’ve long believed this! On a side note: I recently introduced my younger son to Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain to help him “break down / decipher” basic drawing skills and my older son is practicing the art of innovation by solving problems daily as a civil engineer intern with Clark Construction this summer. Great opportunities for both boys.

Finally, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that ABC News chose Luke Jerram as their Person of the Week last Friday, due to his public art installation, Play Me I’m Yours. Click here to read my previous post on artist,  Luke Jerram‘s technical, artistic and engineering skills to achieve his other interactive and innovative  public artwork.

Some music from this traveling exhibit to Kick-Start your weekend:

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Oil Spill

Wednesday, May 12th, 2010

As news of the BP oil spill off the coast of Louisiana became more severe, I have become more worried about the impact — both environmentally and economically. These folks have just gotten back on their feet since Katrina. It just seems like they have a magnet for bad blows. This however, could impact the entire nation's seafood industry as well as the eco-system in the wetlands for years to come. This makes me sad but hopeful that this is not the case. My mother said she could smell tar in the air. That's not a good sign when it's 30 miles offshore.

My husband recently returned from a whirlwind, one-day, tour in preparation for the Congressional hearing today to investigate the facts on cause and result. I'm confident, if he's on the case, the facts will be revealed — if the uncontrollable, political game doesn't get in the way. This is a time when it shouldn't, but as we've all seen in the health care debate and legislation, it does.

As an artist, I look for beauty in destruction, for my philosophy is that I think it's always there, like good and evil existing. Two opposing quintessential aspects of life working simultaneously together. Here are some very artistic photos with a few documenting the event. All photo credits are in mouseovers. I was looking for just one that I saw in the paper and of course never found it (note to self clip out next time) but the last one is very close. This reminds me of how abstractly beautiful water can be.

Oil-spill*_GeraldHerbert_AP

You can see the oil both above the water and below at the point of origin in this photo (below).

Oil-Spill-A_Chris-Grathen-Getty-Images_WP

Oil-spill-B_Satellite_Nasa

Oil-spill_C_Patrick-Semansky_AP

Oil- Spill1_Daniel-Beltra_Reuters_WP

Oil-Spill2_Matt-Stamey_AP_WP

Oil-Spill3_Carol-Guzy_WP

Oil-spill4_Breton-Island_Carol-Guzy_WP

Oil-spill5_Sean-Garnder_Reuters_WP

For some odd reason, this photo of the booms reminds me of rows tulips on Holland.

Oil6_Brown-Pelicans_Gerald-Herbert_AP

That rig is oh so subtle in the background and when I see pelicans I'm reminded of prehistoric, dinosaur days.

Oil-spill7_Digital-Glob_AP

Oil-spill8_Digital-Globe_AP

Oil-spill9_Patrick-Semansky_AP

Oil-spill10_Gerald-Herbert_AP

Oil-Slick_John-McCusker_TP_NJ.com

You've got to give credit to the entrepreneurial spirit. These New Orleans and Southern folk have found ways to create products that raise awareness with proceeds benefiting efforts to help in the clean up.

mignon-faget-pin. Photo Mignon Faget via Time Picayune

Mignon Faget redfish pin to raise awareness and

Nola Couture ties to benefit Greater New Orleans Foundation's Oil Spill Recovery Fund.

Nola couture ties. via Times Picayune

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Health Care

Monday, March 29th, 2010

“I lived in a time in which there was liberty in America…” This is what I’ll be telling my grand kids. I normally don’t offer political commentary in my blog. There is a time and a place and with the recent Obama health care bill passage, now is the time. If there is one issue that I have felt strongly about (as so many others do), this is it. I can see the writing on the wall of what is to come.

Actually, this post has an art mention. This is the email that I sent out recently to those who care about this health care issue. If you don’t think it won’t affect you, it will eventually and when you need it most.

Dear family and friends,

I saw a report on ABC news the other night regarding a concert master’s brain surgery operation. The atypical thing about this was that he was asked to play his violin during the surgery so the surgeon could pinpoint where to embed an electrode to counteract the electrical pulsations that were causing him to have tremors and not be able to play his music. He can now play his music again.

I’m weepy when it comes to neurosurgery for several reasons. My father was a neurosurgeon and friends who have required brain surgery and in this case, art being saved by medicine. But despite these emotions, what really brought tears to my eyes was simultaneous and contradictory: 1) the innovation of this medical technology and surgery here, in America and 2) the fact that this kind of incredible outcome due to the advances of medicine will disappear as the quality of health care will change as we know it and stifle innovation — once the full effects of this health care overhaul legislation are realized.

Please do not accept the outcome. Work hard as I will to help patriotic members take back The People’s House and repeal this decision and then do the right thing for health care fixes.

Reading this Wall Street Journal editorial, The Obamacare Crossroads, might fire you up!
–Ashley

Since I’ve sent this, this article, Capitalism Gone with a Whimper by Stanislav Mishin in the Pravda Russian paper has come to my attention. I’d say this Russian author knows socialism from personal experience. I have to say that all my fears about Obama becoming President are coming true. We are heading in this “Nanny State” direction as socialists measures slowly, yet with a bang, as in this Health Care case, set in.

