Friday eye candy: My prints and only them

I'd like to share with you my print line. I love architecture, geometry and abstract forms so I wanted to create a line that would evoke that. Lines, geometry, shapes and a little bit of pop art are found in these prints which are now available through Etsy.

 

 I Heart New York or My heart is in New York. I love many cities but, there is no other City in the world with the dynamic and vibrant vibe of New York City. Everything from its incompatible diversion, freedom and opportunities is unmatchable. My son always keeps telling me "mami I was born in New York, right mami?," "yes, sweetie you were. You are a new yorker" This print was created as a homage to him. The colors in the small heart are never repeated and the whole print can be customizable.

Origami is a floating abstract shape that seems to be lit from inside. I love its understated and minimalist atmosphere.

Complex Geometry is the print to enhance any decor, from modern to traditional. 

 

I hope you like them.  Thank you!
 ALL MY WORK IS Copyright © 2013 Julie Paulino Yenicag, Atelier Julia.

Avery home should have: Art

Smart composition in this room the horse leg bench makes reference to the indigenous photograph.  Elle Decor San Francisco Showhouse

Sometimes art can make a room while many times it can also make a whole house.  I can't picture a home without it nor would I live in one without.  We all know art implies many things from an elaborate sculpture to a simple figurine.  But, in this case I'm referring to art wall.  The one that is very personal and many times tells a story behind the artists creation or its discovery.  My Yaacov Agam painting that I found at The New York Antique Garage which my husband and I framed using the shell from another painting just the night before the photo shoot of our home.  That is a story that will always be linked to that painting and to my last minute anticipation.  Art can be anything many people say but, I think otherwise.  Art could certainly make a room but can also break it.  The art that we select for our homes should bring with it the final note to the ambiance of the space, it should complete the room's vision as it shows in each of these images.  In other words, it should become part of a new story: your home.   For affordable and good art I have posted here and here.  Enjoy!

In this hallway? the art seems to stand out against the white wall and white frames.

 Nicole Hanley Mellon home

Harmony seems to be the preferred choice over symmetry in many art wall composition.  As in this picture above six painting frame the windows, three on each side but none are of equal size or or equal high.

This vignette in Francisco Costa house.  The color scheme is very soothing and seductive but the dynamic photograph of a horse injects interest. 

A Francis Bacon.

I dream of owning a Jean-Michel Basquiat one day.

I absolutely adore this bedroom.  I really want an over sized art over my bed.

Eliott Puckette

Great Affordable Paintings: U Gallery

 

 Alan Taylor Jeffries

I've been looking for big art to embellish the walls of our new home in Sao Paulo.  Since it's going to be a rental there's not much permanent architectural changes we'll be able to do so, on art we'll rely.  Not that that's a headache to anyone, I suppose.  One of my favorite genre is abstract expressionism maybe because the stokes are so intense and powerful that there is little they need around them to complement.  Another reason is that expressionism goes with almost every kind of decor.

I was lucky and happy to come across U Gallery.  A gallery that sells great original and professional art for ridiculous prices.  They also have a seven day in home trail.   You'll really know if it works in your environment.  I have found fantastic art that is very similar to well recognized and expensive artists.  I personally think it's sad and unfair how many painters become sought-after and famous after they die, that's why I like to support live artists.

Alan Taylor Jeffries looks like a Jean Machel Basquiat

Alan Taylor Jeffries

Jiyoo Jye

 By Brian Elston, this black and white acrylic painting looks like a Franz Kline.

Brian Elston

This is on the pricey side but it's stunning.  by Lacy Drissi.

Oversized photography

I'm helping a very good friend of mine to decorate her apartment in the Hells Kitchen area of the City and one, if not, “the” statement piece of the room will be an oversized photograph flanked by two swing arm sconces.  Architectural photography works great in any design setting, bringing the much needed tension to a traditional room and/or lending visual weight to a very modern room.   Enjoy!

 Christian Chaize photography

 A Thomas Struth photograph

 Art looks amazing even in the kitchen.

 Love everything in this room

 Christian Chaize

Below, two beautiful and big posters at a very good price available at Etsy.  20x200 is also an excellent site for good affordable art.

