A New Way of Clicking – African Clicking
There is no limit to the wonderfulness of African art. Seriously, there’s so much to it you don’t exactly know where to get started. First things to pop on your mind are masks, artifacts, history, aesthetics, meanings, sculptures and all that jazz.? Surely, nothing compares to reading about the African traditions in a peaceful library, or browsing lovely pictures of an art catalog in the comfort of your own living room, or on the contrary, visiting a museum and take a sip of art in the middle of other people contemplating what used to be once vivid elements of a beautiful culture. Regarding the “used-to-be” phrase up there.. noticed how generally tend to refer to other populations on far away continents as possessing a past that we’d like to learn more about? I get the feeling that somewhere along the road, we fail to know more, if at all, about the current state-of-art and its magnificent artists that are creating yesterday’s cup of beauty.
It is of great importance, to get to see up to date art, have it right on your screen, neatly organized, unveiling before your eyes as you wish, how you wish it. Everything is digital nowadays, even more digital than ever before. It doesn’t take time to browse and read, to click and watch random things on the Internet, but it is likely to run out of patience once you decide for a more advanced search and try to go only for the relevant bucket of information. That is why you need to find websites that come to the rescue. Presenting quality photography, film, illustrations, music, painting, graphic design, animation and quite frankly, the list goes endless.
The diversity of the fields involved is quite overwhelming at first, because you come to realize there is so much you’ve been missing out on, that you’d like to check out each and every little thing posted yesterday, and two years ago. That, especially if you are completely new to this, but it proves to be just as engaging even if you are already in touch with this domain.
But once you get familiar with this type of art, you will love to keep connected. Like thousands of fans that regularly follow updates online, fresh out of the oven, and contribute every now and then with links of their own, to bring more enjoyable things to watch and read inside the community. So much for praising the fun you can have browsing. There’s an African saying from Ghana that goes something like this: “No one can corrupt you unless you are corrupt.”.
Nothing can make you try something new, unless you wanted to try it in the first place, but come to think of it there’s always a thin line between instinct and impulse, isn’t it?
Now I’ll leave you to whatever was filling your day 5 minutes ago, I’m off reading an article about Kinshasa Symphony, because apparently, in Congo, there is an orchestra of two hundred musicians playing Beethoven Ninth.
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A Brief Overview of African Art
Authentic pieces of African art can be extremely diverse. However, there are often common themes and features which can be seen to appear within artwork from Africa – here is a quick guide to just a few of them.
Firstly, it should be noted that there is a huge focus on the humour figure within many different types of African art. Different figures and people have long been the primary theme within African art, although the merging of human and animal bodies is also not uncommon. This element can be seen to have had a huge influence of a number of European artists.
African art was also one of the first examples of artwork which incorporated the use of gems and precious stones. This is another element which can be seen to have been replicated in artwork across the world, right up until the modern era. Previously, western art was largely in thrall to classical influences, until Picasso and 20th century artists began to see inspiration in African art. Although it might be difficult to see how contemporary artists and sculptors, like Louise Bourgeois, or modern-day jewellers, such as 77 Diamonds, have been shaped by such influences, many of their European predecessors almost certainly would have been. This can also be seen as a product of the fact that African artists tend to favour sculptures, over two-dimensional pieces.
Within these three-dimensional works, African art is often relatively abstract, especially when it comes to scale and proportion. More often than not, African artwork does not follow a precise scale, providing more of an abstract representation of the people or scenes depicted. This quality is often considered to be similar to that of Ancient Egyptian artwork, which also avoided naturalistic features and styles.
In addition to this, African art is also heavily influenced by its practical uses. Many African works are specifically created for various types of ‘performance’, such as heavily decorated masks and robes which would usually be worn within a ceremonial context.
Decorating Your Living Room in 5 Easy Steps
For any family, their reputation with guests greatly depends on the appearance of their living rooms. Living rooms are one of the most important parts of any family’s house. It is the place where a family entertains guest, may it be a relative, a neighbour or even co-workers.
The living room would tell a lot about how the family maintains the house. Having visitors admire your living room can be one of the most fulfilling moments in your everyday life. It takes a lot of work to achieve that praise-worthy living room that every guest comes back for. To serve as your guide, here are 5 easy steps in decorating your living room:
1. It’s best to know first what style would you want for your living room. Thinking on how the living room would look like as a whole is a good way to set the theme for the space. You can mix any idea that comes to mind, may it be country with a touch of modern style or a dark shade to paint your walls and light-colored furniture to make it stand out.
2. Start off with your floor tiles; seal both tile and surrounding grout with a water-based floor varnish. To know what type of water-based floor varnished would be best to use, ask your home improvement retailer or any other experts in this field for opinions. For the walls, it would be better to put bold colors that are sure to put some dramatic effect to your living room. If you don’t fancy the bold wall color effect, try painting an accent wall. This type of design does not overwhelm the whole room and still leaves a good impression.
