July 30, 2020

Work – Underwater World

A recent client’s move from London to the seaside - Shoreditch to Deal - came with a key request. They wisely didn’t want to deny where they were - historic Kent coast - but equally wanted to avoid slipping into a a nostalgic nautical/seaside theme.
Thankfully, they already had a good collection of contemporary art and didn’t have to be persuaded to add to it. In this case though it wouldn’t be paintings but instead decorative art.

Ceramics artist Megan Bogonovich has created a large series of pieces that strongly reference sea life while running it through here very particular and vivid imagination.
Using her work throughout - the client bought three pieces - we were able acknowledge the physical reality of the environment without falling back on tired tropes. More importantly we were able to create visual interest as one travelled through the house and add an element that tied rooms together. All while supporting an imaginative, talented artist. Couldn’t have gone better.

July 16, 2020

Introduction to Abstract Expressionism.

No, your kid couldn’t have painted it.

Franz Kline, Chief, 1950

Unfortunately, Abstract Art or Modern Art often still elicits a negative response. It looks easy. It’s messy. What is it? A soup can?!

I’ve found a quite straightforward and informative account of the group of painters, mainly painting in Post-WW2 New York City, that built upon the traditions of more experimental painting and sculpture that was done previously - primarily in Europe - and brought us what most now commonly call Modern Art (this is a bit of a misnomer as Modern Art really begins in the late 19th century).

All art can bring beauty or interest or humour or drama to a room. For my money, art from the Post-Modern era (including contemporary art) Does this most successfully. It’s often graphic, design like quality allows it to sit quietly in the room as an element or it can inspire the entire design of a room.