art wall fix from nestled in

Today's art wall fix is from Katja of Nestled In who, together with her partner Minna, catalogs the transformations of their home in Oulu, Finland.

As you can imagine, the images from their home are simple, clean and modern. Surfaces such as counters and dresser tops are curated, not cluttered and there is evidence of thoughtfulness everywhere. The frames in their hallway art wall are a mix of different colors and styles, but the pieces themselves are similar in their current look and mood and everything works together wonderfully.

For a closer look at their lovely home, visit their blog, Nestled In, or their Flickr stream.

art wall fix from lucy snowe

Uh, gasp. I want to linger in this corner. Of course it is an excellent photo because the woman behind the lens is photographer Lucy Snowe. We chatted about her on Monday, remember? I think you had to wipe a little drool off of your keyboard?

Lucy included this image in a recent blog post, along with a funny story about her husband which I am still giggling about, days later. It turns out she has a fancy for midcentury modern abstract paintings and furnishings. She put together this little vignette (inspired by Art Wall) while longing for the newness of spring. It's really lovely, Lucy and I think spring is just around the corner.

meet art wall artist: anna maria potamiti

Annamaria Potamiti has formulated a body of work that is, somehow, "simply complex." Her watercolor paintings are almost meditative, and her contour drawings seem like psychological stories. Today she has offered her time and perspective on her quirky works.

(AW) Your pieces often incorporate text in the form of delicately scrawled phrases--"In the late afternon the orange light came," "The tree in summer," "Small blessings." How are these phrases born? Why do you choose to use text in your work?

(AMP) Working often feels like meditation; I drift off into my own space and dream while I am drawing. Shapes and lines stir memories, and memories come with emotions, and I am talking to the piece I am working on. It's something like a dialogue between my expieriences and the little piece of paper in front of me. At some point I will be "visited" by a sentence, a few words that seem to belong to the drawing or painting. The more focused I am, the more unexpected and "odd" the words will be.

(AW) Many of your drawings seem to have an airy, illustrative quality. Have you always worked in this style? As an artist, have pen/pencil and watercolor always been your media of choice?

(AMP) The funny thing is that I started off my life as an artist making very expressive and very large oil paintings. Then came the time when I had three children under six...and I couldn't imagine having turpentine bottles around the house. I switched to watercolors; they were so much easier to use and drop at a moment's notice if I had to, they took much less space, and I could always have a little pad of paper with me and a tiny box of watercolors in my handbag. I drew everywhere I went and everywhere I took the children--swimming lessons, soccer practices, parks, everywhere. Eventually I started to love the qualities that make the watercolor medium so very special in itself. Now, however, that my youngest is eight and the first two at university, I use both watercolors and acrylics. Acrylics are making all sorts of new things possible.

(AW) What is your creative process? Do you plan a drawing carefully before getting started?

(AMP) I draw constantly, but I find it very hard to "copy" my own drawings. I see every drawing and every painting as a complete artwork, and I am always very conscious of the surface I am painting on at the moment. When I try to copy a drawing, things fall apart because I focus on the single shape I am copying and I lose touch with the "edges" of my paper or wood panel. For some reason the intuitive process is stifled if I isolate a shpae from the whole in which it belongs. There is a series of relationships that are formed with every line and shape that are put down, and if I pay attention, I will respond intuitively and the painting or drawing will move like a dance.

(AW) How would you describe your aesthetic?

(AMP) The world fascinates me and the result of this is that I need to search out forms, shapes, and visual relationships that reflect (and reflect on) some of the complexities and novelties of our experience within this world. I have gone through a phase of doing "accurate likenesses," another phase of doing "cute" things, and for a whole year I spent my mornings on the beach painting small watercolors. I am glad I tried many different approaches and I see them as an invaluable learning process. I am very happy, though, to have finally moved on to what I feel is my unique, individual point of view.

(AW) How has being a mother influenced your work?

(AMP) I have loved being a mother. If money and age (and overpopulation!) were not important, I would have had more children. On the one hand, being a mother restricted my studio time for some years; on the other hand, since my work is dependent upon the depth and scope of my experiences, I think motherhood has enriched my creative processes.

(AW) Thank you for your thoughts, Annamaria. Your ideas about your work have surrounded it with a canopy of intrigue!

Annamaria's "Small Blessing No. 3" is in the master bedroom on Art Wall, and "The Tree in Summer" is in the family room. For more of her prints, drawings, and watercolors, stop by her Etsy Shop.

art wall fix from lisa congdon

I'm amazed by the talents of Lisa Congdon. She was one of my first "favorite artists" and can you blame me? Just look at how creative she is in her home. She basically started a cult revolution with her wall of plates and this assortment is nothing short of amazing. My favorite part is the double-reference to a black old-time sailboat. Can you spy? The image is of Lisa's newly redecorated kitchen nook, so it only exists as a photograph now, but we can still enjoy it. Bravo!

art wall fix from pragya k.

This art wall fix comes from Pragya k. of Art0crat. Pragya did a great job of picking a few repeating themes (green trees, red frames, black mats) to bring everything together. Most of the artwork displayed is made by Pragya and available in her the Artocrat Etsy shop.

art wall fix from dottie angel

Tif Fussell aka Dottie Angel is the kind of gal who seems to live a charmed life. She creates the beauty around her with her two talented hands. I'm not quite sure why she is not: A) the highest-paid stylist in the world. B) The writer/photographer of the best craft book ever. C) Martha Stewart's more-lifelike replacement. D) My penpal.

