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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