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Category: Arts

Top Seven Painting Mistakes TV Design Shows Make – And How to Avoid Them

April 5, 2021
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| Arts, Painting

Ask a Designer Series- Mistakes made to TV Walls - Nesting With GracePaint is one of the least expensive and easiest ways to brighten up your home, to add color and design to a room, to play up architectural features and show your creativity. All this with just a few supplies and a little elbow grease. Most design shows on television can give you ideas about choosing paint colors and how to match it up with your décor, but it’s in your best interest to ignore the haphazard way they show the painting activity itself.

I come from a long line of professional tradesmen, contractors, and home-improvement gurus. We’ve always enjoyed home and garden programs on television, but it never ceases to amaze us the blatant disregard most of these shows have for the proper way to complete a custom painting job. Designed to Sell on HGTV, for instance, will spend several minutes explaining how to tile a backsplash. Then they’ll cut to the homeowners and designer, randomly rolling paint on in the middle of a wall. It may make for amusing TV, but it’s the wrong way to get the beautifully painted room you desire.

If you’re interested in giving a room or your entire house a design makeover, by all means get what ideas you can from design TV. Be aware, however, of the following blunders design shows keep making:

Painting in good clothes and high heels–wrong! Television hosts and designers generally want to look their best on camera, so viewers are often treated to scenes of blatant impracticality. Paint does not come out of clothing and can ruin shoes as well. When it’s time to paint a room, find comfortable clothes that allow you to bend and stretch–and that you don’t mind ruining. Footwear should also be something you don’t mind getting paint on, but more importantly, it should be comfortable and allow for safety and good balance. No open-toed shoes, flip-flops or high heels, especially when working on ladders or scaffolding.

Using plastic paint tray liners without a paint tray–wrong! The only thing I can attribute this gaffe to is cutting costs. The thin plastic liners are meant to go inside of a sturdy metal or thick plastic paint tray to make clean-up easier. They should not be used alone, as they tend to slide along the floor or bend and even crack without support behind them. If you dip the roller in and have to chase the liner across the floor, there’s no way the roller is getting the correct distribution of paint. Using such flimsy trays also increases the likelihood of spills, which could spatter walls and ruin the carpet. Buying a sturdy paint tray, preferably metal, is a good investment. They are inexpensive and can be used over and over again for years, provided you clean it after every use–or use those disposable liners to protect the interior.

Not cutting in first–very wrong! Cutting in involves using a brush to paint all the edges and corners that a roller won’t fit in or cover properly. This generally includes the areas around windows and door frames, outlets, air vents, along the baseboards, etc.

This is the part that decorating and design shows most often get wrong. HGTV‘s Designed to Sell and TLC‘s Trading Spaces are big offenders. Practically every episode includes one or more people starting a room by rolling paint onto big patches of wall first. Later in the show, someone comes by with a small brush and tries to fill in the empty white space as if they were coloring it in with a marker. This is NOT the correct way to paint. Watch something like HGTV‘s Divine Design, that has a professional painter, and you’ll see him cutting in first.

The important thing to remember is that the roller texture is the most even and desirable texture for the wall, so you want as much of the wall covered with the roller as possible. When you cut in with a brush, the paint goes on a little flatter and often with some visible brush strokes. It makes sense to paint that way first and then go over as much of the brush area with the roller as possible. Rolling first and then cutting in second results in painting brush strokes over the rolled area. This will call more attention to the edges of the walls and make it look ragged.

Using too small of a brush–don’t! My family still talks about the time we saw Frank, a designer on Trading Spaces, cutting in with a ridiculously small one inch brush. It would have taken him three weeks to cut in a room with that brush, so it was obvious that someone else came in and finished up the room once he was off-camera.

To cut in, use a two and a half inch angled brush or larger. If possible, it’s best to cut in one wall or manageable area, then use the roller while the brush strokes are still wet. This allows for better blending and prevents a noticeable line from forming at the top of the walls.

