FL/\sH-M()B

...Another commercial which brings a smile to my face.

Sometimes... well most days I wish life was a musical. 

This is exactly what I want life to be life.

In the mean time I'll continue dreaming. Enjoy :)

D/\nC3 L!k3 NoB()di3s WATcHiNG...

Can you believe I'm on my BEAUTIFUL island of Bermuda (my home)... and its ugly as ever outside!!?!

Its not as cold as Greensboro ...But never the less I will make fun in any weather. Rainy days call for fuzzy slipper, hot coco and a good movie: 

Dirty Dancing Havana Nights anyone??? < CLASSIC.

[I'll save my paint brush for a sunny day :) ]

GaRaNC3 D()re

i ADORE .... Garance Dore!!! 

My plan is to spend my entire break improving my sketching skills.... I was googling fashion illustrators and found sketches so beautiful... so simple... I almost shed a tear! I envy her because she has a gift but I am officially INSPIRED! 

 I just had to share her brilliance!

Br!NG oUT The K!D in Y0u...

Im one of those people who consider the previews before a movie... a guilty pleasure! Im pretty sure Im the only person on this entire planet who actually enjoys commercials :) This is a very old commercial that I love ... the great thing is...it still manages to bring laughter to my heart! I hope you enjoy it as much as I always do!

MaCh!n3 ...

P()int [final]

Architecture is often known as the unavoidable art but I'd like to consider it as the ultimate story book. The buildings stand tall and proud revealing all the secrets of their time... of their previous times, allowing us to understand the life of those who came before us. 

To understand the nature of architecture we must break it down into elements and principles which form several theories.

 Design is built up through the building blocks of foundations, alternatives, reflections, and explorations. 

Foundations are important to the world of design. Not only in the aspect that the foundation of a building must be sound and secure but in the metaphorical sense that we as designers are continuously looking back to past foundations and the pioneers of design. In order to move forward we must learn to look back. 

We take these first styles of design and we reflect what we seen in an alternative way. Telling our stories of the present... of what is considered modern at the time.

Architecture is used in many ways and as we look back I began to categorize these uses. In the foundations unit architecture was design in ways for worship, power and longevity. It was important to the people of these times to be remembered. It was important to remember and to be remembered. 

And I must admit that they succeeded in exactly what they were trying to achieve.

In the alternatives unit their focus was on stability… uniting the community as one and uplifting them on high to the ultimate creator… God. In these times their world had been in chaos and they were using architecture to literally and metaphorically build and stabilize a new order for life. The buildings of this time tell their stories through the materials used to build it, their colossal size and the architectural plan view as most buildings were built in the image of a crucifix… solidifying the fact that I believe that they achieved what they were reaching high and upwards to.  

When something is reflected it is seen in a whole new spectrum, and that is exactly what this specific unit showed us. In the reflections unit we become aware of the cycle of revolutions and revivals. This unit teaches us that new designs are simply revivals or ideas which have been inspired by our design foundations which we are constantly looking back to. 

Design is something that takes what has already been done, alters it, and completely changes the meaning from where it originated. 

Which brings us to explorations... which can also be known as the present day. We are continuously looking back, reflecting, alternating, exploring and changing the ideas and look of design to the point where many designers believe that we have made a mess. By trying to change design I feel that we have lost it in transition. 

We are morphing styles together of several different centuries and as a result we have created suburbia. 

This class has opened my eyes to the importance of the ultimate revival... the revival of design it self.

R3aDinG C()mp. 7 : Inquiring Eyes...

While I was soaking in art... with the sponges inside my inquiring eyes I came across the Landscape section. Looking at the "Landscape: Real Surreal Constructed" section within Weatherspoon Art Museum Exhibition at the UNCG campus, I noticed that majority of these pieces depict symbolic and abstract interpretations of the earths surface and the things which are found and inhabit within it... 
It shows life. 

All of these pieces took a very different approach to landscapes.. however the one which caught my attention was entitled : Anna-Maya (1990) by Pinky Bass (American, 1936) and Clara Couch (American, 1923-2004).

quick sketch by moi 

This piece exhibits the elements and principles known to design in a surreal way. The fact that it was photographed in black and white gives it a certain mystery... a secret... something unknown to the exhibiter. 
The fact that it was in black and white also creates opportunity for its audience to focus more on the context which was actually photographed.
The "Gnarled and indistinct imagery make this a true portrait..." (Adeline Talbot) 
... A portrait of a woman driven to see the unseen in her work... in her life. 


