For Veronica Winters, the road from Russia to Naples, Florida, was rocky yet fruitful. This prolific artist studied classical art traditions at three schools (earning a BFA and an MFA), using art to process her emotional journey. Along the way, she learned how to handle creative blocks according to their root causes. Secrets of the ...
Essence of Elegance Over-the-top opulence isn’t anything new. When you consider the Taj Mahal, the Biltmore Estate, and assorted castles throughout Europe, you realize humans have been enamored with sumptuous luxury through the ages. These days, Glam Decor can be a style “umbrella” that includes subcategories such as Timeless Glamour, Vintage Glamour, Farmhouse Glam, Earthy ...
Have you ever felt the sting of a critical remark about your artwork? When a fellow artist told Alison Thomas that her photography looked like everyone else’s, she was taken aback. But then the Louisa, Virginia, artist used that feedback as fuel, finding a way to differentiate her art and raise it to a new ...
Bringing the Outdoors In Have you ever spent time in a mountain cabin or ski lodge? If so, you can picture the scene in your mind. Simple or grand, your surroundings may have included rugged furnishings, thick plaid blankets, wood-paneled or log walls, a stone fireplace crackling with flames, and glorious views of nature just ...
Like many artists, I enjoy exploring new art mediums as often as I can to challenge myself creatively. From Plein Air painting and sketching with graphite or colored pencils to acrylic portraiture and digital illustration, if I can learn a new technique from a skilled master or fellow creative, I’m there! Some of you may ...
Case Study: “Night Creatures of Rainbow Mountain” What do Bobcats, Flying Squirrels, and Eastern Screech Owls have in common? They all party in my backyard at night. Of course, I fully approve of these nocturnal revelers. We set up game cameras around our home on Rainbow Mountain in Montreat, North Carolina, just to capture images ...
Free-Spirited Charm Bohemian Decor style, aka Boho, is about as free-spirited as it gets when it comes to interior design. Picture the eclectic beauty that meets your eyes when you stroll into an Anthropologie store—artsy, vintage, and exotic. This style can be a kaleidoscope of color or neutral-based with muted hues. There is always a ...
Bringing Industry Home A mix between rustic warehouse and modern minimalism, Industrial Decor style is a great example of breathing fresh life into elements that you’d normally see in buildings zoned for manufacturing. This design style embraces all the architectural elements — pipes, concrete, metals, brick — that might otherwise be covered by drywall or ...
Calluses, scratches, and scars. These are the physical discomforts that Greg Domres puts up with while twisting and molding chenille stems — aka pipe cleaners — into still life and landscape images. While we’re sorry his art comes with pain, we’re also delighted by the winsome results. Color, Texture, Depth Greg refers to his art ...
For some lucky individuals, talent begets more talent. Andrea Brunais is one of those fortunate few. As an author, poet, photographer, and former newspaper journalist, this Bluefield, West Virginia, resident recently discovered she can also paint. And beautifully at that. Kaleidoscope of Color Living in the Mountain State affords Andrea ample opportunity to express her ...
Like delicate pin striping on a race car or elegant piping on a jacket, a thin line can make a beautiful statement. Double-matting basically does the same thing for art. In fact, double-matting can launch your art to the next level in terms of drawing viewers in. Before you say, “Mark, that sounds like a ...
In an age when technology rules the world and our daily screen time often competes with the number of hours we sleep, Cottagecore comes to the rescue. This new-yet-old style of decorating combines elements of nostalgia, fairytale romance, and nature — all with a European countryside vibe. It’s cozy. It’s whimsical. And it’s all the ...