Sunday, February 13, 2011

Life, Pulse and Home...Life Pulse OF Home...


 Pulse...continued 

11 x 14 mixed media on watercolour paper



I have been going with the flow working on the Pulse series (above) and with very cool ideas popping into my head for future pieces. I say 'future' because I need to be able to utilize my outside studio that still needs winterizing. Awhile back, I took over the third bedroom upstairs. It's a cute space that I re-did  before Thanksgiving simply using what we already had, but it is far too small for any serious getting-down-to-it-creating.  Some pics far,  far below...



her cross to bear ~ 11 x 14 mixed media on watercolour paper 




There is a silver lining ~ 11 x14 mixed media on watercolour paper
* these are not photographing very well...please forgive.

These paintings for me are an exercise in letting go...just allowing myself to create from an unknown place, again with no intended result, other than they 'resemble' the original pieces in the Pulse series. So many times, I find myself overwhelmed with a desire to answer something, to find the essence of what it is that I am doing and why and for whom etc etc...The words do not come easily. 
I am trying to depict, above all, E M O T I O N S. This is probably true for most artists.  Feelings and emotions are what drive me forward, and yes,  I know we women have that innate tendency to be emotional, I get it, but for very good reasons. We are emotional creatures, but we are also very powerful creatures and that also needs expression.  

Now onto my home photos...Wish I could show you the before pictures, but trust me, my old emerald green carpet in the living room, you DO NOT want to see...




These are a few charming landscape paintings I bought at an antique shop. The globe was my brothers growing up and the globe kept slipping out of the floor stand so I hung it from the ceiling with twine.  
The corner of the library/indoor studio/office above...and some mini-scapes city/or landscape, whichever way you view them :)

This will be my new studio once it's finally winterized, hopefully, early summer this will be completed. It's a great size and attached to my garage. I'm not sure if I will keep it rustic looking or spruce it up and go for that 'industrial' gallery look that I like so much. I do know that it could use some skylights and a good old-fashioned cleaning ;)


Living room After ~That little blur at the bottom of the photo is Oliver ;) He's appearing like an apparition ;) and he's exactly the reason I have my sofa seats covered, that and because I have kids ;)


I am planning on refinishing or selling the french country tables. I've had them for years...Not sure what style I'm going for next but there are sooo many to choose from. I don't want matching pieces. I love incorporating different styles. It appeals to my bohemian side.  Note: If you look up toward the ceiling beam you can see the striping affect and how it looks in different lighting. A great trick when your home is lacking in architectural things like crown moulding etc or needs some added dimension. An added bonus is that the vertical stripes make the ceiling and walls appear taller.


To the left is that table I may have posted before. It needs refinishing but I absolutely love it, especially the legs. 


my fave new oil-rubbed bronze floor lamp and my gorgeous new custom craftsman style door...that also needs the outer trim installed...I will have to dig up another shot or two of the door to better see it. I did all the staining myself and I chose a b e a u t i f u l dental shelf on the outside of the door. All done in english walnut.  I am in love with my door!!



do you think I'm making my point? LOL~  I am the Queen of My Abode! HaHa




This is the crown I mentioned last summer that I bought in Vermont.



I found these frames ages ago antiquing and they ARE old. The outer frame is HUGE (I paid $1 for it) ~ I left them exactly as I found them.  They're in my bedroom. As you can see I'm still choosing the right colour for this room, going on 4 1/2 years now  ;) 


 ...the beads on the table are an oversized rosary my BFF brought me from Mexico,  truthfully, New Mexico and it came with a pink plastic Jesus so I removed him. I just couldn't look at  his likeness molded in such cheap plastic. I am waiting on a new giant rosary from Mexico, this time around.  Did I ever mention how much I LOVE religious history, art and artifacts?...I really do, even though I do not consider myself religious.




My Tiger Chairs



This is the striping affect I achieved in my living room re-do. They're 10 inch stripes that alternate between flat and glossy paint in the same colour. The
 color is Mayonnaise by Benjamin Moore ( a completely unglamorous name for a paint colour  huh?). I also painted and distressed my oak wainscoting. I like the mix (could have used the word juxtaposition but I won't ;) of the more rustic finish on the wainscoting with the striping, which is more classic. I am still waiting on the quarter round trim at the bottom to be installed. When you remodel an older home you find lots of tricky things like unlevel flooring or walls or both and outdated popcorn ceilings...ugh, but just pretend you don't see them, that's what I do! ...And, of course, I have more to do like change out the ceiling fixtures. I'm thinking ceiling medallions with some chandeliers? maybe?...It is never ending. 

So this is my life as I know it ~ everchanging,  evergrowing,  everevolving... Thanks for visiting!

*note: this was originally set to post on January 28th...boy did I get sidetracked ;) 
  


6 comments:

Brian Miller said...

nice...i just did my first acrylic in probably 20 years this weekend...how do you get those marvelous textures...

Calli said...

Short answer...paper towels. I also use spackling compound or heavy layers of gesso and also various mediums like acrylic gel mediums and just build up the surface, etc. It's always experimental ;)

I would love to see you post one of your paintings, sometime...:)

Zuzana said...

It was wonderful to get to peak into your home, which is so lovely, inviting an very cosy.
I agree with you on the female emotions and the way we yearn to express them.
I really like the "rustic" look of your studio, I would keep it that way. And I love the idea of the globe hanging, very interesting, as it makes it suspended in the air, a bit closer to the actual "reality".
As always, I love your art.;)
Take care dear Calli, so nice to see you around,
xoxo

Calli said...

Thanks so much, Zuzana! I hope my home is exactly that, for all who enter.
I do think I am leaning toward leaving the studio as rustic. Everyone here has also been telling me to leave it be...:)

So nice to see you again and I so loved your latest post on LOVE.

xxoo~Calli

Cynthia said...

The pulse series is an abstract
with a strong emotional pull.

Your living room is super cozy.

Calli said...

Thank you, Cynthia...I am still working within that series and on my living room :)