sept. vanity fair
Friday, July 30, 2010
Plein Air Painting: Taking Your Paints Outside
Last week I was gifted with a ‘plein air’ watercolor workshop given by Lynn Onley. Plein air painting is a familiar concept today, but in the late 1800s when the Impressionists ventured out of their studios into nature to investigate and capture the effects of sunlight and different times of days on a subject, it was quite revolutionary. We met at Porteau Cove, which is situated overlooking Howe Sound, 38 km north of Vancouver on the Sea-to-Sky Highway on the way to Whistler. Interestingly, I learnt that an old ship has been sunk in the bay, so as well as attracting outdoor enthusiasts, scuba divers and marine biologists come here to explore the depths of the ocean. A pebble beach slopes gently into Howe Sound in Porteau Cove. On summer days when the tide is low and the sun high, the warm rocks heat the incoming waters, making swimming here a pleasure. Lynn Onley who gave the workshop, is the daughter of Toni Onley, one of Canada’s most celebrated artists. His landscapes have always provided a special significance for Canadians in reviving an appreciation for our surroundings. Lynn Onley following in her father’s footsteps is an accomplished artist herself. I felt very privileged, and excited to have the opportunity to learn the art of watercolor from Lynn Onley as passed down to her from her celebrated father Toni Onley.
The view of the scene I painted with instruction from Lynn Onley 
Lynn Onley painting Plein Air in Porteau Cove using her father, Toni Onley’s paint box
Lynn Onley painting Plein Air in Porteau Cove using her father, Toni Onley’s paint box and his wood and canvas folding chair. The first step is to lay in the color washes for the sky, and while still wet take tissue and blot to make the clouds. The next step is to paint in the mountains, using the ‘soup’ as Lynn calls it, which is the remaining mixture from the sky as the base to add the next colors to. Lynn showed us how to mix Alizarin Crimson with Sepia, to tone it down, to paint in the slab-like chunks of red granite showing in the mountains.
Lynn Onley demonstrates watercolors techniques
Then Lynn added in the ocean, and next the shore, and then trees. At this point you can continue to add more detail, or take the painting home to finish. I had to leave at this point with my water color still needing more work. I took it with me on my trip to Desolation sound and added in more detail, working from memory and being further inspired by the colors and light in the more northern atmosphere of Desolation Sound – Desolation Sound is at the 52nd Parallel, while Porteau Cove is at the 49th Parallel. Thanks Lynn for the inspiring day!!
My finished watercolor of Porteau Cove after a morning of instruction from Lynn Onley.
11” x 15” on 140 lb watercolor paper , Windsor Newton paints
A pebble beach slopes gently into Howe Sound. It was low tide so the green moss on the rocks usually below the water line was showing. We started painting at 10:00 AM, and the sky, cloud formations, and shadows on the water were constantly changing as the sun and tide line changed.
The dock at Porteau Cove.
The granite mountains above Porteau Cove on the highway to Whistler.
These pictures are of the beautiful tree I sat under while painting at Porteau Cove. I took these pictures as inspiration – possibly for my next water color.
Van Gogh, in a letter to his brother, claims to
“devour nature ceaselessly,”
and finds himself
“in surroundings which entirely engross me,
which so order, fix, regulate, renew and enlarge my thoughts
that I am quite wrapped up in them.”
Toni Onley 1928 – 2004, one of Canada’s most celebrated artists, painting Plein Air.
Map of Porteau Cove
Patricia Gray Inc is an award winning Interior Design firm in Vancouver, Canada who blogs about Lifestyle and WHAT'S HOT in the world of Interior Design.
2010 © Patricia Gray | Interior Design Blog™
The Beauty In Dirty Dishes
A while ago my friend Jessica wrote about the joys of a dirty kitchen after having friends over. I completely agree. 
When a dirty kitchen means you have spent the night in the presence of wonderful people it is a good feeling. I am so thankful to have such good company around me (and such a good neighbor who still answers my phone calls after 1,000,000 rings for a favor and still comes running over for one more).
