Apologizing again....

Dear Readers,
I have to apologize again. I have 3 sick pigeons (PMV virus) to care for at the moment. So posts on this blog have to wait for a little time. Please be patient with me - thank you!

Romance with Cast Iron and Silk

Yellow is friendly, it is warm and cozy and if it is the right hue it is like the sun.
I like this room very much and I absolutely love this 4-poster bed in cast iron. It looks so wonderfully old-fashioned and romantic. The only thing I did not like in this room was the painting that was placed on the wall. There was too much additional yellow. If you check the original photo you will understand what I mean.

If this were my room I would have rather hung this silk painting on the wall. The Valley just adds the right contrast to this room colour without being too prominent and hard in my opinion.
If you would like to check the details of this painting from the Magic Landscapes series - please check this link.

original image source from http://www.getdecorating.com

"The Valley"
(from the Magic Landscapes Series)
silk, 21" x 40"
©Petra Voegtle

A different impression here with the painting in a gilded wooden frame, although it could be hung easily without any frame as it is gallery wrapped. In certain environments a beautiful frame yet can enhance the whole value of a piece of art.

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Some Mysteries and a cozy Retreat...

Isn't this strange? While I was very young history has never interested me much besides ancient buildings, ruins, fortresses which can be a great inspirational source for a child or teenager. I have always loved to read stories which take place in ancient sceneries full of secrets and mysteries. Maybe this was the spark for this series of Magic Symbols which I painted just a few years ago. Memories of childhood fantasies. I really don't know.

What I do know now is that I love this kind of bedrooms, a cozy retreat from every day's stress and duties. Light colours to re-fill soul and energy.

The silk painting on the wall is Qumran, from the Magic Symbols series. Click on the link and you can see more details about this series. Qumran is an ancient place from the days of the Second Temple on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea. It became famous since 1947 when a number of ancient manuscripts were found in nearby caves. Today these manuscripts are known as the Dead Sea Scrolls.

original image source from http://www.getdecorating.com

Qumran
(from the Magic Symbols series)
40" x 13" silk
©Petra Voegtle
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I am adding here an example of how this silk painting could be framed (as shown in the ambiente above). The richness of this gilded wooden frame adds to the colours and enhances the subject I believe:

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Light as a Feather...

I apologize for not posting much these days but I was (and still am) very busy working on a new painting series. So you may understand that I need to set priorities. As much as I love blogging and looking for new opportunities to show you what wonderful interiors can be found out there - sometimes not everyhing you like to do is manageable any more and I wished I had another pair of hands and more than 24 hours a day.

The painting here is the latest that I finished and I thought I show you two beautiful environments where the very same painting looks completely different, depending on frame and surrounding colours: in the very light room it looks dreamlike, with a touch of romance, in the dark room the painting serves as a kind of optical brightener, giving the elegant room a more cheerful touch.

As I already said the painting is the startup of a new series about one of my favourite subjects: pigeons (finally). It is called Contemplation on a Feather. As you may know I am writing a documentary and diary about a feral pigeon family who lives on my balcony since nearly 2 years now. This diary contains many stories and photos about pigeons, who are extremely underestimated and misjudged. These birds are highly intelligent, make very funny companions and are absolutely amiable. If only more people would realize how special these birds are. Maybe you will change your mind too if you start reading my blog Pigeon Tales. You will learn a lot of things you probably did not know before.

If you would like to see more details of the painting please use this link.

with courtesy of http://www.livingetc.com
click here for the original image source

with courtesy of http://www.livingetc.com
click here for the original image source

Contemplation on a Feather
(from the Pigeons series)
18" x 26" acrylic
©Petra Voegtle
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The painting looks very different depending on the frame it is mounted in. This is just an example I like very much because it looks so romantic...

