I mentioned a while back that I wanted to install a giant canvas over my TV, partly to hide the thing when not in use (and perhaps reduce the TV watching that I am engaging in), but mostly to make the room feel more finished most of the time.
I figured out the scale I wanted, my husband built a frame, and I covered it in inexpensive painters canvas (from here) with my staple gun, and hung it on up. By which I mean I put the cross brace on the back of the frame right on top of the TV.
Without the TV visible and acting as a reference point, I noticed that the canvas feels a bit low. So there's that. Especially in relationship to the vertical stack of stamp art on the same wall.
See? So it will move up, probably with some blocks added to the cross-brace in the back. Speaking of which, I noticed that whatever wood sits directly on the TV will need to be covered in felt, pronto. No need to scratch up a perfectly good TV.
Before I started painting, I wanted to test out some ideas. Do not judge what you are about to see. Since I am thinking about a black and white abstract, I got out all the black construction paper form my kids' pack and started taping it to the canvas in a sort of geometric way.
The idea is just to mock up the general gist of it to see how it plays in the room and how it relates to the other art and furniture. I left it up for a day or two to see how I reacted to it as I moved through the house.
(By the way, do you like our state of the art stereo system? I think my husband got that boom box in the 80s. It's great for my 4 year old, who loves to play DJ.)
The verdict? The bold black geometric pulls too much focus. It grabbed my eye any time I went remotely near. I'm thinking it needs to be more organic (the geometry mimics the frame stack too much), and medium to large scale (the framed paper is small scale, loose, and busy). It needs to be a little more delicate, either in color or in line. Another mock up is in my future.
An important note. Generally, I would not recommend planning a painting this way. No, sir. Art should be art, and should not be "decor." But in this case, it is a major statement in the space but also the last piece coming in to the room and I don't have any money to buy real art right now, so it makes sense to do something myself and plan it to the room.
Very process-y, right? I hope it helps to see the thinking process, and to show that, while sometimes things just "work," more often there is a lot of planning and playing that goes in to each design decision along the way.
This is such a neat project. We're trying to solve the same problem right now - but we already have two 2x4 canvases in the same room (a family art project to fill a big wall - it's a keeper in the room for the time being).
ReplyDeleteSo we're re-purposing doors from an old cabinet. I'm heading to TC Hardware today to see if they have any different hanging options. We're thinking something like this http://www.killerbdesigns.com/blue-barn-door-how-to/.
Frankly, I like the art idea better - but we've got too much going on in the room already (and I don't have to spend any money since I already own the doors).
I can't wait to see how this looks when its finished. I agree a little higher will make a difference, but this is an UBER helpful post.
Anne
Even though you yourself call this an experimentation, I think you've totally got the right idea, Heather. I love the idea of replacing a focus on television with something more interesting and graphic. Maybe a thinner stripe like you said? Or a slightly softer color like a charcoal or lighter gray? I agree with you that a subtle modification like that would make this an over-the-top fantastic solution.
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