looking for art in your office

I've always thought that you can tell the quality of the hotel by the quality of its art. If you walk into the foyer of one of the lower priced chains, what do you see on the walls? Well, I see uninspiring pieces of artwork that leave me in no doubt as to the kind of place I would be staying the night. If, however, a lucky enough to find yourself in a five star hotel, the pieces that adorn the walls in this case generally tend to be of a much higher quality and also far more inspiring.
In this article we are going to take a look at the role of art in the workplace.
Having worked in the large corporates for most of my life, I've been bombarded with the worst kind of art imaginable for most of this time. As a freelance photographer of many years, I can well appreciate the standard of work, and the frequently amazing views on offer, but why, why, why, do these pieces of photographic art have to be thoroughly spoilt by slogans, catch phrases, or other corporate waffle? "Strive to reach the top!", "Always give of your best!", "Be amazing!" None of these corporate one-liners have any place whatsoever as an accompaniment to artwork, whether photographs, prints or oil paintings.
Whatever happened to the mural? When did the trompe l'oeil draw it's last breath? My local Italian restaurant has the most amazing mural of Venice adorning its walls. When I eat there I feel as though I'm dining al fresco by the Grand Canal (the piped Italian music helps reinforce this illusion!). You know where I've found the best, most inspiring art in a public place lately? Incredibly, in the long hallways of my local hospital. Runs of wonderful watercolours, rich, colourful oils, and amazingly detailed sketches. What on earth the "big 5" believe they're hoping to achieve with these predictable sorry alternatives for real art I've no idea, but it can't be inspiration from the ranks. Interestingly, the boardroom walls were always adorned with the type of artwork I would have liked to have seen in the office space. Remember the eighties, when offices had large pot plants and windows, tasteful artworks on the walls, and the "open-plan" office was not yet conceived? Now, offices are built with removable/sliding partitions which enable you to create an even bigger, more sterile office space than ever before!
Artwork inspires. Clever use of art and colour can motivate. If you are unfortunate enough to have to spend your working hours inside an office, then the powers that be should be insightful enough to appreciate that, and understand that the last thing a "worker bee" needs is a constant reminder to "Do better", "Strive to attain your potential" or be informed that the best way to promotion is to climb up a very steep hill and plant a flag at its summit.
It doesn't have to be a great deal more expensive creating something of beauty over a piece of corporate toot. Let's follow the lead taken by my local NHS Trust and give the people what they really want: Great Art!

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How To Protect Your Art Supplies

Many artists find it difficult to maintain their art supplies as they never know when and where the creative urge is going to strike.

Artists can have a reputation for being scatty and unprepared but the best painters are often the most organised because they always know the location and supply levels of their art materials.

Professional painters will never travel to a picturesque scene to commence the creation of a masterpiece only to realise that they have forgotten critical art supplies such as a specific paint or a certain type of brush.

In order to avoid stifling your creativity by misplacing an important canvas or easel, it is vital to organise your art supplies so that you can always discover materials whenever necessary.

It is advisable to regularly examine your art materials so that you remember their location and the volume of each material as this will tell you whether you need to buy some new supplies.

Maintaining a constant supply of your preferred products will mean that you will never again leave the house to paint a scene only to realise you have run out or misplaced the vital materials.

There are a couple of key techniques that everyone should apply if they are serious about preserving their favourite art products such as special paints, brushes, easels and canvases as these will help you create your next painting.

The first maintenance method to apply is to avoid putting all your materials into one big box and placing it on a shelf or visible space in a well organised environment instead.

It can be so tempting to throw all your art products into a big box but this should be avoided at all costs because this does enable you to take an effective inventory of everything you require to create a painting.

The best way to organise art materials is to separate supplies so they each have their own shelf because this will demonstrate when something is running low or wearing thin and will need replacing.

After you organise your materials, you may find that you prefer certain paints much more than others and this may encourage you to buy those paints in bulk in order to achieve a desirable discount.

On closer examination you may find that you have been using specific mediums too often and this may lead you to experiment with different products so that you develop your abilities down different avenues.

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Quilt Shops For All Your Quilting Fabric Needs

Getting quality fabric that will represent your fashion in designing quilt and putting together a piece of art cloth that is worth not easy. There is however a good number of quilt shops where you can be able to get the newest fabric from a diverse selection of Pat Sloan, April Cornell, Moda, Ginger Cookie Company, Robyn Pandolph, Fig Tree Quilts, Kim Schaefer and many others. From all of these selections, you cannot miss to find the kind of quality fabric that you are looking forward to work with. Quality is their number one priority, and in this shop it is exactly what you will get!

Their fabric is chosen on their value and long lasting. It does not matter whether you need fat quarters, penny rugs, quilting fabric; quilt kits or primitive quilting fabric. All of these are available in the same shop. You have the freedom to view all of these different selections and choose the one that has favored your kind of artistic collection most. With such high quality fabric, chances of being disappointed are nil. What’s more, you will be able to get your quilting fabrics delivered within a period of two days or less depending on your location, which means you can start using the same fabric as soon as you have set your eyes on it.

Aside from the quality, as a designer the cost of your fabric also matters. All quilt shops are aware of this fact, and that is why their price is quite affordable. This being their number two concern, they have managed to enjoy different customers from Canada, Europe, United States among other major countries, and you can be sure that you will also be the other quilting friend they have been willing to serve for a long time, because of their prices, compared to the quality will definitely not disappoint you at all. The packaging is done as you would require, because close concentration is paid to the fabric to ensure it reaches you the same way you ordered it.

There are also many other online quilt shops such as cottage quilting online shop, the tattered rabbit quilt and fabric shop, Virginia quilter shop and fat quarter where you can be able to view the best selection of fabric available by manufacture, designer, color or theme. Compare all quilting fabric to any quilting site of your choice so that you are sure of choosing the best handcrafts and fabric that will meet your expectations. These sites also give you some sort of personal touch with your fabric because you are able to see how they look before they are delivered to you.

When you are in need of fabrics of high quality with competitive prices, or maybe penny rugs, quilting fabric, fat quarters and any other material, go online and get different online quilt shops of your choice, view all these fabrics and explore the diverse colors and textures available. You will get all you need here, and it is an assurance that you will not be dissatisfied! 

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