It may seem like a Persian rug, but that’s an illusion.  It’s a design in a polished concrete floor.  The color and the texture options for concrete are endless.  But it’s the polished floor that everyone in concrete is talking about.  Low maintenance, reasonable cost of installation — even light reflectivity to make the space brighter, combine to create an environment that people want.  And that’s both commercial and residential.

The 2012 Concrete Decor Show in San Antonio got off to a great start last night with a rousing keynote address by Bob Harris, principal of the Decorative Concrete Institute in Temple, Ga. He talked about the industry, which might be considered new by some, but emphasized that he’s the third generation of his family who’s in it. His view of the industry’s future is enthusiastic. Another highlight was the induction of Joe Nasvic, senior editor of Concrete Construction magazine, into the Decorative Concrete Hall of Fame. A well-deserved recognition for someone who advanced the trade even before he got into editorial. The really unique aspect of this is that Joe could be considered a competitor by the folks putting on the show, Concrete Decor magazine. They also maintain the hall of fame. But this is one case where respect for the work wins out. That should be the rule.

Hearing GraphicHearing is one of the most important elements of being a functioning, contributing human being. So why wouldn’t you take the extra time to protect such an important element of your human skill set out in the high-decibel environment of concrete and masonry construction and repair? We all know people who don’t take precautions necessary to product their hearing, their eyes and their lungs — and pay the high price. Here’s a story from the Jan/Feb issue of Concrete Repair Bulletin that provides chapter and verse about the perils of not taking precautions to protect hearing on the concrete/masonry jobsite. Regulations, exposure levels and hearing protection are all covered in detail. You can find the story at this address: http://www.icri.org/PUBLICATIONS/2012/PDFs/janfeb12/CRBJanFeb12_SafetySolutions.pdf. It’s worth the investment to read this in-depth story.

I remember when I used to be afraid of color.

In fact, I didn’t overcome this trepidation until the early 1990s; after I had already acquired three college degrees in Art and had been teaching for about ten years. It wasn’t that I didn’t know where color came from or how to use it. I just felt that it was strongly over-rated, so I ducked the issue and avoided it whenever possible.

It wasn’t until I started studying color with my left-brain and analyzing it in nature that my phobia gave way to fascination. The way color functions in plants and animals to protect, allure, camouflage and communicate. How it appears to be random and sometimes outrageous and yet, there is always a specific purpose and reason behind it. Now, color really became important to the nature of my work. Continue Reading

By Steven Ochs, Professor of Art, Southern Arkansas University

As a professor of art at Southern Arkansas University, I challenge my students to become active members of their communities.  When you take your classroom out onto the sidewalks, the students experience the real world, real rewards and the pressure of real consequences. They see their skills making a positive social impact as they build networks and earn trust for future successes. Continue Reading