Art Memories & Living With Art

I remember the first time I touched paint.

I was in elementary school, and we used those tempera cakes. You know, those round blocks of paint that are activated by water? The wetter they are, and the more you rub your brush around them—the more pigment they give. I remember them - not only because they only gave what I put in - but I also remember the smell. I was hooked immediately.

From that day on, I would draw and paint almost anything all the time - I would find excuses to create and paint things until one day, I became an art teacher and it was my job to mix and prepare paint. It was my job to be the one who introduced and taught how the tempera cake worked. This was a dream come true.

I opened up an art studio for children in 2008 called Glitter Pie because I wanted to allow children to do what I didn’t get the chance to do. Create in a highly imaginative environment and explore at will. At Glitter Pie, my young students were encouraged to learn and experiment by doing and being exposed to various mediums. They learned so much! I learned so much!! And I adored every minute of it.

Often what I loved about each day was watching gestures happen that eventually became works of art! I was astounded by the loose and stunning lines, compositions and interpretations that came out of each child. It was an expression. It was their world, their eye and their point of view and I ate these visual delights like candy. They were eye candy for me and I wanted to frame EVERYTHING!

Today, as a designer and artist one of the elements that I MUST have in every home is art. I can never quite express or explain how important art and colour in the home is for well-being and to evoke that one-of-a-kind feeling with décor.

As I explore the world in design - I discover ways to make finding, creating, buying and discovering art for my clients more accessible and easy. I suppose that is often the case- we associate art on a tipping scale: Either it is too expensive, hard to find and unattainable—or it is something some family member or child has made and we don’t really regard it in the same special way as high-end art.

I think the most important thing about making art choices is that you need to love it. Trends be damned. If it speaks to you and makes you feel good when you walk by it - buy it! Also, don’t think you need to keep you art in one place in your home. Move it around. Don’t get hung up on where to hang it. Hang it or prop it up in unexpected places.

Here’s some art installation inspiration from some projects I’ve worked on.