Fashion and Art: Iris Apfel

When you don't dress like everyone else, you don't have to think like everyone else.

 ~Iris Apfel

92 year old style icon Iris Apfel has decided to de-clutter and downsize her years of collection fashion, art and home furnishings. And her fans of all ages can't get enough of the tiny design legend, and rush to buy pieces worn or designed by the former interior designer.

• HSN jewelry and shoe line Rara Avis by Iris Apfel
• 800 pieces of vintage furniture and accessories selling on One Kings Lane 
• personal jewelry pieces Apfel has worn and loved sold on Yoox.com

Her quotes on fashion are as legendary as her style:

I absolutely consider fashion a form of art.

I think dressing up or down should be a creative experience.

 No amount of money can buy you style. It's just instinctive.

My passion for color in fashion, art, food and nature inspires my artistry. Like Iris Apfel, its instinctive.  I glean many of the colors used in my artworks by viewing fashions on the catwalks. Colors featured in the 2014 Paris Fashion Week runways are varied from Easter-egg pastel to primary red, blue and yellow.  Love the shoe colors!!

Vanessa Bruno's colorful shoes

I hope you have color in your life!

   à la prochaine,
    Shirley

Decorating Your Home With Art: An Artist's View

People tend to buy art with 2 very different mindsets:

• the artwork moves them, and they want it to be part of their life
• the colors in the artwork match their rug and couch

There's really no right or wrong way to purchase art:

       If you buy art because it speaks to you, you will find a way to incorporate it into your home.

       If you buy art because it matches your decor, your decor most likely reflects your interests, your color preferences and your lifestyle: so in reality, you buy art because it speaks to you.

Above you see 3 paintings in my Orchids of Vietnam Series: clearly, I love the bold bright tropical colors and have incorporated them throughout the room.

5 Tips on Buying Art for Your Home

1. Don't buy it unless you love it. You're going to be looking at the painting or sculpture for a long time, so only by something that you want to look at every day.
2. Look for art to purchase while you're on vacation. After dinner in the city you may stroll past some galleries, near the beach is a weekend artisans' show, the ski resort has art work for sale. Each of these pieces can evoke a special memory of a time you enjoyed, and you bring that feeling back home with you.
3. If the colors in the art don't match the room, the room can be tweaked.Or you'll find another room to display the piece you love. Things in a room don't have to match each other, they have to come together show who you are. And a piece that stands out and is different can become the focus point of any room.
4. Don't rush just to fill a blank wall.If the blank wall truly bothers you, buy a poster or another inexpensive 'placeholder' until you find the perfect art piece that you want to live with every day.
5. Educate yourself before you buy. If you don't yet know what kind of art you want to buy, invest some afternoons in local galleries or museums looking at all different types of art - contemporary, traditional, eclectic, ethnic, landscapes - and find out what styles appeal to you.

Art makes my spirit soar: I hope you too surround yourself with beautiful artworks that speak to your soul.

Shirley

NEW ARTWORK -- MAKING CONNECTIONS

I was so motivated and inspired by my February 28th blog "Countdown to Spring Turquoise," the creation of my latest artwork, "Making Connections," was born.  I love the color turquoise -- it is a happy color. I used blue and green turquoise acrylic paint to ground and compliment the other colors in this abstract.  Painting an abstract, in a loose, painterly manner, is how I love to create --  facing a blank canvas and let the creative juices flow.   It is very liberating for me to create artwork in this manner.  The artwork started out in a position that did not work for me, so I turned it upside down and, VOILA, finished piece, "Making Connections."

Several years ago, I painted, "Manderinfish" using predominately the color turquoise.

Enjoy and have an art-filled life!!  A bientot!

Countdown to Spring in Turquoise

shades of turquoise

Color is a critical factor in our happiness: many research studies have been performed trying to understand the impact color has on our lives:

• happiness
• appetite
• motivation
• sleep
• romance

A few months ago I wrote about color psychology and how color inspires me: I can't imagine a colorless world!

We make color decisions every day:

• what color sweater should I wear with these pants
• should my new glasses have brown or red frames
• do I want pink or yellow flowers
• what color should I paint my walls
• does this tie match my shirt

But did you know: turquoise is a universally flattering color! The color of the ocean, turquoise matches all skin and hair colors and appeals to both men and women:

Combining the serene qualities of blue and the invigorating aspects of green, Turquoise inspires thoughts of soothing, tropical waters and a comforting escape from the everyday troubles of the world, while at the same time restoring our sense of well-being.

~ Pantone 

While you might think of turquoise as a spring color it can be worn year round, and looks lovely in your home - think pillows, bed linens, eye shadow or nail polish, a vase, new coffee cups: turquoise is everywhere! There are many shades of turquoise, from sky blues to watery blue-greens to deep greens: one will appeal to you!

So is this long winter making you blue? Brighten your days and your spirit by bringing some turquoise into your world!

    Shirley

Green Art: Re-purposed Coffee Capsules

I'm so impressed by the creativity of artists with the vision to re-purpose used every day objects into art! These artists recycle, upcycle and reuse things that would otherwise just end up in a waste site.

While I was browsing through Pinterest I came across art made from used Nespresso capsules: instead of throwing the empty, used coffee pods away, the artists clean and re-purpose them into fabulous green art!

What is green, or environmental, art? Green art is the artist's vision and expressions using recycled, re-purposed or sustainable materials.


Audrey Hepburn sculpted out of Nespresso capsules.

Audrey Hepburn by Ricardo Bellino

Nespresso Santas stand ready to organize your important papers and receipts.

                               from Bijou Lena Cafe

Strings of light fashioned from Nespresso capsules brighten a dark corner.

by Deco Debrouille

This beautiful lavender necklace is made using Arpeggio capsules: the pin says you can custom order in the capsule color of your choice!

by Nadine GUIMBERTEAU

A bold and colorful bracelet made of flattened coffee capsules is available in a variety of color combinations.

from www.recyclart.org

I love seeing all forms of artistic expression. And I especially love seeing artists turn trash into treasures!

Pencil Art

When you saw my title Pencil Art you probably thought of drawings made in pencil. But I'm fascinated by another type of pencil art: art made out of pencils.

I recently discovered photos of these pencil sculptures made by Jennifer Maestre. I'm inspired by her creativity, and I think you will be too!

Jennifer is a young artist from South Africa who attended university in Massachusetts. Her original inspiration for pencil art was sea urchins. Trained in glass work, Jennifer experimented with using first nails, then discovered pencils for making her art.

See some of Jennifer's pencil sculptures below, or visit her website to find out more about Jennifer Maestre's art and exhibitions: www.jennifermaestre.com.

My 2014 New Year Resolution

My goal for 2013 was to become more active on social media:

• I've started blogging again
• I opened Twitter, Pinterest, and Google + accounts 
• I'm trying to share more with you on Facebook - like this photo from my friend Phillipe Petit

Why did I want to become more active on social media? Because I find artistic inspiration in my interactions with friends, places, and foods; and want to expand my horizons to new inspirations. Social media is a way to connect and engage with new friends: people I might never meet in my offline life.

In 2013 I was inspired to create a series of four orchids of Vietnam. I don't often depict nature, I more frequently create stylized impressions of nature and figures. But I've very excited to share that my Orchids of Vietnam series received such positive feedback that I'm going to paint and exhibit more orchids in 2014.

My 2014 New Year Resolution:

I feel this is the year my art is going to breakthrough: 

I'm going to do everything I can to make that happen!

             Happy New Year       Bonne Année      Feliz Año Nuevo