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By: Karen Rhodes
Framing
One of the most important, most fundamental - and most overlooked
- aspects of painting is an appreciation of the frame. This
does not refer to the wooden strips that a picture is "framed"
in, in order to hang it up; but, rather, it refers to the
relationship between the body of the painting and the area
beyond its edges. Every artist makes the conscious decision
to end his or her painting somewhere, to mark off a small
area in which to create his or his art, to limit the scope
of the painting and separate it from the rest of the world.
In a home, think of each room as a distinct painting, and
the boundaries of each room as its frame. When decorating,
keep these frames in mind, and decorate within - as opposed
to through - them. In other words, keep the elements of one
room's décor clearly within that room. You may establish
a theme for the entire house, or for one floor, or for one
multi-room space, but do not blend rooms into each other.
Keep each room clearly defined; keep each painting inside
its frame. Make it clear where the kitchen ends, and where
the living room begins.
Golden Thirds
One of the first rules (or, less strictly, guiding principles)
of artistic composition is the rule of golden thirds: the
simple concept that a composition's main focus should be located
somewhere on a set of imaginary lines that criss-cross a canvas
at the horizontal and vertical intervals of one-third and
two-thirds.
In order to apply this concept to home decorating, visualize
all the planes (floor, walls, ceiling) of a room, and use
your imagination to "draw" the golden thirds across
them. Then, try to concentrate your decorations along these
lines. For example, establish a line one-third of the way
down your living room wall, and use it as guide as to how
high to hang a set of paintings or other wall hangings; or,
"draw" a line two-thirds of the way across your
kitchen floor and place your kitchen table overtop of it.
Usually, you'll want to use one or two big elements, such
as furniture, in combination with golden thirds so as to utilize
the lines without making them obvious.
In a more general way, the rule of golden thirds leads away
from static, unimaginative, and rigid symmetry by forcing
the artist - or decorator - away from the very middle part
of the composition.
Palette
After the frame is set, and the composition and concept complete,
a painter decides on a palette with which to colour his or
her painting. A good palette is usually minimal, featuring
perhaps three colours that are then used and mixed to create
an artwork with a dominant colour scheme, and therefore a
strong character.
In home decoration, a palette can take the form of at least
three things: colors, just as in a painting; specific objects,
like a collection of spoons or a set of rugs; or themes or
motifs, such as seashells for the bathroom or arches for a
hallway. The key to using any one of these types of palettes
is to pick elements that both fit a room by themselves and
that provide ample opportunities for fruitful combinations.
And, also keep in mind that because each room is "taken
in" at once, it is more important to make sure that the
palette in each room is solid than it is to make sure that,
say, the rug in the living room matches the one in your bedroom.
Conclusion
Although home decoration is a different art than painting,
both are, indeed, still arts. Therefore, the methods, techniques
and theories that have been perfected throughout history in
painting can be quite easily adapted to fit decorating. As
American music composer Lukas Foss said: "Most people
think an artist tries to be original, but originality is the
last thing that develops in the artist." So, even when
no one notices that your beautiful new dining room is based
on "a van Gogh", they won't miss that it's still
beautiful - and that's all that matters.
Oh, and remember to have fun, be creative, and feel free
to break some rules after you learn them!
About The Author
Karen Rhodes is a lifelong resident of the Chattanooga area
and is a successful REALTOR®. Check out http://www.ChattanoogaRealEstateToday.com
for more information on Chattanooga and it's surrounding areas.
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