PopSugar

Guess Which Sex and the City Star Is Disrobing For Art's Sake?

CasaSugar — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 11:00:27 -0800

One Sex and the City star has decided to strip down in an effort to help the British National Gallery save Titian's Diana and Callisto from being sold to a private owner and moved from Edinburgh's National Gallery. She plans to pose in the buff as Diana for a new take on the painting to raise money ($80 million is needed) and awareness. This isn't the first time she's disrobed for art's sake. Last year, she posed topless to save Titian's Diana and Actaeon. Do you know which SATC star it is?

Casa Quickie: Cable Clutter Fix

CasaSugar — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 07:00:00 -0800

Artist Maisie Maud Broadhead has come up with the most clever solution to those ever-pesky cables in our homes. Using cable fixings, she attached her lamp cord to the wall above her mantel, "drawing" a beautiful trompe-l'œil installation. I've seen plenty of ways to hide your cable cords - like the beads I posted this week - but this remedy doesn't conceal electrical wire, but rather showcases it, turning the eyesore into the eye-catching. This design in particular looks like it would require a fairly long cord, but the possibilities are really endless when it comes to what shapes you can create.

Roundup: Artful Accents For a Guy's Home

CasaSugar — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 05:30:55 -0800

Do you have a bachelor friend, brother, or special guy in your life who's in need of a few artful touches in his home? Chances are, if you know a guy, this is definitely the case. Most of the bachelors I know tend to neglect adding art to their home's walls, instead opting for concert posters (or, shudder, neon beer signs). So, why not nudge the bachelor you know in the right direction by giving him some cool art to add to his walls?

Start with this Ehno Wood Print ($150) from Melissa Moss. This print of an original acrylic painting has been transferred onto a wood panel, and it has a cool, surreal vibe that your funkier guy friends will appreciate. Not sure that this is the right art for your bachelor pal? Then check out some of my other finds below.

Intermix Brings Richard Phillips's Stylish Art to the Masses

FabSugar — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 05:50:22 -0800

Intermix is usually all about designer clothes, but this holiday season, it's bringing art into the (Inter)mix. The snazzy retailer has partnered with Art Production Fund to create limited-edition printed canvas reproductions of artist Richard Phillips's original work. So cool: these pieces originally served as props in the Van der Woodsen loft on Gossip Girl. Get your art on at Intermixonline.com starting next week.

See one more Richard Phillips piece.

12 Works of Art Made From Books

CasaSugar — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:00:00 -0800

You needn't spend top dollar on oil paints and horsehair brushes to prove your artistic skill. These days, plenty of artists are creating magnificent works of art from things as simple as books and X-acto knives. Some of you may think that books are sacrilegious, and that they should remain as they were printed, from cover to cover. But don't forget that books are printed en masse - and these days, available for download - and one-of-a-kind artwork made from books can be much, much more than the sum of their parts. Let me show you!

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Ask Casa: Framing Fine Photography

CasaSugar — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:00:13 -0800

Hi Casa,

I am adding, for the first time ever, fine photography to my apartment. However I am at a loss when it comes to framing styles and arrangement.

One set of four photographs is horizontally-oriented and black-and-white. I'd like this set in my bedroom but don't know how to arrange them so they look more interesting seeing that they're all horizontal. Tips? Regarding framing them, I'd like to know which types of frames (color, matting, etc.) you recommend for my room seeing that the walls are white but most of the accessory pieces in my room are either antique brown wood or a few wood pieces I've painted bright coral and Yves Klein blue. Are white frames my best bet? Can you frame b&w photographs in brown wood?

The other set of photographs are two color photographs, also horizontally-oriented, that will be nearly facing each other on opposite walls. Tips on framing, matting, and color? They need not match, do they?

I appreciate any tips you might be able to offer me!

Best,
Daniela

To see my suggestions for Daniela, read more.

Hi Daniela,

How exciting! First of all, I wouldn't worry too much about making them "look more interesting" - adding fine art to your home will instantly give it a face-lift regardless of how it's arranged! But, I'll give you a few tips.

As for color, I do think white frames are your best bet. They won't compete with the artwork, and they go with everything. But, you can also go with silver or stainless steel for a more contemporary look. And yes, you can definitely frame black and white photography in brown wood. Another option is to use frameless glass clip frames, which have a more contemporary, minimal look.

I'd say for the set of four photographs, keep the frames cohesive. If you want to choose two different mat colors for the set, you can do that to give it a little edge. But don't get too crazy, maybe go with a gray mat.

For the set of two color photographs, go with a white or off-white mat. For the frames themselves, you can do two different colors or finishes if you like seeing as they'll be on different walls. Select colors that will make the images pop. But make sure the two colors don't clash.

As for arrangements, one option is to use picture ledges. This style allows you to easily move around your photography when it's feeling stale. You can also add a smaller piece of artwork, or even a knickknack, to play with scale. A layering effect (setting one frame slightly in front of the other) is nice, too.

You can't go wrong with a box-shaped arrangement. Just make sure you keep them evenly spaced.