Random rolling–please stop! Typical of design shows is a scene of homeowners and designers starting in the middle of a wall and just rolling paint on haphazardly. Using a roller to paint a wall is not overly difficult, but it does require a steady hand and a systematic approach. Start at one side, top or bottom, and work in sections until the wall is complete. Always work in a consistent direction so that the new section begins where the last one ended–where the paint is still wet and can be easily blended into the new area.

With a little strength and an extension pole attached to the roller handle, it is possible to do an entire wall top to bottom in long, even strokes. If you need the shorter handle for better leverage, do the top section using a step stool or ladder, then move down to the lower half so you can cover any possible drips. Many television shows talk about the “W” motion for rolling. What works for me is a smooth up and down rolling with the wet roller. Just before reloading the roller with paint (when the roller has gotten a bit “dry”), I use the “W” style of painting with a light hand to gently feather out any roller marks. With good lighting, it’s possible to see what’s been done and take care of any areas that were missed or laid on too thick. The more you paint, the more you’ll discover the best technique for a smooth finish.

Two people rolling paint onto the same wall–not the best idea. This is another aspect of design TV that doesn’t work as well in real life. Painters should work in an assembly line fashion. One person cuts in, then another follows with the roller. While the rolling is happening, the first person moves on and cuts in the next section. This is the most efficient way, and leads to a better finished product. Most people do not paint in the same fashion, using the same amount of paint or pressure. If two people start rolling on the same wall, there’s a distinct possibility two halves of the wall will look different from each other. There may be noticeable roller marks where they meet up, or if they go over the same spot too many times.

Rolling paint on the ceiling and walls at the same time–no, no, no! We’ve seen this on Trading Spaces the most. It may seem like a time saver, but it can cause more trouble and more work. The rule with painting is light colors before dark, so usually the ceiling is done first. This means that cutting in the ceiling goes quickly, because any paint that gets on the walls will be easily covered with the darker color. If two people roller the walls and the ceiling at the same time, afterward they will have to cut in at the same time. This will cause them to be in each other’s way, and to possibly have to cut in the light color against the dark.

The two painters can also run into each other while using the rollers, particularly with the extension poles, which require plenty of room. It’s impossible to get a smooth ceiling finish if you’re constantly having to avoid or step around another painter. In addition, there is almost always a certain amount of spray when using a roller. If doing the ceiling at the same time as the walls, the ceiling color will no doubt end up lightly spattering onto the wet, darker walls. This will cause more touch-ups to be done and if it smears into the wall roller, could mean another coat of paint will be necessary.

Design shows are a great start and inspiration for home projects, but never forget that they are first and foremost a form of entertainment. Certain scenes are edited for effect, humor, excitement and not necessarily to show the correct way of completing a project. Very often a designer will paint a few strokes on a wall for the camera, and then disappear while a professional crew comes in to paint it the correct way. Don’t be fooled into taking every facet of these shows literally.

Do your research and learn to paint the right way. These corrections of common design show mistakes will get you on the right track to getting the beautifully painted home you deserve!…

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Norton Simon Exhibit: The Pasadena Museum With Extensive Indian Art Collection

March 30, 2021
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| Arts

The Norton Simon museum features prominent exhibits of Indian and Hindu art.

There were a lot of significant artifacts that viewers are able to see on display at the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, California. The museum, located on 411 W. Colorado Boulevard, has numerous ongoing exhibits, but perhaps the most impressive is the collection of Indian art.

Hindu Gods in Art

Most of these pieces of art have to do with Hindu gods. One of the most elaborate pieces is called “Temple Wall with Scenes of Krishna’s Life.” It is painted wood that was created in Kerala, India sometime during the 18th century. At one time the piece formed a wall for temporary use in Hindu temple ceremonies. The main god displayed in the piece is Vishnu. He is one of the most important gods in the Hindu religion and many works of art are based on him. In this particular one, Vishnu disguises himself as two alternate personalities, Rama and Krishna. At the top of the wall is a kirrttimukha or face of glory. This creature looks like a lion, and it is usually placed above doorways to protect those that are faithful to the gods.

Vishnu is also seen in a piece called “God Vishnu with Personified Attributes,” which was constructed in India during the 800’s. He is usually blue in works of art to represent the ‘color of infinite space,’ because he is so powerful and omnipotent.

