Studio Art Direct's curators and art designers share their knowledge about creating custom fine art and graphic collections for healthcare, hospitality, government and corporate projects. We create extraordinary experiences for guests, staff, patients and visitors with art that compliments the architecture and speaks to our client's mission and values.
In this article, I explain the opportunities and challenges in this popular design trend – digitally printing custom art on glass to create space dividers, privacy walls, art windows, and full walls.
Continue reading “A glaring new art trend – large scale art on glass installations”
When you think current, do you think of clean white lines, sans-serif fonts, and Bauhaus architecture?
Because millennials sure don’t.
Millennials are very disarming to people of our generation. They are running around, going to college and killing the diamond industry. They’re buying iPhones, tweeting, and only shopping at whole foods. They have weird slang and shop at weird stores, like Urban Outfitters (which is surprisingly granola for a supposedly urban store).
But wait! I didn’t mean to scare you. Come out from under your desk.
The simple truth is that millennials are people, just like me and you (who would’ve guessed?). The only difference is that they grew up in a different time.
For the first 20 years of their life, millennials grew up in a world that was always talking about the things they missed out on. They missed out on the gold and pastel, big-hair days of the eighties. The jokes about Monica Lewinsky and pretzels making you thirsty went right over their heads. By the time they started really experiencing art and design, it was all Steve Jobs, all the way.
And now they’re sick of it. So now they have two issues: they missed out on the past, and they’re tired of the present. So what else to do but rewind?
And that’s where we are today, with millennials embracing everything the generations above them are still sick of. Hair is getting bigger, “coral” and “aged gold” are all the rage, Seinfeld is popular again, for some reason.
For older generations, this is old hat. We grew up with this stuff! But for millennials its brand new.
What do millennials want? Everything you’re tired of.
Serif fonts? Yep.
Hung art? You bet.
Dark interiors? Bingo.
Minimalism is out! Maximalism is in!
If you want to go after millennials, offer what you had and they can never have. If you want to be new, go old. If you want to be fresh, go stale.
It might seem tired to you, but to millennials, it’s the golden ticket.
And just go talk to one, for pete’s sake!
Check out our pinterest board put together by my two 19 year old interns, Ella and Harrison, Millennials Dig This for more inspiration.
Early September Sky, Mary Lou Epperson, Portland, Oregon
While at first glance this landscape might not seem like the kind of thing millennial would be into, this was routinely picked by our millennials as one of their favorite pieces. The impressionistic and honest techniques Epperson applies brings the landscape into the 21st century, while the vibrant colors ensure that it ties any space together. Artwork available as a reproduction, contact curator@studioartdirect.com
We have had a lot of requests to create content for TV monitors in healthcare waiting areas, patient rooms and exam rooms. So, I am really excited to share an example of what we are working on. This is a 5-minute loop demo featuring gorgeous nature scenes shot in time-lapsed, slow motion, steady-cam cinematography. The artist is an Emmy Award winning cinematographer we have partnered with. It is specifically created for hospitals, medical centers, senior care, behavioral health and other healthcare environments. Based on the philosophy of Evidenced Based Design, this stunning video is designed to calm, sooth and improve patient outcome.
This content is plug-and-play ready in any format required (from the cloud, Blu-ray, m4, and the new gold standard 4K). Also available without sound.
We have content available in increments of 5 minute, 14 (the average wait in a waiting room) and 1 hour (for relaxation channels).
License Fee: The fee is charged on an annual basis per physical location and is dependent on the number of monitors displaying the work. Email me with an outline of your intentions including length of play and estimated number of monitors. I will get back to you with pricing.
This is the first in a series of art video content Studio Art Direct will be releasing for licensed use on large AV installations in healthcare, hospitality, corporate and government interiors. We have seen a growing trend in the desire for artful content that is ready for plug-and-play. Our initial focus will be on heatlhcare, eventually we will move into art video for corporate, multi family and hospitality projects.
What are the Digital Art Content for Healthcare Trends:
The average stay in a waiting room is 14-minutes. In the past, TV’s were used as a distraction but studies showed that it causes stress in patients and visitors. Other applications include a looping video playing on exam room monitors as patients wait for their doctor. This is a wonderful way to soften the equipment laden rooms. For behavioral health calm rooms, a video is safe and serene. In transfusion centers, the long wait can be agitating and scary, nature art videos are an effective way to relieve stress.
While the “monitor” technology exists, the content has not changed much over the years. Art consultants have realized the opportunity to showcase art, but most do it with PowerPoint style videos of images, mainly photography of flowers. This is a pitiful under utilization of the technology. So much can be done with film, video, animation, and interactive digital. The creativity just needs to be tapped. The creative genius is in the new crop of art students and emerging artists born and raised on digital media.
