water color-y finishes

These walls have been my most recent obsession.  Thank you pinterest!  They are the work of Black Crow Studios and all of these pictures are via their blog.  Black Crow Studios is the brain child of Tracy Hiner.  I learned on her website that she has a classic art school background with a particular interest in textiles, which shows.  As a painter, when I look at interior photographs with interesting finishes the first thing I ask myself is what materials were used and how were they applied to the walls.  To me look like watercolor paintings painted directly on the walls(brilliant!). Of course I know(using watercolors on paper) given the scale of these walls would not be an easy task.  It turns out that Tracy makes a painting and either turns the original into a giclee print on canvas which are available for purchase here or ready to be applied like wallpaper.  She also does a lot of custom work which is probably the case for the above pictures.

Might be the freshest approach to a wall treatment that I have seen in a while.  These walls have consumed my mind so much that I am playing with some samples right now.  These are  some things in my life that are bringing me some inspiration:

My junky malachite papered lamp and Bridge House frame

End papers of Mary McDonald's book

Most recent Bridge House purchase

On the wall at The Shops at 2011

On my desk right now

Haskell Harris-The New Southern

It is a new year and there are not a whole lot more things more inspiring than that to me.  This blog gets left in the dust when life and work keep me on my toes.  There it is, I said it and it makes me sad.  

I have recently begun following the blog Magpie by Haskell Harris.  I like it for many reasons.    The first of which is that is is very original and direct.  She clearly highlights a design-related thought or two which is a great way to start the day. 

So, in the vein of Haskell this is what I am going to attempt to do via this blog in the new year, however more directed towards decorative painting and the projects that I am working on here in New Orleans. 

Secondly, I love that she shows you what it really means to be Southern.  As a Southerner we know what this means.  We all get very upset about the way we(especially women) are portrayed in movies by actresses with terrible accents.  Southerners take pride in relationships, heritage and history to name a few.  Of the 10+ years I lived away from New Orleans I will never forget comments like the following: "What is up with the Portraits?" in reference to the now retired Southern Accents magazine or "Why are you so polite?" while trying to deal with serious matters in meetings in college.  Haskell has a way of defining the real south and cutting out the stereo type; the way we actually live our lives and the way we enjoy our inherited items from the past by making them fit into our modern lives.  

So check her out.  I am a fan.