Wallpaper that makes my heart sing...

Three examples of new wall paper. Very nice indeed!

I have talked about it before: wallpaper! It is a big part of the way I work. I like the texture of it, and I like it because it adds an extra dimension in the visual story I am trying to tell. So here we go again - yesterday I went into town, and stumbled upon a few very fine pieces of wall coverings. I was quite excited, and couldn't decide between them all, so I had too pick a few out, and ended up with 1 meter of seven different ones. Seven is a ucky number of mine. I love wall paper of the seventies, the bold and often ugly patterns work really well in small pieces, and in small doses. But I also adore the new, modern patterns. They are still bold, but the patterns and color combinations far more sophisticated. Often somewhat asian inspired, with a hint of metallic. Anyway - I could go on, but I just wanted to show a couple of examples from yesterday’s hunt...

Wallpaper From a Scary Decade

As you probably already know, my work is a mixture of collage and acrylic on canvas. The wallpaper (collage) came into my work while we lived in Tacoma, WA. It happened quite coincidently, as I came across a couple of large wallpaper books in a vintage store downtown Tacoma. They were cheep, only $10 and $15, and I couldn’t pass it up. Kevin and I each brought one back to our apartment in the Stadium District. This spontaneous purchase would steer my work in a brand new direction. These, my two first books were (from what I can gather from the information on them) from the 1950’s. Maybe it was the pattern style, maybe it was Tacoma’s general 1950‘s atmosphere - don’t know?! But my work slowly but surely took a turn for thevintage. Since then I am always on the lookout for great sample books, from all decades. And I have been lucky to find a few great ones.

The idea of wallpaper, or general wall coverings gives me the chills. I remember the children’s rooms of my childhood, the brown/orange kitchens and green bathrooms. But in a new light, in small doses I like it. Love it even! When it comes to big bold patterns, it is definitely a case of Less is More. I find myself especially attracted to big flower/nature patterns - like the ones above. Not quite so vintage anymore. Maybe it is the feeling of tropical, island living. Palm trees, turquoise water and a warm breeze...

The 40th Face

Back in summer I made a few paintings, based on 1940s photos of women from LIFE magazine. I painted the faces from looking at photos, and then surrounded them with heavy pattern wall paper from roughly the same time period. I enjoyed making these small portraits with smiling or surprised faces, often taken from soap or toothpaste ads. They all measure 8” x 8”.

Overtime they became various studies of faces, and I started using more modern photos, which changed the feel and expression of the paintings.

Just this week I completed portrait # 40. I didn’t know I was going to do this many or how they would change overtime. I like them as individual portraits, as well as put together in a big block as the above photo. For now, I have decided to take a break, but may return to this format the future.

Vintage Wallpaper

For a while now, I have experimented with vintage wallpaper. I absolutely love it; the texture, the patterns, the smell of forgotten paper in a basement for decades... Sounds bad, but it seems to add to the authenticity, at least for me!

The patterns are often crazy to say the least - big, bold & (from a modern standpoint) violently intrusive. The idea of an entire room covered in these patterns, sounds like a severe nightmare, but in small doses, cut up and mixed, I think these wall coverings are absolutely stunning.

I am always looking for sample books, and seem to find them in the strangest places. I recently got this little cute one (in the picture) from 1951, with an elegant house wife, deciding between two pink (tasteful!) choices, with the help of two christmas pixies(?)

I love it!

And today I received a thick, huge sample book with true, colorful & very believable 70’s super patterns... I could not wait to open it - I did - and saw, felt, heard & smelled the 1970s.

I look forward to incorporate it all in my work in the future. And hope to continuously find more wallpaper treasures...