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend around some fabulous people.
When a dirty kitchen means you have spent the night in the presence of wonderful people it is a good feeling. I am so thankful to have such good company around me (and such a good neighbor who still answers my phone calls after 1,000,000 rings for a favor and still comes running over for one more).I hope you all have a wonderful weekend around some fabulous people.
Greats Modern Minimalist House Design
Designed by Ong & Ong, this house in Singapore is one of the greatest examples of modern and minimalist house design. Even though it’s so contemporary it also is very well balanced with nature. The concept of the design is to create open and filled with light living space which also has some privacy. The first floor has glazed walls that leads directly to the pool. This pool with a garden near by separates house for two pieces and is a perfect place to relax and spent time with friends and family. The entire second floor in the main section of the house is allocated for a master bedroom/study space with an en suite bathroom. The interior is done in minimalist style with modern materials and hidden TV and music appliances.
Greats Modern Minimalist House Design
Designed by Ong & Ong, this house in Singapore is one of the greatest examples of modern and minimalist house design. Even though it’s so contemporary it also is very well balanced with nature. The concept of the design is to create open and filled with light living space which also has some privacy. The first floor has glazed walls that leads directly to the pool. This pool with a garden near by separates house for two pieces and is a perfect place to relax and spent time with friends and family. The entire second floor in the main section of the house is allocated for a master bedroom/study space with an en suite bathroom. The interior is done in minimalist style with modern materials and hidden TV and music appliances.
Interior Home Decor wonder factory design
Home decorInterior design ideas these days are dime a 12. If you watch a television show that is dedicated to interior designing for one hour, once you come out, you would have enough knowledge that you can design for complete home. The main drawback of a television show when compared to applying these ideas in life is these are tough to document. If you don’t sit next or in front of the TV and scribble down madly onto paper piece, it is really difficult to remember all the ideas that you get watching the show. The key for a successful interior designing is planning.Replicating or trying to copy an idea or design from a TV show for your home could include additional planning or steps which might not be shown in an hour or a thirty – minutes of a show.
This being the reason it is necessary for one to go through the entire dry run of the design or idea before we actually execute it. There is a fair chance for figuring out and taking corrective measures to make sure a hassle free application.The only resource for ideas and information for interior designs is not Television. Books always remain as a better help for designers of any experience and background. The information we get in the books is more or less explanative and thought-out material when compared to a TV show. As book demand more basic information and material than a Television show can have in a limited segment of time. Not only this, books are written by two or three authors together for such subjects and are also edited before it is released to the readers in any form. So, the information would be edited and re-written by two to three parties. Exceptions for the rules are always there but, this would be the normal scenario.If you feel reading a book is time consuming for tedious task, then you can always choose to read a magazine article as another source of information for interior design. You always have the benefit of pictures or visual representations of the designs and its concepts in a magazine that you can look into or hold on for a particular period of time. Professional interior designers collect all these articles in big numbers along with the visuals and keep them in a format that can be accessible to everyone easily. This is a perfect source for getting specific information, feel or look that is difficult to describe in actual terms of industry for a client. Terminology used in these articles are self-explanatory although people who don’t have much expose to this jargons might find it difficult to understand few phrases or concepts that are used to define the interior design areas. Most of us are aware of the words ‘modern’ and ‘traditional’ design but, the magazines would not find it difficult to say ‘Americana’ or ‘Minimalist’ for these terms.
You need not think its incomplete just because you are not aware of these phrases, you have to understand that the process of learning takes time and hence is exactly termed as a process.If you have enough creative ideas with you, go through different magazines and have an unique and distinct style design for your work that are within the ideas and guidelines for interior designing. If you feel you are not much comfortable with your style and find it easy in the traditional design segment, then collate all the ideas pertaining to this category and stick to the ideas or guidelines provided in the information you have collected.Taking a little of information from these various sources and compile them into a creative collection of ideas that can help you access this information any time in future to compare with your own vision and ides would be a best way to understand information.