There are many watercolors on display that represent Vishnu’s avatars, including “Marriage of Krishna and Rukmini” from 1800, “Krishna the Butter Thief” from 1725, and “The Death of the Ogress Putana” from 1675. There are also bronze figurines of many Krishnas dancing that were completed in the 1000’s. Other pieces of art were made out of various materials like chlorite, marble, sandstone, granite, and brass.

Symbols in Indian Art

 

There are many symbolic layers in the works of art on display. For example, there is a piece called “Railing Pillar: Goddess and An Amorous Couple” that was made in 100 BCE. The women in the piece are holding mangos because the symbol of fruit represents fertility. There is another work called “Servant Goddess of Revati” that was made in the 4th century. She was revered for her association with water and she guarded the treasures that were found in the water.

Another recurring element is of the character of the god, Ganesha. He is an elephant who is always pictured with sweets in his hand, because he loves to eat. In fact, the story goes that he loved eating so much that he ate until his stomach burst. The moon was laughing at him, so he threw one of his tusks at the moon; therefore, in most depictions of Ganesha, he only has one tusk. Most of the bronze figurines do display Ganesha with only one tusk. Ganesha is supposedly the remover of personal obstacles because of his trials in fighting with the moon.

Although the museum’s collections offer insights into many cultures and religions, it is the pieces that concentrate on Hinduism that are the most impressive. For more information on the museum, visit www.nortonsimon.org or call (626) 449-6840.…

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Painted Buffalo Roam Streets of West Yellowstone, Montana

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Buffalo not only roam the meadows and forests of Yellowstone National Park, but they also roam the streets of nearby West Yellowstone, Montana.

While Yellowstone National Park requires you to keep at least 75 feet away from the live national treasures, in West Yellowstone you can get as close as you want to these buffalo, even touching them if you want. That’s because these buffalo are fiberglass, each painted with a different scene that tells a colorful story about the Yellowstone area.

Eleven buffalo roam West Yellowstone today, down from a herd size of 27 cows and 10 calves. Those other buffalo are still in existence, it’s just that they’re roaming the range elsewhere.

Origins of the buffalo project

The Buffalo Roam project started in 2006 as a fundraiser for the fledgling West Yellowstone Economic Development Council. Another aim of the project was to raise the community’s awareness of artistic expression. In an area where artists and wildlife photographers abound, the painted buffalo certainly did that.

According to the council’s website, Montana artist Joe Halko created the buffalo cow model, which was then developed into a mold by Fiberstock, Inc., located in – where else – a town called Buffalo in Minnesota. The next year, 10 buffalo calves were made.

Twenty-seven fiberglass buffalo cows were made, and then artists in four states submitted bids to paint scenes on them. Using the fiberglass molds as their canvas, artists painted scenes depicting Yellowstone National Park, historic West Yellowstone or regional Native American tribes. Local sponsors each donated from $3,000 to $10,000 to get the project off the ground.

Buffalo bring big bucks at auction

In 2007, the painted cows were unveiled to the public with the calves coming in 2008. The painted buffalo were displayed around West Yellowstone until August 2009 when all were moved to the grounds of the Yellowstone Historic Center Museum. At the end of that month, they were auctioned off, raising more than $161,000 for community and economic development projects in West Yellowstone.

The buffalo sold for anywhere from $2,000 to $17,000 each, according to a September 3, 2009, news release from the West Yellowstone Chamber of Commerce. After the auction, the buffalo traveled to their new homes in 10 states, with one going as far away as New York.

Buffalo still roam at home

Not all the buffalo left West Yellowstone, the major gateway to Yellowstone National Park. The 11 that remain in this small town are located mainly along Yellowstone Avenue.

The brochure, Yellowstone Historic Walking Tour, published by the Yellowstone Historic Center Museum, maps the locations of the remaining buffalo.

While you're at it, why not explore some of the other attractions West Yellowstone has to offer.…

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Richard Serra at Centro de Arte Reina Sofia: Modern Art Sculpture’s Return to Madrid Museum

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The Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia first commissioned the piece from American master sculptor Serra in 1986.

