 |
| Link |
Time is winding down on Mythic March! How are your projects coming along? Next Monday will mark the last day of the month, and I hope to share a variety of creative results from you all!
 |
| Link |
 |
| Link |
Monday, March 24, 2014
Mythic March Monday Makings III
Time is winding down on Mythic March! How are your projects coming along? Next Monday will mark the last day of the month, and I hope to share a variety of creative results from you all!
Monday, March 17, 2014
Mythic March Monday Makings II
Alright, folks, it's about that time...our weekly check-in to see how all of our creative projects are coming along!
I'm so pleased to share this gorgeous stenciled banner work in progress by Ali English. Ali creates all of her own stencil patterns from scratch. And you can find the gorgeous results (and buy them for your own Domythic home!) here.
So how are your projects coming along? Please share here or in our Facebook group! I'm ONE PRINCESS away from done with my project, and I gotta tell you, I'm elated.
I'm so pleased to share this gorgeous stenciled banner work in progress by Ali English. Ali creates all of her own stencil patterns from scratch. And you can find the gorgeous results (and buy them for your own Domythic home!) here.
So how are your projects coming along? Please share here or in our Facebook group! I'm ONE PRINCESS away from done with my project, and I gotta tell you, I'm elated.
Monday, March 10, 2014
Mythic March Monday Makings I
 |
| Link |
So it's time for Mythic March Monday Makings! This is where you can share how you're coming along on your monthly creative projects! So far I've heard from someone who is crocheting something beautiful, someone who is making new jewelry, someone making a new line of mythic stencils, and someone with a short film debuting this month among others.
How is YOUR project coming along? Feel free to write an update in the comments below, or in our Facebook group (you ARE in our Facebook group, yes?)
My project for this month was to complete the princesses on my dining room walls. And so far I'm at a good pace...there are only two of twelve left to do!
 |
| Link |
Saturday, March 1, 2014
Welcome to Mythic March!
Today is the day! Not only is it Rabbit Rabbit Rabbit, the first of the month, but it's the first day of Mythic March!
Time to start your creative projects!
Myself, my goal is to finish the twelve dancing princesses on my dining room walls! You might recall I was working on drawing these up a year ago at the last Mythic March, but this year, the goal is to FINISH them. I have five left to do, and I usually can get about one done a week, so it'll be a squeeze, but I think it's possible. It feels like I've been working on this project forever!
Time to start your creative projects!
 |
| Link |
 |
| Link |
 |
| Link |
 |
| Thanks Mags, for this hilarious image. Unknown artist from Giovanni Boccaccio De claris mulieribus, Anonymous French Translantio, Le livre de femmes nobles et renomees, France c.1440... |
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Birgit Amadori and her Hotel Fox Designs
About a week or so ago, I was doing a random keyword Google image search for "fairy tale wall mural." After scrolling through a few hundred images of the same pink castles and crowned frogs, an image fully caught my attention. It was a room in a Copenhagen, Denmark hotel called Hotel Fox. And it was a beautiful and very mythic space done in a minimalist style I'd never before seen or shared on this blog. I had to know more, so I looked up the artist, Birgit Amadori.
I found her Facebook fan page, and sent her a message on the off chance that she'd be willing to talk a bit further about her room designs. And a day or so later I heard back from her!
Can you tell us a little bit about how your designs for Hotel Fox came to be? How many spaces did you design for them, and what was your inspiration for the mood and style?
For Hotel Fox, one of the editors from a publisher I previously had worked with asked me if I wanted to pitch some ideas for the project. The great thing was that I was free to submit anything that came to my mind. I liked the idea of an enchanted room. A room that would include symbolism from mythology, things that could help make the room magical. I did get 2 rooms, some hallway carpeting and a large hallway mural.
I saw on your Facebook page that you referenced the gorgeous and intricate fairy tale artwork of Ivan Bilibin as an inspiration to you. Are there any other illustrative artists, mythic-subject artists, or artists of any genre who especially inspire your work?
Good question. I think Bilibin, Klimt and Mucha are my biggest inspiration. Countless other artists from the Belle Epoque and Art Nouveau era inspire me, too. But I do like to look and Expressionism, too, to remind me to stay weird and not get too decorative, only.
I am personally a big aficionado of the work of William Morris and the Arts and Crafts Movement. Morris was known for his phenomenal interior patterns, but also for helping to transform entire spaces in a home through artisan works on all surfaces: tiles, wallpaper, furniture, floor coverings, murals…all was included in his process of creative expression. Was his work, or a similar inspiration, at work in your creation of the spaces at Hotel Fox?
