Collage

Tonight, full of nervous energy about the house, and prompted by a Julia Cameron exercise, I decided to make a collage. I had previously collected a stack of magazines and catalogs for just this purpose, so I took almost three hours to flip through, select images, cut and paste them. I deliberately passed over faces and any other parts of the human body, and logos or other distinctive products. This is what I came up with (sorry for the upper-right corner):

What fascinated me while I was clipping images is that definite patterns emerged in what I was drawn to. I don’t think I have ever really tried to analyze my aesthetic before in such a gut-level way. I drew from a wide variety of magazines — InStyle to Yoga Journal to Smithsonian — so I think this really is a fairly accurate representation of what I like. And that is:

-rich, warm reds, pinks, golds, oranges, yellows, and purples
-full, tranquil shades of green, blue-green, pale blue, and lavender
-layered shades of grey
-organic forms, such as fruits, legumes, flowers, trees, herbs, and stones
-textured, warm-toned metals in organic forms (a surprise because of my long-held, strong dislike of smooth-textured, cool-toned metals)
-layering, intricacy, repetition, a feeling of abundance and variety
-symmetry or careful scattering, a feeling of harmony and thoughtfulness, spaciousness
-printed textiles and flowing textures
-curved shapes, except in architecture or furniture
-shiny things (hee… that’s the little girl in me, still drawn to sequins and glitter!)

All this will be very valuable when I set about decorating our new place — whether it is The House or not. I can now add these design preferences to my previous posting of personal decorating rules!