Painted Pages: Reading Color I
Denim, acrylic paint, hemp cord, board.
Multiple signature binding, each signature composed of a single bifolium.
Cover imagery created by students unloading their paint brushes on to the denim surface, at the end of a class where they painted their own canvas book covers. The resulting painting was ‘captured”, adhered to boards, and used as the collaborative cover of this book.
And a river ran through it. The End.
For now…
Siting Santa Monica: Architectural Variety is the Splice of Life
An informal romp through the Pico-Lincoln neighborhood of Southwest Santa Monica yields glimpses of architectural treasures of all sorts.
Alleyways across the board in Santa Monica yield moments of contemplation and surprise, like this wall crawling with red blooms, reminding me for all the world, of Southern France.
Fantastical decorative gates are another Los Angeles hallmark, and Santa Monica is no exception.Here an image that has become “au courrant” among the holistic set.
Glass bricks, metal and stone flanked by green combine to elegant effect in this vertical structure.
I wondered if this brilliant yellow and white building was live work space.
It looked to be designed with a nautical feel, appropriate to its location in the beach town of Santa Monica.
Variety is the spice of life, and here in Santa Monica, architectural styles run the gamut. Here we have a study in yellows: bright yellow on the modern, multi-unit building, and earthy ochre yellow on the small neighboring house.
Voila, a beautiful ad hoc complimentary set up! Starring the complimentary pair of purple and yellow hues, opposite each other on the color wheel.
Finally, another pastoral scene that one sees often in Santa Monica..an outdoor dining set up, in an enclosed area that is right off the street! Santa Monicans, and Angelenos in general love themselves some hedges, fences, plants and gates to create privacy, but true to theatrical form, often right off the busy sidewalks outside their homes! What else would you expect in this glowing and glittering home to the entertainment industry?
Lucky for us, the setting in these parts here has its pastoral side…and a great deal of variety, which makes for some rewarding walks for the flaneur. Big Fun, and a visual feast…or is it a movable feast?
Let’s get walking!
PaintedPages2: The Painted Book
Painting on denim, reading color, the ties that bind, the vocabulary of color.
These are themes that come to mind when creating “painted books”.
A multiple signature book, bound with hemp cord, covers of board covered with painted denim, pages made of painted denim bifolios.
One piece covers front and back covers, and spine piece. Creating a book with a painting..
Edges left raw.
Inside front cover is unpainted denim, overlaid with painted piece.
The acrylic painting gives the pages a satisfying heft…
The content is color…
and texture.
And a river runs through it…when do the elements of shape, texture and color come together to create an image that would be interpreted by the viewer as in generally the same way?
When does a collection of elements become a “thing”?
“The Artists Among Us”
Teaching an acrylic painting workshop for adults…living in a building owned and operated by the Community Corporation of Santa Monica (CCSM) is a rewarding experience. CCSM, in its own words, “….is a locally based, non-profit organization committed to developing and managing affordable housing in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. A key mission of the organization is to provide housing to lower wage working families.”
Each artist has their own unique style. Some, like the above, jump right in, apparently fearlessly, without any sketching or practice.
Others focus on color, and what they can create through mixed and discreet hues.
Still others combine color, texture and symbol to bring the message home.
Or, create a sense of space and expansion.
Seeing them all together, one marvels at the variety, beauty and uniqueness of human expression, and the resilience of soul and spirit.
Art rules.
Behind the Mask 3
It has been fun integrating my Mom, Judy Disman’s “mini-masks” into a series of my handmade books.
The series is comprised of small (approximately 4.5 x 6 x1-1.5″), single and multiple signature books,
made of repurposed board, paper, jewelry parts,
hemp cord, linen thread, and Eco-fi felt (made from recycled plastic bottles.)
It is a joy to play with color and the tension of opposites. Here the compliments blue and orange, are couched in bright white, reflecting flag colors of red, white and blue, with a twist.
The stitched, or “lashed” edges are inspired by medieval clothing and lacing.
Braided ties can keep the books closed, and the pages are blank.
All the better of stashing secrets!
Behind the Mask 2
It has been fun integrating my Mom, Judy Disman’s “mini-masks” into a series of my handmade books.
The series is comprised of small (approximately 4.5 x 6 x1-1.5″), single and multiple signature books,
made of repurposed board, paper, jewelry parts, and raffia,
as well as hemp cord, linen thread, and Eco-fi felt (made of recycled plastic bottles.)
The stitched, or “lashed” edges are inspired by
medieval clothing and lacing, and of course…color.
The books tie together, and the pages are blank…
all the better of stashing secrets!
Behind the Mask 1
It has been fun integrating my Mom, Judy Disman’s “mini-masks” into a series of my handmade books.
The series is comprised of small (approximately 4.5 x 6 x1-1.5″), single and multiple signature books,
made of repurposed board, paper, jewelry parts, and raffia,
as well as hemp cord, linen thread, and Eco-fi felt (made of recycled plastic bottles.)
The bound edges are inspired by
medieval clothing and lacing,
and of course…color.
The books tie together, and the pages are blank…all the better of stashing secrets!
Benny’s Tacos: A Color Story
Some stories have happy endings…like this lovely outside patio at the new Benny’s Tacos in Santa Monica, CA. But let us start at the beginning of our color story.
Once upon a time, there was a rather unfortunate-looking building in a prime location on Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica.
It was actually a great, solid little building, but the colors inside and out just did not make it special-looking.
The building came up for sale, and Benny, the owner of Benny’s Tacos decided to purchase it, and open a Santa Monica location of his popular “Benny’s Tacos and Chicken Rotisserie” already located in Westchester/West Los Angeles. He asked me to provide some consultation on interior and exterior paint colors.
As construction got underway, a number of samples were painted up inside. Benny was interested in greens, and I thought warm earthy hues such as Dunn Edwards DE5340 “Wheat Bread” would work well for a neighborhood eatery that was sure to become popular with the locals quickly.
Because the building was set somewhat back from the street, and could be dwarfed by a large structure to one side, it needed a strong, exterior body color, as opposed to the off-white it had been painted before.
Benny found the amazing Dunne Edwards hue, “Gothic Revival Green” (DET 507), from the beautiful “Then, Now and Forever” collection. Warm and rich, it evokes the green of avocados and guacamole!
A deeper color that could be used as a unifying factor on all of the trim both inside and outside, offsetting the body colors was key. From several deep grays Sherwin Williams “Iron Gate”, SW2926 was chosen.
A bucolic exterior setting was created, enhanced by bright blooms, dark shutters and the ever-present Southern California sunshine.
The large windows and outdoor dining create a seamless continuity from inside to outside.
On the inside, Gothic Revival Green (DET 507) the exterior body color, was painted below the chair rails, its strong hue lending a sense of stability and solidity to the foundation.
The softer, lighter DE5340 “Wheat Bread” was painted above, creating a sense of light, height and spaciousness to a relatively small room.
Reflecting the exterior, “Iron Gate”, SW2926 graces the Dado rail, and the interior trim details including windows and door frames.
This was a demanding project for Benny, and I was happy to be among the color voices he asked to chime in on the scheme. The result is beautiful, and the building is completely transformed, both inside and out.
Thank you Benny/Benny’s Tacos, for the opportunity to be part of this story. It is just beginning, happily for Santa Monica!’
Buen Apetito!
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