In the gallery: images on metal and bamboo

Titled: As Above. Direct print to 24″ x 36″ bamboo board. Really liking the grain of this dense, environmentally friendly board and it shows through slightly on the lighter areas of the image. The image was finished with a rough edge to blend into the board even more. Presently hanging at Willow Studio in Calgary Alberta.

We mixed things up a bit for this second piece by staining the bamboo a subdued black. Tenuous is an in camera motion bur image of forest trees at twilight. Printed direct to aluminum, which is then nailed onto the bamboo board for a multidimensional final picture. WaiteWoodbeck creates custom, limited editions and one-of-a-kind works of art on a variety of mediums like bamboo and metal.

In the gallery: fall leaves abstract

We have three new pieces at  Willow Studio in Calgary. I took some quick shots at the opening. Amazing store with home furnishings and, of course,   art  (they have over 100 pieces hanging from a variety of artists for their annual “Branching Out” show). This series of abstract fall leaves, really shone against the lime green wall.

The Fall Leaves series is a set of three images at 12″ x 12″ each. The images were taken with in camera motion blur and printed to metallic paper and then mounted to 3/4″ bamboo board. They are finished with epoxy resin which gives them a high gloss finish.

Willow Studio is at 1437 Kensington RD NW, Calgary AB Canada.

You’re Invited: Time to Branch Out

It’s that time of year again. The Willow Studio’s “Branching Out” group art show opens on Friday January 13, 2012. We are proud to be a part of this show again this year and have three new pieces on display. The common theme all artists had to follow for this show is, of course, trees. We took it another step further. All our images are on bamboo board, but with 3 different techniques.
One is printed to aluminum and nailed onto stained bamboo, another is printed direct to natural bamboo board and the third is a set of 3 metallic prints, mounted to bamboo and finished with an epoxy resin. Come see.

The show runs to April.
Willow Studio is at 1437 Kensington RD NW, Calgary AB

Fall 2011 Newsletter – Why we think you’ll love fall, bamboo, metallics and more

The changing colours, signaling summer past and into autumn, has typically brought out my inner Chicken Little with scary thoughts – “winter is coming, winter is coming!”  But whether our hot August provided enough sun to stave off the impending threat of cold or the fact that we shot a lot more images this last few months (enough to keep us creating into the depth of winter) I’ve quite enjoyed fall this time around. I hope you have had a equally inspiring season. Here’s to celebrating the earthy and vibrant grandeur of autumn. See more fall images

close-up of edges of 3/4" bamboo board

Our highlights for the season:
We are introducing art printed direct to bamboo board – this should appeal to all designers looking for renewable, sustainable and LEED friendly options. Read Our top 5 reasons why we love bamboo.

fenceline at Glenbow Ranch

Another highlight was the opening of the Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park. Brown is one of Pantone’s  hot  colours for 2013 so we experimented with fencelines and ranch vistas  in sepia tone and layers of muted colours. We can customize almost any image to work with your palette and style whether its classic brown, vintage polaroid or bright realism. See more examples back at the Ranch.

gold and silver abstract photograph

Looking at colour trends predicted through the various design publications, the one that jumped out for us was the move to more metallics.  We are using aluminum for our more industrial looking images (and have hand brushed  steel in the works which we will share shortly). The sheen and clean edges really compliment a modern design.

Our images, your sizes, your colours, your choice of mediums.
Visual Alchemy.

Over 200 art images at : www.waitewoodbeck.com

Top 5 reasons why we love bamboo

If a board was rated a coolness scale this would get a 10.  It’s good looking and smart.

Fine grain, smooth finish and  interesting edges, it is an excellent medium for an environmentally friendly art image. But there’s more:

1. Sustainable. Bamboo is a rapidly renewable resource. So much so that the board we use  contributes to LEED® v3 certification under MR Credit 6: Rapidly Renewable Materials.  When harvested at 5-6 years of age, the dense fibres create a stronger board than oak.

2. Modern. Interesting grain, cool edges means you don’t have to cover this up with a frame. Plus we can print direct to the board for a seamless look or mount fine art bamboo paper to it.

3. Panda Friendly. There are over 1000 species of bamboo. We are using  moso (Phyllostachys pubescens) which isn’t  eaten by pandas because this fast growing species’ leaves are too high for pandas to reach.

detail showing edges of 3/4" bamboo board, in natural and carmelized colours

4. Variety. Natural blonde color or a rich carmelized brown give you two options of board. And the board itself can come in  vertical and horizontal grains which show different striations. Also available in 3/4″ (shown here), 1/2″ and 1/4″ depths.

5. Wonder plant. Anything that can grow 80 feet in just 2 months deserves some accolades. After just 3-4 years this fibre can be made into fine art bamboo paper (which we have used and is one of our choices for fine art prints on paper). Couple of more years and the stalk has filled out to the ideal size for making panels.

For more information read the Material and Sustainability Report for bamboo.

Bamboo. It’s not just for panda’s anymore.

Colour Trends: Metallic

Glimmer, shimmer, gold and silver.  From Pantone’s Spring 2012 trend report to Art.com’s Interior Design Trends 2011- metallic accents are on top of the list. Showcasing a group of images with metallic colours is one way to create an edgy, modern look.

Using metallic photographic paper will enhance the sheen. Printing direct to  aluminum or steel is another way to bring in this element into your home.
See more in monochromatic & dramatic gallery

Back at the Ranch – in sepia and colour

Ten minutes from the outskirts of Calgary and you are out of civilization, not counting the bikers and hikers, cows and occassional deer. In keeping with Pantone’s colour trend for 2013 (browns are coming in strongly) the wide expanses &  old fences were processed for a rustic look in sepia. So here’s to a return to the classics. Course if your thinking a tad more colour please, there are Benjamin Moore’s 2011 colour direction “Farm”  colours  celebrating the earthy hues. See more of the Glenbow series on our gallery site.