The Tones of Dandelions and Roses

When asked to find the correct decor for a piece of art, it can become very clear the homeowner buys what they like, not because he or she has a plan, but because the art appeals to them.

Dandelions and roses

This example was a find by a customer, and I was entrusted to find a decor for the space. First, I interviewed the client to determine what style the homeowner was looking for. This client profile assisted in the process. Second, I decided on a decor that was within the budget, and fit all the needs of the client's wants. Third, I offered the client three choices to pick from. The design is determined by the client, but either route it is a process of creation.

This painting was found while shopping at the furniture store. The painting appealed to the client, so they purchased it without knowing what they would do with the art when brought home.

Rustic Sofa Table

After the realization set in, the client called for help.

After the initial meeting, I made a trip to the local stores. I was first inspired by this sofa table we purchased. The rustic look of this table is perfect if one wants to add a contemporary flair to a rustic design. As an opposition, by the use of wrought iron braces on the bottom, and the natural wood creation, I believed that the combination would be great for the space and the art.

Modern Accessories

I decided to look for a few accent pieces to accessorize the table and add more inspiration. Here is a gradation of shapes that reflect the natural wood tones and the splash of silver creates more of a modern effect. I later decided to add an accent piece of furniture, as well as a rug to base the design in the room. In my search, I found this clearance (100% wool) rug with stripes that resemble the silver, and some metallic tones to blend with the art of dandelions and a rose. The rose was an accent

Hand-tufted Wool Rug  

of ivory white; and the rug had ivory stripes, but the room needed another piece of furniture to incorporate the tones better.

I looked for a chair to place in the space, and I found one with the perfect colors and tones. I had to follow the lines so I brought in another line that was going the same direction as the rug. Wanting a more contemporary chair, I chose to bring in a soft striped textile with very modern arms. The home owner  wished for the combination of modern and rustic design, so I tried to accommodate the owner's wishes by adding a larger chair in mass, yet have a sleek frame to keep the appearance of a modern piece.

Modern Chair with vertical stripes

By adding the chair, the colors coordinated with the piece of art, the silver-gray stripe brings in the carpet, brown and the metallic tones were perfect, but the owner decided to add more after the chair came in. The other side of the room was turned into a sitting area, but the owner wanted to bring blue into the space, so I found a modern piece of furniture with track arms and nail head trim. The nail heads were silver to transition the design from one wall to the next. After I brought in the sofa, I wanted to add other tones from one side of the room to the other; by bringing other art in that room was made to blend into the sofa, but had the browns and ivory from the art, the carpet, and accent pieces.

Blended tones 

Accessorizing the space was easy as the area needed a natural element like a plant. The natural element softens the modern design and brings the space together. After adding the art above the sofa, the space needed an element to balance the wall. I did want to include a pot for the plant that mirrored the area from silvery blue and ivory accents. After balancing the space I believed the sofa needed more variety. I added a pillow to the sofa to bring the eye up and down as well as side to side. Using a pillow that reflects the art brought the design together. Everything was an opposition with squares and circles, vertical and horizontal lines, gradation of accessories, and the mass was small or large.

Balanced Space

The overall presentation works as a comfortable space with modern tones, and a variety of elements to embody the space. The owner was happy to see that what he mentioned in his profile, I was able to present in a concept of principles to bring the owner's design around. I finished the space and met every point (and obstacle) the owner requested. The room was very comfortable and the tones were soft and contemporary for the area. With the artwork as a focal point on the wall to the other side of the room, a transition was created by using the original art as a rustic character to moving into a modern complement.

Rustic and Modern

The finished space included the homeowner's art piece, but the process took a complete turn as the level of design was based off of the metallic flair and the images of dandelions and roses.
The room was a success and the homeowner was happy.

Emphasis for the Space

Top Colors in Carpet

I have many carpet suppliers, but Shaw Flooring is by far one of the most popular companies for supplying the country with innovative styles, and design, in today’s flooring. The mission of Shaw’s color, style, and design team is to guarantee that floors suggest the top colors that inspire lives in every area of life. After contemplating fashion, furnishings, and various cultures, the experts at Shaw identified eight colors that top the charts in flooring.