Artwork Disappearance

It is a curiosity that Serra’s works have been at the centre of two rather sensational, mainstream press stories in recent years: first, his unsuccessful legal battle to keep his commission Tilted Arc (1981) in New York’s Federal Plaza against disgruntled federal employees’ wishes; then there was the bemusing announcement in 2006 by Madrid’s Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia that they had managed to misplace the 38-ton Equal Parallel: Guernica Bengasi.

What at first glance appears to be a matter of stultifying carelessness was actually more complex: the massive four-piece steel sculpture had been in warehouse storage since 1990. Its disappearance was only revealed in 2006 when the MNCARS decided to put it back on display and found to their abiding chagrin that the large-scale art storage company entrusted with the work had been placed in receivership and the sculpture lost in the ensuing chaos.

Serra Sculpture Replaced

In 2009, Equal Parallel: Guernica Bengasi finally reappeared at the Centro de Arte Reina Sofia: after prolonged negotiations with the museum, Richard Serra agreed to recreate the piece for permanent display in a dedicated gallery. The museum transformed its former library into a spectacular light-filled hall for the piece, where it has been on exhibit since its unveiling in February 2009.

Meaning in Minimalism

Equal Parallel is typical of Richard Serra’s work in several aspects. Fashioned of his trademark COR-TEN steel, the sculpture consists of four horizontal slabs – two sets of one large, one smaller. The sets are arranged in a manner that shifts perspective as the viewer moves toward, through and past the work: like an optical illusion, the heights of the slabs relative to each other seem to shift depending on perspective. This creation of a unique abstract space, with its own apparent properties, is also typical of Serra’s work.

The abstract, minimalist nature of the sculpture, however, is challenged by the provocative title. Serra started work on the commission just days after the US bombing of the Libyan port of Bengasi in 1986. In this work of shifting power perspectives, the artist deftly – and explicitly – draws the parallel between Bengasi, target of an arbitrary retaliatory air strike in the conflict between the US and Middle Eastern terrorists, and Guernica, the Basque town destroyed by the Nazi Luftwaffe at General Franco’s behest during the Spanish Civil War.

Pablo Picasso’s Guernica

In the process, Equal Parallel self-consciously references another work housed at MNCARS – Pablo Picasso’s Guernica (oil on canvas, 1937), perhaps the most famous and most important modern Spanish painting, and arguably the single most influential artistic statement on the politics of violence and terror.

Just as Picasso with Guernica defied his earlier "ars gratia artis" stance in Modernism's pursuit of pure form to embrace social responsibility, with Equal Parallel, Serra defies the austerity of Minimalism in the same vein. Rarely has such minimalist art been imbued with such weight of meaning.…

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The François Vase, Black Figure Krater Painted by Kleitias

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The François Vase, named after its discoverer, is an ancient Greek black figure volute krater from the 6th century BC, discovered in a tomb in Etruria in 1844. It was made in Athens by a potter who signed his name as Ergotimos, and painted around 570 BC by the vase painter Kleitias (whose name is also signed on the Greek pot). The François Vase has been much admired as a fine example of early Attic black figure vase painting. It is currently held in the Museo Archeologico in Florence.

The François Vase

The distinctive shape of the François Vase is that of a volute krater, an ancient Greek pot that functioned as a mixing bowl for water and wine. Its great size means that it could have catered for a large number of people, and it has been suggested that the vase was perhaps commissioned for a wedding. The central theme of the painted vase, depicting the marriage of Peleus and Thetis, could be seen to support this idea.

The scenes represented on the François Vase are mainly episodes from Greek mythology, particularly the stories surrounding Peleus and Thetis and their son, the famous Greek hero Achilles. They are separated into bands around the vase. From top to bottom, the scenes are as follows:

  • In the first band, the hunt for the Calydonian Boar on side A, Theseus and dancing Athenian youths saved from Minos’ labyrinth on side B.
  • In the second band, the funeral games for Patroclus on side A, the battle of lapiths and centaurs on side B.
  • In the third band, the wedding of Peleus and Thetis on both sides
  • In the fourth band, Troilus pursued by Achilles on side A, Hephaestus returning to Olympus on side B
  • In the fifth band, an animal frieze.
  • On the foot of the vase, a battle between pygmies and cranes.
  • The handles are decorated with gorgons, and a depiction of Ajax bearing the body of Achilles.

