Outdoor In

This time of year...the light is slowly creeping back...but I'm not too eager for spring. I haven't skiied nearly enough or watched my handsome husband shovel the snow with his big muscles, or seen my sweet little girl master ice skating...so I'm enjoying the season's pleasures...slowing down to enjoy the exposed and barren landscape, the empty canvas of white snow eager to make tracks...

Rock with Moss

David Wisemen

I thought the up close and personal version would show unsightly cords and wires. It's simplicity is a marvel-wow.

another clever little coat rack-perfect for the weekend cabin, a typical Colorado mudroom, the ironically themed New york City apartment, a little boy's room-oooh I see it now WPA National Park posters super sized on the walls, boy scout manual on the bedside table, a big faux bois rug, lumberjack sheets and a big flannel throw....

by

Velocity art and design

Fantasy photos for true life

NailPolish

I love Julie Blackmon's work!! She is brilliant and fresh and hilarious and provocative and my new fave!

This one ( above) is called Trampoline from her new work. I found this amazing artist through Please Sir . Thank you Diana!!

Floatie

The Artist's statement:

Domestic Vacations:

The Dutch proverb “a Jan Steen
household” originated in the 17th century and is used today to refer to a home
in disarray, full of rowdy children and boisterous family gatherings. The
paintings of Steen, along with those of other Dutch and Flemish genre painters,
helped inspire this body of work. I am the oldest of nine children and now
the mother of three. As Steen’s personal narratives of family life
depicted nearly 400 yrs. ago, the conflation of art and life is an area I have
explored in photographing the everyday life of my family and the lives of my
sisters and their families at home. These images are both fictional and
auto-biographical, and reflect not only our lives today and as children growing
up in a large family, but also move beyond the documentary to explore the
fantastic elements of our everyday lives, both imagined and
real. The stress, the chaos, and the need to
simultaneously escape and connect are issue that I investigate in this body of
work. We live in a culture where we are both “child centered” and
“self-obsessed.” The struggle between living in the moment versus escaping
to another reality is intense since these two opposites strive to
dominate. Caught in the swirl of soccer practices, play dates, work, and
trying to find our way in our “make-over” culture, we must still create the
space to find ourselves. The expectations of family life have never been
more at odds with each other. These issues, as well as the relationship
between the domestic landscape of the past and present, are issues I have
explored in these photographs. I believe there are moments that can be
found throughout any given day that bring sanctuary. It is in finding
these moments amidst the stress of the everyday that my life as a mother
parallels my work as an artist, and where the dynamics of family life throughout
time seem remarkably unchanged. As an artist and as a mother, I believe
life’s most poignant moments come from the ability to fuse fantasy and
reality: to see the mythic amidst the chaos.





Julie Blackmon

Cupcake

Dinner Party

Green Velvet
This one reminds me of how I usually feel about the canines...however I read the most amazing post on my friend's Art Farm blog. I cried like a baby. Then I read it to my husband. I choked out every word, tears streaming down my face. Her dog story is so moving and heart wrenching. I think she should write a screenplay about her life and her farm- it would be snatched up immediately.

"Time to set aside those childish things..."

This blog is about inspiration. Everyone who creates needs images, words and relationships that feed the imagination.
Today is such a powerful day. Our new president Barrack Obama delivered a speech that I will not ever forget. I find our president to be a most inspiring leader, not because of what he says but because of his deep humility, maturity, sense of duty, integrity and honor. In his inaugural speech today he quoted wise men of the the past, invoked a sense of obligation in our citizens and above all inspired those of us who want our nation to heal, thrive and become true to it's word to do exactly that in our actions everyday.

I am a well of pride for our county right now. Never before have I wanted to hang an American flag in front of my home. I bought one on the day he was elected. I feel it sends a message of hope that all are created equal and our country can become a beacon again of goodwill, safe harbor, and security.

I can see "Courthouse" peak from the Cimarron Mountain Range outside my back door. It is truly a symbol of "purple mountain majesty."

