little things

try to remember all the little beautiful things  ... people are amazing (pretty much) and the world is gorgeous. Be thankful for everything and everyone.

http://www.flytowater.net/

summer come fast

I'm getting anxious for summer already, and the James Turrell exhibit opens at the Guggenheim in June so that is making me want that warm weather even more.

 If you don't know his work, he specializes in giant light and space installations influenced by his Quaker faith.

at Gagosian gallery

This is what the Guggenheim is going to look like.  Which is insane if you realize that these circles are oblong and the circular ramp in that space is perfectly round.  My brain is having trouble here ....

Guggenheim digital rendering

and here he is, looking all super cool in front of his Roden Crater. Yep, he bought that crater and is making a giant celestial phenomena observatory. (what?!)  Good luck getting in, it may/may not be for rich people only.

mind = blown. I love it when that happens.

patterned tats

I don't have any tattoos, mostly because I can't commit to one thing forever.  But am I loving this new approach of large cohesive patterns.   very medieval somehow, very cool.

if someone out there can help me figure out how to find the
original images sources through tumblr I'd appreciate it! 

Tattoo by German artist Gerhard Wiesbeck

Tattoo by Argentinian artist Nazareno Tubaro

This girl looks how I feel on a good day. Make sense?  she seems so pulled together - fierce yet sweet, intelligent without being condescending. she could whip up some mean french toast while simultaneously securing major contracts.

taschen love

Have I publicly expressed my love for Taschen publishing?  Well I'm going to do it now. I love them. I love them so much I avoid their store because it would hurt my heart to have to leave it.  They are too much for my sensitive little body to handle in big doses, I can barely make it through their catalogs without getting weepy.

Last year I picked up the World of Ornament and it never ceases to inspire. It's the kind of book that can only be looked at a few pages at a time, my brain starts freaking out and immediately demands a nap to process the images.

It looks insane right? Baby angels and overflowing scroll work ... here are a few of my favorite plates:

As you can see, these historical patterns are constantly informing my silver designs.  I've yet to see a Taschen book on Pennsylvania Dutch patterns (Hey Taschen! If you need a dutchie art enthusiast / design librarian for help on this you know where to find me.)

Here are some other crazy awesome titles I'd love to peruse ...

Crazy awesome right? these pretty much cover a few of my major loves - circus freaks, japanese architecture, apes, the illuminati, vintage food stuffs, and 80's movies.   schizophrenic much?

cataloging myself

The problem with having a library degree on top of an art degree is that I am constantly wanting to put things into categories and neat piles. This can get frustrating when you are trying to do it to yourself and your own work. What shows should I apply to? Who is my market? Where is the best place to sell my work?

It can lead to basically comparing yourself to everyone else - a dangerous road to go down. and throw in a heavy dose of art school indoctrination and you can find yourself saying, what's the point? it's all been done, hasn't it?

So I was really energized reading a piece of writing by one of the professors I work with (it's in this month's Professional Artist magazine, article by Matt Daub). The overall theme is about making your mark in the art world, but he had some good insight on the different ways that it can be done.  While his approach was toward fine art making, I can see a definite parallel to anyone making anything.

Here's a summary of his nice neat breakdown of some the basics in this thought process ... (to note, I'm not sure if the visuals are exactly the best representation, just the first that came to mind and most easily recognized)

"The most highly regarded artists are those who invent something never seen before, 

a new way for us to encounter our world and experience art ..."

Jackson Pollock

  
"then there are artists who break no new ground but still possess a singularly keen vision with enough insight and creativity to distinguish them from others working in the same fashion ..."

Van Gogh

"some artists are more pedestrian, yet through their discipline, diligence and 

persistence have left behind a body of work that we cannot ignore..."

Monet

"others may be recognized primarily for their stunning virtuosity of craft ..."

Leonardo Da Vinci

"some lack craftsmanship but are refreshingly original in concept ..." 

Duchamp

"and finally, some have no formal training but create obsessively with a 

point of view so unexpected we have to take notice..."

Adolf Wolfli

While I'm not sure if I feel like I fit into any one of these groups precisely, defining these little groups is somehow reassuring. The world of marketing products is a whole different animal, but we're all trying to make something original and worthwhile.

