OFF-TOPIC: This Time of the Year it should have been...

...this scenario

...or even this one which is one of the environmental crimes of the city of Munich again where the Olympic lake was dried out, fish and everything else "removed" only to be the playground for some idiots. These blockheads think it is so cool to have a World cup skiing slalom for ONE DAY in the middle of the city (but this is a completely different story) although the appropriate ground exists just 50 km south of the city towards the Alps (the pics show snow canons that produce the stuff that is needed for plastering the little Olympic mountain for this event). How irresponsible and shallow-brained is that? And the waste of energy that could have supported a whole village for one year not to talk about the damage that is done to the whole ground when the stuff melts away etc. etc.??

In winter time the lake is normally populated by all sort of waterfowl and other birds. Many come from northern regions to find food here and some open water still when everything else is frozen. But now the area is completely dead, not a single duck or goose to be seen. It is very sad. And you want to know what the greatest joke is? We currently have temperatures around 12°C and the snow is completely gone...

Btw - the photos have been made on the 12th of Dec. Four days later the snow was completely gone. This is typical for Munich city. So far to the planning skills of  a host and organizer...

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Volcano Landscape in a Moroccan inspired Living Room

Moroccan flair - what could be more inspiring than the colours, patterns and textures of Moroccan interior. I simply love the deep colours which bathe in an opulence that is always reminiscent of fairy tales and dreams of 1001 nights.

The colours especially touch the senses, purples, dark blues and then the shimmer of brass and silverware seem to emanate something vibrating that seduces you to forget about everything else...

 with courtesy of http://www.livingetc.com

While the vignette of this wonderful living room does not tell me how large the room actually is I feel I would add a painting on the wall, that repeats all those voluptuous colours:

The landscape is painted on silk which certainly would complement the brocades of the pillows.

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

This silk painting has been inspired by the breathtaking landscapes on the Hawaiian Islands, especially the Haleakala National Park. You can read more about it here if you like and what's so special about this painting.

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Bonjour Tristesse - but not in the Bedroom please!

Please do not get me wrong here - I find this bedroom extremely elegant, stylish and very well designed. All the elements complement each other perfectly. But it looks really depressing. There is something important missing: a piece of colour!

I know - a bedroom should be kept mostly in  "neutral" colours, because it is meant for relaxing, getting a good night sleep, yadayada. But I would not want to sleep in a room with depressing colours such as these. Yes - depressing because that abundance of greys and blacks would rather remind me of a funeral parlour than a bedroom in which I could feel well.

A single piece of bright colour would do the trick: f.e. with this brightly coloured silk scroll, mounted on a simple stretcher frame without the upper and lower part as can be seen in the original scroll (please see below). But check for yourself. It would not change the design of this room but add a tiny bit of life and friendliness, warmth and excitement and keep off depressing feelings...

The original silk scroll was handpainted and additionally quilted with silk thread to add texture and depth.
This kind of scrolls is reminiscent of ancient Chinese or Japanese scroll paintings - their construction yet is completely different and has been developed by myself.

While traditional Japanese and Chinese silk scrolls are made from very thin painted silk, that is glued to paper which again is normally covered by patterned silk, my scrolls consist of 3 layers of fabric and no paper at all.

The middle piece is constructed like a quilt with a layer of very thin batting between the top layer which is the painted silk and the back. Headpiece and footpiece are normally made from silk as well, which has been fused to a thin layer of rayon fabric.

"Desert"
48" x 24", silk scroll
©Petra Voegtle

Finally top and bottom part of the scroll are sewn with a narrow tube at the end to be able to push a dowel through the fabric which is used for hanging. But as I said already - top and bottom part could also be removed in order to mount the middle piece on a stretcher frame.

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A sweet little Bedroom in Cream and Green and dreaming of sunlit Valleys

** A very HAPPY and PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR **

to everybody!

When the light is missing and the days are dull,cold and unfriendly don't you long for some friendly and cozy environment too? 

I miss the green outside and the colours but mostly the green. That feeling is coming back, the fainthearted question arising whether it will ever be warm again and whether there will be any colours ever outside again. Of course there will but at the moment it does not look like that. I hate this kind of weather, the winter, the cold and I wish to be in warmer regions and say goodbye to winter forever. Truly!

In the meanwhile I am dreaming of sunlit valleys on tropical islands, of wonderfully green palms and other trees which are swinging in a breeze and I imagine being in this bedroom, having a good night sleep there and waking up in the morning and seeing the ocean outside...heavenly...