Unfortunately, no. Morris' pattern is a little too much for me I prefer geometric patterns with less detail. For the room King's Court for example, I had much simpler guidance: I was reading the book "The Buddenbrooks" by Thomas Mann, and there, he describes a salon room in blue and white - I thought that might look interesting, so I used that for one of my rooms at Hotel Fox.
While searching for more images of your art online, I came across a different wall pattern created apparently as a wallpaper. Can you tell us about this design? Do you plan to create more large scale works for interior use in the future?
What are you currently working on?
These large wallpaper designs were created for a print-on-demand wallpaper company. I had been working on a series of angels. Again, I wanted to use positive symbology to create a positive space through the wallpaper.
I am not sure, I am currently not working on wallpaper. The wallpaper thing was more something where one thing led to another. My biggest passion is book illustration. I wrote and published several ebooks that can be found on amazon etc, which feature my illustrations. One of these series from a book was awarded with the How Design Magazine award for this year. I also do book covers. In painting, I do mostly paint scenes from mythology. I just finished a large painting of the Goddess Freya. As a hobby, I draw dream art now and then, whenever an interesting dream comes to me.
I found her Facebook fan page, and sent her a message on the off chance that she'd be willing to talk a bit further about her room designs. And a day or so later I heard back from her!
Can you tell us a little bit about how your designs for Hotel Fox came to be? How many spaces did you design for them, and what was your inspiration for the mood and style?
For Hotel Fox, one of the editors from a publisher I previously had worked with asked me if I wanted to pitch some ideas for the project. The great thing was that I was free to submit anything that came to my mind. I liked the idea of an enchanted room. A room that would include symbolism from mythology, things that could help make the room magical. I did get 2 rooms, some hallway carpeting and a large hallway mural.
I saw on your Facebook page that you referenced the gorgeous and intricate fairy tale artwork of Ivan Bilibin as an inspiration to you. Are there any other illustrative artists, mythic-subject artists, or artists of any genre who especially inspire your work?
Good question. I think Bilibin, Klimt and Mucha are my biggest inspiration. Countless other artists from the Belle Epoque and Art Nouveau era inspire me, too. But I do like to look and Expressionism, too, to remind me to stay weird and not get too decorative, only.
 |
| Ivan Bilibin |
 |
| Ivan Bilibin |
 |
| Ivan Bilibin |
 |
| Klimt wall installation on stucco |
 |
| Klimt wall installation on stucco |
 |
| Mucha mural in Prague |
I am personally a big aficionado of the work of William Morris and the Arts and Crafts Movement. Morris was known for his phenomenal interior patterns, but also for helping to transform entire spaces in a home through artisan works on all surfaces: tiles, wallpaper, furniture, floor coverings, murals…all was included in his process of creative expression. Was his work, or a similar inspiration, at work in your creation of the spaces at Hotel Fox?
Unfortunately, no. Morris' pattern is a little too much for me I prefer geometric patterns with less detail. For the room King's Court for example, I had much simpler guidance: I was reading the book "The Buddenbrooks" by Thomas Mann, and there, he describes a salon room in blue and white - I thought that might look interesting, so I used that for one of my rooms at Hotel Fox.
 |
| Link |
While searching for more images of your art online, I came across a different wall pattern created apparently as a wallpaper. Can you tell us about this design? Do you plan to create more large scale works for interior use in the future?
What are you currently working on?
These large wallpaper designs were created for a print-on-demand wallpaper company. I had been working on a series of angels. Again, I wanted to use positive symbology to create a positive space through the wallpaper.
I am not sure, I am currently not working on wallpaper. The wallpaper thing was more something where one thing led to another. My biggest passion is book illustration. I wrote and published several ebooks that can be found on amazon etc, which feature my illustrations. One of these series from a book was awarded with the How Design Magazine award for this year. I also do book covers. In painting, I do mostly paint scenes from mythology. I just finished a large painting of the Goddess Freya. As a hobby, I draw dream art now and then, whenever an interesting dream comes to me.
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Mythic March 2014 - Start Thinking!
 |
| By Renee Needham |
It's almost that time again, ladies and gents! And I don't know about you, but I need it this year more than ever.
Well, okay yes I could be talking about spring, but what I'm really talking about is....
Mythic March
If you recall, last year was the first year we started this fun tradition in the same vein as National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo, held every November. But instead of being in November, we hold ours in the month of new beginnings, when spring's delicate tendrils of green start to wrap around our hearts.