So what do you think? too confining? too conservative?  what's the point of labels anyway?! just make the work already!

page 645 out of 789

So right now I'm on page 645 of The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. it's probably a cliche to say, but this book is changing my life. It's the exact book I needed for this exact time in my life.  It's the longest book I've ever read but man, is it awesome. I think everyone needs to read this.  Kinda mind blowing that it was written by a woman in 1943.

It's one of those empowering books about integrity and innovation and selfishness, really.  basically a book about getting in your bubble and doing what you want to do no matter what the cost.  and it doesn't hurt that it's a phrased within a giant architectural metaphor.  My love of architecture is extreme.  To create a structure that will stand for decades and subconsciously physically affect thousands of people is serious business.

I saw these pics on Miss Moss and I can't help but think it could be something like Howard Roark would build, the main character in The Fountainhead.

 dreamy, right?  (it's on the Isle of Capri, built in 1937).


I also just watched the documentary about Julius Shulman, the man who photographed all those amazing modernist homes that popped up in the 1950's in California. He helped bring the work of Frank Lloyd Wright, Richard Neutra and Charles and Ray Eames and all those amazing mid century designers to the forefront of design.  (and how about this, Howard Roark was based on Frank Lloyd Wright).

I'm always obsessed with people's living areas and work spaces, I don't think people realize how much of an influence it has on your psyche.  Shulman really captures the spirit of these places.

Let's hang out here shall we? I'll wear my best vintage cocktail dress.

ultimate studio

I sure wouldn't mind working here in this place - the studio of Teresa Elliot, painter of freaky dreamy steer ...

that shirt / my earrings

I desperately want to wear this shirt (from etsy shop ConiMatta in Italy)





with these earrings from my shop.



Pants next? pants are optional these days - how about these incredible French tights instead?



I think this might finally satisfy my scallop obsession. too much? IMPOSSIBLE.

pics for your pleasure

Heads up - no rhyme or reason to these, just know that they are all influencing my life right now. weird.

dream house by dreamy Olsen Kindig

love the back of this cd, Nefarious Carousel by Manouche, designed by Bia van Deventer,
thank you for that Miss Moss

nice styling. nice bag. by Missibaba.

can I stay here forever? Ace Hotel NYC.

Pamela Des Barres and Jimmy Page. {sigh}

future kitchen? YES.

My ideal uniform: striped apron/jeans tucked into combat boots. Martha Tifflin, owner of Utility in Brighton.

I officially despise ironing ok? (stay tuned for that story...)

if you're not part of the steamroller, you're part of the road

Just wanted to share this great pic that my cousin sent along - they took their kids to Homer, Alaska for a 5 month vacation/life swap. The kids went to school for a little bit up there and the rest of the time they are fishing for king salmon and hiking through Denali National Park. Can I just say that this renews my faith in humanity?

So as I sit here contemplating the evilness that is paypal, chase mastercard, stock markets, and global currencies - I reeeeeeaaallllly want to figure out a way to be a luddite Alaskan mennonite within driving distance of NYC, with a rockin' online retail biz.

possible?

THANK YOU

(Dolly Parton and Keith Haring)

YOU'RE WELCOME.

libraries of the future?

I'm really into books (the more pictures the better!). Most of my design inspirations come from "date nights" at Barnes & Noble (exciting life we lead I know).

Most of it happens by accident, I go looking for one book and find something else. I'm looking at a book about Falling Water and next thing you know I'm paging through a book on Moorish tiles ...

(Zellige tiles from Morocco)

... and then you know where that leads ... to some big crazy hoop earrings.

But I love this process, the accidental discoveries, so I was dismayed/intrigued/amazed at the new library at the University of Chicago.

(The Joe and Rika Mansueto Library, University of Chicago)

They've made it a virtual library only - no books on shelves, no perusing the stacks. All the books are underground in the giant vault that can be accessed by a giant robotic arm. All 3.5 million of them ...



I'm all over the place with my opinions on this one - I love cutting edge architecture, but hate sterility. I love a streamlined process, but I'm all about fortuitous findings. I love the idea that the books still exist (albeit underground), but what if the power or internet goes out? no robot to retrieve my book?

(Candida Höfer, Trinity College Library Dublin I, 2004)

What do you think - do you want to roam the stacks or would you rather do that Kindle thing?