Decorating Trends

I used to be an interior designer and I love to follow decorating trends and decorating styles. Personally, I have always NOT followed trends but designed timelessly. If you decorate English or French or Italian, stay true to the style and you will never go wrong or out of style.

That being said, I'm happy to find out that "Old Masters Paintings" are a hot trend right now.

Online store and blog VandM just released their trends for 2011-2012.

VandM officially publishes the year's main trend forecast every August. But what many don't know is that the studio prepares a report each month. We thought it would be fun to share an early peek at the main trend forecast as it is shaping up for late 2011 - early 2012.

IN	OUT
Dark Interiors	Light and all White Interiors (Unless black & white)
Old Masters Paintings	Too Many Contemporary Pieces of Art
Eclectic Clutter	Minimal Glam
Stuffed Taxidermy Birds	Antler Mounts
17th/18th Century Antiques	Danish Modern
Strong Patterned Flooring (especially animal print)	Simple Textured Flooring
Cameos/Indaglio	Framed Butterfly Taxidermy
Victorian Hair Art	Victorian Shell Art
Wallpaper	Paint
American Silver Tankards	Silver Trophies
Gold Gilt Elaborate Frames	Simple Modern Frames
Thrown-likeWood Chairs	Modern Plastic Furniture
Chip Wood Furniture	Chrome Furniture
Animal Pelts/Blankets	Chennile Throws
Goblets	Clear Stemware
Think Medieval/Darkages	Think White Minimal

One of our shorthand tricks to knowing what the culture is about to start to lean towards comes by way of HBO/Showtime. The number of shows relating to Medieval/Darkages is exponentially multipling. Everything from Robinhood, Merlin, Game of Thrones, cue the 1980's obsessions of Lady Hawk, Labryinth, etc

I think they are right. We are thirsting for comfort and history. I can't think of anything better than making history with a painting. Click on the link and see for yourself. Yay for paintings!

Yellow Rose of ...Ora

I can paint flowers. I just can't paint them like Christie Repasy. So, I decided to just paint the way I do and be myself. This is for my friend Ora. Her favorite color is yellow. When her son moved out she took his room and turned it into a yellow floral woman cave. Nothing manly is allowed. So for her birthday I painted this. Happy Birthday Ora!

Workshop with Casey Baugh

I just spent the most amazing week with artist Casey Baugh. We was very generous and talented and a great teacher. I learned so much. I can hardly wait to take his workshop again.
He has been in magazines for a few years. Like, since he was 18! This one was in The Artist's Magazine as a demo. His gallery has a page where you can see all the magazine covers he is on. Sheesh, and he is only 26.
Portrait Society of America International Competition award winner.
I think he said he was 17 when he did this one.
My favorite version of "Madame X". He is a genius. I met that model. What 'tude!
Mr. Baugh himself. What a cool portrait. He has a free video of how he painted this on his website here. She? I told you he was generous!
Love it! LOOK at those brush strokes. It looks all haphazard and loose but he plans every last brush stroke down to the last detail. Nothing is left to chance.
This one is so cool.
I love painting tulle. He and I talked about painting tulle and the other guys in the class asked, "What's tulle?" He designs every last detail- even going to the fabric store and buying tulle.
Basically it boiled down to this:

If you were to build your dream house, and you were to put that one special piece of art on the main wall in your living room, what would it be? Paint that. Work hard and plan everything. Spend more time planning than you do painting. And buy Rosemary and Co. mongoose brushes. Thank you Casey!

Kid's art class

I have been having a kid's art class. We painted Halloween scenes on panels with acrylics. The kids do all their own drawing and painting. I am pretty impressed. Look how happy these kids are. I love teaching kids to paint. They are so eager to soak up my vast knowledge of painting Halloween creatures.

My monkeys are good at making art. So are their friends.
Scary. And messy. But I cleaned it up.
Look how good these paintings are! I am impressed.
My B made this cute girl. It sits on my entry hall table. Love it.

Painting with Art Girl

Art Girl's first oil painting- available

The other day, I thought it would be a good idea to teach Art Girl to paint an abstract landscape. A little blue...a little green... voila! We had a blast and the best part is, it was done in one day!

I realize that the public school teaches the kids art. And my kiddos have come home with some pretty sweet stuff. But there is just something about sitting down with your offspring and making something you will treasure forever. Sappy. I know. You should try it.

Look how intense my little monkey is.

My studio is pretty sweet! I have floor to ceiling windows and a 6 foot grand piano for mood music. Okay, okay, it is really the living room. But, when I painted in my closet studio I could never be with my kids which meant they weren't being supervised, which meant ... trouble. So I moved into the living room. It kind of has a Ralph Lauren feel to it with the giant easel and all.
Art Girl getting her brush strokes smoothed out. She wants to sell this on Etsy or if any of you want it, it is available. Just send me a note. We will even frame it for you. It is a 12x16 .

This was my painting. I love it. Way fun. I think I will do some more. Let me know if you want one.

Don't worry. I am still doing portraits.

Peder Mork Monsted

Class... today's lesson is on unknown Danish landscape painter, Peder Mork Monsted. He was born in Denmark late into the impressionist movement, so of course no one has ever heard of him. But for some strange reason, he is being highly sought after in the auction circuit. I think it might be because his middle name is "Mork". Slight giggle. Or it could be because he is fabulous!

You won't find him in any museums. But, you will find him in wealthy collector's homes.

You can't touch one for under $25,000.

He traveled all over Europe, but during WWI he pretty much stayed close to Scandinavia. Aren't these woods just beautiful? I want to go there some day.

I really love his paintings. You really feel like you are there in the painting. I secretly want to paint landscapes. Okay, that secrets out. I really want to learn to paint landscapes, but everyone tells me to paint portraits. Someday...

Second and Third Layer

I have been very fortunate to have found an old photo of my Great-great grandmother Louisa Sheen who was 5 years old when she came to America with her family. She walked across the plains in a handcart company with her little sisters and big sister. Tragically, she lost her 1 year old sister when they were about a month out on the trail. Their company, the Ellsworth Company, was actually very lucky to have been the first handcart company to leave that year. The following groups were the tragic Martin and Willie Handcart companies. Anyway, I have a photo. But, she is not five, dangit. So I have to make stuff up. I guess it doesn't really matter to anyone but me- but I want to get it right. Plus, I think she looks A LOT like my grandma who I love, love, love. Did I mention that I love my grandma?
Here we are with the second layer. I know it is real blurry, but that is just the foundation for the detail that is to come later. The black things are supposed to suggest boots. I'm going to paint long strands of grass over the top of them so we don't don't need to see much. Plus, when I shot B I didn't have any boots for the photo. The white blurs are going to be Queen Anne's Lace. I have been in Iowa during the summer and Queen Anne's Lace is everywhere. It is so pretty. Oh, by the way the sky is Payne's Gray and white. It really looks bluer in person but I think it looks natural. For all you painters out there...PUT DOWN THE CERULEAN!!! Thank you. Third layer. I think I got the dress better but that bonnet is giving me fits. And the curls. And the doll. Oh crap! I haven't even started the grass yet! I am starting to enter the phase of painting my art teacher calls, "the depths of despair". After that phase is "the light at the end of the tunnel" phase. I'm looking forward to that stage. (I actually think skin is the easiest part.)
I put another layer on her face but I need to rework her mouth. She reminds me of the Joker from Batman. I also know I need to work on her eyes, don't send me hate mail, I just couldn't find my 20/00 spotter. For you non painters out there, that's a paint brush with 3 hairs in it. My daughter was really upset that I painted her hair red. I had to make her cookies. Mmmm... cookies.