Artful Entries

Northern Ghana (Dagomba Region)

Photo by Herbert Cole

Who wouldn't love an entryway of books to greet you?



(Photo Unknown)

No Art Needed..

This is another place that is insane. There is no art needed here, as the architecture is the art, but I would start crying if my art was hanging above the toilet in this gem...

Photo- Unknown

Sublime Editing and Pretention-less

There are a few rooms of different styles, shapes and sizes, where I might start crying if I saw my art hanging on their walls...This room is one of them...

Photography by: Pieter Estersohn

Sandrine Pelletier

Sculpture by Sandrine Pelletier. 

Flashdance: acrylic, textile, latex- 28 x 21 cm

R.I.P. - Cy Twombly

American artist, Cy Twombly has died, at 83. Reviving the abstract movement in the 50's and 60's and then panned for his paudry scribbles, Cy went on to become one of the most important artists of his era. Thank you Cy, for leaving us so much beauty...

Summer is in the Hiz-ouse...Happy 4th of July!

I will be hanging on our boat this weekend, on one of the many, amazingly beautiful lakes we are so lucky to have here in Washington State. Picnic lunches, swimming, and sun, is what it's all about right now...Get outside my friends, and do your body some good...

Photo-Unknown-Via Tumblr

Have a Great Weekend!

I received an exciting e-mail today, and am trying hard to not go into fantasy land with what could come of it. It's so weird what we can bring to ourselves, if we start holding on less tightly to how we think our lives should be. It's also so important to see our potential, and value.
Hope you have one of these days soon my friends...:)

The Art of the Beer

Have you plead guilty to consuming something just because of the great packaging,
 or beautiful graphics?
I would do just that with the top right one. It is a beauty, and I am a sucker.


Images, Via-Miss Moss

The Art of Camping...

There are art snobs, and there are art snobs who camp... I prefer the latter, as they seem to be able to get their hands a little dirtier, relax a little easier, and could even be a tad less neurotic, maybe...

But the real question is...can they cook?

The most exciting thing for me about camping, is the food. Being a foodie, there is nothing better than being in the great outdoors, PREPARED. That means you may need to marinate some salmon in ginger, garlic, a bit of salt and green onion, (maybe a splash of coconut milk to keep it moist), and wrap it in foil. It is delish. With that I would make some sliced potatoes with soy sauce and butter..YUM..Don't forget your campers version of an ice cream maker! It is shaped like a soccer ball and you can gently kick back and forth to your friends or family. You can get them at R.E.I., and they make the trip that much better. Be sure to fill with fresh nectarines, and cream, a teeny bit of sugar, and a voila! The best camping EVER...Are you as excited to get outside as I ? I wish we could all go camping together out here, on the water, in the Northwest.

You would LOVE it.

Summer= Happy

Photo: Tumblr

The Art of The Rebel...

Some of my favorite photographs are of a rebellious moment in a place in time.
Scott Pommier is just that kind of photographer. His pieces make me want to take a road trip with no suitcase, and no destination in mind, drive really fast on a long,empty, never-ending road, buy a one way ticket to a place I have never been, and sleep, drink, and eat with not a care in the world. I could go on and on...How might you rebel?

I started shooting photos of my friends skateboarding. All I wanted to do for the longest time was to take pictures like the ones that I saw in skateboarding magazines, and I learned to do just that. I shot for skateboarding magazines for about ten years, now people ask me what I shoot and I don’t quite know what to tell them.  I don’t feel like I’m an action sport photographer, a commercial photographer, a lifestyle photographer or a fashion photographer exactly, but a little bit of all of those things. Of the pictures that I’ve shot, the ones that I like best, fall in between some of those lines; an action photo that feels more like a fashion shot or portrait that borders on reportage. I spent years learning the skill of photography before I really figured out how I wanted to shoot and what I wanted to shoot. I take pictures of what I think is interesting and significant and beautiful.

–Scott Pommier

This interview is from The Selvedge Yard blog.

Video of the Week- The Artist's Statement

Kitchen Nook Dream...

How beautiful is this kitchen nook?

 Windows to look out of while you eat, is such a wonderful feature to have in a home.

Notice the subtle art on the left wall? If you picture it without it it, would not be quite as striking. The gold frame ties everything together. 