3. For the windows, try to choose curtains that would complement the design style you have chosen for the whole room. Try adding rich looking fabrics to give that luxurious feel to your room. The curtains are the elements that usually bind all the room decorations together, so make sure they are a perfect match.
4. Lighting should be taken seriously. A living room is all about mood, and lighting greatly helps to set that mood. Using fluorescent lights overpower any mood for your living room with its strong emission of light. Try adding a few lamps in your living room. They are a great help for building that cozy feel in your living room. Candles can also be a contributor in decorating your living room. Put them along with candle holders with different colors and sizes to help achieve your living room decorating ideas.
5. The last but certainly not the least tip in decorating your living room is putting art on the walls. Different art works posted on the different parts of your living room helps bring the whole living room together. It also adds a personal touch at the same time and tells something about your interests. Photographs are also a form of art may they be family photos or black and white landscapes. Just make sure not to overdo it. Always keep it simple and free of clutter, so it would not ruin the atmosphere you are trying to establish.
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Decorating Your Bedroom With a Western Theme …
Creating a bedroom with a Western style can actually have an inviting and masculine feel to it. Mixing and matching different items associated with the West like wooden carvings or cowboy hats can truly make your room your personal space. To create a cowboy or western style for your room, here are a few ideas you can use.
The color of the wall of your room will be very important. Warm and vibrant colors are usually used to depict a western mood to it. A western look often consists of browns, blacks, tans and other dark colors. To highlight the color contrast, select white ornaments for a splash of brightness. One good idea is to use white cow print fabric to make the bed set and curtains. A white carpet with dyed with black odd shaped spots will also create a dramatic effect for your room.
Decorating the wall with western wall art is an artistic way of incorporating the western theme. Sometimes you can find these inexpensive wall art in garage sales and flea markets. Take the time to visit these places because you’ll never know you might just find the perfect piece of art to hang in your room.
Hanging up a rope lasso or making small ones glued to your lampshade can also show a western theme to it. You can also cut pictures of horses, cattle, or Indians and use this as a border around the top of your room.
Decide on having your floor generally made out of hardwood. Also choose area rugs which are flat woven styles or maybe even fake fur skins.
To create a cowboy look and feel, decorate your room with saddles and leather straps. These can be draped over your table chair. Use your imagination and come up with ingenious ways on how to make western accessories using horse shoe, Indian outfits and cowboy hats.
Using items made of iron such as iron lamp bases and cabinet knobs will fit well in a Western room.You can decide to design your room in a number of ways. You can go with the country theme or even the old west route. It really depends on your preference. Include things such as cowboy boots and guitars to enhance the western culture in your room.
Nowadays, there are available door knobs in the market with designs that reminds us of the Wild West. Choose a design you like and replace your old door knob with this western-inspired knob.
Alternative wall hangings can include horse whips, chaps and stirrups. Wooden items can be found in craft stores. There are numerous shapes and sizes to choose from. Paint these shapes and hang them on the wall.
Window treatments should be in basic colors and not too drastic. Look for wooden shutters or simple curtain panels.
Old trunks and stressed wood furniture can be placed inside your room and will definitely keep the western look going.
Incorporate all these ideas from painting your room with dark colors up to hanging up the western wall art to achieve the Western look you want to accomplish. After you have all the furniture and decorations in place, you will have produced a warm, cozy bedroom where you can enjoy and relax. It will be like living in the Wild West but still in the comfort of your bedroom.
Author: Alyssa Davis
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Decorating your Home with African Art
Being the second largest continent in the world, Africa is as beautiful as it is diverse and is constantly changing. Believed to be a name originated from the latin word ‘aprica’, which means sunny, Africa is home to a large number of ancient tribes. Due to this, the tradition, culture, art forms, music form and religious practices of each tribe varies from country to country. Scientists also believe that Africa is the original home of the human race and the foundation of today’s civilization.
This vast ocean of culture, tradition and art forms have captivated the attention of lot of people and African art has found its way into our daily lives, especially in the decoration of one’s home. The African theme is a very popular decorating art with its wide range of soothing color options and earthy fabrics and other art choices. Whether a person is looking to decorate a kitchen, a living room, a bedroom, a bathroom, a baby’s room or even the whole house, using an African theme can change the look of the entire house into a faraway haven.