The photos of my little one and her best friend remind me not just of our freedom here in the west but of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his dream. Today at Sophia's school the staff showed images of African American children being escorted to school during desegregation accompanied by soldiers. At the end of the slide show Sasha and Malia were shown being escorted by security as well. Times have changed. Thank goodness!
No matter your political beliefs, I wish all my readers a happy, and peaceful journey.
The time is now for us all to show civility and compassion. Collaboration often brings about the most interesting new creations!

Mad about behind the scenes!

Oooooooh Don's in trouble! Mama ain't happy! This was a great scene...doesn't she look perfectly petulant?

I miss Mad Men! I'm so looking forward to season 3! Get a load of those cups...I would love to find those somewhere.

I'm still Joan's biggest fan...perhaps I should go red again!

I'm going to see if I can hunt down a behind the scenes look at set design but until then...

Winter Wonders

This ice picture cracks me up! Sophia's school has quite a rink starting to grow in the front of the building...perhaps this could be a new recess activity! Found the photo here.

Modern Rustic at it's best!

I recieved an email today about a Valentine's getaway package at one of my favorite spots on the planet! Dunton Hotsprings is a remote and luxurious hide away.

I wrote my first blog post about our trip there.

It is a ridiculously stunning spot with fantastic dinners, a facsinating and romantic library and scenery that astounds and delights. I can't even begin to express how it made us feel to be the only guests there during a particular snowy weekend. We toured every cabin and soaked in the old school hotsprings tub (back in the day it was an outlaw hide-out...first bank robbers and then hippies and bikers.) We were able to go because some clients and friends decided we needed to...I am eternally grateful!

We did some snow shoeing then but now that I have my nordic skiis.... oh the fun we would have...

A summer view

This wall treatment is so great...the critter on the wall I could do without...

This last shot is called the Well House. The copper tub....one word...priceless.

I Felt the Light! I heard the eco*

Great price, great design! 2Modern is having a fantastic sample sale right now! Have I told you lately how much I love a good bargain?

Felt lighting people! On sale too...you could do these MIO capsules for a while and then pass them on if grow tired of them... or you could buy more and cluster them for a really amazing effect.

My only issue- and it's a minor one, is that they are hung by a white cord. White cords can be clean, modern, whimsical; but more often than not, they look like college or post college home furnishings (obviously cheap). Can you believe I'm complaining at this price though? I mean HONESTLY!

I've saved the best for last. As all of the above these are eco products! Go green...or am I not allowed to say that in '09? Green is still good but I think the buzz word police have banned the term and are opting for simply "sustainable."

The Hightower Gallery Stool is truly brilliant. I'd love to have four. I'd drag them in and outside, stack them like sculpture and even let sticky hands touch them...nothing a quick swipe of zen cleaner can't fix!

Pretty aren't they?

World wise and weary

I would wear this to the innaguration...if I was going.
Cinderella, Cinderella...all I need to do is find a couple of mice to whip up a little gown and a stage coach!

Stick 'em up!

I often stumble upon great graphic wall art...love these from Supermarket! The pink for my daughter's room redo!

High, low, really low, and rock bottom

High - (though still fairly affordable)
Ethan Allen Glamour Gramercy

$1599

Low:
From
West Elm Frame + headboard $678!





The Umbria only $550!

Rock Bottom
The Nevis KING under $455!

So redo that bedroom!

Deconstructing music, art, and my kid's skirt

Have you heard the KCRW's Guest DJ Project? FANTASTIC. The premise is having non-musician type celebrities share 5 of their most influential songs...I think most guests come in with 20 or so and have to painfully whittle away at their list until they get it down to 5. Great project, great stories. Jennie Lewis and the Watson Twins are featured on Ms. Silverman's list and Loretta Lynn's "The Pill" is on Sarah Vowel's.
What would yours be?

My favorite guest DJ's are 1st and foremost, Sarah Vowel and her hysterical and smart musical choices, then Janeane Garofalo, Sarah Silverman, and even the oh-so-cutey batootey John Cusack, who can take himself a tad too seriously.....