This being the reason it is necessary for one to go through the entire dry run of the design or idea before we actually execute it. There is a fair chance for figuring out and taking corrective measures to make sure a hassle free application.The only resource for ideas and information for interior designs is not Television. Books always remain as a better help for designers of any experience and background. The information we get in the books is more or less explanative and thought-out material when compared to a TV show. As book demand more basic information and material than a Television show can have in a limited segment of time. Not only this, books are written by two or three authors together for such subjects and are also edited before it is released to the readers in any form. So, the information would be edited and re-written by two to three parties. Exceptions for the rules are always there but, this would be the normal scenario.If you feel reading a book is time consuming for tedious task, then you can always choose to read a magazine article as another source of information for interior design. You always have the benefit of pictures or visual representations of the designs and its concepts in a magazine that you can look into or hold on for a particular period of time. Professional interior designers collect all these articles in big numbers along with the visuals and keep them in a format that can be accessible to everyone easily. This is a perfect source for getting specific information, feel or look that is difficult to describe in actual terms of industry for a client. Terminology used in these articles are self-explanatory although people who don’t have much expose to this jargons might find it difficult to understand few phrases or concepts that are used to define the interior design areas. Most of us are aware of the words ‘modern’ and ‘traditional’ design but, the magazines would not find it difficult to say ‘Americana’ or ‘Minimalist’ for these terms.
You need not think its incomplete just because you are not aware of these phrases, you have to understand that the process of learning takes time and hence is exactly termed as a process.If you have enough creative ideas with you, go through different magazines and have an unique and distinct style design for your work that are within the ideas and guidelines for interior designing. If you feel you are not much comfortable with your style and find it easy in the traditional design segment, then collate all the ideas pertaining to this category and stick to the ideas or guidelines provided in the information you have collected.Taking a little of information from these various sources and compile them into a creative collection of ideas that can help you access this information any time in future to compare with your own vision and ides would be a best way to understand information.
Interior Home Decor wonder factory design
Home decorInterior design ideas these days are dime a 12. If you watch a television show that is dedicated to interior designing for one hour, once you come out, you would have enough knowledge that you can design for complete home. The main drawback of a television show when compared to applying these ideas in life is these are tough to document. If you don’t sit next or in front of the TV and scribble down madly onto paper piece, it is really difficult to remember all the ideas that you get watching the show. The key for a successful interior designing is planning.Replicating or trying to copy an idea or design from a TV show for your home could include additional planning or steps which might not be shown in an hour or a thirty – minutes of a show.
This being the reason it is necessary for one to go through the entire dry run of the design or idea before we actually execute it. There is a fair chance for figuring out and taking corrective measures to make sure a hassle free application.The only resource for ideas and information for interior designs is not Television. Books always remain as a better help for designers of any experience and background. The information we get in the books is more or less explanative and thought-out material when compared to a TV show. As book demand more basic information and material than a Television show can have in a limited segment of time. Not only this, books are written by two or three authors together for such subjects and are also edited before it is released to the readers in any form. So, the information would be edited and re-written by two to three parties. Exceptions for the rules are always there but, this would be the normal scenario.If you feel reading a book is time consuming for tedious task, then you can always choose to read a magazine article as another source of information for interior design. You always have the benefit of pictures or visual representations of the designs and its concepts in a magazine that you can look into or hold on for a particular period of time. Professional interior designers collect all these articles in big numbers along with the visuals and keep them in a format that can be accessible to everyone easily. This is a perfect source for getting specific information, feel or look that is difficult to describe in actual terms of industry for a client. Terminology used in these articles are self-explanatory although people who don’t have much expose to this jargons might find it difficult to understand few phrases or concepts that are used to define the interior design areas. Most of us are aware of the words ‘modern’ and ‘traditional’ design but, the magazines would not find it difficult to say ‘Americana’ or ‘Minimalist’ for these terms.