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Magic Landscapes in the Hallway

I like this hallway for its simplicity. It looks unspoiled, ready to reveal some magic, nothing spectacular but simply something magical which you can only discover if you look close enough to see what might be seducing.
The idea of placing these two silk paintings (virtually) above the sofa came from the other art work on the wall of the staircase. Its theme fits very well to the ones of the two silk paintings from the Magical Landscapes Series.

If you would like to see more of the latter - please check this link and this link - both paintings available at the Boxheart Gallery in Pittsburgh.

original image source from http://www.getdecorating.com

"Angkor's Relics" and "Morning in Sumatra"
(from the Magic Landscapes series)
40" x 13" each, silk
©Petra Voegtle
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Hornets on Silk and a Chaiselongue...

Most of you probably do not love this insect but I would like to break a stone for them.

This silk scroll is an hommage to an insect which has a very bad reputation due to many myths which need to be rectified. Exaggerated stories of hornet attacks and the effect of their stings such as "Seven hornet stings kill a horse, three an adult and two a child" simply belong to that world of fairy tales. Such myths which exist for generations have led to the hornet to become an endangered species in many areas of Central Europe, due to merciless human pursuit.

Hornets are extremely beneficial. If you have hornets in your garden you should be very glad because hornets hunt wasps and other insects. They are not attracted by sweet smells, they are not interested in any human food and therefore don't bother you when you are in the garden. On the contrary - they keep wasps at distance. They are not aggressive at all unless you disturb their nest.
Hornets belong to the most sophisticated architects in the insect world. Their nests are extremely beautiful and were the inspiration for this painted abstract silk scroll.

The original artwork on the wall was something different. But I thought this scroll, mounted on a frame (instead of a silk scroll hung on dowels) would complement this chaiselongue wonderfully, composing antique style with modern abstract art that reflects something very precious - nature on silk.

with courtesy of http://www.livingetc.com
click here for the original image source

"Hornets"
43" x 24", silk scroll
©Petra Voegtle
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Similar to the nests of hornets are the magnificent nest structures of wood wasps. I have added some photos I made from pieces of a wasp nest, photographed against light so that you can admire the structures and patterns of these incredible architects:

photography ©Petra Voegtle
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A modern Sunroom

There is no knickknack in this room - only clear elegance, no extra embellishment. The emphasis is on the view to the garden, unspoiled, without distraction. This place lives with the light that enters this room without any barriers, giving a feeling as if you are sitting directly in the garden. A modern understanding of a sunroom I would think.

The silk carving on the wall is merely a connection with the feeling that we all embrace from time to time, a longing for something else we do not own, another sphere, another time, light in times of darkness...

If you would like to see details of the silk carving use this link.

with courtesy of http://www.livingetc.com
click here for the original image source

"The Longing"
silk carving
©Petra Voegtle
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Outstanding modern Design

If you haven't seen this already I would like to direct you to an extraordinary design: the interior of a new restaurant in Boston.

"Banq is the new restaurant in the old Penny Savings Bank (1375 Washington Street, Boston, MA) at the base of the old banking hall, designed by Office dA. The restaurant interior offers unique experience for guests and they’ll be remembering this restaurant design. The wall and ceilings were decorate using wave element made from unique pieces of three-quarter-inch birch plywood adhered together..." (continue to read here)

(original image source from Momoy.com)

The principal and founder of this design company is Monica Ponce de Leon, born in Venezuela. The company has received numerous awards for their salient designs.

I think this is an excellent example where architecture, interior design, art and craftsmanship result in a perfect sinfonia.
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Breaking the Order

You may have seen this perfectly styled room probably a couple of times. It has been published in various magazines. I love the composition, the clean graphical lines, it's light and order. Everything seems to be at the right place. And that's my problem with this room.
For me it looks like the showroom in an extravagant designer store and I am missing the personal touch - that kind of touch that shows me that someone is actually living here.

So if this were my room I would go and break up the order, add something personal, add a painting that contains movement and adds life - just as this silk painting Tassili I, inspired by the cave paintings and engravings that have been found in the Algerian desert. Isn't this a humorous oxymoron??