Cloud Gray

The absolute perfect gray is comparable to the color of the clouds just before it rains. Warmer than it is cool, gray is rarely boring. Starting on fashions runway we have seen the emergence, expansion and ultimately the saturation of gray in the market place and have enjoyed its sophisticated simplicity in infinite ways. Suffice it to say, gray will stay.

Safari Taupe

Classic taupe is the stepping-stone between the gray trend and its predecessor, the chocolate brown trend. Taupe is best described as a grayish brown or brownish gray. Taupe can be found in nail polish, couture, ready-to-wear, active-wear, accessories and is evident in the home furnishing markets. When the taupe trend is translated into furniture, it offers the very popular reclaimed look.

Ivory Coast

Today we are seeing different influences on our neutrals. The first influence is a warm camel color while the other is cool flax such as finely woven Belgian linen. Whites and off-whites continue to expand and grow in lockstep as the brightness of the colorful colors grows. White performs as the ideal backdrop for a show-stopper piece of art to really stand out. White is elegant, it is high tech, it can be as casual as a white t-shirt or as formal as a tailored tuxedo shirt.

Aquamarine

Known for its soothing and calming effects, aqua has evolved beautifully from its early days, enjoying long-standing partnerships with chocolate, lush greens, creamy whites and silvery grays. For homeowners who are drawn to living near the water, aquamarine infused interiors are very coastal and tranquil.

Persimmon Orange

Running the gauntlet between a juicy tangerine and a spice-colored persimmon, this color brings an energetic vibe to an interior space. Orange is often used as the signature color for key pieces of furniture or accessories. It is especially stunning when dropped strategically into an all-white interior.

Pink

Pink has grown from symbolizing baby girls and ballerinas into a color that is couture-worthy. Boldly representing breast cancer awareness has also helped create resurgence in pink's popularity. As a color that works well with any style, any gender, and any complexion, pink can be counted on to be around for the long haul.

Meditation Purple

The color purple of today is regal when blue-based, and spiritual and mysterious when red-based. Both versions are stunning but when paired together they are over the top.

Shutter Black

There is an age-old question: Is black the absence of all colors or the presence of all colors. In home furnishings black is the presence of all colors. No interior or wardrobe is complete without a touch of black. Black creates a much needed sense of depth and gravity. Black is basic and easy while being elegant and timeless. No other color can do so many things...black trumps all others with its style and versatility.

Though these colors are simple, they represent the many carpet colors that are popular in  home design and development. 

How to Sequence a Color Scene

Emerald Bay
Lake Tahoe, Nevada

When I was younger I did this art activity in a class and I had no idea what we were doing. I thought our project was the coolest art project ever. After 40 years of education and teaching art, I have still used the same project to excite the students. This art activity never fails as a mini 3-D book, a themed card for a special event, or a sequencing lesson of events. I usually have the students make up stories that coincides with the picture so the kids have a hands on success.

In the following pictures, one will see a lake scene created by sequencing the pages. This is a project the class worked on recently, where the student learned about color coordinating, three-dimensional art, motor skills in coloring, cutting, sequencing, and story telling. This is a sample of a template that instructors may use in a small, medium, and large size to accommodate the lesson. At times, I will just use different colors of construction paper to simulate the colors we are using rather than using a crayon to color the art.

This is the lesson works in my class:

First the instructor should explain the process of each section and then give time limits to reduce the amount of distractions and behavioral issues. This is a good lesson to have parents volunteer for because the lesson runs more smoothly if there are plenty of helpers to assist the students. Set-up and supplies are as follows;

1. Have five stations, one for each page of the book
2. Have each station supplied with scissors, coloring crayons, and pencils
3. There is card stock or construction paper in each station
4. There are sentence strips or strips of lined paper to use for the text portion of the project
5. Last, there is glue or tape if the class decides to add embellishments like the sun, or birds flying, or flowers.

This is the base color for the back page. 
Make sure to cut out an oval for the  template

Here is the next template, make sure you 
cut out the middle and leave the brown attached

And the next...Cut out the the middle and leave the dark blue 

Cut around the green and move onto the last page

Here is the completed book with a scene of the lake. 

Add an embellishment to the cover like this sun 

or add birds or a boat to the piece.

There you go, a great way to create something special for your children. 