You need not think its incomplete just because you are not aware of these phrases, you have to understand that the process of learning takes time and hence is exactly termed as a process.If you have enough creative ideas with you, go through different magazines and have an unique and distinct style design for your work that are within the ideas and guidelines for interior designing. If you feel you are not much comfortable with your style and find it easy in the traditional design segment, then collate all the ideas pertaining to this category and stick to the ideas or guidelines provided in the information you have collected.Taking a little of information from these various sources and compile them into a creative collection of ideas that can help you access this information any time in future to compare with your own vision and ides would be a best way to understand information.
This being the reason it is necessary for one to go through the entire dry run of the design or idea before we actually execute it. There is a fair chance for figuring out and taking corrective measures to make sure a hassle free application.The only resource for ideas and information for interior designs is not Television. Books always remain as a better help for designers of any experience and background. The information we get in the books is more or less explanative and thought-out material when compared to a TV show. As book demand more basic information and material than a Television show can have in a limited segment of time. Not only this, books are written by two or three authors together for such subjects and are also edited before it is released to the readers in any form. So, the information would be edited and re-written by two to three parties. Exceptions for the rules are always there but, this would be the normal scenario.If you feel reading a book is time consuming for tedious task, then you can always choose to read a magazine article as another source of information for interior design. You always have the benefit of pictures or visual representations of the designs and its concepts in a magazine that you can look into or hold on for a particular period of time. Professional interior designers collect all these articles in big numbers along with the visuals and keep them in a format that can be accessible to everyone easily. This is a perfect source for getting specific information, feel or look that is difficult to describe in actual terms of industry for a client. Terminology used in these articles are self-explanatory although people who don’t have much expose to this jargons might find it difficult to understand few phrases or concepts that are used to define the interior design areas. Most of us are aware of the words ‘modern’ and ‘traditional’ design but, the magazines would not find it difficult to say ‘Americana’ or ‘Minimalist’ for these terms.
You need not think its incomplete just because you are not aware of these phrases, you have to understand that the process of learning takes time and hence is exactly termed as a process.If you have enough creative ideas with you, go through different magazines and have an unique and distinct style design for your work that are within the ideas and guidelines for interior designing. If you feel you are not much comfortable with your style and find it easy in the traditional design segment, then collate all the ideas pertaining to this category and stick to the ideas or guidelines provided in the information you have collected.Taking a little of information from these various sources and compile them into a creative collection of ideas that can help you access this information any time in future to compare with your own vision and ides would be a best way to understand information.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Sneakity Peek: Rugs for Pure Style Home!
As I recently mentioned, we're working on getting an online store up & running for Pure Style Home. It's going to be filled with one-of-a-kind things I absolutely love and want to keep. (But because I'm not independently wealthy and don't have ten houses, must sell ;) I am SO INSANELY EXCITED over the rugs we just recently found to be sold in the shop!! (We were only able to buy 4 to start out with- rugs are a serious investment- eek!) All of the rugs chosen are hand-knotted, have an antique washed feel, and I want to keep every single one. I'm in the process of photographing them and was just too excited not to share with you. This one is a Mamluk rug, created in the style of rugs produced during the Mamluk Dynasty in 14th Century Egypt. It's full of golds and browns with splashes of pale blue-green:
It's approximately 8 x 11 and I'm seriously in love, Here's a close-up:
I'm really not a sales person but have started this venture out of my love for stuff. Yeah, there I said it, I LOVE STUFF. But I can't keep it all, and in my job, I see so many beautiful things that it's hard to walk away from them. It's hard for me to "sell" things to anyone, but if I don't, I'll end up with either a house smashed-full of beautiful things and an empty bank acoount or having to continue to walk away from all of these treasures. So, the new shop will be my outlet for making these items available to clients & others who love them as much as I do... a place for my "uncommon finds." I hope you never feel that posts like this are "salesy" and that I'm trying to push anything on you... I hope you see it as me being so excited that I want to share things with you because that's truly what it is.
{A bunch of the other items in the photos above will be for sale too, but I'm not sure which ones yet as I'm having trouble parting with them- ha!}
I'm adding inventory to the store daily and am trying to get it up and running as quickly as possible. I'll keep you posted!! Would love to know what you think of it!!
