Out and About

Last week I was running around the city and came across a Candyshop Collective pop up shop! The space was beautiful albeit temporary and they also had these trees on display (and for sale) on the upper loft level, very clever!

Henri Matisse

I adore Henri Matisse (1869-1954) and am especially fond of the work he created in the latter part of his life. When Matisse was no longer able to physically paint due to illness and arthritis he turned to creating collages from gouache painted paper. He would cut the forms out pin them to the wall until he was satisfied with the composition then he would glue them to paper. The following are some pieces that I have come upon recently that I had not seen before. The simple one with the heart is called Verve no. 23 and I have had a hard time finding information on this one so I am not quite sure if it is a cutout or not but I love it just the same. The photograph taken by the incredibly talented Cecil Beaton in the 1940's (he will require a separate post) is a photograph taken for Vogue magazine with the background created by Matisse. I would love to see the rest of that editorial!! Lastly, some images from one of his crowning achievements: The Chapel of Vence, also referred to as The Chapel of the Rosary or the Matisse Chapel. Matisse designed the entire chapel himself, from the glowing stain glass windows, to the altar and the paintings on the wall. The chapel is located in Nice,France. It has such a humble and understated elegance that I find truly beautiful...enjoy!

I Heart Walton Ford

I first heard of Walton Ford when I was flipping through Elle Decor (May 2008 issue). I was immediately drawn to this photo of a Walton Ford watercolor hanging above the couch in the apartment of actor Hank Azaria.

I started trying to find out any information about the artist that I could. He had been featured in Men's Vogue Fall 2005. Here is a beautiful photograph taken for the article by Martin Schoeller.

Walton Ford also has a book titled Pancha Tantra. The name being a reference to the ancient Indian animal mythology believed to be a precursor to Aesop's Fables. Walton Ford's work is steeped in layers of history. His work is very obviously and intentionally influenced by great masters of the past such as John James Audubon, whom he regularly features as a figure in his paintings to George Catlin. He follows in their traditions in the style of painting as well as in the method and lifestyle, by using the great outdoors as his source of inspiration. As noted in the Vogue article he regularly makes the 80 mile walk from his home in the Berkshires to Vermont to meet with his printer!! The printer he meets with makes prints of his original pieces so that they can be more affordable when one cannot shell out the 30,000 plus dollars for an original! His work is visually and meaningfully complex and the watercolors are meticulously painted. I love how at first glance the watercolors appear to be old and classic biological paintings but upon closer inspection they are often twisted and dark. Here are a few to feast your eyes on:

And here is an image from the Paul Kasmin Gallery that shows the works in person so you can really get a sense of the scale, incredible!

My only regret is not being able to see the works in person. His new works are currently on exhibit at the Paul Kasmin Gallery until December 23rd. If anyone is New York between now and then and gets to check it out let me know how it was!

Sibella Court

How much do I love Sibella Court? I loved her before I even knew it! I first got a glimpse into Sibella's world when her NYC apartment (in Chinatown) was featured in Living Etc. (UK Edition) back in September 2008. I was smitten by the loft and the eclectic collection of treasures scattered through out. I held onto the magazine (the images you see below) for inspiration. It was beautifully photographed by James Merrell. What an amazing job to be an interiors photographer, by the way! I love how Sibella has used so many natural elements in her apartment and you can really feel the influence of her peripatetic ways. (She is Australian living in New York).

Next, from Sibella came this GORGEOUS book filled with her inspirations! This just came out a month or two ago and I have been pining for it until finally I was able to pick it up! The book is filled from cover to cover with unique spaces, paint colors and styling! Below, you will see some images from the book titled, etc.

Now, Sibella has also opened a shop in Sydney called The Society inc. Along with the shop she has also created a beautiful website that gives you a glimpse into Sibella's world. Many images are from the book and also from her shop. Definitely take a peak at her website, it is worth the time.

Happy Thanksgiving

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We were able to take it nice and easy and just enjoyed a day off. I had misplaced my camera for a few days but after a two hour camera hunt throughout the house michael finally found it! Also, I have been having some technical difficulties uploading pictures from my camera but I will be back in action soon. Hope everyone has a beautiful weekend!

