How to Make Halloween Balloon Spiders - by Annette Labedzki

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How to Make Halloween Balloon Spiders

 

As Halloween nears, everyone is gripped with the excitement of wearing fancy dresses and creating thematic decorative pieces. Halloween balloons are some of the most interesting and versatile items, which are quite easy to create. One of the most popular shapes is the balloon spiders. They can be placed along the wall, left on tables or floors, hung outside on the trees or bushes, and so on. If you have separated a corner of your house for Halloween style ornamentation, keep your spiders singly or in groups, around that area.

 

Tips to create Halloween balloon spiders in shortest time:

·        Choosing colors: You may choose to have solid color spiders or patterned ones. One of the options is to choose a suitably designed balloon in definite colors or with streaks/spots. The other way is to paint your completed spiders, especially if suitably colored balloons are not available. Try to stick to more earthy colors, blacks, or grays to impart a more realistic look!

·        Making basic structure: Inflate a desired sized balloon, but keep it only two-third filled to allow the margin for twisting. Tie it at its opening tightly either with the help of a thread or by looping.

·        Shaping up the head: Twist the balloon around one-fourth of its size, such that the smaller portion contains the tied mouth (opening). It is a good idea to wind a string tightly around the twisted partition (representing the neck). Blow up two small balloons, preferably red, orange, or white. They will be used as the eyes. Therefore, keep the size proportional to the original structure. Tie them to the 'mouth' of the large balloon horizontally.

·        Creating legs: For the four pairs of legs, use elongated balloons. One of the easiest ways to create the bents in the legs is to tie two inflated pieces angularly. However, the structure of such spiders is not very stable and placing them in a standing position is particularly difficult. A better approach is to take a longer balloon. Angle it halfway and twist a small portion around the bend. The resulting figure will look like a bent leg with a ball-like joint. Similarly, create the rest of the seven legs. Now, tie the legs tightly at the neck area and readjust them to give the desired positioning.

·        Finishing touches: Use colors, stickers, or add-on shapes to give more spooky appearance to your spider.  

 

 

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His Most Famous Sculpture (Puppy) - Jeff Koons - by Annette Labedzki

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His Most Famous Sculpture (Puppy) - Jeff Koons

 

Jeff Koons, a widely recognized American sculptor, is celebrated for his loudly colored colossal reproductions of trite objects or balloon animals, essentially made of stainless steel with stupendous mirror finish. He emerged as an icon in the history of art with his groundbreaking sculptors of delicately crafted objects, such as "Puppy." Born in 1955 in Pennsylvania, Koons' earliest works were bulk-produced inflatable flowers and toys positioned warily on mirrors. He studied at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

 

His unique focus on the selection, medley, production, and the presentation of commercial products took him to recognition in 1980s. His sculptures and photographs completed during this phase explored current American iconography and the affiliation between accepted 'Kitsch' and 'High Art.' Throughout the 90s, Jeff's curiosity in the timeless perfection of his art had slowly encompassed the corporeal philosophies of ephemerality and circularity. His works repeatedly portrayed an obsession with sensuality and sexuality. His sculptors has been extensively exhibited both in the United States and Europe, including major museum such as the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (1992), ("Puppy") the Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain (1997), the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam (1992), and at the Sonnabend Gallery, New York (1999).

 

Jeff Koons shot to instant fame for his public sculptures, such as the colossal floral sculptures "Puppy," then displayed at Rockefeller Center, to be later permanently installed at the Guggenheim Bilbao, and "Split-Rocker," displayed at the Papal Palace in Avignon, France. In 2006, "Balloon Flower (Red)" was unveiled at 7 World Trade Center in New York City. 'The Broad Collections' of Koons' works are unsurpassed globally and displayed turning points from each phase of his inimitable and ever changing career. This collection boasts of 24 of his best works.

 

The temporal brilliance of his style was highly accredited in his work "Puppy" (1992). This 43 foot-high dog topiary is fashioned exclusively in a breathtaking cover of thousands of flowering plants. Created for an art exhibition in Bad Arolsen, Germany, this West Highland White Terrier puppy is designed with a variety of flowers on a steel surface. In 1995, it was dismantled and re-installed at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney Harbor, on a new stainless steel frame with an inner irrigation system.

 

Later, Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation purchased the puppy in 1997 and re-installed it on the terrace outside the Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain. It has also been reincarnated in its classic, demountable adaptation at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney. In 2000, the work traveled to New York City for an exhibition at Rockefeller Center.

 

He effortlessly ascribed ordinary objects with both artistic merit and an inherent sense of sexuality. His works emphasized on the sensuality hidden in all the angles of everyday life. Jeff's art have always attracted the extremes of enthusiasm and ire, and is amongst the most expensive artifact in the world.

 

 

 

 

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Color Symbolism of Purple: Defining Royalty and Abundance Ideally - by Annette Labedzki

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Color Symbolism of Purple: Defining Royalty and Abundance Ideally

Since the beginning of the human civilization, colors have been used to depict certain elements and thought processes. ‘Color Symbolism’ can be found in the earliest forms of art like ‘Cave Paintings.’ Mostly, the meanings and the linkages of colors have been derived out of their occurrence in nature. Purple color and its shades naturally exist in the form of some most revered and precious flowers, such as violets, lavender, lilac, and orchids. Therefore, it is regarded as the color of royalty and abundance. Purple is an amalgamation of two characteristically opposite forces and this earns it the reputation of the ‘ideal’ color.

Red color is associated with fire, energy, action, and zeal. Blue is symbolic of tranquility, dreaminess, peace, and relaxation. Blended together, these two colors form purple, which carries the underlying qualities of both. One range of qualities it symbolizes, include fiery passion, pride, flamboyance, pelf, and so on. On the other hand, it also stands for romance, mysticism, knowledge, wisdom, spirituality etc. Medieval art with royal themes was dominated by this color, often to depict the robes and the garments of kings and the other members of royal descent.

Fresco paintings by the legendary Leonardo da Vinci and other artistes of that era predominantly featured deep purple. It was more so because this common color could be used for nobility, sacredness, and mysticism alike. Purple has been used in various combinations to bring out different qualities in a scene. Use of this color with earthy tones, such as beige or muddy was often used to emphasize its ‘Symbolism.’ In combination with more vibrant colors or greens, it was used to depict spring season and life. Purple, in its lighter versions, defines delicate love and romanticism. Pink and light purple make up the choicest color scheme in amorous subjects.

Like other significant colors, purple also carries different connotation in different parts of the world – some even negative. Thai people associate it with death and lamentation. Widows in Thailand don this color to portray mourning and sadness. Opposite is true in other cultures. Egyptian Queen Cleopatra’s favorite color, purple, is associated with kingdoms and dynasties. The Americans treat it as a representative of patriotism and valor. Its ‘Purple Heart’ is a high level of military honor bestowed upon brave soldiers. Precious stone Amethyst is deep purple in color and is believed to have therapeutic properties. Therefore, the Native Americans also treat it as a color healing. In all its forms and variants, purple is one of those colors that find the greatest presence globally.

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