The drawing which I have constructed is a simplistic diagram which depicts what happens when a mirror reflects.
Things become lost... while others are suddenly noticed in a new angle... or line of sight. The layering of the tree over half of the woman's face obstructs both the viewers vision as well as it obstructs the woman's vision of the audience. 
I drew my diagram in the form of half of a rectangle to symbolize the tree covering the elderly woman's face. 
This piece is "rich with emotion.. it is unsettling.. which only adds to its claim of authenticity."
As abstract as this piece is... it makes me consider the ideas of design, the foundations, the concepts. Fine Art is not the only category of expression which considers form. Architecture is "the art we cannot escape." (Roth p.612) It is the only thing that materializes our way of life, our world, our secrets. The buildings we create draw "imagery that is comforting and reassuring in a destabilizing world" (Roth p. 584) 

[I.am.OFFICIALLY.] : B()ARD 0F CH/\!RS

Click on Image to see it Better.

[Im not really bored... i'm still insanely in love with them.. I just thought that was a catchy name!] 

F()R TEeeneY T!nY TUsH3s...

I'm pretty sure... that if you've been keeping up with my blog you can see that I'm insanely obsessed with chairs.... 

In my random days search in google.. for random things I came across the cutest uses for chairs that I've ever seen! Who knew chairs had other uses than to support our bums. 

Table Placers.. or seaters... literally haha.  

ummmm... KA-UTTTEE much??! 

Chair pendants for necklaces 

( for santa: I like the Barcelona chair [wink. wink] ) 

Antique Chair Card Holders

The things that people come up with!

Now tell me that you don't love design!

P!Nk FRiDAyyyy

R3aDinG C()mp VI

[1] A common theme of the early twentieth century found in Roth, Harwood, and Massey set the tone for an understanding of styles in architecture and design influenced by fine art. Selecting either Arts + Crafts or Art Nouveau, TRACE the influences of the selected style in more than two nations. In your answer, you should include evidence from the readings and at least two annotated images as support for your analysis of influences.

Art Nouveau was a stylistic period which encompassed every element of design. It was a new design language which was influenced by fine art and was born from the creation of new technologies such as iron and glass. These new materials where manipulated and used to create dynamic shapes which formed gorgeous spaces.

In the early twentieth century design began to incorporate, plan and decorate interiors "with the same respect that had been traditionally been reserved for the exterior" [massey 32].  Architect- designers concerned themselves with all elements of a building. Every thing which was placed inside an interior was thought about... designed...even down to the door handles. 

Art Nouveau first became popular in Europe + travelled to neighboring countries such as Spain, where they knew it as Art Moderno. Out of all who embraced this fashionable trend, Antonio Gaudi was best known for his body of work... literally.  His work depicts a certain fascination with the human body. This can be seen through The Casa Battlo in Spain. Gaudi does a brilliant job dematerializing the body and reforming its skin and bones into a structure. By moulding pillars + beams into organic curves, Gaudi manages to capture bone like forms which supoort the ceiling and compliment the undulating curves and biomorphic furniture placed within the space. His human like design is a beautiful way of looking at structures in the art nouveau period as a whole.

 Just as the body,structures which were built in the art nouveau period need both interior and exterior organs completely designed in order to function and read as one cohesive vessel. 

Casa Battlo - Barcelona, Spain - Antonio Gaudi [massey p.47] 

Even though Art Nouveau was short lived it will forever be indebted to the Beaux Arts movement. Some may argue that the the Paris Opera House was apart of the Beaux Arts stylistic period but I personally feel that it was just the beginning of Art Nouveau. It was a place to see and be seen... and ohhhh was it a place to see! Its glistening walls, curvilinear lines and delicate ornamentation amplify the grandeur of the interior reflecting the beautiful design of the exterior. Jean Louis Charles Garnier captures the organic curves that we find in nature, materializes it and forever embalms it within the walls of the opera house. 

http://www.planetware.com/picture/paris-opera-house-f-f1285.htm

Art Noveau is not about the architecture but is about the design.  


