TRANSITIONING through walls of LAZURE

I have always appreciated the idea of-and attempted various applications of- creating living and working spaces with the purpose of bringing about a sense of belonging, safety, and nourishment for the eyes and the soul. Looking back at my past living environments(and there were many back in the college days!) there were 2 or 3 places that felt "right". There was an ease of flow, an inviting feeling within, they were the gathering places of many friends and special times. I LOVED offering a haven for the special people in my life. Then there were the places that, despite the colors I used, the placement of objects, etc., the vibe and course of energy in that space was just ...stagnant.

The basic premises behind the art and science of balancing the energies of any given space to promote health and well being had always come naturally to me. Before I had ever delved into Feng shui or Vastu, I was manipulating my environment with texture, light, color and object placement to create my home as sanctuary. The only area that I never explored was painting the walls! Not for lack of interest, but because I always lived in rentals!

Last year, through my experiences with Waldorf education and the philosophy of Rudolf Steiner, I learned about the Lazure painting that one often sees in a Waldorf environment. Lazure is the technique of painting several layers of color using thin transparent paint to create a sense of color in the space, rather than flat on the wall. The effect is gorgeous, harmonious, nurturing. I've been dying to paint the girls' rooms as well as my massage space with this technique. A couple weeks ago I received an email from Miss P. (Lo's kindy teacher)looking for volunteers and jumped at the chance to help Lazure the walls of her classroom at the Waldorf school!

The day before the Lazuring, her walls were painted a bright white in satin finish and allowed to dry. On the morning of the Lazuring, a lot of time was spent mixing the Stockmar watercolors with water and glaze to get the right consistency and tone. Once we had our colors of the rainbow, the actual painting only took the 5 of us about an hour and a half! Miss P. had also poured a different essential oil in each of the color jars so the room smelled heavenly!

Here are some before and after shots. The camera did not do the painting justice. The room looks AMAZING! What wonderful surroundings for a child to spend time in!

This explains Lazure quite well:

"....An unusual, more spiritually oriented painting technique, separate from sponging, ragging and typical glazing is the Lazure technique. Color is a vital consideration in 'tuning' a room for its intended use...the white surface behind lazure color reflects light back through the layers of glaze making the colors appear to be 'in the space' rather than simply on the wall ... The combined colors in the lazure method weave an enlivening variety for the human eye and Spirit. Never intruding, always inviting, the colors interplay with the subtle nuances of Nature, creating a depth not normally present on most interior walls."

~ From Home Design from the Inside Outby Robin Lennon

Some professional work by Charles Andrade~