Art is Personal.

Art is Personal.

by: Stephanie Andrews

Hello friends!  I hope that you are having a good week! As you may know, we have been working on our studio in preparation for our upcoming Vintage Pop-Up Sale on June 28th from 12-5 pm.

Last Monday, we hung another art wall.  It was not nearly as many pieces as the front wall, but it did cause some controversy!  Most of our team was on-site for our Monday Meeting, and there was a heated discussion about this wall, particularly one piece.  We are very used to collaborating and sharing our opinions as a team, yet this one piece was a divider.  Here it is:

I found it to be a fun, light-hearted piece that would be able to contrast well with our dark green walls.  Jennifer also liked it and appreciated the hot pink frame.  Andrea was not moved one way or the other by this piece.  Melody did not particularly like where the flowers were placed near the zebra’s back end (completely out of balance).  And Allie viscerally hated it (still trying to find the hidden trauma that it caused).  After much comical debate, the piece did not make it to our new art wall.

In your home, you probably do not have 5 different opinions about what kind of art to put up. It is a very personal decision, for a myriad of reasons.   For me, it is simply Ed and I.  We also have differing opinions about what is worthy of the little wall space in our sweet home.  We have lived here 22 years and have yet to find the perfect piece that we both love for above the fireplace.  (This is fodder for another post!) However, it is a constant discussion and a search whenever we are at an art exhibit, festival, or when I am perusing a magazine.

I  asked our Balance Design team about their favorite art in their own home.  Marlee is off on her honeymoon, and Marilyn is in the process of moving, but everyone else shared their thoughts.  I loved this because, after seeing their art, I got a sense of their style and an insight into their thoughts and personality.  That is the wonderful aspect of art-it is personal.

“This piece has been with me my entire life, and she has always felt like a bit more than just a piece of art. My parents got it in Turkey (I believe it was made by a family friend) before I was born. At a surface level, I have always thought this was a beautiful piece- the woman’s outline over a scenic hillside, where you can almost feel the warmth of the sun, will always be lovely. But there’s more to her than just that. When I was young, whenever I looked at her, I felt a restlessness- a longing for freedom. To me, she felt trapped in a way. As I’ve grown, my feelings regarding her have evolved into more of a sense of fortitude. No longer trapped, but resilient and grounded. What I cherish most about this piece is that she seems to evolve with me.”

“This piece is sentimental to me because I painted it after years of not using that creative outlet that I felt was missing. I decided to start with the basics and do a floral arrangement in a vase as my version of a still life. I made it colorful and whimsical to capture the joy it brought me, and to remind myself that my art doesn’t always have to be so serious.”  PS-I love the ants.

“One of my favorite pieces of art is an encaustic painting that hangs in my bedroom by local artist, Penny Treese. It’s called “Ephemeral Figure – Acceptance I”, but I’ve always just called her “Penny”. She is quiet and peaceful, evoking a mood that is tranquil and calming. I love that her colors are warm, yet subdued, and set the tone for a perfect bedroom retreat. “

“I have these pieces of art printed on large-scale glass in the entryway of my home. Although they are completely different vibes, what I like about them is the same. They are both in a style that appeals to me, but they also make me feel like there is a story beyond what is captured in the frame. They feel like glimpses of a different world that is mysterious and almost eerie.  There isn’t any special story, but they’re cool and spark my imagination.”

For me?  I had this photo shoot a few years ago with my friends, Liz Stubbs (photographer) and Penny Treese (artist).  Before the shoot, they asked me questions: my favorite color, favorite places to be, and favorite scents to get to know me better.  In my case, I wanted to capture a bit of my essence and beauty before I did not want to be in front of a camera.  What resulted is this piece of art.  It is my legs that are pieced together like a quilt.  Each piece was cut out, aged in the sun (like me), and individually considered with paint, makeup, spices (turmeric and ginger), and even left out in the rain!  Then she pieced it back together and added an encaustic wax seal to the entire piece.  The result is very special to me.  A lesson that it is the layers that create the beauty, not simply the subject.

I am curious as to what your favorite art is and why it is that piece?  Does it get to a place deeper inside of you?  Remind you of a special person?  Do you find it to be beautiful or intriguing or even disconcerting?  You get the picture (pun intended.  Art is personal, and it is quite important.  Feel free to share if you would like: stephanie@balancedesignatlanta.com.

Thanks for reading, I appreciate it!

Stephanie