If you want to know more about the painting check this link

I apologize - cannot find the original image source

Tassili I
(from the Magic Symbols series)
40" x 13" silk
©Petra Voegtle

Hopefully soon....

I am really sorry if I disappointed my readership for not posting anything for the last 2 weeks. But as you know I am currently a pigeon mother. Additionally to the babies having been attacked by that awful pidge - our baby pigeons became sick and I had to care for them all day. Additional visits at the vet became necessary and I was very worried.

Now I can say that both are on their way to complete recovery. I love these birds, as I love the whole family. These are incredible birds and if you happen to ever meet one or two, feel honoured and glad. They have to give so much love.

If you do not believe me please see my pigeon diary the Pigeon Tales.

Peppi and Pina

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A bit off Topic...

You may be wondering where my new posts are? Well - I am bit short of time currently. See what I am busy with:



So far about interior design - LOL. These are Peppi and Pina (from Peppina), the babies of Willy and Winnie, who again are the kids of Emma and Pete, a pigeon couple that lives on our balcony since last year. Since this year Willy and Winnie are living on our balcony as well. And once a year they are allowed to have babies – all the eggs both couples are laying are replaced by plaster eggs – otherwise….

This is an adventure I would recommend to anyone who loves animals and especially birds. It is unbelievable how intelligent and adaptive these birds are. Their personalities and behaviour is amazing and I consider myself as a very lucky person to have been given this gift.

Since last year I write a diary and documentary about our pigeon family with lots of photos, slideshows and little videos. If you would like to check this out – here it is and you will love it.

Pigeon Tales

Why am I keeping these little buggers inside? Because a very evil bastard pigeon came a couple of days ago and nearly scalped little Pina and wounded Peppi. I found both babies bleeding like crazy, with deep puncture wounds in their little heads. That foreign pigeon wanted to steal the nest and tried to kill our babies. This I could not let happen so I took them inside…

You can read the whole horror story soon on my pigeon blog. It is scary.

So many amazing things I have learned about feral pigeons in the meanwhile, how extremely intelligent they are and how adaptive. If you want to know more about this all with many funny stories check out my blog Pigeon Tales. You won't be disappointed but surely surprised...

Additionally I am adding a video here so that you can see yourself what I am talking about...


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Landscaping

The monuments of nature have always been part of man's fascination. And despite all attempts the colours of nature cannot be reproduced in all their splendor and in all their variations. Each artificial reproduction will fade away in the face of the real scenery. Even photography is not capable of giving us what the eye and the soul is seeking.

Additionally colour is susceptible to every individual's interpretation. Sometimes it seems that colour becomes a very personal goal/achievement. This is the "burden" of any interior designer as well as any artist. Not to speak of the deficiencies some people are suffering from, such as colour blindness in various grades.

Still - colour is one of the most important elements of interior design and will always be unless we learn to live in a world one day that is no longer dependent on superficial surfaces - but that would be science fiction??

I "added" this silk painting Canyon to this hallway, thinking of opening spaces which lead into other spaces - fantasies - just as a valley would do. Where would you like to be? In the hallway or in the canyon?

original image source from http://www.getdecorating.com

"Canyon"
(from the Magic Landscapes series)
Triptych, 40" x 63", silk
©Petra Voegtle

A few details from this painting are shown below. The silk painting Canyon is actually a triptych, inspired by the many marvellous canyons in northern America's national parks. If you want to know more about it check this link.

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Butterflies and Moroccan Style

As far as I can take a peak into this room - I love every little aspect I can can see in this image, the silvery sideboard, the table, the vintage coffeepot, the candleholders and all other accessories which give this room such a personal note, one of a traveller...

And something else you can see in this room that I would have added if this were mine: the silk scroll with the butterflies, called Panaxia. This could be another potential memory if you were travelling to Rhodos, the Greek island.