Last year's summary post is here, and I highly recommend you read it, but the concept is simple: just create. It doesn't matter if you're writing a song, planting a garden, creating art, etc. etc. Just get off your bums that have been so cozily cradled by the couch all of this freezing snowy winter long, and CREATE something.
 |
| By Joel Robison |
Every Monday in March, we will have Mythic March Monday Makings, where I'll talk about what I've been working on, and share anything that any of you share with me as far as progress on your own projects. You can email me here, leave a comment on a blog post, or contact me over on Facebook via our Domythic Bliss group or my personal page (Grace Nuth) to let me know what you're doing.
So now is the time to start thinking about it. What do you want to work on for Mythic March? And feel free to tell me your ideas below!
 |
| Link |
Monday, February 17, 2014
Whimsy: A Very Silly and Very Important Word
the other day, while doing my semi-regular check of Amazon for new and interesting books in interior decorating, I came across a new title called Decorate Fearlessly: Using Whimsy, Confidence and a Dash of Surprise to Create Deeply Personal Spaces.
Looking through a few sample pages from the book, I started thinking more about the word "whimsy" and how it's a word that I don't use often. Yet it's one that expresses really nicely an aspect of Domythic decor that I don't think I've entirely covered yet in the blog!
Whimsy is defined as a playful or amusing quality : a sense of humor or playfulness. And the more I perused Pinterest for boards and pins based around the concept of whimsical decor, the more I realized that yes...it's a magnificent word for describing the "certain something" I try to make sure to have in my own home. It also describes well the "something lacking" that makes me dislike the interiors found in so many interior design magazines. Yes, it's true, I'm also looking for a personal touch in those cold and perfectly designed spaces found in magazines, but I'm also looking for a touch of whimsy.
A Domythic home does not have to incorporate whimsy in order to be Domythic. Not at all. I've seen stunning fairy tale inspired interiors that take themselves entirely seriously. They look like exact reproductions of a castle, a witch's cottage, and they are seriously amazing. But adding a touch of whimsy to every room of your house is a great way to show the world in a subtle (or not so subtle) way that imagination and wonder are important to you.
But what about the thin line where whimsical decorating crosses over into the dreaded kitsch? Well, quite frankly, I think no one should judge for someone else where that line is. I've seen the most filled-to-the-brim decorated spaces that thrilled me, and I've seen some austere spaces that somehow still seem warm.
When I'm looking at a room or a house, I will ask myself a simple question, and it's one I find so important...that the second post of this entire blog was devoted to it. I ask myself "would a child think this room/house/space was cool?" Adding a touch of whimsy practically guarantees that.
An entire antique porch piece on your living room wall? Definitely whimsical.
My friend, the artist Merle Pace, has the most wonderfully whimsical home. Take note of the old radio cabinet painted a fun color...she calls it "cat theater" and her kitties love to play inside and put on shows for her!
Looking through a few sample pages from the book, I started thinking more about the word "whimsy" and how it's a word that I don't use often. Yet it's one that expresses really nicely an aspect of Domythic decor that I don't think I've entirely covered yet in the blog!
Whimsy is defined as a playful or amusing quality : a sense of humor or playfulness. And the more I perused Pinterest for boards and pins based around the concept of whimsical decor, the more I realized that yes...it's a magnificent word for describing the "certain something" I try to make sure to have in my own home. It also describes well the "something lacking" that makes me dislike the interiors found in so many interior design magazines. Yes, it's true, I'm also looking for a personal touch in those cold and perfectly designed spaces found in magazines, but I'm also looking for a touch of whimsy.
A Domythic home does not have to incorporate whimsy in order to be Domythic. Not at all. I've seen stunning fairy tale inspired interiors that take themselves entirely seriously. They look like exact reproductions of a castle, a witch's cottage, and they are seriously amazing. But adding a touch of whimsy to every room of your house is a great way to show the world in a subtle (or not so subtle) way that imagination and wonder are important to you.
But what about the thin line where whimsical decorating crosses over into the dreaded kitsch? Well, quite frankly, I think no one should judge for someone else where that line is. I've seen the most filled-to-the-brim decorated spaces that thrilled me, and I've seen some austere spaces that somehow still seem warm.
When I'm looking at a room or a house, I will ask myself a simple question, and it's one I find so important...that the second post of this entire blog was devoted to it. I ask myself "would a child think this room/house/space was cool?" Adding a touch of whimsy practically guarantees that.
 |
| Link |
 |
| Link |
 |
| Link |
 |
| Link |
 |
| Link |
 |
| From Anthropologie |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
