Clouds for Computers - What Two Very Different California Communities Have in Common

For students living in East Palo Alto, CA, life is challenging. In 1992 East Palo Alto had the highest per capita murder rate in the country, at 42 people murdered with a population of 24,322 people. Poverty seemed to be imminent for its residents and the community struggled with low academic performance. East Palo Alto was relatively untouched when the Dot.com boom surged the economy for the rest of the Bay Area in the early 2000's. During this past recession the town suffered a much higher unemployment rate than the rest of the country.

Sounds daunting, right?

It has been. However, projects headed by concerned community members are striving to improve the life of the residents of East Palo Alto, particularly that of the children. I was clued into one in particular, Clouds for Computers, which aims to connect the neighboring wealthier community of Palo Alto with East Palo Alto through art and technology.

Clouds for Computers is the brainchild of local San Francisco artist Peter Shaw. Shaw works with children at Costaño School, among others in the area, creating cloud paintings. The paintings are based on Peter's own series "100 Blue" which consists of a progression of perfect blue squares that graduate from barely perceptible to nearly black. Their precision indicates the accuracy that technology offers. In an effort to emulate "100 Blue" each student receives a 16"x16" canvas, acrylic paint and a brush and creates his or her own interpretation of the California clouds. The art materials were donated anonymously. Children from neighbor community Palo Alto are also creating their own cloud paintings. The paintings from both communities will be hung side by side - bridging the gap, in many more ways than what is seen. Dozens of tiles are hung, creating one large mural masterpiece and emulating the expansive sky that exists above all of us and across every community. The goal is to create 1000 California Clouds paintings, and already the count is 700.

The story doesn't end here. Peter has plans to scan all of the paintings along side the children so they can learn the process of digital art and reproduction. The process is an important one and links the two communities through digital means. Amazing for the kids!

I had the opportunity to see the paintings and to speak with Shaw and some of the students who are taking part in the project. Peter is extremely passionate about teaching the children the process of art to technology as well as social means of communication. The end goal is to sell the reproductions of the paintings to raise money for laptops for the children at East Palo Alto schools.

Come Draft with Us - Sustainable Bicycle Gifts

Along with pleasant spring skies and sunny days perfect for biking season comes a plethora of Bike-Inspired Design – everything from bicycle gear clocks to rehabbed furniture made from bikes, this has got me rearing to get my own butt in gear!

Make space instantly! I found these very practical and minimally designed ceiling hoists for your bike – perfect for small spaces that require the edgy charm of a bicycle. Simply mount to the ceiling, hook on both ends of bike and with each pull it clicks to lock. Best part: they’re supremely affordable and sell for around $15. Some homes boast fancy light fixtures, why not exhibit your Trek? Available at Amazon.com.

Waking up to the tick tock of a bicycle clock may just help you get out of bed to hit the trails! Made from recycled gear parts and chains, this sets up a playful yet functional conversation piece. Besides being made from sustainable recycled materials, even the non-biker would appreciate its cool design. Available at BrightandBold.com.

Hip vintage bicycle art is a fantastic way to brighten any space. This wall art is available in several different sizes, on a green or white background. Features both canvas and framed art, printed with eco-friendly inks and mounted on sustainable wood. Framed art starts at just $55. Available at ModernMural.com.

Designer Andy Gregg produces bar stools, chairs and more are made from recycled bicycle parts; side tables use glass from auto windows all to create modern furniture. Gregg was influenced from his years biking and does nothing less than impress. All host beautiful arcs from bicycle wheels, some bent gently to create fluid design. Donated materials from old bikes will warrant a discount on a purchase. If you like the look of aluminum, steel and rubber here’s the place to go for something truly one of a kind. Available at BikeFurniture.com.

Modern Mural's Genesis

I am asked this question quite frequently, and I just wanted to tell our story.

My husband and I lived in an old loft in downtown Chicago - the kind of loft that had the big red fire doors and a hand operated freight elevator. The real loft with charm, and lots of it. We loved the place and knew that we wanted to decorate it with some ridiculous edgy art. And LARGE. Being a few years out of college we were looking for art that was affordable but hot. Original art was too pricey and we didn't want to hang up a poster. We looked everywhere, with out success, and finally decided to do something unique.

Loft = large walls. We had something massive in mind, bought some huge acrylic sheets on eBay, drilled holes in the cement ceiling and purchased some stainless steel cable from Home Depot. The planning was done on weekends and after work, and involved more sweat than we thought.

