What's better than a BFA show? Feng Shui art final!

What I really enjoy and want to explore further with Feng Shui is it's relation to art, specifically. When my class has done practice consultations and space clearings, my first instinct is to assess the images on the walls and the sculptural decorative objects filling the space. Chairs, tables, shelves - these things are all functional. It's the decorative aspects, the things people don't need for function or purpose that are real indicators as to what people perceive, want, feel, like, dislike, etc. These objects seem to mirror life in a way. Feng Shui, in a few words, is about making purposeful environmental decisions to reflect/influence your desires and/or life. Along with the basics of good circulation, art seems like the most influential place to start.

Upon my introduction to Feng Shui, I immediately began to incorporate it's principles with my painting. I've been dealing primarily with the concept of using color and elemental symbolism to influence one particular gua or another. Generally, when I hang work, I consider the layout of the entire building and place the paintings according to their most auspicious location based on the bagua. The more I think about Feng Shui Art, and it's application, the more I dream of installation work, and entire interior renovation based not just on decoration, but an artistic internal construction. For example - using water, not just as a fountain, but visibly flowing in and through the entire building or certain rooms.

Realizing this, I asked my Feng Shui master if she thought we could gear my final consultation a little more specifically to my area of focus. She considered it and came up with this plan: instead of a traditional home or office consultation, we would select 3 spaces for me come up with art adjustments for. I requested to visit the places first, so I could come up with sketches, layouts, swatches, material samples, etc. I was granted this request for two spaces, but the third I will need to assess spontaneously and any sketching to communicate my ideas will be done on the spot. I feel compelled to assess large public spaces where a lot of people traffic daily, although the final locations have not been determined.

Now I'm really excited about this! This is an opportunity for me to work 3-dimensionally beyond my wildest possible dreams. I like to paint large canvases and have taken to multiple panels in an effort to expand my end surface area while keeping the canvases workable in my little space. My Feng Shui final offers me the opportunity to work beyond the canvas in ways that never occurred to me previously and in mediums I've never approached like steel, water, and wind??!!!! Cheers, Feng Shui!

Major Transformation Begins!

My big project this year is the decoration of my living room. I've lived here for 3 years and hardly use this room for anything except yoga. Last year, I had the idea that I'd use it as an computer room and do any digital design or other computer work here. Here's some before shots picture:

 

As it turns out, I still ended up in my kitchen with the laptop. The kitchen/dining room takes up some of the Creative area of my home according to the Feng Shui Bagua, so it makes sense. Or who knows, maybe the living room was just too sterile. Looking back at these pictures, it's even more apparent just how uninviting it is.

I got rid of my old work table in the kitchen/workspace area and put in my desk. I moved the art stuff that was sitting around to the storage basement. Easy peasy. I got rid of all the un-essentials in the living room.

What I'm going for in the living room is cozy. I want an inviting space for  yoga practice. I want to want to read in there instead of the kitchen. I want to be in there playing records. I want a place for guests to relax and feel comfortable. All this on top of the fact that it's important to actually use all rooms of your home.

Step 1 - paint those hospital walls!!!

Purple is the natural choice for the back wall in the Wealth area - it can encourage all kinds of other abundance. The warm grey-brown is a great backdrop for the blues, oranges, and greens I intend on coordinating in. Brown shades are auspicious for these areas in my house too, so everything works out perfectly!

Even though there is actually less stuff in the room, I feel like it's already more cozy already and I'm so excited for the next steps!

New Series: Mixin 'n Matchin Elements

It can be difficult to find enough wall space to accommodate large canvases. It's also pretty tricky to paint all encompassing feng shui solutions for the needs of a gazillion places I've never been.

These two constraints are the inspiration for a new painting series. All canvases will be 10" x 10". Each canvas will be designed with a particular element in mind - wood, fire, soil, water, or metal. The canvases can be used individually or grouped with others to create a perfect feng shui solution specifically for a particular location.

Of course, I will be guinea-pigging the idea in my own place :)

Here are the first few Illustrator sketches that I will turn into paintings:

The wall space I'm looking to fill with art is in the "reputation" area of my place according to the bagua. This is a fire area. Rose, yellow, and red are all fire colors and work with the existing color scheme of the room. Triangle is the key symbolic shape for fire, hence repeated throughout the designs. Metallics are good for me in general, so I've worked silver into the color pallet (this room could use a little more metal anyway :).

I've got a few new tricks up my sleeve too that I'll unveil when I post the completed installation!