Early Attic Black Figure Vases

Early Attic (Athenian) vase painting adopted some of the styles and features of Corinthian pots. Vases were painted using black figure technique; figures were painted onto the pot with black paint, then details scraped away to reveal the clay colour underneath. The effect is of black figures on a red background. Sometimes other colours might be used to paint in additional detail later. The François Vase was painted using this technique.

Early Attic vase painters also borrowed the Corinthian style animal and monster friezes to decorate their pots. As the Athenian painters grew more confident with their craft, they began to separate large areas into several long, narrow friezes, so that the whole vase was covered with many figures and scenes. We can see the effects of this style on the François Vase.

 

At the beginning of the 6th century BC, myths were starting to become more popular as the subjects of these friezes, taking over from the simple repeated animal and monster patterns. Kleitias, in particular, seemed to favour the use of myths, as we can see on this painted vase.

Kleitias the Storyteller – The Painted Vase

Kleitias, in his depiction of various mythological themes on the François Vase, shows himself to be a skilled storyteller. The narrow friezes offered by this style of vase painting restricted the painter to subject matters that involved processions, repetition, or large groups of bystanders. Kleitias has represented all of these with success on his vase, such as in the wedding procession or the chariot race at Patroclus’ funeral games.

In his representation of Achilles pursuing Troilus, however, Kleitias has tried something a little different. He has managed to capture a ‘snapshot’ of the myth that tells us everything we need to know about the story. Rather than resorting to the use of space fillers in the form of bystanders who bear no relevance to the myth, each figure here adds depth or importance to the scene. Events shown in this frieze cannot all be strictly happening at the same time; they take us through the myth from left to right, through the chase to the effects of Troilus’ death.

On the far left, we see the fountain house where Troilus has been gathering water. Women fetching water add pathos to the tragic action happening in the middle, and perhaps give a Homeric flavour to the scene; in the Iliad, Homer describes how Achilles chases Hector past the fountain house where women would normally gather water. Next come gods connected to the myth, influencing the mortal events. In the middle of the scene, Achilles chases Troilus as he tries to ride to safety. According to legend, Troy could not be taken if Troilus were to reach the age of twenty, so Achilles set out to kill him. Troilus’ sister, Polyxena, is shown running ahead. Finally, on the far right, Priam receives the bad news and Troilus’ brothers emerge from the city to avenge his death…

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V&A; Medieval & Renaissance Galleries – Overview: Highlights – Carved Ivory Panels Lorsch Gospels and Symmachi Panel

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The Victoria and Albert Museum's Medieval and Renaissance Collection is one of the finest in the world, containing some of the most remarkable artefacts from the period 300-1600 AD.

FuturePlan – Renovation, Conservation and Relocation

As part of FuturePlan, an extensive renovation programme, ten new galleries have just opened. The £30 million project has been huge with hundreds of objects being temporarily packed away while the work took place.

It’s not just the galleries that have been renovated. A massive conservation programme has not only prepared the items for display, but has also revealed new information about objects, their history and function.

Medieval and Renaissance Galleries – Layout of the Exhibition

The new exhibition area spans three floors of the east wing of the Museum and provides a permanent home for more than 1800 objects from the museum’s comprehensive holdings, many of which have not been on view for many years because of the lack of space.

A central orientation hub features a time-line and six short introductory films. There is also a study area with computer terminals and access to online resources, as well as relaxation and reading areas. Two discovery areas offer activities from brass rubbing to dressing up. Throughout the galleries a number of interactives allow visitors to explore specific items in greater detail.

The display, which is roughly chronological, shows items in their social and cultural context, exploring links between the medieval and Renaissance rather than highlighting the many differences.

Italian Renaissance treasures are shown with medieval artefacts. Renaissance clothing, dress, costumes are presented alongside their medieval counterparts. Renaissance and medieval literature, sculpture, art and music are investigated. Religion, war, knights and their armour, household utensils and luxury goods as well as medieval fashions, fabrics and clothing are on display.

