Music and Art Forever

It's amazing how music is the one art form that touches the widest range of people.  Music is the inspiration of all types of people and professions, even other artists.  There is such an emotional response to music, much more successful in that than any other art medium.  Music surrounds you, gets in your bones, makes you dance, makes you cry.

As an artist I wish my art could be experienced as emotionally as music is.  Art can provide emotional responses but not in the way that music surrounds and elevates.  Music is a great medium in that it is a part of everyones life and can inspire all types of people and artists.

The feeling I get and most people get from listening to a great song, I also get from the perfect brushstroke that completes a painting.  When everything comes together and I just have to stand back and take it all in.  When a room gets transformed, the final coat of that perfect color, I've had moments where my breath gets taken away.  It just makes me really happy!  All my time and effort is shown almost immediately and it means even more to me that someone gets to live in it and enjoy it every day.  They may not feel the same connections to those walls as I do, but I know it will somehow influence them and hopefully inspire them in small ways.

Art isn't as loud as music, but art and interiors can elicit emotional responses.  Take time to experience it and take it in.

Be Bold in your Design.  Get Inspired.

peace&love

Rebecca

To the Forest.. part one

This is something I've been dreaming of doing for a very long time.  The time was right and everything just fell into place.  Painting the birch trees at the Ivy Lounge started it off.  It cemented in my mind that it's a pretty awesome design.  For this room I wanted to switch it up and add a little more detail.  I wanted it to be more of a dark forest.  I started off with the black walls.  I really loved the room just black, but sometimes you just need to go past your intuition to stop at your comfort level.  I started painting the trees in the corner and the colors weren't quite right.  I went to the basement and starting pulling colors previously used to try and find the right combination of hues that would work perfectly.  I finally settled on two shades of colors which really gave the forest some depth.  Sometimes you need to sleep on it and when I woke up I envisioned the wall complete and it was perfect.  So I continued on and this is what it turned into!

I am still making my way around the rest of the room but I just couldn't wait to share this with you!  I have seen a bunch of wallpapers with birch tree patterns and I thought, I can paint, easy.  It's a fun, simple design that completely changes the whole aura of the room.  This room has gone through a lot of changes in the past week, from an outdated wallpaper to a sexy black to an ominous forest.  Don't be afraid of a bold pattern, you never know how it might look.

Be Bold in your Designs.

peace&love

Rebecca

BlackPaint.. Be Bold

I started off with an outdated wallpaper and a room in need of a makeover.  It took a snowy day and a bost of inspiration and voila, a room is transformed.  I decided this room needed something bold, classic and exciting. I love the idea of a dark color and I'm not afraid to use it.  Unlike what most people think, darker does not always make a room smaller.  Let's break the preconceptions of dark colors for rooms and be bold.  Don't be afraid of color.

Now I could leave the room as is, this black color looks so sexy in an eggshell finish.  It looks soft like suede.  The room is filled with some beautiful rustic, hand crafted pine pieces and they really pop against this crisp black wall.  I'm hoping to create a classy rustic aura in the room.

But today I will continue with a simple birch tree pattern.  I may be crazy to put a big pattern on a bold color, but maybe thats just what it needs to make this ordinary room a wow room!

Be Bold in your Design.

peace&love

Rebecca

ZerbyPaint.. Ivy Lounge

A last minute request for trees.  One last room that just needed some trees.  

Be Bold in your Design.

peace&love

Rebecca

ZerbyPaint.. Exterior part four

Once again this was such a great project to work on and be a part of.. here is the final product.  After finishing the exterior and the paper came off the windows the space was finally seen in natural light.  The decision was made, almost instantly, to expand the mural to the interior.  Continuing the tree mural into the interior creates a cohesion between the exterior and the interior and takes the whole space to the next level.

Its sort if been my dream to organically create my design on a large scale.   The birch tree was the perfect subject to do this.  Each tree organically grew from a single line into a large life size tree.  My minor in landscape horticulture is finally paying off.  I always try and keep my flora designs accurate in their structure.  By hand painting the design, versus using wallpaper, I can fit the design perfectly into the space, going around corners and up onto walls.  Each design is unique to the space it is in. 

Now, follow me through the space..

The back wall..

The back entry..

Between the wash closets..

The front entry, left side..

Right side..

Close up..

Front desk..

Back entrance..

Having the design changed, from the leaves in the front to the birch trees, was a miracle in disguise.  I put in a lot of hours in some pretty cold weather on that first design and I loved the design, but the space it was on just wasn't quite right to see the design and experience it fully.  I've learned over the years to not get so attached to my artwork, so when the decision came to paint over all my hard work, I picked up a paint brush and started over.  I'm glad I did because the new design worked so well that I got to continue on the inside, which I was not originally contracted to do.  Everything always works out in the end and I feel so happy, excited and accomplished to have worked on and finished this project.  

Big thanks to Erica Riggio and Angela Justice from Riggio Designs for including me on this design and project.  Their ideas are big and bold and they created a beautiful space!

Be Bold in your Design.

peace&love

Rebecca

ZerbyPaint.. Exterior part three

The trees are up and the space is almost finished.  Love the idea of silhouettes of birch trees, its simple, whimsical, and bold.  This was a great project and a great experience working on a job site.  Changes in vision and design were made, so I picked up my paint brush and started over.  Sometimes great ideas in your head don't turn out as well on the wall.  Its important to make quick decisions to make sure you are left with the best design.  The birch trees tie the whole space together and make the space recognizable from the outside.  Enjoy!

Be Bold in your Design.

peace&love

Rebecca

ZerbyPaint.. Exterior part two

With a fresh coat of paint, this exterior has a new life.  And a bright yellow door is just what this building needed for a nice pop of color.  Next step is the birch tree mural, stay tuned...

Be Bold in your Design.

peace&love

Rebecca

ZerbyPaint.. Exterior part one

Another day, another exterior.  This is the backside of the Ivy Lounge that I was working in the past couple weeks.  The vision for the exterior changed slightly and the decision was made to paint the entire exterior a deep dark green.  

Took me an entire day to edge out and fill in the front and back of the building.  Take a look at these before and in progress pics.  

Edging out is the time intensive part of painting, but once it is done it all gets easier and goes by much faster.  Stay tuned for the completed wall pics.

Be Bold in your Design.

peace&love

Rebecca

To the Sun.. part eight

After a long rainy day, we woke up in Travernier, the sun shining and plants radiating color.  We walked to a small mangrove opening by the water and enjoyed the sun on our faces.

Making it back to the mainland, we headed towards the Everglades.  Andrew wanted alagator tail and to our surprise Gator Grill popped up on the side of the road.  The rest of my family got the gator bites and I got blackened shrimp tacos, some of the best tacos I've ever eaten!   These seasoned shrimp were blackened on the grill and topped with a spicy chipotle and cilantro lime homemade sauces.

Another roadside treat, Robert is Here.  A smoothie, milkshake, market place.  Some delicious shakes made from the freshest fruits.  The market was packed with all these exotic fruits that aren't commonly seen in Maryland, especially un January. It was colorful and full of excitement.

This ends my adventure through south Florida and the keys.  I had a great time and got some great pictures and am now full of new inspirations.  I can't wait to get home and turn these inspirations into new ideas, new projects and new products.