hesiod's Profile

This is fantastic as it shows that art still has power to satirize and shock. Although this is a very mild painting, barely rude at all, it has created a very real political impact in SA.

I love love love the General Quarters store design. Amazingly smart and inviting.

I'm with your boyfriend I am afraid. If you need to assert yourself then try doing it through texture rather than colour - some kuba cushions perhaps.

Magnificent. A perfect antidote to the drapes and flounces which sometimes overtake this site. Mike has great taste in art too.

I agree with anti and with Lisa - I have seen many paintings which have been ruined by scorching or bleaching by inappropriate picture lights. Keep works on paper / canvas / wood out of direct sunlight and light them with a cool ceiling spot if lighting is needed at all.

I vote for Chantilly Lace from Benjamin Moore (OC-65). The best for hanging contemporary art against. It has a tiny dose of gray in the mix which stops the panting taking on a yellow or a blue cast. In England, the equivalent is Snowdrift by Dulux.

Chantilly Lace is the best of these - it has a tiny hint of gray which makes pictures look great and does not give a colored cast. The UK equivalent is a color called Snow Drift (which the architect Norman Foster uses as white in his schemes). The other trick is to chose the right shade of light bulb to keep the tone neutral.

White

There is no contest - matte walls look the best. The most wonderful paint in the world is Farrow and Ball estate emulsion - it gives a wonderful powdery looking matte finish (I have used it in my last three homes). It is fabulous for hanging paintings against. When combined with eggshell for trim it lifts an otherwise dull interior. The other trick is to apply the paint with a brush as you get a more even texture than using a roller.

I have suspended a pair of projectors from the ceiling so there is no unsightly altar to popular culture on view. The projectors throw TV images onto a white wall and a white sliding door respectively giving images 8ft and 16ft wide respectively. This is by far the best solution I have yet found.