Medieval and Renaissance Galleries – Highlights of the Exhibition

To pick out highlights from such an exciting exhibition is virtually impossible. Items on display range from massive architectural remains to intricately carved ivory panels, so here some memorable objects.

The Symmachi Panel

The Symmachi Panel, one of the finest carved ivory panels that has survived from the Late Antique period in Rome, 400-600 AD. This is The panel depicts a priestess standing in front of an altar. She stands beneath an oak tree, sacred to Jupiter, and sprinkles coins on a fire. The priestess's head is tied with ivy, symbolising Bacchus. In front of her is a boy holding a bowl of and a jar, probably containing wine. The Symmachi family, after whom the panel is named, were an important Roman family.

Lorsch Gospels – Front Cover

Another fascinating piece is set of five carved elephant ivory panels that once formed the front cover of the Lorsch Gospels. The back cover is now in the Vatican Museum (Rome).

The panels were produced in Aachen, Germany, in around 810. The centre panel shows the Virgin Mary and Christ. Immediately above, two angels hold a medallion depicting a beardless Christ and below are scenes representing the Nativity and the Annunciation to the shepherds. On Mary's left is John the Baptist and on her right is Zacharias, father of John the Baptist.

These are just two of the fascinating items on permanent display in the V&A's new Medieval and Renaissance Galleries. V&A's Medieval and Renaissance Galleries describes some of the medieval architecture remains on show in the exhibition. More information can be obtained from the V&A Museum.…

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V&A;'s Medieval and Renaissance Galleries: Sir Paul Pindar’s House and an Oak Staircase from Morlaix

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The V&A’s new Medieval and Renaissance Galleries feature some 1,800 items from their historic collection, one of the finest in the world.

On display are notebooks by Leonardo da Vinci, sculptures by Giambologna, medieval and renaissance fashions, household equipment, manuscripts and music, weapons and armour, and architectural remains from all over Europe.

Two of the largest, and most important items, are the timber façade of a medieval building originally located in London, and a staircase brought from Morlaix in France.

Sir Paul Pindar's Medieval House

The exhibition also features massive architectural artefacts. One of the largest pieces on display is the façade of Sir Paul Pindar's timber-framed house. Built before the Great Fire of London (1666) the property originally stood at Bishopsgate, just outside the walls of the City of London.

In 1890, the façade was moved from Bishopsgate to make way for Liverpool Street Station. It was relocated at the V&A and much of it was moved without being dismantled, meaning that many of the original joints have survived.

When the façade originally arrived at the V&A it stood near the front of the museum for almost 100 years, and the project to relocate it in the new galleries has been extremely challenging.

Once the scaffolding was built around the frontage, engineers were able to assess how the various parts were fixed together. An archaeologist surveyed the structure, recording all the panels, timbers, pegs, fittings and even traces of surviving paint.

The building was then taken apart and each piece meticulously numbered and cleaned. The timber frame was then rebuilt in its new location. As a result of the relocation project curators now know how the parts were initially prepared in 1600, how they were cut, how the timber weathered, and even where it came from. Apparently, the wood came from oak trees in south-east England and from oak imported from the Baltic.

Oak Staircase from Morlaix, France

A staircase from the town of Morlaix, Brittany, has been precisely identified as coming from No. 17 on the Grand'Rue. Houses on this street were timber framed and the style was known as a 'maison à pondalez', a name acquired from the very unusual staircases. The V&A's staircase probably dates from 1522-30. Visitors to Morlaix can still see one of these staircases in its original location.

The staircase has a decorated newel post that supports its landings. On each landing the post is carved with various figures reflecting the interests of the owner, including St John the Baptist, St Catherine, St Clement, an unknown bishop and an unidentified French king. In some places the carvings have been worn flat over the passage of time.

These are just two of the architectural remains now permanently displayed at the V&A. V&A Medieval and Renaissance Galleries – Overview provides a general summary and more highlights of the exhibition.…

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Victoria & Albert FuturePlan – Gallery Openings: Medieval & Renaissance Rooms & Part 2 Ceramics Halls Opening Soon

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The V&A; will soon open Phase 2 of the Ceramic Galleries, the Ceramic Link Bridge, plus new galleries to re-house their impressive Medieval and Renaissance collections.

