The Central Park South Apartment of Madelaine Felkay

This is probably one of my favorite posts yet. It is of a glamourous grandmother that has stunning views of Central Park. This house reminds me of my grandmother, and I am guessing it might remind some of you, of yours too. I can smell it, taste it, I bet I can even guess what she has in her cupboards...

I am so in LOVE with this fresh perspective of Traditional Decor...It does not scream "CATALOG" to me...

Seriously, my apartment (that does not exist) in N.Y.C., is going to look like this. Don Draper and I will be sharing a smoke, and then I will bust out my mad piano skills.

Just kill me now.I can smell the White Shoulders as I type. I miss you Grandma!

This View!!

One Classy Lady...

Mrs. Madelaine Felkay..

All Photos are by the talented blogger Jamie Beck - From Me To You

(I first saw this post on the LOVELY Katie Armour's blog The Neo-Traditionalist )

Jonathan Levitt

See more of his work here: Jonathan Levitt

Grab your faux fur and get outside this weekend!

I have a total girl crush on Alexa Chung..Her style is subtle, artistic, and all hers...I am waiting patiently for me new Madewell blouse to arrive from her new line...Have a great weekend!

(Pepe Jeans Ad)

Extra, Extra - My work is in the debut issue of RUE!!!

My work is in the debut issue of Rue magazine, 

in the cool home of the uber-talented photographer and blogger, Victoria Smith...

Pages 95 and 97.

Could not have been luckier to deal with these extraordinary women..

Thankyou Rue!!

See more here - http://ruemag.com/

The Artwork of Angela Fraleigh

Angela Fraleigh's work is dreamy, emotional, and provocative to say the least. We all can take what we want from these images, as they might mean different things to different people. For myself, I get a big hit of seduction and sensuality from many of her pieces, so I tend to think they would look great in the bedroom...To each our own...

The quietest sounds on earth, 8 x 16 ft. oil on canvas

Angela Fraleigh "even", 2007 oil on panel, 72 x 96 inches

The above are photos from her show at The Inman Gallery in Houston, Texas.

Angela Fraleigh "the story she told from that time on", 2007 oil on panel, 72 x 96 inches

Angela Fraleigh "but that would come later", 2007 oil on panel, 24 x 32 inches

Angela Fraleigh "as it was then", 2007 oil on panel, 24 x 32 inches

Artist Statement

My Mother was just eighteen when I was born but she had been living on her own with David for three years. Orphaning herself at an early age was a means of survival. She dropped out of high school in 73’, received her GED and began working at Beaufort Community College as a secretary at night taking classes during the day.

Shirley Wallace baby-sat.

My parents Debbie and David grew pot in the backyard but had to start hiding the plants behind the kiddy pool because Shirley’s husband Joe was a narc.

We lived on Humphrey’s road in a trailer next door to David’s bosses house. He was in construction which was good work when it was steady. That place was a “dump" so they left and rented a house on Rogers road. When I was one year old David moved out and my mother moved to a “nice” three bedroom trailer with her friend Susan.

My mother said it was probably her aunt Anna who inspired her to put her past behind her and change her life. Anna always smelled nice, had respect for others, she liked better things and kept a clean house...that and TV.

Even when she and my father were out of work we always looked respectable. Nice manners, combed hair, clean clothes. Nobody knew. My mother has always been into appearances.

It was a godsend television, through it she could see how other people lived- how it was supposed to be.

She met Lee in 1978 at a disco. Three weeks later he proposed.

Questioning social constructs of beauty, class, gender and role play I am interested in the complications of desire, what power people have available to them and how they use that power. These images serve as a means of escape from one’s personal histories but also provides a space to question these idealistic scenarios. Drawing on dramatic moments from literature and framing the romantic stereotypes that are created these images are complicated by obscured power structures. Ambiguity conceals where authority lies in these familiar images disrupting our understanding of these hackneyed relationships while bringing into the foreground the continual power struggles still fueling our political, social and intimate relationships.