The students will love the feeling of accomplishment and the parents 

will appreciate the hard work as well. 

Art in Elementary School

Painting by PST

An art curriculum is an extensive result of research from resources and dedication to the development of a guideline in art lessons adopted by the school district. Many of these lessons are influenced by the many classroom teachers that offer input on the national and state standards. This standard is used to plan art classes, integrate art and other studies like language arts and social studies.

Teachers are encouraged to develop an approach where he or she will use a theme to influence the area of study. These resources are influenced by artists locally and historical in the profession. Local artist are asked to volunteer their time to introduce the many practices in the art curriculum. Students tend to learn more and enjoy meeting local artists and experiencing the knowledge the artist offers or the talent visualized by the students with the encouragement of the artist. This can promote art as a specialized field that students would choose as a career.

Introduction

The National Standards for Arts Education (NSAE) was published in 1994. I was an elementary reading specialist at the time, and researched this extensively. What I can remember is the NSAE defined that every young American should know what they could do in the arts. This was a cumulative collaboration of worldwide educators in developing these standards. These standards were published and later accepted officially by the U.S. Department of Education. Fortunately, every state was given the freedom to define content specific to the individual needs of each state. 

Before After

Standards have been written to guide students through instructional sequencing of instruction that will allow them to understand the elements and principles of art, as well as art performance, historical, and cultural context of the arts.

In these two photos the students look at a blank canvas. Then the students differentiate what they would like the space to look like when they are finished. In this example, the students wished to make a 3-D bulletin board that reflects a spring setting. Studies in critical response, enables the students to understand how to determine the techniques and to compare and contrast works in the arts to give them a scene in 3-D. The studies performed in aesthetic response enables the children in understanding the emotional impact of the art. In this example the students saw a natural setting in nature. The content standards are measured through a sequencing process. Each aspect of this board was executed on a sequenced table enabling the students to understand how the space is created by a series of events. 

In this appreciation to art, the context of understanding how nature is created can be assessed. The enjoyment of creating this scene was implicit in the process, and the students made an educated decision in the art. Another process was adding a sensory to the context of the lesson. At the end of the project, the first instructor distracted the children in imagining that the student's were at this scene by having the second instructor spray a room freshener that was scented with a country essence. When the children focused on the bulletin board instead of the discussion, some students imagined they could smell the flowers, the wind, trees, and some of the elements in the art. This sensory effect can implant the process in enjoying the creation of artistic development at an early age. This project was made at a kindergarten level so the experience would begin early in the student's life.  

The curriculum that follows was designed to accomplish the needs of all students at the elementary school level. This curriculum meets the national and state standards as it adapts to local resources and the demographic differences among socioeconomic class requirements in the district. These concepts can be measurable, so the lessons can be taught through instructional plans driven and standards based for assessment. These lessons are designed for all students to teach context with other subject areas. This provides a comprehensive foundation for arts. The following list is created by the N.S.A.E. to use during early education. 

In standards of art, the student will:

Explore the use of markers, crayons, and pencils

Experiment with a variety of methods of applying paint

Participate in various cutting and pasting experiences

Create patterns and designs using printmaking methods

Use modeling materials to create shapes and textures

Create forms from paper

Create sculptures

Build structures using blocks, boxes, or other materials

Develop pride in his/her work

Show respect for the others’ work

Clean up after an activity

Use materials safely

Design and Function

Students will begin to develop a perception of the elements of design, i.e., shapes, colors, and lines

Make and use shapes to create artwork

Use primary colors

Mix primary colors to create and use secondary colors

Use of design elements to create artwork

Content and Creative Expression

The student will identify and use representational subjects in artwork, e.g., family, friends,

Animals, plants

Create artworks based on personal experiences and familiar

People/things/places

Create artworks based on imagination

Art Heritage

The student will view and discuss artworks from different cultures and eras

View and discuss religious art

Learn about places where art is displayed

Begin to develop an awareness of art in the home, school, and church

Inquiry in the Arts

The student will have an opportunity to view a variety of artworks

Discuss and ask questions about artworks presented in class

Discuss the subject matter of artworks presented in class

Discuss the subject matter of his or her individual work

Inter-Disciplinary Study

The student will participate in lessons integrating art with other subject