Dorm Room Design Day
When a reader, Tenia, e-mailed me asking if I would participate in "Dorm Room Design Day" I gladly said "yes"! However life has been c-c-c-razy (I know I say that a lot but it seems to never change) and I ran out of time to do an inspiration board. So...not wanting to be a complete party pooper I did pull together some inspiration for all those heading for dorm life. Starting with color...if you can paint your dorm room I say go for a bold color choice. You are young, free and in temporary housing, go BIG while it is fun....
Instead of boring bookshelves think outside the box for storage. A funky piece or painted piece like the one below would look great....
You will need a chair and I definitely say go for pattern....
Speaking of seating these poufs are cute and perfect for extra seating when friends are around...oh and let's not forget a fun rug....
I wish statement making headboards were around when I was in college. Tall and tufted makes me smile every time...
Dorms can feel so sterile...adding a little feminity never hurt....oh and lucite works great in a small space...
Don' t be distressed by a cramped room, good things come in small packages...
A gallery wall of favorite things can make home feel a little closer...
Or go for some large art, it doesn't have to be fancy to have style....
Thank you Tenia for asking me to be a part of Dorm Room Design Day. All the images here are from Domino. For more inspiration be sure to stop by these blogs all participating in DRDD...
6th Street Design School http://6thstreetdesignschool.blogspot.com/
Aesthetic Oiseau http://www.aestheticoiseau.com/
Caitlin Creer Interiors http://www.caitlincreer.com/
Design Darling http://mackenziehoran.blogspot.com/
Emily A Clark http://emilyaclark.blogspot.com/
High Heeled Foot in the Door http://high-heelfootinthedoor.blogspot.com/
I Suwanee http://www.isuwannee.com/
Kelly Green http://www.kellygreeninteriors.com/
Loft & Cottage http://loftandcottage.blogspot.com/
Matters of Style http://www.mattersofstyleblog.com/
My Favorite and My Best http://www.myfavoriteandmybest.com/
Perfectly Taylor'd http://perfectlytaylord.blogspot.com/
Small Place Style http://smallplacestyle.blogspot.com/
Three Men and A Lady http://windhula.blogspot.com/
Visual Vamp http://visualvamp.blogspot.com/
Instead of boring bookshelves think outside the box for storage. A funky piece or painted piece like the one below would look great....
You will need a chair and I definitely say go for pattern....
Speaking of seating these poufs are cute and perfect for extra seating when friends are around...oh and let's not forget a fun rug....
I wish statement making headboards were around when I was in college. Tall and tufted makes me smile every time...
Dorms can feel so sterile...adding a little feminity never hurt....oh and lucite works great in a small space...
Don' t be distressed by a cramped room, good things come in small packages...
A gallery wall of favorite things can make home feel a little closer...
Or go for some large art, it doesn't have to be fancy to have style....
Thank you Tenia for asking me to be a part of Dorm Room Design Day. All the images here are from Domino. For more inspiration be sure to stop by these blogs all participating in DRDD...
6th Street Design School http://6thstreetdesignschool.blogspot.com/
Aesthetic Oiseau http://www.aestheticoiseau.com/
Caitlin Creer Interiors http://www.caitlincreer.com/
Design Darling http://mackenziehoran.blogspot.com/
Emily A Clark http://emilyaclark.blogspot.com/
High Heeled Foot in the Door http://high-heelfootinthedoor.blogspot.com/
I Suwanee http://www.isuwannee.com/
Kelly Green http://www.kellygreeninteriors.com/
Loft & Cottage http://loftandcottage.blogspot.com/
Matters of Style http://www.mattersofstyleblog.com/
My Favorite and My Best http://www.myfavoriteandmybest.com/
Perfectly Taylor'd http://perfectlytaylord.blogspot.com/
Small Place Style http://smallplacestyle.blogspot.com/
Three Men and A Lady http://windhula.blogspot.com/
Visual Vamp http://visualvamp.blogspot.com/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