Below is the original photo of this bedroom and I thought it needs a bit more art on the wall than just these tiny frames with the kids photos or grandchildren on the wall behind. To be honest would YOU hang these photos above your bed? There are better places for these...

The art work is a silk painting inspired by the landscapes of the Hawaiian Islands - where else? It is called The Valley.It is ready to be hung with or without additional frame as it is gallery wrapped (the staples are on the back only and it's sides are painted too).

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

Other room examples with this painting can be found here.

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Merry Christmas and some Winter Impressions

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Peace to everybody

and a

May you all have wonderful holidays

in peace and harmony with

your family and/or friends

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And here are some winter impressions - if only winter would always look like that it would be more tolerable...

(all images ©Petra Voegtle)

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Bedroom under the Roof and a Winter Landscape

There is nothing spectacular in this bedroom and it does not even look similar yet it reminds me of my childhood just because it is directly beneath the roof with slanting walls.

My bedroom at my parents house was the highest beneath the roof, it had 2 slanting walls, 2 small windows with a breathtaking view over the valley towards the mountains and my father had made a built-in bed just beneath one of those slanting walls. The room was small but for a child it was heavenly and cozy. In the early morning I was awakened by the singing blackbirds which had their nests beneath the roof and I could hear their scratching on the wood when they climbed into their nest. Funny how seeing a totally different room can recall such memories...

As usual I virtually added some art to the wall which I would certainly do if this room were mine - this time I added a photo with a winter landscape which is very appropriate at this time of the year. I decided to introduce also my photography. I tend to forget that photos can add a lot of charme to a room not only paintings. I have quite a stock of wonderful photographs in the meanwhile and it would be a shame not to take this opportunity to share them with you.

Here is the original photo with a blank wall. It looks a bit impersonal at this stage:

Below is the photograph with the winter landscape that I thought to be perfect for this room:

©Petra Voegtle

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Rhythm in Interior Design and the Bedroom

The columns of classic interior design are defined by 6 major rules:

1. proportion and scale
2. balance
3. contrast
4. colours and textures
5. rhythm
6. harmony

These are more or less the same rules which also apply to the composition of a painting. So for me the design of a room is comparable with a painting in 3d format. Either you feel good in it or not.

In this room vignette clearly the rule of rythm is followed by the silk painting on the wall repeating the pattern of the rug, not to speak of the colours which can be found in the art as well. Additionally I virtually placed the painting into a large golden frame in order to repeat the gilded chair. As everything else is kept rather simple the frame would add a focal point to this room without being too dominant. Without the artwork though the room would look a bit gloomy...

 original image source and with courtesy of 

http://www.livingetc.com

The painting is created on silk. Inspired by the rice terraces of southeast Asia it recalls memories of mystical landscapes in the early morning hours when the damp air from the night rises with the first sunbeams.

"Ricefields at Dawn"

(from the Magic Landscapes series) 
40" x 21", silk (without frame)
©Petra Voegtle

You can see other room examples with this painting here.

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A Dining Room with Landscape or Modern Art?

In general art has always something to do with emotion and our response is very personal. Either we love a piece of art or not, either we feel attached to it or not. But there are some rules where we can hang certain art in order to look good i.e. complementary and where not.

Here we have a dining room with a clear line, without any draperies, no embellishments, clean, modern, nearly prosaic if there wasn't that awesome view through the windows, revealing a breathtaking landscape even if we don't see very much of it in this photo.

Whoever placed the original art work on the wall did wrong in my opinion - it simply does not fit into this environment. It would have blended well into the dining room of a modern appartment in the middle of a city but to place it into a room that belongs to a house that is apparently located in the mountains, or at least near mountains, commits a break of certain rules.

The harmony of a house depends not only on the interiors alone, the exterior and the environment are part of it. This is often not considered when designing a single room. Imagine a house built like a Spanish villa and then designed inside like a British country cottage. No match. Impossible.Or imagine an old farmer's house and stuffed inside like a Moroccan riad (house). Ridiculous. And the harmony of a room depends on "how the interior design reflects the inhabitants of the home rather than the latest and greatest design trends." Of course we all have our preferences and our dreams of a perfect home. But if we dream of a simple beach cottage but live in a condo on the 12th floor in the middle of a big city, the "beach arrangements" in a condo might look somewhat poor.