There - each August - a natural miracle is taking place.

with courtesy of http://www.livingetc.com
click here for the original image source

"In the western side of the island of Rhodes lies the Valley of the Butterflies (Petaloudes). This is one of the most attractive destinations on the island. During August, thousands of butterflies of the genus Panaxia (species Quadripunctaria Poda) overwhelm the valley in order to reproduce. During the rainy period, the Butterflies in the caterpillar stage remain in the Mediterranean thicket feeding on the foliage. As the end of the wet season approaches, towards the end of May, the final stage is concluded and the butterfly in all her perfection makes her appearance in the form recognizable to us all. They move constantly towards areas of highest humidity is greatest, always following the "water ways", as the dry period progresses, they finally arrive at the valley.

Unfortunately, over the last few years the population of the Panaxia has been constantly in decline, due to several factors, one of the most important being the disturbance by visitors. The butterfly has an atrophic peptic system, meaning has no stomach. From May until the mating period (for the males), and until the egg lying period (for the females) they do not eat. They survive from the energy stored from their previous lives as caterpillars. The disturbance of visitors is forcing the butterflies to fly all day, consuming valuable energy. Visitors should not be denied the enjoyment of viewing the butterflies at rest, but it is prohibited to disturb them in any way (hand clapping, whistling etc)." (from Rhodes Guide)

I have seen several documentations about this and I wished I could experience this in reality - it must be pure magic. That's why I created this silk scroll. Check out more details under this link.

"Panaxia I"
43" x 24", silk scroll
©Petra Voegtle
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A Zen-like Atmosphere

Lovely view from a dining room - isn't it? So calm and serene, the right environment to enjoy a meal that has been prepared with much love.

If this room were in my house I would have added this Japanese style paravent as an art object that enhances the feeling of this room. This paravent is very special to me because of its very delicate hand carving. The sculptured Buddha statue in the middle panel adds to the serenity and peace of this room, giving it a nearly Zen like atmosphere.

I have added a few detail pictures of this paravent Buddha Amida but if you would like to see more please check this link. There you will also find a detailed description how this paravent has been created and what it's all about.

original image source from http://www.getdecorating.com

This is the handcarved paravent or Spanish Wall, a polyptych that can be taken apart completely (unlike normals paravents or screens). The 3 middle panels could even stand on their own because of the feet - so there is plenty of possibilities to use this for decoration. The wood is solid pine wood - i.e. from renewable resources. It is extremely important for me to use renewable sources instead of tropical woods which might be illegally harvested. The special working process on the wood carving and especially the production of the original planks which are glued in blocks also prevents not only deforming but later splitting due to changes in humidity and temperature which often occurs with cheap imports.

This wood carving has been stained and polished with beeswax which adds not only protection but also a velvety shimmer to the wood and the surface becomes super smooth.

"Buddha Amida"
Japanese Polyptych, hand carved, 79" x 69" x 9"
©Petra Voegtle
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before the staining

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ECCENTRIC DISCOVERIES: Sleeping Underwater

The ultimate intangible eccentricity for me personally would be this underwater resort that will open its doors in 2010 on the Fiji Islands.

I am an outdoor girl and I love to be in the countryside, in the woods. There is nothing more satisfying than watching animals in the wild, see what grows out there etc. etc. But my absolute favourite place in the world is being under the surface of warm waters, in the pacific blue or any other ocean. This is my world, this could be my home, this is my very own origin that I feel deep in my soul.

After I experienced the colourful underwater world while snorkeling in southeast Asia for the first time in my life I was hooked. I have always loved water, learned to swim before I went to school and have spent all my summer holidays always near water, be it a lake, a river or the sea. But actually seeing the fantastic underwater world in reality in Asia made my heart leap and wishing for more. Much more.