Living Room Art Wall (New Additions)

I hope you aren’t too tired of seeing my art wall in my living room.  (And I can’t promise you that this will be the last time since I will probably change the room this year – new coffee table/ottoman, new paint colour, maybe reupholster the sofa.  Oh, the life of a decorator – always changing things up!)

But the main reason you may see this wall again is because the beauty of an art wall is you can add and subtract as you please.  This is how it looked for most of last year.

And this is how it looks now:


Photograph by Leah Kirin

I mentioned my newly acquired Robin Pocisk painting here and I love it.  Not hard to see that I love paintings with all shades of blue.  (I also have posted a photo of the painting in the adjoining dining room – you guessed it, more blue! Can’t get enough!)  

The yellow and blue floral original small painting was a thrifting find (upper right hand corner.)  It is amazing what you can find for very little money – I am converted!

The beach scene above the middle blue painting was recently given to me by a very talented friend.  (I took down the rudimentary nude sketch that I did in art school much to my daughter’s delight!)

The tree print is from marbler Robert Wu and was purchased at the One of a Kind Show. (The two non-green pillows were also OOAK purchases – from Fluf and Kailey Hawthorn.)

A few people have emailed asking how to do an art wall and although there are tutorials out there using kraft paper cut-outs etc. – I just eyeballed everything!  I didn’t want it to look too perfect.  In fact, it looks more perfect than I wanted.  The only thing I did to start was to hang the large blue painting (by Matt LeBlanc) off center and build around it.  So easy to do.

Make 2012 the year that you rid your home of blank walls and mass produced art.  With Etsy, art gifted to you, thrift stores and your own photographs – you will be filling up your walls with art in no time.  (Note:  I have 12’ ceilings in this room – so you wouldn’t need as much art as I have here!)

Happy art hunting!

Dining Room Before and After: Classic + Elegant

I recently worked on a dining room with my client/friend Sarah.  Sarah has impeccable taste and is the person I love to go antiquing with or run a decorating idea by.  We have very similar styles and both love understated,  quiet, comfortable rooms.

This is a before photo of the room from the listing with the previous owner’s furniture before they moved in.  It was clearly not their style but they saw past the beige/orange/country decor and had a vision of what they wanted.




Quite a transformation!   Sarah’s handy husband  installed the wainscoting to add some interest to a basic room with no details.  He also painstakingly scraped off the stucco ceiling himself!  These two design decisions changed the feel of the room drastically.


We took this photograph to show the gorgeous double pedestal table base.  The table is made by Toronto based Geovin, one of my sponsors who I wrote about here.  It is shown with one leaf in but comes with another leaf extending the table to 103”.  Perfect for hosting large gatherings.  We chose their medium brown finish which is timeless.


I love the modern, upholstered chairs with the traditional table.  Sarah painted their 15 year old Ikea buffet Benjamin Moore's Revere Pewter.   The large scale lantern fixture is one of my all time faves.  Sarah worked with an Etsy artist to create the custom painting which adds colour and vibrancy to the room.



You can see the wide plank, distressed hardwood here.  As it was not in their budget to replace it, I suggested we minimize the busy, orange flooring by installing one large wool sisal area rug.  This was a wise decision as it reinforces the calm palette.

What do you think? When I’m grown up, I want a dining room just like this!

Update:  Thanks so much for your sweet comments! To answer your questions - the paint colour above the wainscoting is Para's Fan Light Grey (P2103-4).  I absolutely love this light grey colour and must use it somewhere in my home! The etsy artist is Andrada.

If you require decorating advice, please contact me at vanessa@vanessafrancis.com.

Living Room Art Wall

Since the ceiling height in my living room is 12’, hanging a large piece of art over the sofa makes perfect design sense.    An original piece of art this large would cost a pretty penny but an art wall comprised of different pieces wouldn’t break the bank. 

This is how it looked recently.  The three photographs were taken by a friend and although I really love them, it was time for a change.



I was inspired when I received the abstract painting I bought in support of Matt Leblanc’s Art for Life campaign.  (He raised over $35,000 for the fight against cancer!)


I didn’t really have a wall that would suit just this one painting (24” x 24”), so I shopped my house for art and photos that would work with the abstract.   I have always loved the work of Anne Harwell and Laura Trevey, so I purchased prints from their Etsy shops as well. 