More reasonable legislation to control costs with tort reform, portability, affordability and Medisave (Health Care Savings) accounts were offered by the minority but simply disregarded as “incremental” changes. Yes, but they address the major cost issues. Health care is not a problem that can be fixed in one fell swoop. There is no fiscal responsibility with the government to pay for this. They leave it to the taxpayers, who for the majority do not want it.  I think this bill will do the exact opposite of what it has claimed to do: It will further stifle the economy; further increase our national debt; increase health care premiums in order for insurance companies to pay for procedures; businesses will not be able to afford these higher rates for their employees (already Caterpillar, AT&T, Verizon have announced their employees’ health care plans will be reduced); small businesses can’t hire readily; it will lock you in your job because otherwise, you’re put into a pool of those without health care and you’re fined if you don’t purchase it; and it will further disparage and separate the poor from the wealthy in the type of health care they receive. The government will become the same “big bad insurance companies” that they rallied against in passing it. If they now are controlling the funding, they will have the power, rather than the patient, to determine what type of medical procedure to use.

obama-the-great

Charles Krauthammer said it so well when he stated in his article, The Vat Man Cometh:

By introducing universal health care, he [Obama} has pulled off the largest expansion of the welfare state in four decades. And the most expensive. He will have succeeded in reversing Reaganism...Liberals have long complained that Reagan's strategy was to starve the governmental beast in order to shrink it: First, cut taxes -- then ultimately you, have to reduce government spending. Obama's strategy is exactly the opposite: Expand the beast and then feed it. Spend first -- which then forces taxation. Now that, with the institution of universal health care, we are becoming the full entitlement state, the beast will have to be fed. Taxing consumption [with the VAT / value added tax] makes infinitely more sense than taxing work. VAT must be added on top of the income tax…Ultimately, even that won’t be enough. As the population ages and health care becomes increasingly expensive, the only way to avoid fiscal ruin (as Britain, for example, has discovered) is, heath-care rationing…It will take a while to break the American populace to that idea. In the meantime, get ready for the VAT. Or start fighting it!

I choose the latter!


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Rainbow Wood

Wednesday, March 17th, 2010

When I saw this picture of striped, rainbow-colored, wooden bowls in my April issue of House Beautiful magazine, I was immediately reminded that I have a similarly designed coffee spoon that I use everyday, thanks to Aunt Sue. I never really thought of it artistically but its design is just that and a woodcraft artisan must have made it. Again, art and design, in this case functional art, combined. That’s my philosophy and I’m sticking with it. How lovely these rainbow-wood designs are. Now I’d like to get the bowls. They are found at whisknyc.com ($6 for a 3″ bowl). It’s rather interesting to discover that there is a Williamsburg connection to this store. My older son, Piers, goes to UVA, a rival school to William & Mary in Williamsburg. Recalling the family trip we took there, I’ve always thought this town was charming; however, Piers just couldn’t get the Colonial reenactors out of his mind when applying there. For all you foodies out there, I just clicked on this link to learn they have a Julia Child scented candle. I can help but find this funny. Hmmm, might be better to say, Julia Child inspired candle, don’t you think? OK that reminds me, I need to see the movie, Julia & Julia. Even my husband has seen it before me. Well, I might add he was on a flight to Copenhagen, so what else was there to do?

Rainbow Wooden Bowls_ House Beautiful_ArtIsEverywhere blog.jpg

rainbow-spoon_artiseverywhere_blog1. photo by C. Ashley Spencer

rainbow-spoon_artiseverywhere_blog2. photo by c. ashley spencer

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Topiaries

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010

Seeing this mention of a documentary about “A Man Named Pearl” about Pearl Fryar, a self-taught topiary artist, and a modern-day Edward Scissorhands, got me thinking of the wonderful and magical visits my family and I took to several topiary gardens. Watching the trailer is inspirational, particularly the philosophy of the film, regarding overcoming obstacles. It’s now on my short lists of films to see.

A Man Named Pearl. Photo by Shadow Distribution via Washington Post

The most recent topiary gardens that we visited was Green Animals Topiary Gardens in Portsmouth Rhode Island, my husband’s home state. We wanted to check out our sons’ sister school, Portsmouth Abbey right down the road, at the time when they were attending St. Anselm’s Abbey School.

Side note: here’s an illustration I did as a gift and thanks to the school before our sons graduated and left St. Anselm’s, a school we still strongly support.

St. Anselm\'s Abbey School Illustration by C. Ashley Spencer

Green Animals photo via the Photo Garden Bee

This is the oldest topiary garden in the United States and has somewhat of a cottage style feel in comparison to Ladew Gardens, the other topiary gardens that we last visited in 1994. I think we need to go back. Here are some pictures we took — before the digital age, so I had to search and scan.

Ladew Gardens. Photo by C. Ashley Spencer/ArtIsEverywhere blog

Ladew Gardens2. Photo by C. Ashley Spencer/ArtIsEverywhere blog

The boys, now men in my life:

Ladew Gardens3. Photo by C. Ashley Spencer/ArtIsEverywhere blog

Ladew Gardens4. Photo by C. Ashley Spencer/ArtIsEverywhere blog

I love this last picture of my now 17 year old son, Jackson. What a cutie, boy I miss those days….