The V&A Museum has undergone a major transformation project making it one of London's most modern, fully accessible, exhibition centres. Autumn 2009 will see the opening of the next step in the programme, the Medieval and Renaissance Galleries. Spring 2010 will see the opening of Phase 2 of the Ceramics Galleries project.

Medieval and Renaissance Galleries

The new Medieval and Renaissance exhibition area will consist of ten galleries spanning the east wing of the museum. These will be arranged chronologically from 300 to 1600 AD.

This is a large-scale operation, the likes of which have never been attempted before. Hundreds of items must be moved from existing galleries and storage areas. Entire tombs will be moved to the new exhibition area along with busts, fountains and monuments. Many of the items were put into storage long ago because of a shortage of display space.

Highlights of the new galleries will include:

  • An oak staircase from a timber-framed house originally located in the French town of Morlaix, Brittany, dating from approximately 1525,
  • The façade of Sir Paul Pindar's House. The building, which survived the Great Fire in 1666, was originally located in Bishopsgate in the City of London. Pindar, a wealthy merchant, built his fortune on trade between Britain and Venice.
  • Magnificent stained glass windows from Mariawald Abbey near Cologne in Germany. The abbey dates from 1480 and the stained glass was completed by 1539.

Ceramics Link Bridge

Phase 1 of the V&A's ceramics project opened in September 2009. Some of the new exhibition space has been reclaimed from office/storage space, necessitating the provision of a secondary emergency escape route.

The route will take the form of an external covered Link Bridge joining the gallery with the adjacent building. The Link Bridge will be visible from both Cromwell Road and from within the gallery. Therefore, the V&A has chosen a design which highlights contemporary design and building methods.

Ceramics Phase 2

Phase 2 of the Ceramics Galleries will open in 2010. The new halls will house more than 26,000 objects demonstrating the full range of the V&A's world-class ceramic collection. The displays, which will be dramatically different from those of Phase 1, will explore the history of ceramics by culture, country, centre of production, date of production and type of object. The project will also include a new Study Centre where researchers will be able to examine objects from the collection.

The two new galleries will join the recently opened Theatre and Performance Gallery and William and Judith Bollinger Jewellery Gallery featuring exquisite designs by Cartier, Fabergé, Lalique, Boucheron, Tiffany and Wolfers.

Further details about new gallery openings, related events and publications, can be obtained from the V&A Museum.…

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California's Hearst Castle: 'Xanadu' Museum Houses a Collection of Hearst's Pieces

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Far from the tasteless arriviste he's often portrayed as, W.R. Hearst was actually a thoughtful collector, as his assembled works at this California museum attest.

Director Orson Welles managed to blend reality and fiction so artfully in his film “Citizen Kane” that mention of William Randolph Hearst often brings to mind the movie’s hero, Charles Foster Kane, who was loosely based on Hearst. Mention of Hearst Castle, the palatial estate that Hearst spent 28 years perfecting, is likewise liable to elicit thoughts of Citizen Kane’s Xanadu.

Wrongly, says Hoyt Fields, museum director of Hearst Castle. This was not a dark, reclusive, hidden property,” Fields says. “It was totally different than ‘Citizen Kane.’ It was filled with guests: world leaders, captains of industry, a tremendous amount of people.”

In fact, Fields notes, there are plenty of misconceptions about W.R. Hearst, perhaps the biggest of which is that he was a vulgarian who amassed rather than collected art. “We only have one-tenth of what he collected; he was a prodigious collector, and we have some exquisite pieces,” Fields says.

Hearst Castle Collection Displays Hearst's Good Taste

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art recently exhibited “Hearst the Collector,” a selection of artifacts from six Hearst homes. The exhibit's goal, Fields says, was to “show that he knew what he was purchasing—the finest pieces in the world.”

The exhibition also offered a taste of what can be enjoyed in more abundance at the castle: a collection of European and Mediterranean art that includes Greek and Roman statuary, Greek vases, 155 Greek pots—in all, some 25,000 artifacts that range in antiquity from 3,600 years old to the 1940s.