African artifacts include subtle animal prints, masks, statues and rich nature-based color tones. Using these tribal treasures, a room or even an entire home can be given a warm and wonderful ambiance. The most popular of African decor art is masks. African tribal masks are available in a variety of colors like bright red, green, orange, blue or dark wood shades. These masks can be placed in the living room coupled with African statues and smaller masks, teak furniture and several animal print rugs. The colors of these masks can be co-ordinated with the sofas in the living room. These masks also look great as the dining room decor with a beautiful nature inspired table linen cloth placed on a dark wood dining table along with an African mask on the wall. The master bedroom can be drastically altered by strategically placing a few ancient masks on the wall and draping the four poster bed with animal print bed linen. This decorating theme can be extended into the bathrooms also.
In case an individual is looking for African art on a budget then there are cheap options available in a large number of shops selling home decor items like antique stores, flea markets or thrift shops. Although, the items that an individual might get at these stores may not be genuine African art. In case an individual is particular about getting genuine African art forms, then the local auction house can help and at a relatively less expensive cost and also in good condition. Another option to ensure that the art is genuine African art is to consult an antique professional.
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New Decorating Trends
As people’s lives get busier and busier, a home is not just another place to sleep at night. A home has become a place of peace, a place to relax and rejuvenate for another busy and stressful day. With this in mind, more and more people are looking to decorate their homes in a way where a home is simple, functional, low maintenance and yet elegant, warm and inviting.
As with everything else, people’s demand sets the trend on decoration and some of the latest decorating trends ensure that a home gives maximum functionality, minimum maintenance and looks warm and creative without being loud and opulent. Hand crafted furniture and accessories like intricately carved statues and metal with detailed scroll work is in high demand this season. Leather furniture combined with different fabrics to create different textures is also in high demand.
Another trend that has caught on with homeowners are do-it-yourself projects like home made lamp shades, self woven curtains, hand made sofa throws and even hand knitted table cloths. A traditional decor which looks colorful and elegant is also in this season. Furniture pieces reflecting nature like bamboo flooring, and rattan furniture have also caught attention. Along side this, ethnic furniture from different countries, traditions and periods are in demand. Mild wall colors like beige and gold with warm browns and pumpkin spice or even shades of blues and greens offset in a neutral background are the choice of the season for their soothing feel.
As far as furniture is concerned, huge bulky furniture is out and multi-purpose and space saving furniture is in, which gives maximum storage. Narrower sofas, coffee tables doubling as dining tables or small dining tables with stool chairs are in to save space. Functional art like design lighting has become a popular option for small homes where different light sculptures serve the need of lighting as well as add a decorative piece of art to the room. Most of the home decor making a come back this season is artistic with curves rather than straight lines and clean cuts.
Another decorative and functional item making a big comeback this season is room divider screen. With homes getting smaller, making wooden doors can substantially reduce space. A room divider screen can be put into place when the need arises to separate two portions of a home and can be removed to enlarge the space and make it look like a big room. Another popular functional decor is the counter height bistro table which adds a casual touch to the dining atmosphere allowing the family to relax and have a quick meal.
With these new decorating trends, a home can be made multi-functional and multi-purpose while at the same time giving it a spacious and clutter free look.
Decorating with African Art Creates Soulful Environments
Decorating with African art brings a unique look to your home or office. A number of options are available and you can feature one interesting piece or showcase an entire room in this style.
Choosing a Single Piece When Decorating with African Art
When you are planning your room, you may want to start with a single piece of art. Decorating with African art doesn’t have to be elaborate. You can start with a colorful batik wall hanging in bright colors, a hand-painted Korhogo cloth, or a Gabon mask. If you prefer not to display the art on your walls, you still have a number of options for decorating with African art. Since the piece you choose can represent your unique inner spirit; the options are highly individual and virtually endless.
Small pieces can add interest to your decor as well. Good choices include a hand-carved kisii stone elephant, a decoupage vase, or a carved chess set featuring animal pieces. Ebony bowls are available at reasonable prices and a “talking drum” displayed in your room will be certain to get conversations going.
Kisii Stone Plate Centers a Room
Another striking choice when decorating with African art is a kisii stone plate. This material is also known as soapstone. A multicolored effect is created by applying natural dyes to the surface of the stone. The stone absorbs the colors, making a kisii stone plate a wonderful option for decorating with African art. The piece can be hung on a wall or displayed on a table or a shelf using a stand.
Supporting African Artists
Another great reason for decorating with African art is that by buying these pieces, you are supporting the talented artisans who created them. Artists put their heart and soul into the items they draw, paint, weave, or fashion; and we give them a wonderful acknowledgment for their efforts by buying these items. The artist also benefits from the financial support we provide to them by buying their artwork.
Any decorative element you choose speaks loudly about your inner spirit, tastes, and style. Decorating with African Art gives you the chance to express your flair, passions, or social commentary without uttering a single word.
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Stumbles for February 29, 2008
Recharge Your Home With Your Own Decorating Ideas | AfrikBoutik
Nice blog about African Art & Home Decorating.
