SOUTHWESTERN ART DECOR

When I started my art training, long before my sixth birthday, my medium of choice was ‘Crayola’. I knew exactly what colour was to be used for whichever object I was working on. However, two colours caused me to ponder — one was burnt orange and the other was burnt sienna. Now the keyword that got my attention was the word ‘burnt’. What did that mean? To me, burnt meant charcoal. Like the steaks my dad cooked once — no, no just kidding.

It wasn’t until years later, on my first trip to Arizona to see the Grand Canyon, that I truly understood. The soil wasn’t plain, old brown, it was richer and more intense than that — it was burnt sienna. Same with the sunsets. They weren’t orange — they were burnt orange. Don’t ask me to explain any further, I’m an artist and not a crayon maker, but they got it right. The land is warm. It’s burnt. And if you are decorating with a southwestern theme, you can’t go wrong having those colours painted on an accent wall or woven in an area rug containing a Native American Indian motif.

Something else you can’t go wrong with, when decorating your adobe walls in burnt sienna is finishing the look with black and white photography. Especially, if the images are of the native plants, like agave or cactus. Black and white will complement the colours. They will give a nostagic and timelessness feel of the land indoors. The pointed thorns will remind us these plants can survive predators, under the intense conditions of blazing heat and no water for months. The unique lines and patterns will humbly remind us who the master artist is amongst us — mother nature.

Did you know that raw agave nectar can be eaten on ice cream? Or that it's the plant used for manufacturing tequila? No wonder the indigenous people of the southwestern regions valued this little treasure since it is guaranteed to bring a smile to someone's face.

I'm always thrilled to be reminded of the star at the top of a cactus.

This close up image of Sedona sacred wood is from the Lausen Arts ‘Abstract Wood’ collection. This fallen tree branch was captured while standing on the sacred ground of a Sedona Vortex in the desert of Arizona. It struck me, no pun intended, as lightning - a perfect visual to represent the energy that is emerging from the ground up within the vortex A perfect abstract image of one of earth’s many wonders. ----