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What Art Can Teach You About House
Painting
One of the most important, most
fundamental - and most overlooked - aspects of painting is
an appreciation of the frame. This does not refer to the
wooden strips that a picture is "framed" in, in order to
hang it up; but, rather, it refers to the relationship
between the body of the painting and the area beyond its
edges. Every artist makes the conscious decision to end his
or her painting somewhere, to mark off a small area in which
to create his or his art, to limit the scope of the painting
and separate it from the rest of the world.
In a home, think of each room as a distinct painting, and
the boundaries of each room as its frame. When decorating,
keep these frames in mind, and decorate within - as opposed
to through - them. In other words, keep the elements of one
room's décor clearly within that room. You may establish a
theme for the entire house, or for one floor, or for one
multi-room space, but do not blend rooms into each other.
Keep each room clearly defined; keep each painting inside
its frame. Make it clear where the kitchen ends, and where
the living room begins.
Golden Thirds
One of the first rules (or, less strictly, guiding
principles) of artistic composition is the rule of golden
thirds: the simple concept that a composition's main focus
should be located somewhere on a set of imaginary lines that
criss-cross a canvas at the horizontal and vertical
intervals of one-third and two-thirds.
In order to apply this concept to home decorating, visualize
all the planes (floor, walls, ceiling) of a room, and use
your imagination to "draw" the golden thirds across them.
Then, try to concentrate your decorations along these lines.
For example, establish a line one-third of the way down your
living room wall, and use it as guide as to how high to hang
a set of paintings or other wall hangings; or, "draw" a line
two-thirds of the way across your kitchen floor and place
your kitchen table overtop of it. Usually, you'll want to
use one or two big elements, such as furniture, in
combination with golden thirds so as to utilize the lines
without making them obvious.
In a more general way, the rule of golden thirds leads away
from static, unimaginative, and rigid symmetry by forcing
the artist - or decorator - away from the very middle part
of the composition.
Palette
After the frame is set, and the composition and concept
complete, a painter decides on a palette with which to color
his or her painting. A good palette is usually minimal,
featuring perhaps three colors that are then used and mixed
to create an artwork with a dominant color scheme, and
therefore a strong character.
In home decoration, a palette can take the form of at least
three things: colors, just as in a painting; specific
objects, like a collection of spoons or a set of rugs; or
themes or motifs, such as seashells for the bathroom or
arches for a hallway. The key to using any one of these
types of palettes is to pick elements that both fit a room
by themselves and that provide ample opportunities for
fruitful combinations. And, also keep in mind that because
each room is "taken in" at once, it is more important to
make sure that the palette in each room is solid than it is
to make sure that, say, the rug in the living room matches
the one in your bedroom.
Conclusion
Although home decoration is a different art than painting,
both are, indeed, still arts. Therefore, the methods,
techniques and theories that have been perfected throughout
history in painting can be quite easily adapted to fit
decorating. As American music composer Lukas Foss said:
"Most people think an artist tries to be original, but
originality is the last thing that develops in the artist."
So, even when no one notices that your beautiful new dining
room is based on "a van Gogh", they won't miss that it's
still beautiful - and that's all that matters.
Oh, and remember to have fun, be creative, and feel free to
break some rules after you learn them!
If you are looking for a Winston Salem Painting Company,
please call me today at 336-407-785 or complete our
online
request form.
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