The Hunt Topiary scene via Ladew Gardens website

There is a lot of humor and each garden radiating off the middle fountain/ field has a theme – well worth visiting again and not too far from us, just outside Baltimore, MD.

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Drawing on Tools for Art vs Design

Monday, November 30th, 2009

Although computer technology has completely transformed aspects of my business, with digital manipulation of hand painted artwork and designs, I am cognizant that the roots of what I create falls to creativity and hand applied method of drawing and painting. Drawing to me is fundamental to artistic expression.

When I read this post on Art Backwash regarding the aspects of drawing versus computer skills, it got me thinking of how in the age of technology certain art forms, like drawing with a pencil on paper may become disregarded. Von Glitschka is a graphic artist and blogger. He sets off an ongoing debate by describing the importance of analog versus digital methods in a humorous and thoughtful way. It is interesting that for someone who expounds the importance of drawing, most of his images do look overly computerized. There’s a lot of truth to this article about what the job skills of a “graphic designer” meant to someone in pre computer days and now. Previously, it was assumed that drawing was the core skill for a graphic designer, now the assumption is that you create all your designs on the computer and hand drawing is not a necessary component. He calls those who create only on the computer, “toolers.” He lists five things to critique good design:

1. Is there a core concept? Great designers should be great thinkers.

2. Is the style appropriate? It’s commercial art, not fine art.

3. Is the art well executed and precise? Quality craftsmanship is a must.

4. Is it unique? Don’t be a drop in the sea of marginal prefab design.

5. Is it inspiring? Does it contain a clever visual twist or metaphor?

And the difference between Great and Bad Design:

Great Design — Contains all five attributes but is very rare.

Good Design — Must contain 1, 2 and 3. Most often 4 too.

Marginal Design — Only contains two attributes, fails the rest.

Bad Design — Most manage to avoid all five attributes.

I do believe these are good, general criteria to use for many aspects of design, including interior design.

This is a good site for learning more about computer skills needed to create digital artwork, however, which for me is becoming important as I need to learn and take on more technical abilities for casart coverings.* His site offers free tutorials, particularly for Mac,  which may be worth downloading.

* Notice our logo is a purposeful mix of originally illustrated elements within a vector text design/graphic

This was another stimulating post on the difference between Art and Design. I agree with the poster on the different aspects but I see design being part of the bigger art umbrella and aspects of each overlapping. The argument made is that a good artist has natural born talent and a good designer has skill but talent is not necessarily needed and to create good design and that art is subjective and made without a purpose, unlike design. There were over 150 comments in reaction to this post, all very interesting and some very heated.

This argument of art vs design crosses over into my realm. I’ve always done artwork as long as I can remember and I’m constantly expanding my knowledge and honing my skills. Although, the artwork I do relies on good design, it serves a purpose and in many cases is done on commission from illustrated portraits to house renderings to calligraphy, decorative painting and murals. They all require composition, eye for color and technical ability = all elements of design. I see the two collaborating and leading to a creation that can be subjective.

Case in point. I ran across this exceptional artist’s work, Ron Francis on In The Real Art World. He is incredibly talented but he couldn’t achieved his artwork without design and skill. Although the concept may not be planned everything about it’s execution is completely planned, purposeful and precise. It has a highly realistic, illustrative quality. He even uses software to iron out some proportion difficulties before painting. It achieves a completely subjective response by the viewer. It’s the talent and the twist that makes his work stand out.

On the Edge, painting by Ron Francis (via In The Real Art World blog)

Darwin, painting by Ron Francis (via In The Real Art World blog)

Dad \

The Divine Window, painting by Ron Francis (via In The Real Art World)

Strange Little Clouds, painting by Ron Francis (via The Real Art World)

His work makes you think. There are a lot of complex layers. In some ways his work reminds me of David Wiesner and Andrew Wyeth. I like that he looks to the great masters as Caravaggio (one of my favorites) as well as Titian, Magritte, Rembrandt, Manet and Dali as past influences.

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Artichoke Arrangement

Wednesday, November 11th, 2009

Some things only appear to be coincidental when, I believe, they are not. It’s been a year since my good friend’s husband, Nathaniel, has passed away. This happens to be on my mother’s birthday. She happened to write a wonderful blog post on Artichokes last Friday on our Slipcovers for Your Walls blog. Artichokes happened to be some of Nathaniel’s favorite foods. We commented at a dinner once that we both liked them when others did not. I’ve always liked the way they looked so I painted one for a casart covering. I decided to prepare an artful arrangement of artichokes for Liza and her four kids. Unlike traditional flowers, they could actually eat these. I happened to include my mother’s blog post, which just happened to have the recipe for cooking artichokes. Liza is a great cook and certainly didn’t need this but I thought the timeliness of this was too uncanny. She did cook them and she invited us over for dinner, then we used the flowers to place on Nathaniel’s grave.

Artichoke Arrangement. Photo by C. Ashley Spencer

Oh, the artichoke flower happens to represent the blossoming of love.

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