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Geometry may not have been a favorite subject in school, but it makes for pleasing artwork. One of our artists, Brian Sylvester, creates symmetrical patterns using basic shapes and clear, intense colors. Most pieces form a mandala, a concentric design built on a large circle, such as this piece, “Blue Ring Mandala.”

Blue Ring Mandala by Brian Sylvester on Zatista.com

Traditionally, a mandala represented the universe: At the center sat the deity, and mankind formed the circle’s edge. In Buddhism and Hinduism, mandalas are a tool for meditation. The devotee would start by observing the outer edge of the design and slowly work his way toward the center. Like the universe, these works are often intricate.

17th Century Tibetan Five Diety Mandala from Wikipedia

Brian’s work, rather than representing the universe, often represents an aspect of the universe. From a human perspective, some of these aspects are quite large, such as “Sea and Sky”:

Sea and Sky by Brian Sylvester on Zatista.com

While some are small, like the viola, a flower:

Violas by Brian Sylvester on Zatista.com

If you’re interested in the use of mandalas in meditation, some museums now host meditation groups who focus on a specific piece of art. You can learn more through this Art News blog post. If you like Brian’s work so much you’d like wear it, you’re in luck. He sells t-shirts. Just don’t be surprised if you find people “meditating” on your chest.

Brian Sylvester t-shirt

You can also explore making your own mandala, but if you do, you have to promise to report back to us here on WallSpin to let us know how it goes!

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As you glance around your house, trying to make things look their best for the upcoming holidays, don’t forget to include art in your kitchen. Your family probably spends most of its time in this room, and we all know dinner guests tend to gather in the kitchen, so fill it with art you enjoy. Here’s an appetizing selection of original art that caught my eye:

Soul Mates by Konnie Kim
Oil on Canvas, 5.0”h x 7.0”w $150

Two Grannies by Konnie Kim
Oil on Canvas, 8.0”h x 10.0”w $150

Crinkle Fries by Lesley Spanos
Acrylic on MDF Panel, 6.0”h x 6.0”w $125

Marmite by Simon Fairless
Acrylic on Canvas, 24.0”h x 24.0”w $850

Moka Express (large) by Luzelle van der Westhuizen
Hand Printed Work, 30.0”h x 20.0”w $130

Dragon Bowls by Julie Wende
Oil on Canvas, 18.0”h x 12.0”w $135

Sunday Morning by Inna Lazarev
Oil on Canvas, 8.0”h x 10.0”w $525

Enamel Jugs by Jacquelyn Sloane Siklos
Acrylic on Canvas, 18.0”h x 18.0”w $190

Kitchen Cupboards by Patrick Edgeley
Hand Printed Work, 27.5”h x 19.6”w $98

Making Dinner by Kim Weimer
Archival Ink Jet, 18.0”h x 11.5”w $450

Kitchenaid by Lesley Spanos
Oil on Paper, 7.0”h x 5.0”w $125

East Meets West by Edward Zelinsky
Watercolor on Paper, 10.0”h x 14.0”w $150

As you can see, these original works of art include all colors, sizes, and media. One – 0r several pieces– may just fill the bill in your home this holiday season!

by Tony Cenicola for the New York Times

Educational posters grace a golden wall, with Scherer’s collection of  mid-Century ceramics—many by Gunnar Nylund. Notice how their colors and shapes are reflected in the pulley diagram.

by Tony Cenicola for the New York Times

Pages from a guide book identifying the birds of New York state paper the walls, surrounding a birdcage sculpture by the Brazilian artist Vik Muniz.

by Tony Cenicola for the New York Times

I’ve been trying to take a peak into the homes of artists to see how they decorate their interiors and, of course, hang art on the walls. Hunt Slonem, a painter based in New York City and Louisiana, has such a flair with clutter (I’m not being derisive here—that’s what he calls it). And I’m very inspired by his talent for its placement. Just look at all of those paintings, and candlesticks and brocade panels in his dining room. There are many more paintings on that one wall than you would find in many homes, and it works really well.

Photograph by The Selby, courtesy of New York Magazine

He calls this room the Lincoln Room—several of the portraits are of Abe, and Slonem painted them. The chair also came from the hotel where Lincoln was taken after he was shot. Again, the canvases creep across the wall—there isn’t just one solitary piece over the sofa. And look at the collection of green glassware on the sidetable, which matches the gorgeous wall paint so beautifully. The vibrant orange curtains set off any danger of matchy matchy.

courtesy of huntslonum.com

And the Rabbit Room! Apparently Mr. Slonem loves to paint rabbits as much as they like to, well, you know. The placement of many rabbit paintings certainly suggests that trait. He paints them quite beautifully.

Photograph by The Shelby, courtesy of New York magazine	courtesy of art-interview.com
courtesy of huntslonem.com

You can see in this gorgeous, riotous painting of orchids how the colors of the surroundings Hunt Slonem has created for himself inspires his artwork. What’s on your wall that inspires you?

Portraits often depict very powerful people — those who have a lot of control of the world around them. Yet they are still art. What the artist had in mind and what the subject had in mind will never be exactly the same. One example is President Lyndon B. Johnson’s official White House Portrait. Johnson chose Peter Hurd to create his image on canvas for the White House. But when Hurd showed the image to Johnson, he said it was “the ugliest thing I ever saw.” Hurd later gave it to the National Portrait Gallery.

"The ugliest thing I ever saw." -Lyndon B. Johnson

Official White House portrait of Lyndon B. Johnson by Peter Hurd

And then there’s the type of portrait that may not be well-liked in the end due to circumstances entirely beyond the artist’s control. This sculpture portrays the former leggy lady of Victoria’s Secret, Stephanie Seymour. Her husband, Peter Brant, owns it. Soon it may be all he has left of her, as they are getting divorced (messily).

The mounted (simulated) torso of Peter Brant's soon-to-be ex-wife Stephanie Seymour, by Maurizio Cattelan (1 of 3)

Artists creating self-portraits have a better time of it generally (no, we’re not going to get into Van Gogh and his poor old ear, here). Andy Warhol made hundreds of self-portraits during his lifetime. Here’s the last one he made, a few months before his death:

Last Self-Portrait, 1986 Andy Warhol

Frida Kahlo portrayed herself after her divorce from Diego Rivera as two starkly and painfully separate women (that’s a portrait of Diego in the hand of the colorfully dressed Frida):

Painting Title: The Two Fridas 1939 Collection of the Museo de Arte Moderno, Mexico City

The artist Kehinde Wiley has taken classic, famous pieces of European portraiture and replaced the original subject (in this case Napoleon) with young unknown African-American men:

Napoleon Leading the Army over the Alps, 2005, by Kehinde Wiley (9' x 9')

Bonaparte Crossing the Alps at Grand-Saint-Bernard by Jacques-Louis David 1801 (8.5' x 7.25')

Portraits don’t have to be limited to human beings. Here, one of Zatista’s artists, Sam Dolman, captures a cow pausing between chews of cud:

Suspicious by Sam Dolman

Ben 1, by Rob MacInnis

The photographer Rob MacInnis created a series of images using farm animals:

Cameron, by Rob MacInnis

Keira, by Rob MacInnis