Thursday, January 9, 2014

What if there was always a blue sky above?

After weeks of fog and solid cloud cover here in Portland we finally enjoyed a few (mostly) sunny days last weekend. It is amazing how a blue sky above takes a weight off my shoulders and the blinders off my eyes. Everything is brighter and so much more seems possible. Thinking about this I remembered a couple of photos I took at the Albuquerque airport last fall…

That’s the ceiling in a restaurant we stopped to eat at. I guess they are trying to make their customers feel they don’t have to rush outside to enjoy the New Mexico sky?

It was shortly after arriving home from that trip that I saw an ad for Sky Factory in a magazine, they produce these kind of installations. While their about us blurb is a bit canned (“Our business is to provide you with the highest quality Illusions of Nature™ and to do so affordably”), and the artists statement a bit grand, the idea has my mind working on the possibilities. Just look at all the sky images available (jungle canopy! tropical trees, blossoms and palms!)…or what if you could submit your own images? I would like an image of Clifford's leaves and a summer blue sky…

Or maybe Clifford and one of the neighbor's conifers?

Or what about the Albizia julibrissin 'Summer Chocolate'…

What if there didn’t have to be those silly dividing panels and it was a thin sheet which could be applied like wallpaper on your ceiling? Oh and what if the sun would rise, shine and set all right there on your ceiling? What if…

All material © 2009-2014 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

19 comments:

  1. Having just been in Santa Fe, where it seems like the sun always shines, I can relate! - Bridget

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    1. Coincidentally (I didn't intend for them to run back to back, but things happen) there will be some of that blue New Mexico sky here tomorrow...

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  2. Brings to mind those wallpaper murals from the 70's. Maybe they're making a comeback?

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    1. Oh they have! Or rather they did. About 2004...not sure if they're still hip or not...

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  3. LOL, I just saw the same installation somewhere on my Arizona trip. Maybe it was at Phoenix Sky Harbor. I did a double-take until I realized it was not the real sky.

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    1. Isn't that funny that we both encountered them in sunny places?

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  4. I guess it's a decent solution. They just need to add some plastic or silk plants around the place and they're really have something!

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    1. What makes you think there weren't both?

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  5. Clifford against the blue sky is gorgeous! These things are so effective. A large one in one of our treatment suites which is three levels down from the ground is so effective in giving the illusion of sun and natural light in what could easily a claustrophobic, dark place. The only thing is, ceiling wallpaper won't be enough, there must be light source behind it.

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    1. Oh yes for sure, the light source is key. With my "what if" I'm imagining the technology is making my wildest dreams possible...

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  6. It's a great idea. Paired with one of those "Happy Lights" for those of us with SADD, it would be perfect! I painted clouds on my granddaughter's bedroom ceiling, and I love going in there to check on the day!

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    1. Oh yes! The light source would have to give off the correct spectrum of light so we can all get out necessary sun fix.

      How old is your granddaughter? I bet she loves the ceiling treatment.

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    2. Amy is now 12. She loves her cloud-filled room!

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  7. You would never leave your bedroom from October til May.

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    1. Nah, our bedroom is too small. Now if the whole house had these you just never know, I might refuse to go outside.

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  8. Any of those scenes would be fine with me. Actually, the sky was very sunny and bright during the recent cold snap. It does help a bit, doesn't it?

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    1. Yes it did, but that seems so long ago! There was a lot of fog after that.

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  9. I love the idea of a ceiling with foliage silhouetted against blue sky. Not quite enough blue in this one, but I like Manihot grahamii as seen from below:

    http://s18.photobucket.com/user/dctropics/media/Pat_H/Manihotgrahamii2.jpg.html

    Another with an interesting silhouette--mainly because you would never guess the genus--is Gymnocladus chinensis, the Chinese cousin of Kentucky Coffeetree:

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/dctropics/4802587333

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    1. I love both photos but especially the manihot, there is just nothing quite like those leaves!

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