Tribute to Amy Winehouse

IMHO

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One of my friends posted this meme today. It sort of stopped me in my tracks, so to speak. I initially agreed with the sentiment, but after I thought about it for a moment, I felt that this was far too complex of a concept to sum up in some simple Internet meme. Yes, it is true. Suicide does transfer pain to others. That pain is not only given to someone else, it’s given to everyone else who cares about you. It is multiplied exponentially. Suicide is indeed the ultimate act of selfishness. Yet it seems to me that when someone who is close to you has decided upon this course of action, it should give you pause; rightly so. Because this is an opportunity for one to re-evaluate one’s own life and the course that it is taking. Who am I to judge someone for taking his or her own life? I have even considered this possibility on more than one occasion myself. Life can be difficult. Pain, not just physical pain, but emotional pain, can be very hard to deal with at times. Perhaps the choice to “check-out” may actually empower someone who feels they have no other choice. I’m not advocating suicide here; I’m just trying to understand it. When my brother committed suicide I was wracked with pain, grief, depression and guilt. I was paralyzed emotionally for more time than I care to admit here. Even today, after over three years, at times I find myself distinctly saddened by this loss. However, I must state that this experience in my life has given me the resolve to never again consider this as a solution. Life is short enough. My brother’s action has forced me to change my life’s direction. Today, my life is a celebration. Every day I am thankful for the opportunity and the courage to live this life on my own terms. Perhaps my brother, by taking his own life, saved mine. I’m not condoning his choice, I would much rather be celebrating life with him. However, in some way, his passing has actually blessed my life. This may be challenging for you to understand. I’m not really sure I understand this way of thinking myself. I’m not happy that he is gone. But the fact of the matter is, what transpired that fateful evening, and the events that occurred afterward, have given me a certain perspective on the true meaning of this existence. My point is that something like this cannot be summed up in one simple sentence - one Internet meme. Regardless of our current cultural, immediate, and connected electronic society, we must not disregard and equate an inopportune situation and an inappropriate deed into an artless black and white graphic with a sans serif font. This does no justice to our condition as mortal, feeling human beings.

Updated Resume Design

I dumbed it down and dressed it up LOL.

Logo Ideas

A White Frame Treatment

A customer came in the other day with the artwork mounted on a triple white mat. I was intrigued because I hadn't considered this particular treatment. I began to think about how to work with white on white. It occurred to me that in order for this to be aesthetically successful one must create dimension. Because, after all, when you're working with white on white you are actually working with shadow. So I took a thick white frame and stacked it on a slimmer one. Then I placed a white fillet inside of that to achieve a distinct proportion and dimension. I wanted to continue with a triple white mat design but realized that now it was becoming ridiculous. To make the white frame work I needed a drastic contrast. I went with my "stand-by" green mats: Midnight Green, Envy, & Blarney. These mats are subtlety close in shade, but the white frames and the white fillet within the inner mat accentuate the sublime difference in their shades. I see this in a beach house on the seashore of Maine. The brilliant afternoon sunlight washing out the white frames then, as the light evolves into the late afternoon, the softer shadows begin to emerge. In the evening candlelight causes the shadows to dance and constantly change. Giving this simple artwork life and interest. Reminding one of the sea-foam green ocean and the white sandy beach.

Quote for Today

“ Never continue in a job you don't enjoy. If you're happy in what you're doing, you'll like yourself, you'll have inner peace. And if you have that, along with physical health, you will have had more success than you could possibly have imagined. ”

― Johnny Carson

Thoughts about Design & Color

I'd like to address what most people believe are the "rules" of design and the usage of color. Many artists and designers learn these so called "rules" during their training; art school, design school, college or otherwise. These rules are good, useful, dependable, but are simply guidelines. In order to become a truly great designer or artist, one must contemplate how to break these rules. Yes, you must know the "rules" first in order to decide how you will "break" the rules. This is essential. For instance, with this frame design. Most designers would say to use red sparingly. Yet here, the top mat is red; it is the predominant hue. Why? Because the photographer/artist/designer has presented me with a piece that does, in fact, use red quite sparingly. The piece itself overall is grey and white with strategic splashes of color. So, in order to enhance this work, I chose a saturated red as my starting point. Then I used a saturated blue as my inner mat accent. Although it is almost impossible to read at this resolution the second mat is a very muted violet. This color combination is a complete departure of traditional color theory - but it works. Then I pair this with a black lacquer frame stacked upon a proportionately smaller and simple gold frame. I finish the design with a brushed gold rope fillet which coordinates with that inner frame. The result is successful because the red, black and gold draws your eye into the artwork. These design elements compliment the piece without fighting it. What do you see? You see this dress design on the dress-form and the name "LEILA". You basically ignore the predominant the red mat, the inner bright blue mat, and appreciate the subtle colors of the work itself. Am I wrong? This treatment breaks every "rule" of design and color, yet it works.

Custom Frames

I've been neglecting my blog. Here's a new post. I'm obsessed with developing my skills as a custom framer this summer. I now know all the frames on the wall, how to manipulate the software like a boss, all the pricing packages, every mat, every texture, every fillet . . . OMG I am I'm a freaking frame nerd! LMAO

 

 

See more at http://www.danieldifondi.com/p/custom-frame-designs.html