Welcome to Fly’n Gypsy Arts & Graphics™ — Original Artwork created by J. Lynn Kronika!

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J. Lynn Kronika, Artist/Owner
Fly’n Gypsy Arts & Graphics™

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Upcoming bookmaking workshop at Expressions Graphics

Upcoming Bookmaking workshop


This workshop will cover several book binding processes.Demonstrations of glue binding, stitch-binding, and complete building of a bookwill take place. Students are encouraged to bring a project (pages andembellishments recommended) for completion. Recovering, scrapbook style gluebound book, and stitch-bound traditional book are scheduled. The process ofpreparing book parts, assembly, weighting and drying your unique book will becovered.

Dates & Times:2-5pm, January 13, 20, and 27, 2011.

Location:Expressions Graphics, 29 Harrison St., Oak Park, IL 60302.
Please contact the instructor, Jessica Kronika for more information and to register Now...
847-722-7032 or artist@flyngypsyarts.com

                                            Plate book with stitch binding, cloth pages,
                                             metal plate insets and covers. J. Kronika 2009.
                                             

Posted: Friday, December 30, 2011

Choosing the type and placement of art for your home or business

Choosing the type and placement of art for your home or business

                Art isa personal preference, and the selection of art for your home or businessallows for a variety of options. The best way to judge whether you will behappy with the art in the long run is to think about its lifetime appeal. Thebest fit for you will be art that integrates your favorite colors, style,subjects and pairs well with your existing or planned décor. The type of customart that you select must also match your planned use of the space. If you arein a leased home, moveable art will be able to come with you, while muralsremain integral to the space. If you are preparing a home for sale anddesigning art to increase the value of your space, murals may be ideal so longas the themes and colors are adaptable to another owner’s interior décor scheme.If you are selecting art for your place of business, the clientele will also beimportant in determining style and color schematics. For example, in arestaurant you may want to expand close spaces with trompe d’oeil and murals,with an accent wall faux finish to integrate the color scheme.

                Thespecific details of the art are second to the type, flat moveable or mural,relief or sculptural. After you have decided on the space you want to enhancewith art, you can begin to decide about size, color, style, and subject. If thespace is a focal wall, you may want to select specific narrative images thatencourage the eye to linger or captivate incoming visitors. If the wall is anaccent, abstraction and pattern may be a better fit, allowing viewers to be awareof color and movement without focusing too much on a smaller wall. Thesechoices allow for a range of ways of integrating the art with interior designschemes. Just as you choose the wall color, your upholstery and decoratoritems, custom art allows you to express yourself in the details. Your ownpreferences will lead you to particular colors, patterns, surface textures, andfinishes in a room. These are the very tools you and your design consultantwill use to create one of a kind art for your room. The art can also help tointegrate odd or disparate motifs, accent colors, unique art and decoratorobjects that otherwise stand out of a cohesive design scheme. By enhancing thevisible custom art encourages visitors to see your design choices and you feelcomfortable and enriched in your home or business space. Your design consultantwill note the color, pattern and style of your carpet, walls, upholstery,furniture, accents, mementos, and art objects at the start of yourconsultation. All works created will pair well with the existing or plannedelements of the room.

                Whenchoosing your art and placement, you will have assistance from your consultantin deciding what kind of atmosphere you want to create with your custom art. Inthis way, the various types of custom art can be used to create a sense of visualexpansion in odd or rooms with smaller dimensions. For spaces where a lot oftime will be spent for rest and relaxation or where people may wait the artshould create visual dwelling places via murals or flat art works. Entries andhallways can be enhanced by eye catching insets, trompe d’oeils and accent fauxfinishes.

 In places of business, art can be a businesstool. Choosing art for your business can increase your brand visibility byintegrating core ideas into the design. Your mission or product placement canbe enhanced through creating ambiance and environments that foster purchaser orclient comfort. By defining your business as a space of luxury and refinement,custom art can create additional business loyalty and add clientele to yourbottom line. People talk about the spaces where they did business more, if theymake a visual impact. Art can be that visual impact while customers wait,diners eat, or business is conducted, creating reasons for customer loyalty,increased and repeat interest. Encouraging cultural awareness via participationin local arts is another valuable business tool. By installing art in yourplace of business, you encourage the visibility of your business in the largercultural sphere of your community, as well as creating another reason forcustomers to prefer you over your competitors in the marketplace. The businessas art patron is a highly visible and socially preferred context to thebusiness that takes little interest in local affairs. In addition, art is avaluable and trade able commodity. Murals, faux finishes and trompe d’oeil addvalue to the location’s space, should you decide to move to another location.Moveable art can be auctioned or resold.