Not knowing anything about the printing industry, we trekked over to a well known print/office supplies shop to get our photo printed. We were looking at blowing up our high res photo to 4 ft x 5 ft, black and white. For the price of a nice meal at Avec for 2 (with wine) we got a print that looked like it was xeroxed. We were crushed. We knew we could do better. For a few weeks, the acrylic sheets and tools lay by the wayside.

While waiting for our flight back to Chicago at the Phoenix airport a few weeks later, we pondered the situation more thoroughly. We wanted art that was cool, oversized, unique, bold and affordable. We couldn't find it. It was there in the airport bar in Phoenix where we scratched out our first business plan on a cocktail napkin. Modern Mural was born.

Customizing Your Wall Décor

Whether you’re partial to contemporary abstract art or your own personal pictures, Modern Mural can help you create stunning wall murals that fit your needs and your décor.

How does this work?

It’s easy! Check out the new “Design Your Own!” tool on the Modern Mural web site and follow the steps below to create your personalized or abstract wall art.

1. Once on the “Design Your Own!” page, choose a layout for your art. After selection, the layout may be changed at any time by clicking the browse button located above the picture preview. There is no risk for low resolution, as the site will not allow you to continue if the resolution of the photo is too low to print on the chosen layout.
2. Choose a design. There are three options: a) You can choose one of the many Modern Mural designs. All of the Modern Mural Art Collections are located on the left-hand side of the screen for you to browse through. b) You can upload your own high-resolution photo. To upload your own photo, click on the “My Art” tab and choose “Upload My Art!” You will then have the opportunity to browse your computer for the photo you wish to use. Keep in mind that high-resolution photos, for example, photos from an 8-megapixel camera, work best for this option. c) You can purchase images from other sites that may be uploaded and used to create a modern mural. Size requirements for these images are XL, XXL, or vector. Some examples of these web sites include: stockxpert.com, istockphoto.com, and fotolia.com
3. Click on the thumbnail picture of your choice.
4. Adjust the design. Your picture will appear in the large preview box in the center of the screen. At this point, you can use your mouse to drag the picture into the position you desire or use the Zoom Art and Visibility slider bars, located beneath the preview, to change the look. “Reset Art Layout” will return the picture to its original position.
5. When you are satisfied with the design, click “Add to Cart” and you will be able to see a final preview of your art. Click “Add to Cart” again to place the order into your shopping cart, then “My Cart” at the top of the page to check out.

Congratulations! You have created your own customized wall décor. Your personalization, along with the superior quality of these wall prints, makes the artwork the ideal fusion for your stylish and smart lifestyle.

By guest writer, Sandy Randazzo, owner of www.youhavemywords.com

An Ode to Wine

I tasted a wine that delighted me. Not too far from our studio, located atop the Santa Cruz mountains, is a gorgeous winery retreat that over looks the valley (Thomas Fogarty). I was tickled by their 2007 Estate Grown Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir. It has a unique element of spice and light tannins yet is so delicate and fruity. This pinot is truly recognizable and distinct, and we snatched up two bottles and will undeniably go back for more. Easily drinkable on its own - it was a beautiful find.

Thomas Fogarty Winery was started by a Stanford cardiovascular surgeon and has one of the most enormous and fantastic views of the valley. The drive to this spot is windy and serene. We had a picnic here and relished the gorgeous views of the vineyards, the valley and the bay.

Remember this wine! Thomas Fogarty 2007 Estate Grown Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir

Photons, waves and psychology, oh my! Color and your mural.

Color is complicated, there's no doubt about it. We all studied color and light waves in grade school. Color can change in virtually every situation, and what may look red at night may look magenta in the morning hours. Your upbringing and the country you were born in may influence your ability to see different colors.

Color is dependent on 3 participants: a light source, an object and an observer (you). If any one of these changes, the color may look different. Viewing conditions (daylight, incandescent lightbulb or fluorescent as well as the colors that surround the color you're judging) are all important when viewing color. However, when viewing images on a monitor, we must understand phosphors and what they mean to the color that appears.

What is a phosphor?

A phosphor is a chemical and mineral compound that emits light when struck by a beam of electrons. Your monitor contains thousands.

How can phosphors represent color differently?

The type of phosphors used, their age, characteristics of the monitor (ie brand, brightness, etc.) can influence the color that your monitor produces. Color can vary on screen by all these variables, and we match the prints to our own monitors.