Over the next 8 months, I will be working hard to discover talent and help new artists craft work towards creating digital content for the built environment, and especially healthcare. It is an exciting new market segment we are venturing into and we are jazzed. Video installations are becoming very popular as the price of monitors and content management go down, while the public’s thirst for digital and interactive content goes up.
CLOSED – THANK YOU FOR SUBMITTING! We reviewed 1000 artworks, shortlisted 120, and finally selected 20 artists. Those artist’s works will be reproduced 101 times for the KP Interstate Campus Refresh.
Join Studio Art Direct’s Artist Collection!
Studio Art Direct Inc. is looking for new works on paper depicting neighborhoods of NE Portland or artists currently residing in these neighborhoods. Selected preferences include illustration, watercolor, printmaking, mixed media, and digital art. We will be selecting 10 different artworks by artists from these neighborhoods. We seek diversity in our artwork and request that pieces are suitable for the healthcare environment (not too abstract, positive and uplifting). Think iconic NE Portland neighborhoods – artful and unusual.
Eligibility: Portland Oregon artists only. Preference for artists residing in the following neighborhoods: Portsmouth, St. Johns, Kenton, Overlook, University Park, Freemont, Humboldt, Boise, King, Vernon, Sabin, Alberta Arts District.
Deadline: May 31, 2018
Please submit samples via PDF to curator@studioartdirect.com
CLOSED: THANK YOU FOR SUBMITTING, we selected artist Janie Lowe.
Join Studio Art Direct’s Artist Collection!
Studio Art Direct Inc. is currently seeking oil and acrylic artists for (3) commissioned 4’ x 8’ custom panels depicting soft abstracted colorful landscapes. See example shown for style composition and inspiration.
Eligibility: Pacific Northwest artists, preference for artists residing in Beaverton, Oregon. Deadline: May 30, 2018
Please submit samples via PDF to curator@studioartdirect.com
Join Studio Art Direct’s Artist Collection!
Studio Art Direct Inc. is an art consulting firm in Portland, OR. We are currently expanding our network of artists and are curating new works including illustration, watercolor, gouache, mixed media, digital, paintings, and photography. We love modern, fresh, bold, graphic, hand drawn works depicting Northwest icons, Oregon neighborhoods, PNW scenes, and flora and fauna of the Pacific Northwest. Works need to be positive, uplifting, and created in a spring color palette. Completely non-objective or controversial works are not suitable for our clientele. See Samples.
Eligibility: Pacific Northwest Artists only. Paintings should be a minimum of 24” high.
Please submit samples via PDF to curator@studioartdirect.com
Here is a quick overview of our corporate art consulting process and projects. We gave Blurb a try and created both a hard cover and online book.
Recently, I was asked by Dawn Carlton at Hennebery Eddy Architects to take 10 original works from Oregon State’s famous Art About Agriculture collection, and reproduce them as museum quality works on canvas that could be hung in the newly remodeled Strand Hall. The trick was, the originals were small – really small, and Dawn had designed the reproductions to be huge – really huge.
Continue reading “Hotel Eastlund Opens to Rave Reviews of Art – Studio Art Direct”
We are really excited to announce the addition of 100 new works of art to our online Print On Demand Collection. These stunning artworks range from photography and paintings to drawings and digital art.
Continue reading “Studio Art Direct Adds 100 New Artworks to Print On Demand Collection”
For Northwest Artists only. We are curating new artworks for 2015/16 catalog. Artworks selected will be licensed. Submit your artwork for consideration today. Due Feb. 20, 2015
From concept to completion, Studio Art Direct shares experience and ideas of fine art and graphic installations for healthcare, hospitality, government and corporate projects. Click here to view.
I wanted to share some of the projects we have done over the last 7 years. Especially the evolution of art in architecture – from concept to completion.
Thanks for taking a look!
Click to read
Learn about our latest project coming up – a new boutique hotel in Portland! The theme I have come up with is “Sleeping with Words.”
Listen to the Art Focus interview to learn more.
Bluish light helps Alzheimer’s patients adjust to normal sleep patterns
It is well known that Alzheimer’s and dementia cause serious problems with sleep. How can art help these patients?
Based on the research by a scientist from New York who postulates colored light can help memory care patients adjust their sleep patterns to normal circadian rhythms. We will create blue and yellow light in art video, light installations, and other digital art mediums. Listen to this interview from NPR’s All Things Considered to learn more.
Mariana Figueiro researches health applications at the Lighting Research Center at Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. She recently conducted research using yellow light used as a “night light” around bathroom doors, and blue light as therapy for daytime in an Alzheimer’s unit. She found that Bluish lights apparently help us to wake up, and yellowish lights send signals to our circadian clocks to get ready to sleep. As Figueiro puts it, “The circadian system is what we call a blue sky detector.” Read more.
CLICK HERE to listen to NPR interview
By Janelle Baglien, Studio Art Direct 2014
One of the most dramatic and cost-effective ways to create large art in architecture installations is with custom art wallpaper. The options for art and graphics are simply endless and are only hemmed in by your imagination.
There are companies who produce custom art wallpaper using their designs or stock imagery or allow you to provide your own. Only problem is, great designers don’t like to use stock anything, or they do not have the expertise to find, select, license, and prep art, graphic or photographic files suitable for large-scale artwalls. And if not done right, a huge custom wallpaper installation can turn into a pixilated mess.
So what to do? Work with an art consultant who has mass connections to artists and designers and, more importantly, knows how to create digital files for production with the right color profile, correct DPI and size resolution, and has the capacity to produce and install the artwall. This soup-to-nuts approach ensures success.
What to consider when creating custom wallpaper? If your project is scheduled for
LEED certification, or if your client wants to go green, you must use a PVC free, low VOC, sustainable material which includes post consumer material and contributes to LEED MR credits. And, if that is not enough, it must be Fire Rated Class A to meet most code requirements. I also recommend that the pigment is a UV Curable (very low VOC or Eco-Solvent) for air quality especially in healthcare settings.
But if durability in very high traffic areas is your biggest concern, I recommend a vinyl substrate with a PVC overlay. The PVC overlay will do a great job of protecting the image from dings and scratches.
How to choose the right art or graphics? There are important considerations when selecting imagery for custom artwalls. Enhancing the interior palette and finishes, imagery that speaks to a client’s image and brand, and the interaction of the end-user with the space where the wallpaper is to be installed is key. In healthcare, images of nature are proven to aid in the healing process by lowering blood pressure and reducing heart rates. In hospitality, a more avant garde approach leaning towards abstraction or bold graphics can boost the story and theme of a hotel. For corporations, creatively integrating brand or history is often requested.
There are also different textures available. I recommend a very smooth gloss or matte finish for photography and graphics and a highly textured finish for paintings. The texture looks like canvas with the depth of impasto.
Wallpaper art as wayfinding? Large wallpaper artwalls are an excellent way to delineate spaces and enhance wayfinding. Fantastic applications are in elevator lobbies, stairwells, and entries to specific areas like treatment modules in healthcare, conference rooms in corporate, and floors hotels.
If you would like a free consultation about creating wallpaper artwalls for your project, contact janelle@studioartdirect.com
Healthcare Design magazine features Studio Art Direct in article about art in architecture and the trends in healthcare.
Art Plays Starring Role at Permanente’s New Oregon Hospital by Anne DiNardo, Senior Editor Healthcare Design Magazine
The importance of artwork in the healthcare environment and its role in the healing process has become more widely accepted over the years. But that still doesn’t mean it’s always part of early design discussions.
Rather, art programs are often addressed later on in the project schedule, maybe even after the drywall is up, leaving art consultants and interior designers to scramble to find appropriate pieces that fit on existing walls and ceilings.
It’s a practice that Janelle Baglien, president, Studio Art Direct (Portland, Ore.), calls “plunk art.” “It’s when the building’s all done and somebody says ‘oh, we have to plunk something here.’” READ MORE link to article.
To read a general article about this new Kaiser Permanente template hospital in Healthcare Design Magazine, click here.
With just a flip of a page, you can now enjoy many of the 975+ works of art at the new Kaiser Permanente Westside Medical Center.
This coffee table art book features 100 luscious pages of art and poetry gracing the interior and exterior of the building.
It is nearly impossible for anyone to see all the artwork in one visit, so we designed this beautiful hardcover, coffee table art book for the Kaiser as a guide. It will be given to people who worked on the project, local libraries, and will be available in waiting areas and administration.
The Tranquil Relief Through Nature coffee table book contains 100 pages of stunning artworks by Oregon area artists and 27 poems by regional writers.
Art in architecture is a growing trend in healthcare, hospitality and government buildings. It is the custom integration of art into casework, ceilings, floors, walls, glass and more. Here are 5 easy installation ideas and how they were created.
Art on Glass – direct to glass Artwork such as photography, paintings and digital arts can be reproduced on glass by printing with archival pigment inks with a high viscosity. Printing direct to the surface shows brush strokes and is very luminous. For this installation, a super high-resolution scan of an original acrylic painting I commissioned specifically for the project was done. This scan was expensive, but worth it as it is the single most important step in any large-scale installation because if an image is pixilated, it looks cheap and amateurish. This image was res’d up to 9’0″ high, printed direct to the seconds surface of glass. Another glass layer was then painted with a soft, translucent white and then both were laminated together so that the glass was tempered for safety. The effect is that the image provides some privacy, and yet light floods through it from the inside.
Art on Glass – vinyl Any high-resolution scan of artwork can be reproduced on vinyl using archival inks and then mounted to the second surface of glass. However, photography and graphics are best suited for this type of installation because the nature of a print to vinyl is better suited for large swaths of rich color that are not meant to show the subtleties of brush strokes or depth. When using photography, such as the image shown here, you need to start with a very high-resolution image preferably shot in large format so that when the image is enlarged (9’0″x9’0″ in this case) it holds the resolution (at least 150 dpi at full size) and is not pixilated. Pixilation is a vexing problem when an image is meant to be seen up close. In this installation, custom 2″ aluminum standoffs were fabricated to add an architectural element and to hold secure the three 3’0″x9’0″ glass panels. The wall required 3/4″ backing to withstand the weight.
Art on Laminate Just like your mother’s counter tops, laminates are extremely durable. But with today’s technology, it can be used on vertical surfaces such as walls, casework, cabinet fronts, doors and dividers. And any artwork can be made into laminate. The advantage of a laminate is that the material is extraordinarily durable. It doesn’t scratch and is cleanable. This is of special concern for healthcare projects where gurneys can slam into them and solvents are used to clean bacteria off surfaces for infection control. Laminates are created by first creating super high-resolution scan of artwork. You need to know the fabrication process to understand what the best DPI output is at full-scale and the preferred color profile so work closely with the fabricator to prep the files correctly. The image is then printed on a heat sublimation paper, and this paper is heat infused unto the second surface of a clear laminate.
Art on Vinyl + PVC protection One of the most cost-effective ways to create large and dramatic art in architecture installations is with wallpaper-like murals. The best material for high traffic locations is vinyl (the same material used to put logos on vehicles and signage on windows.) Most sign companies can create this type of graphic. But not all sign companies are sensitive to the color adjustments and subtleties of art that is required prior to printing. So be careful who you choose. Ask to see samples of their work. Be sure that the costs include running a swath of the image for your approval prior to final printing. In this image, huge 9’0″x14’0″ photographs of outdoor activities were installed in a stairwell to encourage people to use the stairs. Stairwells, like many other large wall surfaces in buildings, require that the material be fire rated according to code requirements. Make sure that the specs for the vinyl meet code. Also, the walls must be prepped to receive the vinyl. In most cases, the wall should be smooth and painted with a semi gloss paint. This ensures the best adhesion. In most applications of vinyl, where the image can be touched by the public, I recommend a PVC over laminate to protect it. Regardless, if a vinyl installation is in a high traffic area, it will show wear and tear quickly. Expect to replace it every couple of years.
Art on Plex
Plexiglas is a more affordable alternative to glass yet gives that translucent feel. It comes in varying thicknesses so there are nice options depending on the application. The downside is that it will scratch over time. So this is an excellent application for areas that are somewhat protected. In the picture shown here, the wall is slightly curved so I used a thinner, more pliable plexiglas that had just enough bend to handle the curve. The most crucial issue in this installation was collaborating early on with the interior designer and architect to design an installation system that worked seamlessly into the casework and was durable. Just like a frame can enhance a piece of art, the finish carpentry on an installation makes all the difference. In this case, an aluminum U channel system was used as well as stand-offs. To give it a three-dimensional look and hide the seams, 3-Form overlays float over the plex background. For the artwork, I commissioned an artist to paint an abstracted landscape incorporating the interior color palette. The painting was done in pastels and acrylic on paper at less than quarter of the actual full size. I then photographed the painting in quadrants and then stitched them together so that the final output had extremely high resolution at 300 dpi at the full size of 6’0″ x 36.0″.
Important Tips
1. There must be collaboration in the early phases of design with the architect, interior designer, owner and contractor. This is not a “plunk art” approach – you must design for it prior to completion of the building, preferably in the design development phase, because it may require structural, electrical, or unique fabrication and installation considerations that can be very costly or prohibitive if done too late.
2. The design ideas above require digital use of original photography or paintings, so you must license the use of the image or pay a royalty to the artist. This is typically negotiated based on size, placement and other factors.
3. It is very important artwork is pre-pressed by a professional who understands your chosen fabrication process. You need to know the preferred DPI (at full size), color profile, and file type that the fabricator needs for the best compatibility and results. There is no room for error when creating large expensive installations – color, resolution and other concerns will be glaringly obvious upon completion.
4. Whenever possible, put the fabrication of the art in architecture installations in the GC budget, not the art budget. The artwork, scanning, pre press, and project management can go in the art budget, but the materials and installation can be easily integrated into the construction documents as they can be considered part of the building.
5. Lighting is the icing on the cake for art in architecture installations. Plan for it.
art in architecture 