The art you choose for your home orbusiness is a lifetime investment. One of a kind art adds beauty to your spacethat reflects your personal and business choices. Custom art has the capacityfor lifetime enjoyment as it is created to suit these preferences. Whether youare seeking your first original art or an experienced collector, custom art isideal for homes and businesses because it adds value. The choices allow you toselect not only color, pattern, finish and subject, but also to select the typeof work that will fit your plan for your space. When you select a permanentwork you are adding value to the space, when you select an impermanent ormoveable work you gain an investment with resale value in itself. Either wayyou enrich the daily and lifetime enjoyment of your home and work space in away that is personal. Inquire today to contact our design consultant for yourown in home or business assessment.
                                                 Trompe D'oeil of vines and columns
                                                 Lucia's Restaurant, Chicago, IL
                                                Commission with murals, completed 2004.

Posted: Friday, December 30, 2011

What is custom art?


What is custom art?

Custom art consists of decorative,illustrative or abstract designs that take a variety of forms. Flat work can bepainted directly onto the wall or can be mounted art in a variety of media on apaper, canvas or other two dimensional substrate. This substrate or base can becompletely flat or painted to create an illusion of dimension via depth ofimage field or surface effects. Surface effects include texture, lightreflecting embedded material and build up relief. Custom art can also come inthree dimensional and sculptural applications, including works that projectmore dramatically from the wall than relief or fully three dimensional worksthat are mounted on static or movable bases. Bases for movable works includepedestals, hanging fixtures, and custom built easels.

                Flatworks painted directly onto the wall are generally referred to as murals. Thesewall paintings can consist of a variety of paint or mixed media and cover smallareas or entire rooms. Small areas are called insets, and are usually smallerthan three by three feet. Larger murals start at sizes above the three by threefoot expanse. Murals can be located on walls, ceilings, architectural andstructural columns, and even floors. Protective finishes are recommended forall forms of mural to minimize damage to the art, increase the ease ofcleaning, and integrate the mural into the surrounding surfaces. In the case offull room murals, furniture and floors are protected during the paintingprocess with tarps or moved out of the area until the paint and protectivefinishes are dry. The direct application of paint to the wall distinguishesmurals from other forms of flat work.

                Flatworks on paper can be crafted from paint, drawing material, collage or amixture of these media. These works are generally framed for hanging on thewall. The subject matter, color palette and dimensions of any flat work arecompletely personal choice. Size may be defined by the available space,placement of furniture, light sources, and focal walls. Within the scheme ofyour interior design, a range of choices exist for matching your décor,highlighting colors, and bringing new or unifying elements into a room.

                Whatare trompe d’oeil? Trompe d’oeil are a kind of inset or mural. The word “tromped’oeil” is French for “fool the eye” and refers to the  illusions of three dimensions in accomplishedwith flat paint. Often trompe d’oeil subjects include architectural andsculptural motifs, florals, still lifes, landscapes, and active narratives andpeople. Examples of architectural motifs include adding columns, windows, orniches to otherwise narrow spaces. Sculptural motifs include figural forms inniches, and other classical designs, as well as borders, and abstract forms.Florals and still lifes are often combined with niches to create the illusionof a vase or dish or shelf in a wall. Landscapes and active narrative orillustrative images are fabulous for focal walls where the eye tends to dwell.These can be break outs that look like an opening in the wall or integratedwith architectural motifs such as windows or bracketed between columns. For themost illusory form of trompe d’oeil, select an active narrative that includespeople paused in motion. Visitors to your home or business will do a doubletake as they try to ascertain whether the person is really there.

Faux finishes are generallyabstract and colorful accents on a single wall, pair of walls or all walls of anentire room. Textural and patterned elements create interest, while integratingdesign motifs. Choosing colors that pull in elements of the room’s interiordesign scheme and unique decorator accents can bring the whole room intodynamic focus. Your personal mementos on display and sculptures can behighlighted by a faux finish as well.

Whether you are seeking a smallunifying element or a whole home or business scheme, a design consultant cancoordinate and create the perfect combination of custom art for your needs. Nowthat you have an idea of what the choices are, contact our representative foryour own consultation and begin personalizing your space!


                                                        "Daddy Dave," acrylic on canvas
                                                        commissioned portrait for Betty and Terry Hendricks
                                                        completed 2010.

Posted: Friday, December 30, 2011

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Mission Statement:

Fly’n Gypsy Arts is dedicated to providing original fine art, limited edition graphics and custom fine art and graphics. All work is designed and executed by Jessica Lynn Kronika, to specifications when custom. This website gallery is dedicated to providing a means for internet users to view and purchase works by this artist, and providing visual and literary enjoyment.