You can also hang two rows of frames a bit off-kilter from one another. It should be enough that the arrangement doesn't look like a mistake, but not too much that the bottom frame is hung between the top two. If you choose an off-kilter arrangement, make sure the distance between the top two frames and between the bottom two frames is the same.

Or, if you happen to have a really long wall, you can hang the four of them side by side. This will give you more of an art gallery effect.

Hope that helps!
Cheers, Casa

Source and Source

Emma Thompson Tells Trafficked Woman's Story in Art

TresSugar — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 07:00:00 -0800

Academy-award winning actress Emma Thompson was so moved by the plight of a Moldovan woman who survived being trafficked for sex, she decided to create an art installation that would help viewers to put themselves in Elena's shoes and bring attention to this growing problem.

"Journey," which will be exhibited in New York City Nov. 10 to 16 in Washington Square Park, tells the story of Elena, a woman from the Eastern European republic of Moldova who, at age 18, was promised a secretarial job in England. Instead, once she got there, her passport was confiscated and she was forced into prostitution.

"Journey" consists of seven shipping containers. Each has a keyhole through which the viewer can peer to see a chronology of Elena's story. The first shipping container depicts Elena's childhood and the loss of her father. In another, the viewer can see Elena approached in a Moldovan marketplace and offered work.

Thompson personally curated one of the more disturbing of the shipping containers which depicts Elena's forced prostitution in England. She had Oscar-winning costume designer Sandy Powell design the clothes she was forced to wear, and when the viewer looks into the keyhole, she sees her face superimposed onto the body of a woman in prostitute's clothing. They wanted the viewer to have an experience of what it meant to lose one's identity. Thompson said that even men "didn't laugh or find it funny. They understood absolutely what it meant."

Thompson met Elena while doing work with UNODC (United Nations Office on Drug and Crime) to help raise awareness about the practice of trafficking women, and it sounds as if she's not only telling her plight, she's giving Elena the voice that was taken away from her. In the last shipping container, Elena tells her story on tape.

Artists Plan to Freeze a Vacant Detroit Home

CasaSugar — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:00:27 -0700

This Winter, photographer Gregory Holm and architect Matthew Radune plan to freeze one of the thousands of abandoned homes in Detroit to draw attention to the city's foreclosure crisis. The house will be sprayed with water and gradually covered in ice, and Holm will photograph its transformation for the project, called Ice House Detroit. The property that's chosen will be one that is already due for demolition, because it is fire damaged or dangerous to the public. After the freezing, the duo will work with Architectural Salvage Warehouse Detroit to salvage what they can from the house to be recycled. It will then be demolished, and they hope to donate the lot to a group like Greening of Detroit or Earthworks Urban Farm to be used as a community garden or other public space.

I'm sure these four frozen walls and a roof will stand out against the landscape of thousands of other vacant homes throughout what was once Motor City. But it's not Detroit natives who need a reminder of the plight of the city, which is why it's nice to see that this project, not yet begun, is getting attention on a national stage. I'm intrigued to see Holm's photographs of the house in frozen form.

Do You Frame Children's Artwork?

CasaSugar — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 06:15:06 -0700

A recent SFGate article tackled the question of what to do with children's artwork. Although I don't have any kiddles myself, friends' children have given me some lovely drawings, and I've often displayed them on the mantel for a while. However, I've never gotten around to framing anything. In the article, one mom is noted to "proudly displays walls' worth of her children's work. Her family's guest bathroom is covered floor to ceiling with art by her 11- and 13-year-old daughters."

Are you in this camp, or do you chuck the little ones' art in the recycling after it's served its time on the mantel or fridge?

Source: Flickr User Childrens Book Review

Michael Jackson Art Exhibit - Love It or Leave It?

TresSugar — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:00:00 -0700

The King of Pop would have been halfway through his comeback concert series in London right now if not for his sudden passing, but his presence is still being felt in that city. Michael Jackson: The Official Exhibition is showing right now at London's O2 Arena, the site of Michael's ill-fated comeback tour. Personal belongings from the superstar's Neverland Ranch are featured, along with costumes, props, and other memorabilia from his epic career. Would you ever check it out, or does it freak you out?

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The NPR Map - $8.98	Inhabit - River Rock Slat - $60.00
Antique Zoology Print - $150.00	"Blossoms" - $119.00
Melissa Moss - The Arrival Wood Print - $75.00	Amy Ruppel Owl Silk Screen Limited Edition Print - $35.00
Modular Surface Décor Forms - $29.95	Girard Plyprint Snake Panel by Alexander Girard - $95.00
Ikea Ps Mikkel Wall Decoration - $49.99	Warhol, Untitled 1956 (Green Cat) Poster - $49.00
Hockney, Day Pool with 3 Blues Poster - $149.00	Tvilling Poster, Set Of 2 - $15.00
Nexxt by Linea Wall Art, Set of 3 Myah Tree Wall Panels - $157.00	Inhabit - Why Not Slat - $119.00
Melissa Moss - Lemony Goodness Wood Print - $150.00	CB2 one of a find palace portrait painting - $24.95