This is how it looks now and I just love it!   I had some girlfriends over recently and they said it really warms up the space.  That’s the beauty of art – it gives a home soul and personality.

Below is a breakdown of what is on the wall.  All of it has beauty, meaning or both.  I smile every time I look at it.  (I have moved the Be Happy up an inch since this photo was taken.)

I played around with the composition on the floor until this one felt right.  There is no right or wrong with this.  I didn’t want it to be perfect and tried real hard to make it look like the art was hung randomly – like it was collected over time.  I think it’s much easier to hang art in a grid with even spacing in between than to hang art randomly.  

The best thing about this arrangement  is that I can change some of the photos and can add to it on top if I feel the need.



1.  Photograph of a 15th century building, Portugal – Vanessa Francis
2. Lemon (acrylic) – Vanessa Francis
3. Photograph – taken by a friend
4.  Poster from a Paris art gallery (backpacking trip in the 1980’s)
5.  Nude (contours and foreshortening) done at art school – Vanessa Francis
6.  Photo of my Dad as a young boy in India (only photo that exists of my Dad as a child)
7. Oil painting of Montreal done by a dear family member (in the 70’s) who has since passed.
8.  My Mum in her early 20’s in England. (1960’s)
9.  Print on Canvas – Anne Harwell
10.  Original abstract – Matt Leblanc
11.  Life’s too short not to be happy, right? – Vanessa Francis (I may change this to a reddish background and stencil “Joy, Peace, Family” or something like that for the holiday season.)
12. Photographs of Venice and the Acropolis, Greece – taken with a very amateur camera on a backpacking trip.  Like how it is grainy and moody.
13.  Watercolour print – Laura Trevey

What do you think?

I’m linking up here and here and here.


If you need decorating help, please contact me at vanessa@vanessafrancis.com.

Playroom Art Wall

I hope everyone had a wonderful Labour Day weekend.  The less than desirable weather here afforded a great opportunity to finish up some “to do’s” around the house.

One of those items was organizing and de-cluttering my daughter’s playroom.  I also wanted to hang some of her artwork and other meaningful items on the walls.  

 

The frames are from Ikea and Michael’s and the art wall includes:

• book jackets (or colour copies) from some of her favourite books
• my favourite pieces of her art from preschool to now (she is in Grade 3)
• a poster signed by her cousin who played the lead in Charlie Brown in his last year of high school
• a print by this artist I met this past summer

I can easily swap out what’s currently here as new art presents itself either by my daughter or another artist.

I love this Andy Warhol-esque self-portrait she did in art class last year. 

Other notes:

• wall colour is Benjamin Moore Woodlawn Blue (one of my favourite blues)
• the sofa is actually a sofa-bed from Ikea – practical for sleepovers.
• fabric on custom window seat cushion and cushion is from Designer Fabrics in Toronto.  The foam is soy-based and is environmentally friendly! 

I’m linking up to BNOTP.

Affordable + Attractive Art

Seems I’m always looking for ways to create budget-friendly art in my home as well as clients.  I think art brings life and soul into a home and creating it yourself is more meaningful than going to a retailer and buying a mass produced print.

When I saw these beautiful DIY works of art in the August 2010 issue of Style at Home (digital issue), I had to share.  There really are no excuses for bare walls!

The first image is the main living space of a cottage in BC decorated by Colleen Sawatsky and styled by Heather Cameron.   Although the art over the sofa looks like a painting, it is actually fabric stretched over an artist’s frame.   The cushion covers made from vintage tablecloths add to the charm of the room.  Inexpensive, simple and beautiful – have to love that.

Canadian online retailer Tonic Living sells fabrics at a very reasonable price.   These are just a few “retro florals” from their site which would look great as art in a main living space or bedroom.

 

Hands up if you can guess the medium used for this trio of framed prettiness.  If you said dye (as in fabric dye), you would be correct.  Instructions are given in the magazine and although I haven’t tried it, I would say it seems fairly simple to do.   Frames are from Ikea, of course!

What do you think?  Would you try either of these affordable art projects  in your home?

If you need decorating help, please contact me at vanessa@vanessafrancis.com