DESIGN BLOG

Thoughts
&
Musings

nathalie tierce 4/22/17 nathalie tierce 4/22/17

Next Big Thing

My painting "Fear of Falling" will be appearing in the group show "The Next Big Thing" at the Channel Island Studio Gallery May 18th through June 24th 2017.

Opening reception May 20th

nathalie tierce 2/23/17 nathalie tierce 2/23/17

Defining Mid Century Marvelous

Staging is the art of defining a space.

Case in point, this mid-century beauty sitting atop the Hollywood Hills in California.

Open plan, the house greets the visitor with oodles of luxurious space.

Ironically, the airy proportions could potentially overwhelm a prospective buyer. Where should the dining area be? How does seating work in what could be an area called the Living Room?

With careful thought given to the architectural layout and how people actually live; a story begins to unfold. By selecting relative size and style sympathetic furnishings; the flow and purpose of the space reveal itself.

Another helpful tool for setting the mood of a space is the artwork. Art can subliminally emphasis unique characteristics of a home (specific architectural features can be echoed in a painting) or compliment monochromatic decor can with a splash of a color.

All the artwork used in this particular staging was created by myself. The showing was a success, the home was purchased for 5.5 million.

When a visitor entered the front door, there was no entryway, foyer or transition space to greet them.

By using black to unite and ground certain aspects of the accent pieces, namely the legs of the table, light fitting and artwork, a focal point is created against the white walls.

Here, against the wonderful modernist geometric shapes at play, the rectangular window to the right was slightly ominous when in shadow. The remedy was the injection of some vibrant color and texture of the painting to the left.

A non-descript niche became a soothing bar area, dressed with a discreet uplight that added warmth and intimacy. The painting above added architectural detail that complimented the organic curves of the tall plant to the left.

Clean, minimalistic and elegant was the result in claiming this area for the dining space with furniture that had simple lines. Here again, the colorful shapes in the painting add playfulness to the setting.

The tone of the hallway as the transitional space from the communal areas to the bedrooms was quite staid. The art made walking through a more dynamic experience with its bold color and dynamic direction.

nathalie tierce 12/12/15 nathalie tierce 12/12/15

A Portrait of Joshua

It's always that way, when you do something for a living (even if you love doing it) you tend to not do it for yourself.

Suddenly enough time had gone by to make me realize it had been years since I did a portrait study of my own son, Joshua, 7.

When I asked him to pose for this, I didn't ask him to pose, because in general I find that makes people, kids and grown ups alike, freeze. So instead I talked to him about what I needed his picture for, how I would use it for reference for my painting.

I finally got a photo that I liked with an attitude and gesture that conveyed his character.

Although I liked the slightly James Dean stance he struck, once I began working on the composition, the length of his exposed sock was distracting so I changed it.

I've made a short video where you can see the progression from sketch to drawing to finished painting.

I'm so glad I did it, I see his humor and shyness mixed with humor come through.

nathalie tierce 12/5/15 nathalie tierce 12/5/15

Framed Bark

I just finished hanging on of my prints from the "Bark Paintings" series in my client's home.

Framed, it looks wonderful in this contemporary bedroom. They already had the woven red bedspread with embroidery as well as the some of the other pillows. I found the purple and silver / navy pillows to throw into the mix because it need a little bit a cool rich color to counter the warm bedspread.

The walls are Benjamin Moore's Simply White.