Wow. This one REALLY transformed the room. Check out the before:
You can see that this room had a huge curved wall, hard to put any furniture against or hang artwork. It was just screaming for a mural. So, here's the after:
I had the pleasure of painting two mandala murals and logos at Austin Kula Yoga over the past two weekends. It was such an enjoyable project. Click through the gallery below for a play-by-play to see one of the mandalas come to life.
Some days I take my kids exploring. On the best days we go art hunting. Here are a few shots from our visit to the HOPE Outdoor Gallery or Austin Graffiti Park at Castle Hill. Join us next time!
Before:
After:
Save the date for the West Austin Studio Tour - May 10-11 & 17-18, 2014!
Big Medium presents the 3rd annual West Austin Studio Tour. WEST is a free, self-guided tour that champions the abundance of talent within Austin’s large and wildly diverse creative community. The public is invited to discover new artistic talent and immerse themselves in the arts and local business communities.
Local artists Valentina Dorsa, Julia Herman, Roxanne Rathge, Sally O'Grady, Avery Orendorf/Ryan Authier, and Katie Spence will come together at WEST as the Southside Gaiety Hall Artists Co-op to showcase their recent work in painting, wood sculpture, photography, video, furniture design and photography. Click on the images to see more of the artists' work.
WEST info can be found at www.west.bigmedium.org
Ryan Authier & Avery Orendorf
Valentina Dorsa
Katie Spence
Roxanne Rathge
Julia Herman
Sally O'Grady
Coffee tables are so confusing. Hopefully this one will make things a little more clear.
This beautiful table was hand made for Avery O Design by Ryan Authier of Austin Recycled Furniture. We are looking forward to collaborating on many more handcrafted pieces. We'd love to know what you think and what types of furniture you'd be in the market for. Leave your thoughts in the comments or send me an email.
Our first table along with other handcrafted furniture pieces will soon be for sale. We have a few details to work out first, but we were too excited about our collaboration to wait for a grand unveiling. We will need your help letting the world know what we are up to, so please help spread the word.
As always, thanks for your support!
The Jabberwock by Graeme Base
This is what my little feral one wanted to paint on his step stool... himself... with spray paint.
Realistic painting project for a four year old? Maybe not, but I agreed that we had to try to make it happen.
Here we go...
The Feral One with his blank canvas.
The Feral One priming his stool
Me making the stencil.
Taping the stencil to the painted stool.
The feral One checking out his handiwork
The Feral One and Snaggletooth adding some texture
The boys' creation
I added the final details
The Feral One poses with The Jabberwock.
Here is a link to Jabberwocky which is a favorite poem of mine and The Feral One. Enjoy!
Avery O Design has been awarded “Best Of Houzz” by Houzz, the leading platform for home remodeling and design. The custom mural and furniture painting business was chosen by the more than 16 million monthly users that comprise the Houzz community.
The Best Of Houzz award is given in two categories: Customer Satisfaction and Design. Customer Satisfaction honors are determined by a variety of factors, including the number and quality of client reviews a professional received in 2013.
With Houzz, homeowners can identify not only the top-rated professionals like Avery O Design but also those whose work matches their own aspirations for their home. Homeowners can also evaluate professionals by contacting them directly on the Houzz platform, asking questions about their work and reviewing their responses to questions from others in the Houzz community.
Houzz is the leading platform for home remodeling and design, providing people with everything they need to improve their homes from start to finish - online or from a mobile device. From decorating a room to building a custom home, Houzz connects millions of homeowners, home design enthusiasts and home improvement professionals across the country and around the world. With the largest residential design database in the world and a vibrant community powered by social tools, Houzz is the easiest way for people to get the design inspiration, project advice, product information and professional reviews they need to help turn ideas into reality.
Follow Avery O Design on Houzz.
Apparently there is a trend in my recent work...
I'm a total cliche when it comes to new year's resolutions. I change my diet for about a week, organize a few drawers in my house, and then quickly forget what I had originally resolved to do. And I just can't cut back on my coffee intake no matter how hard I try. So, forget it. No more resolutions!
This year I'm forgoing personal improvements for a hearty list of art-based home projects. Inspired by Apartment Therapy's January Cure, Young House Love and dream to be part of the West Austin Studio Tour, I've created a pretty thorough list of painted furniture and art pieces for my soon-to-be progressive home gallery. I'm looking forward to making it all happen. Take a peek!
Cheers to a fantastically creative 2014!
The Town Lake YMCA recently commissioned me to paint a mural about faith and community. The Y was beautifully renovated last year, but in the process they lost a wall with a mural of Jesus Christ. The YMCA is, of course, a Christian organization at its roots, but it has grown over the last century to be an incredibly diverse and inclusive community. Tiffany Patterson, the director of the Town Lake, wanted a mural that reflected the contemporary YMCA community - both spiritually and culturally diverse. We brainstormed ideas, and the sketches below represent the original mural concept and redesign based on staff feedback.
This was such a fantastic project for me, and quite a ways out of the scope of my usual work. As I generally paint in a very simple graphic style with characters mostly in silhouette, this piece was a challenge and a test of my abilities as an artist. I believe my last painting of people was a giant self portrait rendered for a painting class in college (which I haven't seen since because it's a bit creepy to look at a 4ft x 4ft image of your own head). But I digress...
This mural truly was a joy to paint, and it was fun having my process on display for all the stationary bike riders in the vicinity. The YMCA really is an amazing community, and I felt the support from the members and staff as they came by to chat with me while I worked. Thank you, Town Lake YMCA, for your amazing support of the Austin art community!