Masks by Mia Tyson

If you’ve ever been to the Hotel Palomar in Midtown Atlanta, you may have noticed these “Masks” by Artful Home artist Mia Tyson. Commissioned for the hotel in 2008, each mask features an original, one-of-a-kind drawing carved into hand-formed porcelain, which has been covered by a thin coat of black slip. It’s a style and coloration that has become her signature.

Tyson says that she’s always been interested in the way past cultures have used symbols to tell stories, and she strives for her images to do the same. I think the use of the mask serves as a interesting canvas for her work, given their historic significance as surfaces on which various expressions are “frozen.” Each of Tyson’s masks has likewise captured a static expression, not to portray a specific character, but to encourage the viewer to invent his or her own story.

Her work is right at home at Hotel Palomar, which boasts a design theme of “Art in Motion” and pays homage to the arts by filling its spaces with elegant and sensual works of art. What welcome relief for the weary traveler!

Geoforms: Porosity #7 Fiber Quilt by Michele Hardy

It feels as if there is a renaissance in fiber art happening right now at Artful Home. Many of our extremely talented artists have created new work which we are thrilled to be presenting. As a textile aficionado (and, full disclosure, a former fiber artist myself), I am always thrilled to see work which takes me to new places. With all this new work I plan to focus several posts on new textile pieces we are seeing — fiber art for the wall, functional art, and wearable art.

Michele Hardy’s “Geoforms: Porosity #7” exemplifies the intersection of painting and fiber. The techniques employed involve quilting, stitching, and painting, but it is the exploration of form that I find fascinating. There is a vibrating pulsating sense of emerging life conveyed in this piece. Hardy marries the physical act of quilting with images of the physical act of living. Brilliant!

“Portals #5” employs the depth of surface made possible through quilting to support the symbolism of a doorway. One of the beauties of quilting is the ability to create a second layer of imagery imposed on the original piecing, allowing for forms and images to interact with one another. Hardy’s imaginative use of the medium gives one the sense of what is outside this portal, and the mystery of what is to be found once one passes through it.

Dining Room Chairs by Craig Nutt

A commissioned work of art is a uniquely individual way to celebrate a family milestone, fill an unusual space, or make everyday objects artful. The Artful Home Custom Design Center gives you the essential tools to make that happen, so you can have a custom piece from an artist whose work you want to own.

The Custom Design Center enables you to broadcast a description of your dream project to suitable artists. Interested artists submit proposals.

What kind of projects pass through the Custom Design Center? Here are some examples:

Visit the Artful Home Custom Design Center to modify artwork already available at Artful Home, commission an entirely original work of art, or find some inspiration by viewing previously commissioned pieces, everything you need is right here.

No. 84, Bird Brains Wood Wall Art by James Nelson

When I studied tribal textiles in my past, I often noticed similar symbols and techniques which seemed to appear worldwide, symbols as diverse as swastikas and eagles, cultures as diverse as Amish or Afghani. I delighted in hunting down the international travels of symbols and designs.

Having the opportunity at Artful Home to view hundreds of works of contemporary art has given me the chance to notice forms which today’s artists in diverse media are exploring. The recent arrival of fabulous new wall sculptures in wood by James Nelson gave me the chance to compare his forms to those found in art quilts by Janet Steadman. Both artists explore heavily textured angular forms with tribal influences. Nelson describes his work as, “These sculptures are like multidimensional puzzles and I treat each piece of the puzzle as an individual work of art.” This is much like the processes involved in piecing and quilting.

The triangular forms present in No. 84, Bird Brains evoke wings, flight, and movement. Interestingly, those same triangular forms appear in “Going My Way” by Janet Steadman. This quilt uses abstracted variations on traditional Flying Geese quilt patterns – which naturally reference flight. But both works also reminded me of something else, so I went back to my reference books to look at Navajo rugs. As you can see, the influence of forms, stripings, and color combinations in both of these works reflect traditional rug forms of the Red Mesa dazzler style rug. Look closely at the quilting pattern Steadman employs overall, and you will see shapes found in the rugs. While I have no idea if either artist has ever seen a Navajo weaving, I strongly believe the collective unconscious works in most interesting ways!