[2] Originating at the Bauhaus and in the work of LeCorbusier, the so-called Modern movement deeply influenced design and architecture of the twentieth century. The great debate raised by this new approach to design involved the presence of the machine in the design process and final products. SPECULATE about the implications of “machines for living” and the famous dictum “less is more” on design today. Use at least one ARTIFACT, SPACE, or BUILDING in your answer, providing a salient image (cited) and annotation to help bolster your argument.


The Modern Movement, also known at the International style arises from theories, forms and technology which "stripped away unnecessary ornament from interiors" [massey p.63] The invention of new materials and building technologies created the opportunity for lighter more spacious and functional living environments. The modern movement rejected the need for ornament and formed the objective to create a comfortable space rather than ostentatious interiors. 
In this period "ascetic architecture was to make no statement other than to reveal itself. Modernism was not l'architecture parlent - it was not speaking architecture. Or at least if the architecture did speak it was only speaking about the current building technology and structural science" [Roth 39]. And thats exactly what the Barcelona Pavilion by Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe did! He changed the way we thought about moving about a space. His task was to build a space for an exhibition when he cleverly made the building it self the exhibition. This building, this machine.. stood still yet the walls seemed as if they were slipping and sliding apart as you moved through out the space. There were very little furnishings, the highly patterned walls took the place of the objects which usually fit into a space... literally showing that "less is more!" The materials used were mainly steel and glass causing all the warmth to be removed from the building. These  new "machine" like structures were the future but they had no life... there was not warmth in the building and no warmth on the walls.
No longer did designers for care clutter of unnecessary ornamentation. The structural skeleton was the ornamentation. Simplicity + Function were the new architectural aesthetics.

http://acquirethebay.com/2009/08/07/daily-inspiration-5/

[3] From the assigned pages in Roth, Harwood, and Massey, SELECT an image that you believe explodes the notion that Modern interiors and objects were black and white. Fully RENDER your own design exploration of that image through color, material, and light and appropriately annotate and cite the image to prove this point.

Bauhaus Office 

rendered by ME 

Using water color

[click on image to see it larger]

90's Baby...

I am not ashamed to admit many things about my self... like :  the fact that I laugh like a nerd,  my favorite part of going to the movies is to watch the previews and that I was born in the 90's! ... even though I'm proud to be a nineties baby, I have always been ashamed of the fashion that was born along with me. 

That is... until I had to study the trends and pull out the best of the "mess" .... guess there's some good in all that bad after all.

crop tops, floral + tribal prints, combat boots, denim jackets, ripped jeans and leather make delicious styles like : 

90's girlie grundge, Tribal prints + denim days

we all had fun reviving the 80's .... well hello fashion world make room for the nineties 

CL()cK

When you look at the inside of a clock you can see that each gear is like a different design period… even though each has its own place, all fitted into one space, they are continuously working together in some ways and fighting against in others.

A clock is an instrument for measuring + recording time.

As we look back at design histories we begin to notice that time is what defines us…defines ways of life.

The Queen Anne Style: was a design style established before the revolution. This chair exhibits symmetry and free flowing curvilinear lines. It had a removable slip seat, which gave the option to change and clean the fabric if it was ruined by spills. 

Chipping Dale (American Federal) Style:  was a style designed after the revolution. This chair is much more refined, with straight lines, confined spaces and no feet. It has more padding however, the seat is not removable. It almost looks as if the chair is leaping off of the floor.

http://chaircards.wordpress.com/page/2/

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2529/3704613867_b53acddf4b_o.jpg

http://www.ams.org/featurecolumn/images/december2008/gears.0.gif

L()uD

Its officially 2 days and 9 & a 1/2 hours before Rihanna's cd is released!!! Can any one tell that i'm super duper exciteddddd?! I adore her! her style, music, her attitude.. her hair! ...  
I would say that she even inspired me to dye my hair red butttt mine was red first :D 
But any ways her first two singles are much more up beat then her last cd so i can tell that its going to be a good one.

P.s dont be a PIRATE... buy her cd or at least a few songs from itunes. 