Lonny Mag? or Unknown...Please let me know if you know...Thanks!

Happy Father's Day, Dad...

My dad and little brother back in the day.

 My Dad is a nomad, a lover of knowledge, on a quest to learn as much as possible about life and himself, a nature lover, an avid photographer, a writer, and always excited to give me information on anything he knows I am interested in. One thing I have always felt from my father was his love for me...

Happy Father's Day, Dad...

The Art of the Artisan...

 I LOVE the recent House Beautiful piece, in which they photographed the home of Roman Alonso, the creative director of Commune. I love the laid back 70's rock feeling that is going on, and could imagine myself falling asleep, while reading the new Keith Richard's book right there on those pillows...

The kitchen reminds me of a couple I used to know while I was abroad, where they taught me the beauty of simple living, and using things like old, mini milk jars as vases for your freshly picked flowers, etc...It is not about a show really, it's more of an authentic way of living... 

The brass lamp with the red shade kills me...I am on the hunt for something similar...It adds such pizazz...I love that word...

Pizzazz....

Have a GREAT weekend!

Photo's by Amy Neunsinger for House Beautiful Magazine

Via- Moodboard

The Art of the Pencil...

White Light

 Charcoal on paper, 102 x 72 cm

This talented artist, Yanni Flores is so incredibly detailed in his work, it can trick you into thinking you are looking at a B&W photograph...

Christopher St. Leger

 I love a painting that is done in a "traditional" manner, like these watercolors, with a very "untraditional" scene. And I don't mean a Mona Lisa, with a chicken painted on her head, I mean a traditional "method" with an interesting, maybe even modern life scene and then, most importantly, well executed. Here we have some skate punks, ready to cause some trouble...Or not....

Love the way he painted the light in the background...

These tee-pee scenes have to be my favorite...I LOVE these!! How many of you have done this to someone?

C'mon, you know you have...

See more of Christopher St. Leger's amazing work on his website- here.


First seen on the blog - Booooooom

Artist of the Month : Pedro Friedeberg, "Waterer of Pirana's"

Gold leaf Sculpture "Hand" Chair, 1980

If you are a huge lover of art, design, or architecture, and you have never been to Mexico City, I highly suggest you take a trip.

 Before I went, I had absolutely no idea how gorgeous some of the architecture was, and knew of some artists from Mexico, but found out about so many more when finally there. 

Pedro Friedeberg was one, and this was before he was on 1st dibs and Todd Merrill Antiques. When he began, his designs were incredibly original. 

I have to tell you something else. In my endless search of artists that I find to feature on my blog, I am always reading "artists statements", and to be honest, most bore the heck out of me, so I usually don't even list them with the feature. As an artist, and I am guessing there might be a few other artists reading this that might agree, it can be quite a struggle to come up with an "artist statement" that is somewhat interesting, authentic, and not full of ego. We need to give the public an idea of what our process is, and how we are inspired, etc...But way to many artists become completely absorbed in the story about them, or make it WAY too long, and just end up reading NARCISSIST. Some I have read are serious, short and too the point, and some are just friggin' delightful, and ARTISTIC, and kinda nuts...This man's artist statement is just that, and one of the best I have ever read. I have put it at the end of this post in it's entirety. 

Side Table with 3 Hands and 3 Feet, Carved Gold Leaf Wood, 1999.

 3 Legged Coffee Table,1999.

 Hand Sculpted snake table...1970

"Caged Saint"

Pedro Friedeberg's, Artist Statement....

"I was born in Italy during the era of Mussolini, who made all trains run on time. Immediately thereafter, I moved to México where the trains are never on time, but where once they start moving they pass pyramids.

My education was first entrusted to a Zapotec governess and later to brilliant mentors such as Mathias Goeritz, who taught me morals, José González, who taught me carpentry, and Gerry Morris, who taught me to play bridge.

I have invented several styles of architecture, as well as one new religion and two salads. I am particularly fond of social problems and cloud formations. My work is profoundly profound.

I admire everything that is useless, frivolous and whimsical. I hate functionalism, post modernism and almost everything else. I do not agree with the dictum that houses are supposed to be 'machines to live in'. For me, the house and it's objects is supposed to be some crazy place that make you laugh.