I understand that the intent here was probably to lighten up the dark wall and the dark furniture but the choice was not so perfect. Although there might be better solutions than the one I am proposing here it is still the better choice. The painting shows a semi-abstract landscape, the colours are warm and even complement the scarce vegetation that you can see through the windows. A simple, unadorned frame adds warmth and some light and repeats the shimmer of the candles. The original artwork appears like a foreign matter in this room. But judge for yourself...

Below is the original photo:
 

The painting has been painted on silk and was inspired by another breathtaking landscape - the ones you will find on the Hawaiian Islands where you also can find very arid landscapes in the areas of former volcanic activities...

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

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Frozen - Winter has arrived

Since a few days the temperatures have gone down considerably and winter has shown up in front of our doors. There is a bit snow lying outside and all my plants that were still on the balcony had to come inside. Now everything outside is empty again and I really hate it. The leaves from the trees are long gone and daylight is scarce. Honestly I really don't like this time of the year. I am a sun person.

And right fitting into this mood and season is this silk painting, Frozen, a semi-surreal landscape reflecting the loneliness and stand-still of everything. But there is always hope - isn't it? Hope for an early spring when the cycle of life starts again...

 "Frozen"

(from the Magic Landscapes series)
40" x 20", silk
©Petra Voegtle

The painting has been painted on Pongé silk and stitched after the painting in order to add texture. The painting is covered by additional fabric on the reverse side for protection and stability. It can be hung with or without additional frame. Adding a sophisticated frame though can make a significant difference as you can see in this virtual example.

Here you can see some room examples.

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A Challenging Idea - Silk Painting in a Wrought Iron Frame

From time to time I love to play with crazy ideas and as usual doing this on the computer wouldn't hurt - right?

Now look at this wonderful entry hall with a staircase and a wrought iron railing. Did I tell you that I love all sorts of wrought iron objects, especially beds, chairs, iron cast stands for tables etc.? Wrought iron doors and portals can be noble pieces of craftmanship and are always worth to look at in detail.

In this entry hall the wrought iron railing turns the staircase into something delicate and filigree and the effect is beautiful. So I thought about how the empty wall could be adorned additionally without destroying the overall impression of this hall. My choice would have been this 3 panel silk painting Ayutthaya from the Magic Landscapes series.

You can see from the original image that the wall looks a bit empty and really could need some additional artwork.

Now my idea was to virtually mount the 3 silk panels on a "board" and frame this in a wrought iron frame that would complement not only the railing but also the table. This could be realized indeed.
Iron and silk are materials which could not be more different but wrought iron can be crafted in a manner that its ornaments can become filigree elements like in lace. So I found the idea quite attractive and challenging...

"Ayutthaya"

(from the Magic Landscapes Series)

40" x 39", silk triptych

©Petra Voegtle

I have to admit something - the idea was actually not completely new - I used the idea with the wrought iron frame on other rooms as complement for existing interior before. Here are the links: link, where you also can read more about the painting itself and where the inspiration came from and here is another link.

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Colours of the Desert - Dry Land - a surreal Landscape

This painting belongs to a series called The Magic of Landscapes and I have shown it already several times in different environments. Here are now some details about it. The series is also part of a concept and the theme of this concept is to show the magic that surrounds us everywhere and is recognized easily when we open the eyes. This series explores the magic of landscapes and special places, the moments of awe when we see the miracles that are created by nature rather than human phantasy, the moments of spiritual connection with the past and the future and the moments of transformation through human imagination.

Dry Land is a semi-surrealistic landscape. Inspired by the colours of the desert, which can change completely during a day, this work shows the paradoxa of a landscape that obey the natural laws of nature. While the dune like formations seem to be a solid mass, the surface of the dried river bed  appears  fragile and delicate. But in reality the opposite is true: dunes are the fragile element, ever changing with the wind and the dried river bed has turned into solid earth, hard as stone when the water is all gone.

(click on images for enlargement)

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

Under following links you can find some room examples featuring this painting: interior1, interior2, interior3

This painting has been painted on silk, has been gallery wrapped and is ready to be hung with or without additional frame.

(This work won an "Artist of the Year" award at the Boxheart Gallery in Pennsylvania and a solo show.)

In addition I am presenting here a version of the painting how it could look like when framed in a sophisticated frame. It makes a difference - doesn't it?

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