ALt3RnaTiV3s [SUMmARY]

Corry Mears 
http://www.corrymears.blogspot.com/


Jessica Wilson
http://designthathelps-jessica.blogspot.com/


Anna Behrendt
http://suseannasophia.blogspot.com/


 The Alternatives unit encompasses the stylized Gothic and Renaissance periods. Corry refers to Layman's terms by reiterating the fact that design is emulating something that has "already been built in society and altering it to create something new, yet refined." Foundations are what we build upon but on those foundations we make alternatives for the entire world to see and the alternatives are still with us today. They just get translated so differently that we have the mindset that it's something completely different but really it's still home to some of those roots from previous eras. 
Breaking rules, and designing out the box is what Jessica feels the Alternatives unit is about. An Alternative is a "new wave of design  and architecture that reflected a new sense of style [which emulates the foundations which came before the present time], that will carry both the past and the present with it. Landscape,materials,nature and people all play an important role in design.. and Jessica does An excellent job at  pointing out that these periods we see design encompassing all aspects of every day life... its "a breathe of fresh air in terms of how architecture and design influenced other objects or articles around it . 
When looking at this unit over all, Anna sums up this unit by referring to design as thinking outside the box. Design is something that takes what has already been done, alters it, and completely changes the meaning from where it originated. 

M/\t3RiaL GiRL [RENDERED TEXTILES]

Brick

Cobble Stone

Wood

Bricked Stone

Marble

Cement

Sahara Marble

Paneled Glass

Tile

Glass Brick

Rendered by Me

Using: Only one white pencil Crayon + My Trusty Dusty ChartPaks

I finally conquered my fear of Markers... Hope I did Suzanne Proud :) 

R3FLeCti0Ns [SuMMaRY]

Justin Mcnair 
http://jgjmcnair.blogspot.com/


Kara Kooy 
http://karankooy.blogspot.com/ 


Laura Abigail Buchanan http://abigailbuchanan.blogspot.com 

In the words of Justin Mcnair  " the reflections unit explores the design history between the Renaissance and the style we coin Modernism beginning in the early 20^th century." With emphasis on scale and material he manages to tie these elements in with the design language of the unit showing how the styles emerge and fade just as trends do. 

Abigail solidifies this idea of modern trends by mentioning that in design we become "aware of the cycle of revolutions and revivals." This unit teaches us that new designs are simply revivals or ideas which have been inspired by our design foundations which we are constantly looking back to. 

Lastly Kara Kooy does an excellent job at helping us realize that even though the 19th and 20th centuries discussed in this unit were inventive, busy and constantly moving us forward. She quotes that "The extensive changes experienced in the 18th and 19th centuries were necessary elements in the further development of "modernism" in the 20th century. Ultimately forcing us to look to the past which prepares us for the future in which we find our selves designing for in the future. 

P()iNT [R3FLeCTi0NS]

when things get reflected, 

sometimes the image that we see 

is what we think we see or

 what we want to see...
we miss things,
leave them out or
change it to our desires just like design.

   In design, time is the fighting force which moves us forward in a way where we must accept + grasp the past, reflecting the lifestyle, principles and ideas on to the architecture.  Not only does design reflect on past foundations but it also looks to other countries for inspiration.

In the 19th century trade became increasingly popular and was vastly growing. This formed opportunities of insight to international design. 

Things that belonged to other countries were beginning to appear in show rooms, dinning halls and bedrooms that were not classified as their traditional context. People were beginning to collect things from other design cultures in order to reflect the ideas of worldliness, education and wealth to their guests. 

Baroque was only the beginning of design revolution and rebellion.  After the American Revolution between the new Americas and England, America began searching for their own independent voice in the language of design to solidify their separation from their homeland.

As hard as they tried to differentiate them selves, their buildings and designs showed hints of where their ideas originated.  States such as Virginia, North Carolina and Washington began to reflect the work of Palladio and Neoclassical England.  Many non-religious establishments such as the Strawberry Hill’s Pink Room, where beginning to be built in the image of churches, carrying the characteristics of axial plans, coffered ceilings, vaults and domes.

While America was focused on creating a design language that differed from England, England began to focus on creating a design language that reflected the ideas of east meets west. Things from another world where exhilarating and exciting to people, + the architecture in England was beginning to reflect the new epidemic at the time. Whether it was an entire building, such as The Royal Pavilion or just a single room with in a house, like The Peacock Room, both defy the rules of stylized design...pushing the limits of how many different styles can fit into the same space 

During the 19^th century there was a constant struggle to define one solid design identity. The Industrial revolution made this even more difficult due to the introduction of the new materials Iron and Glass. New ideas and structures began to form therefore changing the face of design. In the 19th century there was a constant battle between the worlds of hand crafted design and machine. Personally I feel that the battle has continued on to this present day. I am one to speak quickly when I say that I am all for hand rendering and crafted design until I stumbled across the wise words of Charles Ashbee, who once said "we do not reject the machine we welcome it, [and] desire to see it mastered"

Ironic to say, but the crystal palace reflects both literally and metaphorically, ideas of the past and present bringing all forms of design language into one place.