Hearst Castle’s oldest piece is an Egyptian statue from the 18th dynasty (1550-1292 BC), and other notable pieces include an 1810 Antonio Canova marble sculpture of Venus, believed lost for 70 years, and a 14th-century Duccio di Buoninsegna painting.

 

California Museum's Magnificence Brings to Mind "Citizen Kane" Xanadu

Opened as a state park on June 2, 1958, Hearst Castle celebrated its 50th anniversary in that capacity last year. The 90,080-square-foot estate boasts 165 rooms, a 1,665-square-foot indoor pool as well as an outdoor one, a wine cellar and 127 acres of gardens and walkways that are surrounded by a 3,000-acre working cattle ranch, also Hearst-owned.

As a child, Hearst visited Europe with his father, and Hearst Castle was an attempt to incorporate his impressions of Europe into a classical castle of his own.

San Francisco architect Julia Morgan, the first woman to graduate with an architecture degree from Paris’ École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts, designed the estate in consultation with Hearst. Her training in the Beaux Arts style, with its emphasis on the classics, combined with her knowledge of the materials and site specifics of California, made her perfectly suited to the task.

Visiting Hearst Castle

Accredited by the American Association of Museums in 2001, the estate is between Los Angeles and San Francisco, about 250 miles from each, and is “a destination in itself,” Fields says.

To see the property in its entirety requires four different two-hour tours, of the five tours offered. Tours cover the libraries, suites, theater, pools, guest houses and grounds, and on spring and fall weekend nights, one of the tours is guided by docents in period costumes.…

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How to Make Hand Painted Garments: Decorate and Customize Your Clothes

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With numerous colours and brands of fabric available, It is possible to channel your imagination and skill into handpainting individual garments.

The choice of clothes we wear can often express our personalities with the selection of colour and design. Many design application techniques can help make our clothes more personally expressive. The following instructions can be used with success to transform simple frocks, T-shirts and other garments into personalised outfits. A mixture of cotton and polyester fabric gives the best results.

Create Interesting Patterns

Perhaps you don’t feel confident to draw your design; don’t despair, as there are books available which allow the craftsperson to use the designs without infringing on copyright. An alternative is to use a ready-made stencil, which can be purchased from craft suppliers. With some imagination you can create interesting patterns from one or two leaves and use a toothbrush to spatter paint on for effect.

The ideas are endless once you allow yourself to be openminded and keep simplicity as the key when applying your design. It is advisable to choose one brand of colours so they can be intermixed; the choice is your prerogative to include extras such as gold, silver and glitter paint. A necessary addition is a reducer, which is used to soften colours and a retardant for easy flow of paint.

Equipment

  • Hog hair brush No 6
  • 1/2″ square shader brush
  • A fine sable brush
  • Pastel pencil
  • Paper towels
  • A firm piece of card
  • Palette, a plastic lid or plate
  • A wooden spatula (metal can have adverse reation on some fabric paints)

Set all your equipment out on a table .

Instructions

  1. The retarder can be poured into a small container and the reducer placed on the palette. Colours can be either placed on the palette for intermixing or used straight from the tube.
  2. The pastel pencil is used to sketch a design, after placing the firm card inside the garment.
  3. With the hog hair brush, begin from the top of the garment, blocking in the design with appropriate colours, using the retarder and reducer when necessary. White can be mixed with colours if pastel tones are required and for highlights in certain areas. Adding white also produces an opaque sold colour while the reducer renders it transparent. Fine details can be introduced with the sable brush.
  4. The painted area must be dry before applying silver, gold or glitter paints. A hairdryer is ideal to speed the drying process. The square shader brush is used for broad strokes and coverage.
  5. Allow the garment to dry for some hours, place a clean cloth over the back of the fabric and with a medium/ hot iron press for at least 20 minutes, this heat-seals the paint, giving it permanency. Some pigments stand in relief of the fabric when heat is applied with the iron.
  6. Always treat the garment as delicate when washing and iron on the reversed side.
  7. Wear your hand-painted garment with pride and knowledge that it is a one-off fashion statement.
…

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