These tensions are heightened as paint itself becomes a tool for the disturbance; a main protagonist in the story and a carrier of meaning. Violent and seductive, threatening and unpredictable it complicates the image leaving us unsure if the figures are being birthed or eaten away; if the paint is taking control, acting as savior, interrupting, manipulating or providing the stimulus for the relationship. Physicality of the paint both cankers and covers the narrative caressing the fine line between victim and volunteer. There is a desperate human quality in the work, one that embraces the flawed hero.... you know what was supposed to have happened but you also know it didn't.

Going to San Fran soon? Hit the wayfare tavern...

On our quick, couple hour trip, back to the place I once lived, we hit the new Tyler Florence restaurant "The Wayfare Tavern" and it was the best fried chicken I have ever had...I would describe the food as a sophisticated, insanely fresh, homecooked meal...

The burger was Delicious!

Fried chicken that is lightly battered with lemon squeezed on top...YUM!!

A MUST for your next trip to San Francisco...It had deviled eggs on the menu people...Deviled eggs!!!

All photos by Jennifer Ament

A Delicious Brunch in NYC

If you have not been to Cafe Gitane in NYC, then you must go on your next visit.

A teeny-tiny hole in the wall...very busy, great people watching...

These were hard to resist...

My friend told me to get the avocado toast, and I am so glad I did...This picture does not do it justice...Their is insane homemade bread under there...

A cool, but not too cool, scene...

This beet, lentil, goat cheese on toast salad? Insane...

I just had to add this drunk fashionista riding her bike on the barely there cobblestone street...It was a sight...

I have more pics of this trip...Are you getting sick of seeing them? Should I move on? Please do tell...

All Photo's by Jennifer Ament

Artist of the Month : Hsin-Yao Tseng

I just took a quick trip to Northern California and spent a few hours in San Francisco, and was inspired to do a post on an artist that I have been meaning tell you about for a few months now. His work is moody and beautiful and very San Francisco...I am over the moon for Hsin-Yao Tseng's work. His city scapes remind me of abstract pieces from the '60s and '70s. The colors are incredible. You can see more of his work here.

			Intersection 24" x 24" Oil $2,200 (SOLD)
				On The Way to Work 30" x 40" Oil $4,000
		Summer Impression 24" x 30" Oil $2,600
			Market Street In Green 11 x 14 Oil $$1,050
			The one above is my favorite...I love the use of color here. Red Light Dancing 9 x 12 Oil $$950
	Rainy On Market St. 11" x 14" Oil (SOLD) Hsin-Yao Tseng was born in Taipei Taiwan in 1986. He was born to be an artist. At the age of ten, he began painting in watercolors, as well as other mediums. This activity at such an early age was self-inspired and self-taught. It gave Hsin-Yao insights into the foundation he would need to excel in producing work to the standards he expected. He received his B.F.A of Fine Art Painting from the Academy of Art University, San Francisco in 2009. The subjects he chooses to explore include landscapes, the figure and still-life using bright color and expressive brush-strokes. The word "explore" is chosen purposely to describe Hsin-Yao's artistic drive and evolution as a fine artist. He will experiment with technique using his medium to accentuate the intrinsic personality of his subjects and themes. An urban scene will be expressed in a more organic, edgey manner causing him to use his medium in a bit more aggressive and spontaneous fashion, while painting figure requires a more gentle and cautious hand. Tseng made top finalists at the Art Renewal Center 2008/2009 Salon, top 50 in the 2009 Salon International at Greenhouse Gallery, earned Second Place in The Artist's Magazine's 25th annual contest- Portrait/Figure, and Third Place in the International Artist Magazine (June/July 2008). Hsin-Yao is consciously on a mission and it shows in his work. His dedication and passion to break artistic barriers in his painting are apparent when approaching a collection of his paintings wherever they are exhibited. His work is for sale at The Howard Mandville Gallery in Kirkland, Washington.

The Art of Destruction

Thought I would leave you some images of DECAY as we move slowly, and unwillingly, (for me) into fall, and all of the beautiful decay that comes with it.

Valerie Hegarty creates and then destroys replicas of the American Myth with frontier images of paintings of landscapes and national figures using devices associated with their historical significance. Beautiful in their destruct.

Have a great weekend.

Via- The Artist and his Model