The crystal palace was like a looking glass...a mirror...  that depicted designs of previous times helping designers to reflect in its image and create their own.

In the 19^th century I have observed that design is formed through the hands of time and operates like the gears that move inside a clock... working and fighting against each other in order for it to tell the right story in and of that specific time.

LaY iT 0uT : V()GU3

[ Created in Photoshop by Me. 

Styled around Julianne Moore 

for a Vogue Layout that I created.

Click on image to see it in it's larger form]

[click on images to see them in larger form]

Picture of: Upholstery : printed damasks + cottons

Early 1800's

Harwoord P.89

Rendered by Me: in pencil

Picture of: Upholstery : printed damasks + cottons

Early 1800's

Harwoord P.89

Rendered by Me: pencil, watercolor and colored pens.

During the British Greek Revival there was a demand for "luxury, prosperity and growth" [Harwood. P.66]

The industrial revolution helped progress + move them to this desire. Fashion began to "surpass taste as the driving force in the arts and design."

Machine made fabrics became increasingly common throughout the period and were considered highly prized. These brightly coloed chintzes : commonly came in greens, browns and yellow... reds were not popular at the time. They displayed a full range of patterns that were mainly inspired by nature + reflected the previous motif styles of British/ Greek design. 

These motifs included architectural motifs such as columns. They also included flowers + large scales of botanical plants. 

These pattens formed the interiors of dining rooms + libraries. The eye catching curves of the printed upholstery were also carved + applied to furniture, used as window "treatments", and contrasting wall hangings. The burst of these naturalistic patterns linked man and nature in one place... setting moods, creating atmosphere and reflecting great founding design periods by adding their own personal touch. 

[Artifact]: Painting

Here is a painting by Edgar Degas, entitled : THE DANCERS. This painting may not seem eastern but there are clear indications that he was inspired by their art. He was specifically influenced by eastern wood block prints shown in the 2nd image. He borrows the body forms and the colors and puts his own western twist on it 

[Eastern Wood Block Print]

[ This is the original picture of Edgar Degas' painting that Patrick showed us in class. That shows the link between the eastern wood block print. Unfortunately I could not find the wood block print which inspired this painting]  

[Space]: The Peacock Room

The Peacock Room shows clear indications of Japanese influence. The delicate gilded detail, dragons, and respect/ emphasis on nature gives the sense and humble feeling of eastern design. The idea that one has a room in their home in the western world that has been influenced by the east shows that they have the funds, education and worldly - ness to own something such as this room.

[Building]: The Royal Seaside Pavilion

Without surrounding context, you would have no idea that this building was in Brighton, Uk. This western located Pavilion has a middle eastern influence on its exterior. But what is most intriguing is that several eastern countries have influenced this Royal Pavilion on the inside as well through: motifs, colors and artifacts

[Place]: ChinaTown, New York

China Town is a modern-day "World Fair." The eastern lifestyle has influenced the western world so much that New York has brought a little piece of China to the stateside adding a western twist. This is a huge statement in history and shows just how much the East has influenced the western world.

There is no doubt that the western world has been influenced by the Eastern world and has borrowed ideas from their art, designs, architecture.... from their world. This created a whole new spectrum in the world of design... defying the "rules" and placing things that do not belong together. The question is how far must we go when it comes mixing of styles before we ultimately create our own? ... In some sense, every home has created a new style that has been influenced by a founding period but they put their own personal twist on it according to their personal experience. 

Work Cited: 

http://www.worldtourist.us/newyorkcity/chinatown.jpg

Edgar degas: http://www.topofart.com/artists/Hilaire_Germain_Edgar_Degas/art_reproduction/2799/Dancers_in_Pink.php

Chinese wood block prints :http://qag.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/image/0005/72986/varieties/Thumbnail_320.jpg