Americans do not understand Mexicans and viceversa. Americans find Mexicans unpunctual, they eat funny things and act like old-fashioned Chinese. When André Breton came to Mexico he said it was the chosen Country of surrealism. Breton saw all kinds of surrealist things happen here every day. The surrealists are more into dreaming, into the absurd and into the ridiculous uselesness of things. My work is always criticizing the absurdity of things. I am an idealist. I am certain that very soon now humanity will arrive at a marvelous epoch totally devoid of Knoll chairs, jogging pants, tennis shoes and baseball caps sideway use, and the obscenity of Japanese rock gardens five thousand miles from Kyoto.

I get up at the crack of noon and, after watering my pirañas, I breakfast off things Corinthian. Later in the day I partake in an Ionic lunch followed by a Doric nap. On Tuesdays I sketch a volute or two, and perhaps a pediment, if the mood overtakes me. Wednesday I have set aside for anti-meditation. On Thursdays I usually relax whereas on Friday I write autobiographies."      

 I LOVE him.... He created a religion, and 2 salads for god's sake...

Pedro Friedeberg (b. 1937) In Mexico during the 1960’s social realism was the dominant force in painting while the international style influenced architecture and design. Despite a body of work that rejects these aesthetics, Pedro Friedeberg has become one of Mexico’s most cherished and collected artists/designers of the 20th Century. As a young architecture student Friedeberg joined Dada-inspired art groups. During his lifetime he would produce a significant amount of fine art, however his earliest pieces were furniture. His work synthesizes a myriad of influences including Art Nouveau, Medieval, Aztec symbols, Gaudi, Mexican folk art and Surrealism. Gold hands and feet are two of the most consistent elements in his work. They appear as patterns in his paintings and are expertly carved and gilded on his furniture. Friedeberg’s famous Hand & Foot chair manages to be both visually amusing and a major sculptural accomplishment. Another one of his beloved creations, first done in the mid-1960’s, is the “Butterfly Chair”, an early paradigm of art furniture. Both of these pieces are icons of 20th Century furniture and have been repeatedly photographed appearing in numerous publications including Art in America, Vogue and Architectural Digest. Friedeberg normally works with mahogany for carved pieces and his furniture pieces are typically signed. Museums including Musée du Louvre-Pavillon Arts Décoratifs in Paris, The Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C., the Israel Museum in Jerusalem and the Museum of Modern Art in New York hold pieces of Friedeberg’s work in their permanent collections.

See more on Pedro's website here. These pieces are available on 1st dibs, and Todd Merrill Antiques.

Betsy Eby

Betsy Eby is a super talented, local encaustic painter who I have been following for years.  Her work is soft, ethereal, and just plain gorgeous. Her new collection, titled "Arrangements" is now showing at one of my favorite,  if not my favorite,  gallery in Seattle, Winston Wachter. It will be up until June 16th....

 

If you are unfamiliar with encaustic work it is primarily beeswax with some paint and possibly other medium thrown in...It is incredibly elegant, rich and layered looking, and is quite a process...Betsy uses a blowtorch, and wears a mask as the fumes can be quite toxic. If it is done right, it can up the ante in any room...

Photo's by me, courtesy of Winston Wachter, Seattle.

See more of Besty Eby on here website, betsyeby.com

Dark and Dreamy....

Still loving the dark wall movement. 

I think it is all in how you do it, and these peeps did it right.

The room above has to be one of my favorite dark wall shots ever. It seems like a place where someone is writing a really great book....

Dreamy and dark, the white and gold in this bathroom, adds old world glam...

Top Photo from Lonny Magazine

Bottom from Domino 

Video of the week...

These are some new moves I was teaching my sister a few years back at home, at Christmas time. I feel a bit embarrassed at how much I was trying to show off to my parents though...I wanted to make them feel proud, with all of the money that they had lost when I dropped out of college, I wanted to show them that my decision was not made in vain....

New Painting....

This is a new piece I just finished. The series is called Dripping Sunsets...I am happy the way it turned out...

Hope you are having a great week!

All Day...Every Day...

Yep, this is definitely it. This is a look I would be willing to wear...all day, every day, maybe alternating the blouse occasionally, and washing some things here and there. And the hair? Thinking seriously of chopping mine, even though I like my high bun. I love this look, along with sooo many others.

Thanks for indulging me in my petty rantings....

Photo by Billy Farrell of the Billy Farrell Agency