I learned to dive on Maui 11 years ago. What would be a better place than the bluest ocean in the world. What could be a better place than the Hawaiian Islands. And I learned it the hard way - with a former navy officer who knew no mercy. It was an excellent training - not the swimming pool thing - but the real one, the one with huge waves, with sometimes no visibility at all but only touching for your partner in order not to be lost, the one where you had to walk quite a while with all that heavy gear on your shoulders, the one were you had to watch out for razor sharp corals or all kinds of stingy things.

I asked myself more than once whether I really wanted to do that, spend my holiday with a training such as this...but it was the best thing I could do - ever! EVER!

Now I found this link. The Poseidon Resort on the Fiji Islands. This would be the fulfillment of my dreams - to spend a week or so in a room such as the one that can be seen in the last pic. On the other hand I would have to win the lottery in order to be able to afford such a holiday - so I am afraid this will remain a dream...

(screenshots from the www.poseidonresorts.com website)

... but dreaming we can - can't we?
And what about creating interiors for a location such as this one? Imagine working in such an environment - this would be just too much... Imagine getting up in the morning eye to eye with a nautilus or even one of those wonderful whale sharks. And how about seeing a manta fly by?

A small series of silk paintings (which I intend to continue) would be the perfect decoration for an environment such as this one - but judge for yourself:

"Sepia"

"Nautilus"

"Humpback"

all 40" x 13", silk paintings by

©Petra Voegtle
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Living Room in white - not quite...

Rooms in white have something innocent, virginal, pure and clean. But his does not mean that they must be impersonal, cold and repellant. On the contrary. Depending on accessories and interior design in total these rooms can be full of charme, cosy and inviting to live in - such as this room which I really like very much.

The main contribution to ease and comfort here is certainly the wonderful wooden floor that has been kept in a chalklike finish and the breathtakingly beautiful crystal candelabras. Not to mention the slipcovered furniture that adds a lot to the "feeling at home".

If this were my room I would add some plants to give it a bit more of a sun room and of course I would add some art - just like this silk carving Bamboo piece.

with courtesy of http://www.livingetc.com
click here for the original image source

The silk carving Bamboo belongs to the Hawaiian Symbols series. It has been sculptured from one single piece of silk with a technique that I developed further from the trapunto techniques, known in classical quilting. If you would like to see more details please see this link.

"Bamboo"
(from the Hawaiian Symbols Series)
59" x 15", silk carving
©Petra Voegtle
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A beautiful Home in a beautiful Garden...

Just something for you to smile...
I thought for the little snail it is true - isn't it? It's design - not human made but natural - nevertheless a design.

Here is the house and...

and here is the garden...

Did I lie or what?

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Dining Room with Landscape...

A dining room without any knick-knack but in warm earthy colours. The latter always creates a cosy and inviting feeling and in this case there is no exception to the rule.

It is not meant to be cynical when I thought this silk painting Dry Land to be an excellent addition to the vibrancy of this room because it assimilates the very same colours. Additionally it leads into the distance what might be an advantage for a rather small room such as this one.

original image source from http://www.getdecorating.com

The painting was inspired by the breathtaking colours I have seen in Egypt. The skies over the desert are exploding with all hues of red, yellow, violets and purples, colours I have never seen in my life before. They must hail from the palette of the Big Spirit Himself - no human being can create colours such as these.

But to every beauty there is also a downside. These are the cosmic laws of balance and duality. In arid regions such as this, water is the most precious treasure. And as usual some areas have plenty - others none at all. So survival becomes a daily task that often ends fatally.

We - as tourists - can return into our well-balanced and air-conditioned homes, our mind full of magnificent images but the people who cannot return to a different location have to face the challenge. Whether they have the eye and the leisure for this unearthly beauty is doubtful. Their life is wrapping around different issues - the one of survival of their families and themselves.

Dry land does not grow crops. Instead it is deadly. Deadly beautiful but with a treacherous beauty. No human can survive here.

"Dry Land"
(from the Magic Landscapes series)
40" x 21", silk
©Petra Voegtle
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