Tif is a regular contributor to the Art Wall flickr group and every image has me drooling, she is an amazing stylist and photographer. This particular image shows that you can thrift a few sorry-looking frames, paint them up pretty and showcase a nice little assortment of photos or prints.

Tif has a general website, an amazing Etsy shop, a charming blog, and (sorry perfectbound) my new fave flicker photostream. I dare you to spend less than five minutes looking through her goodies.

art wall fix from domino magazine

Speaking of magazines, I was devastated when this one was cancelled. I own and continuously browse every single issue. This is one of my favorite images of all (Domino) time. I love how it seems symmetrical and "not" at the same time. The fact that the photo was taken through those Bertoia chairs is the icing on the cupcake. Genius.

Image: Domino Magazine via The Estate of Things on Flickr

art wall fix from perfectbound

Have you heard of perfectbound? Hailing out of Winnipeg, Canada, Julie and Kathryn make up this art & design duo who together hold the title of my favorite flickr photostream.  I love this art wall because it is so perfect and lovely even without any frames.  If you have a look through their pictures, you'll see that they pretty much can't go wrong as every image is perfectly styled/propped/cropped and lit, so it's fitting that their art collection looks straight out of a magazine.  Yep, they're cool girls.  Thanks for the inspiration, ladies.

art wall fix from moline

Inspiration...preparation...realization. Moline is a crafty mother of three who gets addicted easily. You know, the usual: fabric, paper, crafting, sewing, stitching, crocheting, felting, collaging, knitting, photography. These images are from one of her projects from this past year. The first image is from the German magazine "Living and More." Moline bookmarked it for inspiration because she loved the mix-and-match aspect. She fancies assortments which are more color-themed so she gathered together her green artwork, agonized over the arrangement for some time (second image) and came out with a fabulous composition for her laundry room (third image). How would you like to fold laundry on that dresser? Many of the pieces are her own work, and if her style looks like something you'd want to get your hands on, she even has an Etsy shop featuring some of her collages and supplies. Thanks for sharing a little pretty on the Art Wall Flickr group, Moline.

art wall fix from all the luck in the world

I'm "Christmas-ing" today which made me think of these images from the Flickr Art Wall group pool. This is the perfect "tree" for someone with limited space and unlimited doo-dads and trinkets. Such a sweet, sweet composition. Jane Schouten of All the Luck in the World is the creator of this clever take on the Christmas tree. Her online shop is equally as interesting and enticing, full of vintage wares, handmade art, and dreamy photos. For even more inspiration from Jane, visit her Flickr photostream. May all your holiday preparations be as precious.

art wall fix: rachel denbow of red velvet art

Here's another one of my favorites from the Art Wall flickr pool. Rachel Denbow claims this wall is only partially complete. I think it looks way too perfect as-is. Besides being a brand-new mommy for the 2nd time around, this gal has a lot going on. She has a pretty and inspirational blog full of fun crafts and DIY's, an Etsy store of vintage wares, an Etsy shop of handmade items, supplies and classes, she's a major contributor to Red Velvet Art, and the owner/founder/maker of this beautiful art wall. Told ya she has a lot going on, sheesh my fingers are tired just entering all those links. I'd say she lives the handmade life to the fullest. Thanks so much for sharing, Rachel.

art wall fix: danielle thompson of tinybazaar

Pretty lovely, huh? These images come from the multi-talented Danielle Thompson of Tiny Bazaar. Danielle is a self-professed not-photographer, but she plays one on the internet. I'd say she does a good (fake) job. These photos are of her dreamy home where she seamlessly marries old with new. Her art wall is actually more of a frame wall, but it works--her curating is superb. Danielle has a way with frames, in addition to her wall she also sells super-sweet digital and printed frames for use on blogs, in scrapbooks or on cards. For all this inspiration and more (she's also into hand embroidery, sewing, crochet, and graphic design) visit Danielle's blog, you won't be sorry.

art wall fix: missy of boopsiedaisy

If I could hand-pick my friends, this gal would be at the top of my list. Just look at her home! A day with her would be filled with: sparkles, sprinkles, giggles, and doses upon doses of pink, pink, pink. Missy aka boopsiedaisy is a photographer and lover of all things sweet and girly. A few of her flickr set names include: cotton candy, carnival, ice cream, cup cakes...it just keeps going. Her art wall is made up of old and new. Old things in new frames, new pieces in old frames, old pieces in old frames, and new pieces in new frames. Georgeous mix. Of special note is the black and white picture of her baby girl in the lower left. Look at that mouth! Oh, what a fun life she's going to have with this mum. You can find Missy's etsy shop here and flickr stream here. Thanks for keeping me in smiles, Missy.

art wall fix from kevin o'shea

This is one of my current fave's in the Art Wall Flickr Group. It shows that you can add interesting little bits and pieces to an arrangement and really make the art stand out. A '45 record, a plate, a puzzle, tiny shoes and...wait for it...a fish. Who knew they would all add up to absolute eye candy? Image courtesy Kevin O'Shea of Kevin O'Shea designs.

art wall fix: favorite room ever!

This is pretty much my favorite room of all time. I can't tell you how happy it makes me just to peek at it now and then in my never-changing stack of Domino magazines. I thought about trying to recreate it when we moved into our current house but something about tossing every piece of living room furniture we had just didn't seem to jive with my budget. Meh, next house. I used this room for a bit of style inspiration when I was putting together December's "Family Room" Art Wall. Don't you want to know what it looks like? I think it's pretty special. Stay tuned!

Image: Domino Magazine