Be Back Soon

Sorry for the brief hiatus in posting, I have been keeping very busy with work and at home. I will be back very soon (tomorrow, i hope) with all new posts!

Mural/ Graffiti Silver Lake

Behind the Scenes at the Post Office

Some pictures I took recently at a post office. I loved the way the light was hitting all these mundane objects and the repetitiveness of the items symbolizing mail itself. I also loved the muted colors and trasparency of the bins.

Dia de Los Muertos

Dia de los Muertos is an amazing time to reflect upon and remember and cherish your loved ones, or admired ones after they have passed. It is a tradition meant to spend time with your loved ones back on earth. I think the meaning of the celebration is quite beautiful. Michael and I have attended Dia Los Muertos in The Mission in San Francisco and it was quite beautiful, moving, and elaborate. Not something I will soon forget. It was a wonderful time to meditate on life, to share with others the importance that their loved ones played in their lives, and to remember and honor your own. Here is a mini photo essay of some of my favorite altars and people at the procession. All of these altars are set up outdoors and never seize to amaze me at how much work people have put into them. It really is a reflection of the love that they have to share.

Happy Halloween!

Cafe Habana

What can I say about Cafe Habana, except perfection! This tiny little cafe packs a lot of punch into their teeny tiny little space. Everything from the music, the decor, and the staff was perfect. The entire staff that works there are extremely gracious hosts and make you feel right at home from the moment you step inside. I managed to take a few pictures of the deliciousness before I had to put the camera away and just enjoy the food. What you are looking at here are two of their amazing appetizers, Grilled Corn, Mexican style, with chili pepper, lime, and cojita cheese! This is THE best corn I have ever tasted! And of course I could not pass up the tostones, which my mom makes a mean version of as well! Lots of delectable items on the menu to chose from, please go there some time!!!

Rue B

This is one of the cutest little jazz bars I have ever been to. (Thank you, Michael!) Everyone is squeezed in to here to enjoy the atmosphere but somehow everyone is also comfortable and has a place to sit. They also have quite an inventive cocktail menu, with ingredients such as blood oranges, guava, and bee pollen! I also adored all the photos lining every inch of free wall space...

Trio

And how could anyone resist this cute trio waiting outside Gimme! Coffee?

Admiring New York Treasures

It's hard to go inside when you are in New York, because the city is so absolutely enthralling! We managed to make it in to a few museums though. One we had planned to see for sure was the Neue Gallerie, home to some rare works by one of my favorite artists Egon Schiele. I have long admired the work of this artist and studied a lot of his pieces when I was in art school only I had never seen one of his pieces in person and it was definitely a dream come true. The lines and colors of his work are truly inspiring.

We were able to make it in to the Gagosian Gallery to see a very intimate show of photographer Sally Mann's work and an exhibit of Cy Twombly sculptures! We were also so lucky to wander into The Met as we were really looking to get out of the rain for a bit and get a hot drink of some sort. A complete stranger came up to us and gave us two tickets to enter the exhibits!! She had disappeared in to the crowd before we could barely get the words thank you out! So, Thank you!!! kind woman wherever you may be!!! We were able to see Vermeer's masterpiece The Milkmaid as well! A picture could never describe the quality of light this Dutch Master can portray on canvas! A very rare treat to see this piece in person!! As we wandered from room to room we came upon masterpiece upon masterpiece...it was never ending! We stumbled into this Van Gogh room, the largest collection I have ever seen! Here is Michael admiring some pieces...

We were also lucky enough to see these stunning Manet's, another one of my favorite painters!! These portraits are atleast 5 x 8 feet! They actually radiate light! (Sorry for a little bit of blur, I did not have a tripod.)

Of course we admired some of the iconic architecture of the city such as Frank Lloyd Wright's Guggenheim building. Did you know that originally he wanted the building to be bright red?

The Whitney Museum by Bauhaus trained architect Marcel Breuer:

And even though we have all seen pictures of this, I had to admire the Apple Store on Fifth Avenue. It almost disappears in to the background. From down below inside the store you can see the historical Plaza Hotel. I love the juxtaposition of the grand and old fashioned Plaza seen through the glass of the ultra modern Apple Store by architects, Bohlin, Cywinski, & Jackson: