POP! ART

Welcome to new muse Monday! 

 While I have many years of art appreciation behind me I am no art historian.  I consulted with our friends at Wikkipedia for the following information in hopes that you will indulge me and read in order to fully appreciate this weeks muse.
The Pop Art movement began in Britain ("swinging London") in the mid 1950's before making its way across the pond and setting up residence in the US through out the 1960's and beyond.  As a movement PA brought the idea of commercialism to the previously stuffy world of fine art.
 Pop Art paintings often isolated an object....think Campbell's soup can, Brillo box.....forcing us to see the beauty, or is it irony?, in the mundane.
 Mass or popular culture and advertising were frequent inspirations for Pop Artists including the youth and pop music phenomenon of the 50's and 60's.
Thank you Mr. Wikki.

Now, let me tell you what I think......Pop Art is fun!   That's it.....it's fun, colorful, light and happy.  Agree?

You know we'll be discussing the PA influence on fashion.  Here's one of my favorite Pop princesses.....Lisa Perry with a few of her designs.

 "Pop Art is about liking things"  Andy Warhol

Shepard Fairey's "hope" poster became one of the most widely recognised symbols of the 2008 presidential campaign, and a great example of modern Pop Art.

A living breathing walking work of Pop Art....Katy Perry.

 "Pop Art is the american dream, optimistic, generous, and naive!"  Robert Indiana

My absolutely favorite piece of Pop Art!  Robert Indiana's LOVE statue.  I can't get enough of this image (or this sentiment),  I've loved it ever since I was little....makes me smile.....really big!

Braxton wrote a really great post on Roy Lichentstein here> http://braxtonandyancey.blogspot.com/2011/01/roy-lichtensteins-pop-art.html  check it out.

 If  you would like to research some notable Pop Artists here's a list of some of the most famous.....

• David Hockney
• Robert Indiana
• Jasper Johns
• Roy Lichtenstein
• Peter Max (a braxtonandyancey favorite)
• Andy Warhol....the most famous of them all

The following picture is of Richard Hamilton's collage Just What Is It That Makes Today's Homes So Different, So Appealing? (1956) considered to be one of earliest works of Pop Art.

Naturally we'll be discussing the influence of Pop Art on interior design.  This is going to be so fun!

" Pop Art is industrial painting"  Roy Lichtenstein

Please join me....I promise lots of good colorful happy fun!  And join in the conversation won't you?  What's your take on Pop Art?  Would love to know.
Have a Beautiful day.
YANCEY

COOKING WITH ORANGE

 I love my kitchen I really do.  When we bought our house, which is 100+ yrs. old, the kitchen had been remodeled.....in the 70's!  It had stained knotty pine cabinets with hammered copper hardware, banana yellow counter tops, and yellow/beige vinyl flooring....can you say yuck?
After several attempts at painting the cabinets.....white, white with colorful flowers, white again...we eventually decided to paint them high gloss black with plain brass hardware.  OMG it changed my life.  We peeled up the flooring and found beautiful hard wood underneath....that was a really really good day! We replaced all the "almond" appliances with white and got rid of the completely worn out grasscloth wallpaper.
Still.........would you ever consider an orange kitchen?  Here's some food for thought......enjoy.

I would LOVE to have cabinets this shiny.

I think this is my favorite.  So cheerful.

Again, shiny cabinets. Yes.

A little too old fashioned for me, but I do like the clock.

Have a beautiful weekend.
YANCEY

SPEAKING OF ORANGE

"Orange is the happiest color." 

Frank Sinatra

 This weeks muse has reminded me how much I love the color of... sunshine, my morning juice, my neighbors cat, Hermes boxes,  our art glass collection.....and all things orange!
The energy of red + the happiness of yellow = the perfection which is orange.


To the eye the color orange reads very warm and actually gives the sensation of heat.  Orange increases oxygen to the brain thus stimulating the mind with creative energy.

 Orange is considered a healing color which stimulates the appetite (notice how many restaurants use the color orange, especially the fast food variety).
 In Feng Shui orange is a social color best used in the more public areas of a home such as the living room, dining room/kitchen, and children's areas.

Our orange Chakra represents sexuality and reproduction.

 In color studies, the color orange elicits the strongest "love" or "hate" responses of any other color.

In Elizabethan England the law dictated who could wear the color orange based on wealth and social standing.

 Orange is stimulating and highly visible to the eye, making it useful in times of emergency.

"Orange is red brought nearer to humanity by yellow"  Wassily Kandinsky

 The native Americans considered orange a sign of kinship.
In the Netherlands, where they have an annual "orange festival", orange is the national color.
In China and Japan orange symbolizes happiness and love.
If you drive a orange car you are considered fun-loving, talkative, and trendy.

"An orange on the table, your dress on the rug, and you in my bed, sweet present of the present, cool of night, warmth of my life."
Jacques Prevert
Have a beautiful day.
YANCEY

FASHIONABLE ORANGE

 Energetic, excitement, enthusiasm, warmth, attention getting, ambition....these are all descriptors I found when researching the psychology of the color orange.  Seems to me that my beloved orange is in fact a perfect color for fashion.....the happiest color of them all!

Who wouldn't be happy wearing a twirly, shiny orange dress?

Orange at the Emmy's

Would you dare?

Orange perks up an otherwise neutral outfit.

Orange just seems to make everyone look healthy.

Would you combine orange and camel?

Apparently orange can help you concentrate.

I love that her lips match her dress.

Without the orange shoes...she'd just be....smokin hot Cameron Diaz.

I love love love the orange/hot pink combo. Yes.

Talk about "attention getting."

Maggie G. adorable in orange lace.

Love this.  Makes me think of Dr. Seuss, but in a good way.

The perfect spring coat.

Simple and perfect.

As much as we adore our orange around here, Braxton and I don't have any of the luscious color in our wardrobes.  You see, we live about 45 minutes from Blacksburg Virginia...home of Virginia Tech....which is home to the Hokie football team.  While I have absolutely nothing against VT or their beloved team, I am not a sports fan, and around here the wearing of orange (the VT colors are orange and burgundy, not kidding) invites comments like "how 'bout them Hokies?" and "do you have season tickets?" and other questions I don't care to answer.  It's just easier living here when no one knows that I/we know absolutely nothing about football....nothing.
Those of you who don't live within a 1,000 mile radius of Blackburg, or those who are Hokie fans, enjoy your orange, it looks great on you.
Have a beautiful day.
YANCEY

ORANGE YOU GLAD I WENT TO HIGHPOINT?

 Braxton and I returned from the Highpoint Furniture Market late yesterday and I wanted to get you these pictures of all the glorious orange I found!  Actually, orange has been a popular color at market for a few seasons and I'm beginning to see less of it now, but it still makes me smile and whip out my camera.  Enjoy!

The brown/orange combo seemed popular.  Hermes much?

Orange/navy was another popular combo.  This I love love love, especially with the mirrored piece.

 The following few pics are from the Jonathan Adler display.  Swoon.

Hard to tell, but this high backed sofa is a gorgeous shade of navy which makes the orange pillows really pop.

Super shiny orange.

This time it actually IS Hermes.

Someone was actually giving away this bike.  Me, pick me!

Sophisticated orange.

Some had very clever window displays.  I love this!

Poor Braxton, he invited me to go with him to market this time thinking I would be "fun", haa!  Actually I was still sooo sick from a sinus infection that I had to spend two days in the hotel room, definitely NOT fun.
We still managed to have a great time....visited our favorite Asian restaurant twice....drank some champagne....talked until the wee hours about color and design....and basically came back home with a renewed excitement about...everything!
Did anyone else make it to market?  What did you think?
HAVE A BEAUTIFUL DAY EVERYONE!
YANCEY