01/09/2017
Art and the new year.
Thinking about art and inspiration, and how I’ve seen artistic friends use their walls. Lauren (bead maker, hi Lauren!) has tons of hanging art and is always moving it around. I arrive and see something new/not-new: it’s been part of the collection, she just moved it to front and center for me to enjoy. Ann (photographer, hi Ann!), said she kicked off the new year by taking ALL the art off the walls and starting over, that by clearing the walls they get to make fresh decisions about how to dress them.
I am sharing some paintings with you, work from my grandfather, Thurland Hanson. He immigrated from Norway around 1900, went to The Art Institute of Chicago and worked most of his life in new York. He worked in oil and watercolor and after the crash of 1929, he worked as an advertising illustrator. The portraits are of his wife, my grandmother Agnes Forest.
I have always felt lucky to get to live with these paintings. A nomad myself, I have carted them from New Mexico and up the California coast, to no less than 10 houses in 20 years. Now I like hanging them on chains from picture molding near the ceiling. It fits the era of their birth, and lets me move them around without putting new holes in the walls.
The laundry scenes and the woman in a sun hat are done with a pallet knife. I love the cool blues in the sun-hot areas and the warm browns in the shade. I like how the lines of the tenement houses bend. The neighborhood may have been Dobbs Ferry New York in the 30’s.
How does this relate to organizing? It’s about what we choose to put our focus on. Designers know and use this. A space can be very busy and still have some things command your attention. What do you want to focus on when you enter each room? This isn’t a test, it’s a new way of thinking about your space.
It’s a fine line sometimes between “busy” and “cluttered”. The difference is, how does it make you feel? For me, I want rooms to inspire activities – that can be relaxing, writing, creating, learning, cooking, talking, eating and watching a movie. I have nothing against clutter, some of the happiest people I know are surrounded by clutter and most parents live with it for 18 years whether they love clutter or not! If coming into your home or office, clutter makes you feel scattered or anxious, it might be time to get to work on clearing it up and creating new methods to deal with it.
I got into the business of decluttering and downsizing to help people get away from the stress of a mess, and get going on the projects that are important and energizing. When working with someone new, I always want to know what those projects and goals are, so that I can help them stay focused and weigh the many small decisions vs that goal. The goal might be inspired by design- IKEA simplicity or Architectural Digest flamboyance. It could be “I want to start a baking business” or “I don’t want my kids to have to sort through all this”.
In the words of my nephew Dylan (artist, hi Dylan!) “art makes me happy”. I love time with art, going to shows and galleries, making crafts or fixing things. Too many weeks go by where the daily demands of the job, chores and dates with friends or family gobble up a month and I made no time for art. This is my wish for the new year, more time for art! Wishing you a happy new year and more time for what you love.
