CasaSugar -- Home sweet home.

If Money Weren't an Issue . . .

casasugar — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 06:15:24 -0800

. . . Would you have an elaborate fresco painted on your wall? Source

If Money Weren't an Issue . . .

Definitely! I love this type of old-school glamour.

Maybe, if I had the right room to support such elaborate wall decoration!

No — it's beautiful but too colorful to live in/not my style.

Other, I'll tell you in the comments.

Artist of the Day: Elizabeth Peyton

casasugar — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 04:30:52 -0800

Elizabeth Peyton is a contemporary American artist who paints stylized and romanticized portraits of her close friends, celebs, and European monarchy.After graduating from New York's School of Visual Arts in the mid-'80s, she had her first solo show at the Althea Viafora Gallery in SoHo in 1987, and rose to popularity in the mid-'90s. Among her subjects, which are often inspired by photographs, are Liam Gallagher, Julian Casablancas, Jarvis Cocker, Chloë Sevigny, Princes William and Harry, Abraham Lincoln, Marc Jacobs (above), Keith Richards, John Lennon, Kurt Cobain, Eminem, and members of the Kennedy family. And, on Wednesday, just one day after Barack Obama was elected president, Peyton's portrait of Michelle and Sasha Obama at the Democratic National Convention was unveiled at her Live Forever exhibit at New York's New Museum. The exhibit, which opened last month, runs through Jan. 11. To hear more and see more images of her work,

Lil Tip: Smocks For Wee Artists

babysugar — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 05:00:26 -0800

What do kids love most about art? Usually it's the mess that they can create while working on their mini Mona Lisa. Tots delight in finger painting, marking their hands, squishing play-doh and chalking up sidewalks. What moms don't find quite so endearing are the stained clothes that are often the bi-product of such successful crafts.

Instead of ponying up cash to protect those precious threads, take one of dad's old long-sleeved button-up shirts and slide it on your wee one with the buttons up the back. Roll the sleeves up and let the lil Van Gogh go!

Do You Have a Chair Rail?

casasugar — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 16:00:46 -0700

While chair rails do have a practical function (protecting the wall from scuffs from the backs of chairs), they're also just a beautiful accent to a room and have a decorative purpose as well. But, of course, it's an extra expense, and most renters can't install them. So, I love how this homeowner has mimicked the look of a chair rail by painting two tones on the wall.
Source

Do You Have a Chair Rail?

Yes, I have them throughout my house.

I have a chair rail in one room.

No chair rails for me.

I painted one!

Other, I'll tell you in the comments.

Artist of the Day: Miguel Ornia-Blanco

casasugar — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 06:15:04 -0700

Inspired by his travels through London, Manchester, and Buenos Aires, artist Miguel Ornia-Blanco paints urban landscapes full of movement, energy, and life. Contrary to the stark, gray skyscrapers, blacktop roads, and dingy sidewalks you might see in some of those metropolitan areas, Ornia-Blanco finds a vibrant color palette in the cityscape. He sees emotions, life, laughter, pain, and solitude in places where, on a whole, people seem to pass by each other unknowingly. His brushstrokes are free-flowing and his colors blend with no straight lines or distinct outlines, further evoking the reality that nothing is constant in these hectic terrains. Although his paintings seem to illustrate that the world is colliding in these places, Ornia-Blanco brings beauty to the chaos, and that's not an easy thing to do. Check out the gallery below and his website to see some more work by this London-based artist.

Source

Love It or Hate It? Damien Hirst's Spin Art

casasugar — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 15:00:45 -0700

Despite the fact that much of it conjures memories of school fair spin art, 223 lots of work by Damien Hirst grossed a record $200 million at a Sotheby's auction in London this week. Perhaps you agree with Andy Warhol, who said, "Art is what you can get away with." In that case, you'd snatch up Hirst's spin art in a heartbeat (if you had the dough). But maybe you're not impressed by his work, and you'd rather hang one of your own finger paintings on the wall. Where do you fall?Source

Love It or Hate It? Damien Hirst's Spin Art

Love It

Hate It

Undecided

Cool Idea: Painted Stripes Headboard

casasugar — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 05:30:18 -0700

I've written about painted headboards before (and even DIY'd my own), so it's really nothing new. But, I am loving how design firm Shelton, Mindel & Associates made the entire wall behind this sleeping space a focal point with bold stripes, and within that created a focal point above the headboard by painting stripes in a slightly lighter shade than the rest. This look is really easy and affordable to achieve in your own home. And, if you don't have a real headboard of your own as this room does, the rectangle of lighter stripes can serve as a headboard alternative. What do you think?
Source

Inspired: Maui Dozing

casasugar — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 04:30:05 -0700

I love the balance of glorious, warm tones in Etsy seller Laura Marie W's Maui Dozing (sold) oil on canvas painting. The combination of orange, green, lilac, and yellow is such an unusual one, but it really is breathtaking. The painting's landscape itself is actually what hit a soft spot in me, though. While I assume this is a Hawaiian scene, to me it summons memories of the dusty, purple, country roads that I spent many Summers cruising along in Vermont growing up, dotted by tractors in wide open fields set against a regal mountain backdrop. To see my ideas for creating a room around this painting,

Inspired: A Bewitching Painting

casasugar — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 12:00:59 -0700

Anna Fidler's artwork is a fantastical vision of gorgeous colors and odd landscapes haunted by an undercurrent of malevolent possibility. Fidler, who currently has a painting exhibition at the Pulliam Deffenbaugh Gallery in Portland, mixes cool colors with unexpected shapes to create landscapes that are both alien and familiar. They remind me a little of something you'd see in an illustration for a Tolkien book, and seem haunted by the possibility of imaginary creatures and wild animals creeping into the edges of the painting.

To see my ideas for creating a room around this painting,

Etsy Find: Wish You Were Here

casasugar — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 04:30:00 -0700

Since Summer definitely isn't endless, capture its essence with this limited edition print by artist Danna Ray. When you have Wish You Were Here ($25) on your kitchen wall, you'll get a reminder of sunshine and lake dreams, even if snow is madly falling outside your window.

This archival print is produced with high-quality pigment-based inks on heavyweight paper, and is seven inches square, allowing room for matting and framing in a standard size frame. It would be a great addition to any room in the house, from nursery to bathroom.