Experiencing Joy Through Art

   Hello again! I hope your Wednesday is off to a great start…

   In past blogs posts I’ve talked a lot about art and design with color and shape, but another important aspect to successful art and design is texture. This holds true for both visual arts and interior design.

   Most of us probably think of texture as something you can feel with your skin, but texture can also be purely visual or at the very least give the appearance of a certain feel…as though by justing looking at it you know how it would feel under your fingertips. Visual texture can be created by pattern, form or even brushstrokes on a canvas.

   It even applies to food! As a fan of the Food Network show “Chopped”, I often hear the judges telling the contestant chefs how important it is to have differing textures in a dish. The same holds true for art and design. Having one texture throughout can lead to dullness and bring in variety is the key to making your piece or room really stand out and be great.

   The photo below of these shows signature works from four great artists from history, Van Gogh, Mucha, Rembrandt and Da Vinci. As you can see, each had their own textural feel to their art that was part of their style. For example, Van Gogh’s thick impasto brush work is rough and bold while Da Vinci’s smooth blending gives his work a soft silky “feel”.

   By varying textures in your room design or art piece you can lend a dynamic quality to the design that really helps it to work. If your room has a lot of soft textures like silk and drapery, you might try bringing in some rocks or other natural elements like wood or bark as a sculpture or wall piece. The hard bumpy texture will add some differing elements to the room. Likewise a more hard-edged industrial space can be enhance with some soft elements when well placed.

  As with everything else in art and design the key is to use it judiciously and not overdo. Never make competing elements in a room or art piece 50/50…always allow one to be dominate.

   Try bringing in some differing textures to your projects and see what you can create with it!