Although color is different on every single monitor, this doesn't necessarily mean that you are going to receive a print that's far off the mark. Exact colors are extremely difficult to match when the color sources are different (print versus screen, etc.) so if you're trying to make an exact match, we do offer samples of any image that we offer on the website. Call us for details.

Wall Art - a Smash Hit

Here is a photo of the finished product (plus four more panels) hanging in the client's home which I wrote about in the previous post. The finished product measures 9 feet wide and over 5.5 feet tall. This is an interesting twist: the client chose to hang all the panels next to each other with out spacing, and it looks great! Note: this was a custom design and cannot be ordered on the website, but call us for details. All of the products on the website are made so that the panels hang 2-3 inches from one another.

Love the white furniture - shows fantastic contrast.

New Office Dog!

We just adopted Onyx, a retired racing greyhound, a few weeks ago. What a great asset to the company, he is the sweetest! Greyhounds are nicknamed "The 45 mile an hour couch potato" and it is definitely fitting. Onyx is only 2, and we're so happy to have him here. Welcome Onyx!

Huge mural for modern loft apartment!

We just did this custom layout for a client in San Francisco. In it we used the same artwork (Art 2264), repeated 4 times. The art is abstract enough, so we flipped it and cropped it in different areas, making a fantastic final piece. What a great idea!

The final dimensions of the wall art was 6.5 feet wide and 5.9 feet tall (this includes spacing in between the tiles) making a huge statement. It's really striking up on the wall, we had to hang it

in the studio just to get photos. You can get creative and combine any size you want, just like this client did. To get ideas, go to the Oversized section on the website, http://www.modernmural.com/OversizedModernWallArt. These are just examples, so you can combine any number of tiles with different layouts.

Gorgeous!

Hanging Contemporary Wall Art in Large Spaces

With oversized wall art, it's sometimes difficult to know how high or low to hang it. To be honest, a lot depends on the space in which you're hanging the artwork. The height of the ceilings, the number of pieces you are hanging, the size of the artwork as well as what's in the room can help determine the best possible viewing space for your mural. Most of our artwork is large and can be somewhat intimidating to hang, so kindly take note.

I found this great article on how to accomplish this! Check it out: http://interiordec.about.com/od/artindecorating/a/Gwheretohangart_2.htm. Steps 1-3 are especially pertinent. Here's a quick summary of points I liked:

1. Hang artwork higher in places where you'd normally stand, such as a hallway or entryway. Hang artwork lower in a room where you'd normally sit.

2. Relate the artwork to things around it. With large artwork, hang so the bottom of the artwork is 6-12 inches from the top of the furniture.

3. If you're hanging tall artwork, place it so that the top 1/3 is near eye level.

Best of luck! As always if you have any questions, please feel free to call or email us. (1-866-316-9481, info@modernmural.com) Cheers!

How to Hang Oversized Wall Art

Hanging large wall art (more specifically hanging multiple panels of artwork) shouldn’t be the cause of your waking nightmares. I, too, have had the disappointing visual of sporadic pencil marks and nail holes peeking from around the artwork I just hung up. We can conquer! And it’s really easy. So here we go…

1. Make a pattern/template from a paper painter’s drop cloth (make sure it’s paper – less than $5) found at Home Depot or other hardware store.

2. Spread the paper open on the floor and arrange the panels as you’d like them to hang on the wall. For the wall art arrangements we sell, each row will be hung at the same height. Use a ruler or tape measure to make certain that they are aligned correctly. I find it best to first arrange panels on a large table or floor as you’d like them to hang on the wall. Measure the same height for all panels both horizontally and vertically with the necessary spacing. We recommend a 2-3 inch space between all panels. This allows for easy viewing. (Note that the panels we sell are packaged in order with #1 on the top and in the same orientation for convenience. Sometimes it’s hard to tell which way is up with abstract art.)

3. Once you have the wall art laid out and measured, trace the outside of the frame. With the canvas prints, it’s better to make small marks around the 90 degree corners of the frame as to not mark the canvas. Make a mark with your pencil within the tracing where the nail will be placed once the frame is hung.

4. Remove the frames from the paper. Pin or tape the paper sheet to the wall, ensuring that both ends of the paper are hung at the same height. Hammer the nails into the marks for the nail holes directly through the paper. Tear down the paper, or save for later. Once it’s removed, you are left with glorious aligned nail holes! Hang up the wall art.

See? No sweat. Now it’s time for 30 Rock!

Next: Hanging contemporary wall art in large spaces. How high/low do I go?