I was so excited to tag along recently with my friend and writer, Karis Pressler, to learn more about Frank Lloyd Wright's Samara House in West Lafayette, Indiana. Karis is writing an article for a local magazine about this Usopian-designed (not utopian) home. I will insert a link to her article when it's published. Samara's curator, Linda Eales, graciously spent a couple hours with us in the home. I learned so much! I could never write about everything here, so I will highlight a few design aspects in Wright's work that I use in my paintings. 

 

Karis interviewing Linda in Samara's living room.

 

 

REPEAT with VARIATION

Frank Lloyd Wright used rhythm, or repeat with variation, all over the place! When he came to visit the lot in West Lafayette where the house was to be built, he spotted a winged seed, a 'samara,' from one of the established trees. He decided that "Samara" was going to be the name of the house. Wright designed an abstracted motif of the winged seed in motion. The motif echoed (repeated) throughout the house in the wall art, the rug, the chairs, the lamps, the windows. He even made sure shadows would repeat the seed motif, as light shining through the cutouts in the chairs. 

 

Above, the Samara (winged seed) motif in the wall art and chair. 

 

 

    

Above, a bowl of winged seeds. 

 

 

Above, Wright's design for the fine china, with a variation of the winged seed motif.

 

 

In my work (below), I use repeat with variation, in which the shapes 'talk to each other,' or relate to each other. My shapes are organic and nature-like. In the image below you can see ovals and saucers. The shapes are curvilinear, but in different ways. Even that brown non-oval shape on the bottom has a curvy line to it, so it has a relationship to the other curved shapes. 

 

A diptych, Untitled, by Heidi Harner

 

 

GRID STRUCTURE

I learned that Wright designed Samara House on a 4-foot square grid. That way, it feels like a cohesive unit when you're inside the home, even if you are unaware of the grid structure. Below is a copy of the house design. You can see how everything is laid out on the 4-foot unit. Even in the photo of the fancy china above, you can see how he used the 4-foot squares and the winged seed motif together.  

 

 

Design for Samara House, above.

 

 

Karis at the front of the home, standing on a 4-foot square! 

 

Below are two of my paintings that are designed on a grid structure. Throughout art history, there are several common grid structures that the masters used. As in a painting and in a home, the structure on which it is designed matters for its effectiveness and its ability to feel cohesive and harmonious. Music is written on a structure, too (time signature and key). I learned that Wright listened to Beethoven because he thought Beethoven was a master builder. I love that idea, and, interesting choice of words. 

 

     

"Through Thick and Thin," by Heidi Harner, 12 x 12 inches.

 

 

"Green Space,"  by Heidi Harner, 12 x 12 inches.

 

DELIGHT

Delight isn't necessarily a design element but it is in the heart of the artist, and a valuable part of any creation. Artists create for the delight of others, and purely for the joy of building, painting, or composing something wonderful. Without soul in an artists work, it would be hard pressed to find and keep its way into the hearts and minds of others.

 

My experience at Samara House was one joyful surprise after another. Frank Lloyd Wright came alive to me in that home, and I could sense his playfulness and exuberance for life unfolding around every corner. It truly was a delight! Have you ever had a chance to visit one of his houses or buildings? I'd love to know what your experience was like.  

 

Cheers ~

Heidi