On another note entirely.....

Bettina Hubby , who I read about originally in the New York Times Magazine, makes the most amazing clothes/artwork. I especially love her deconstructed jackets. She did a necklace made entirely of designer clothing tags. From her site:

All of Hubby's work is one-of-a-kind. Each piece is made from a garment that
already exists. She works primarily on a project-to-project basis and enjoys the
challenge of presenting work in new ways. Hubby’s practice revolves around
recycling loved garments from her client's wardrobes and reinventing pristine
vintage and concept for her collections.

I recently finished making an A line skirt for my daughter that is so bad it's good...it's still pretty because she is bewildered by anything other than that. The teenage girls at her school, "the tall girls" as she refers to them, sometimes wear clothes that don't match and that are often "humongo." She keeps asking me why in the world they do that! To her they are pretty girls who CHOOSE to wear tight brown leggings, sneakers and greenand black tops...some of them even wear preposterously small pony tails in short hair! Her favorite babysitter would be perfect except that she insists on sporting holes in the knees of her jeans...can you imagine?

I surprised her by bringing out a few photographs of my outfits from the eighties...oh the horror! She liked the prom dress but that's about where it ended.

These days you should see the joy in her eyes when I actually wear a dress...it's almost worth the trouble.

So wish I'd thoughtof it...

Gorgeous evening shots from the brilliant photo blog
3191

The whole idea of this makes me swoon.
Two friends, the span of a whole country separating them, and beautiful side by side pics of mornings and evenings. A perfect way to communicate, and connect.
Divine.

Best...of 2009!

I can't do it anymore...we're moving on to 2009!
Best Travel Article:
The New York Times ran a really great travel article about one of my all time favorite Japanese novels! The Tale of Genji. I love it not only for the story but for the history. The Lady Murasaki, who wrote the first novel in her own invented written language, is a true inspiration.

I been yearning to go to Japan lately...I love reading the adventures of David Sedaris in this wildly intriguing country. I also read the whole of Anthony Bourdain's hilarious Kitchen Confidential during the holidays (Finally! I'd only read excepts before.) Near the end of the book he discovers the exotic culinary pleasures of Japan. He wrote in a way that made me crave fish and noodles for breakfast....

Best Radio Showof all time: This American Life

Best facial expressions! My kiddo!

Best new idea: I finally added the subscibe to this website feature!! AHHHH still learning so much. AlsoI accidentally wiped out my last favorite blogs feature...so I'm slowly adding them back.

BEST of 2008! Brilliance in Water and Fire!

BEST FIRE!

Best inspiration for sure! Fire features These two photos truly warm my little heart. Sculptural, Goldsworthiesque, and brilliant.

Best Bath

I love this tub. I have one more like the one pictured below. The problem is, without some sort of traction I could easily slide into next week. It's beautiful, modern, deep, but by the time I fill it with enough water I am so bloody buoyant, I find it hard to relax.

Best faucet. This is fantastic. It's perfect for odd spaces, small spaces and it says "low profile" and "modern" without making a big statement...let's let your back splash or appliances do that...

Best high: Target's 75% off Christmas clearance. I found some steals!

Best Miniseries: HBO's mini series John Adams. It was riveting. I learned a lot too. Laura Linney is an amazing actress. They did her make-up perfectly- usually none. It mde it feel so authentic- real flushes of cheeks, a complexion with, gasp, flaws.

More best tomorrow!

I'm Back!

I have been without a keyboard for several weeks of holiday time!
This is a sampling of the holiday festivities...
You'll notice Sophia holding the arm of her friend Emma....that led to Emma's assertion that Sophia had "saved her life."
While we were at the Christmas tree farm we took a tractor/hay ride out to the trees. I made sure the girls linked arms to secure them on their seats. When the trailer tipped in a rut Em almost spilled out...good thing they were linked!
Tomorow...The best of 2008!