A reader asked an awesome feng shui design question about art in the bedroom: I have a huge blank wall in my bedroom directly across from my bed., and I would really love to get a piece of canvas art for it. My boyfriend (with whom I live) and I are both into abstract art in the vein of Jackson Pollock and such, but I’m not sure if I should get something chaotic to fall asleep and wake up to…what are your thoughts? Our color scheme in the room is dark wood, deep purple, and a medium grey.
My Answer:
(The Chocolate Muffin Tree DIY project!)
Do you feel that something Pollock-y in art is chaotic? If you do… then the answer is don’t do it. No one should put chaos in their sleep space, or any space, for that matter.
I think the difference here is the use of the words chaos vs. energized, abstract, even “active” to desribe a piece of art. If you see chaos in anything I hear you saying that it isn’t the vibe that really works best for you. If you are saying that you aren’t sure if you should sleep and wake up to art with that much energy, abstraction or activity in front of you… well, that’s a whole different question.
Your whole bedroom sounds fairly neutral and on the dark side. It is mainly yin (cool & quiet) from what you described. If you incorporate one giant yang (loud, active) piece of artwork that is rhythmic and dynamic like a Pollock is in my mind, but with more muted colors so as to not make it shocking in its energetic rush, (IE, neither neon nor bright red, yellow, pink and orange!), I would go very BIG with the canvas and consider painting it yourselves!!! One side note: in a recent NY Times opinion piece the science behind Pollock paintings and how they sort of mirror the inside of our minds was discussed. So,while I don’t expect you to go out and buy an original tomorrow, it is worth exploring the abstract art that both of you find engaging…in a sexy and musical rather than jarring and “chaotic: manner!
Incidentally, I had an up-close-and-personal “Pollock” experience….I to this day maintain it was a fake and that it wasn’t really dense and exciting enough to be a Pollock, but I unrolled it with my own hands and it was a total trip. This type of art, even if not by the hand of the man himself, can leave a beautiful impression on the memory on a multiplicity of levels…!
Please let me know what you decide. Whatever you do… you sounds like someone ready to GO BIG with an impressively-sized artistic statement 🙂 xoxo Dana
0 Comments