Monday 28 February 2011

Sightseeing with Margie

Botanical tiles
Orange treeAgave Pots
Urns
San Miguel de Allende-Guanajuato
La Aurora Gallery-San Miguel de Allende
Downtown Queretaro
Posada Carmina
Cobble stones
Mr. Handsome
Some of the beautiful things I saw while sightseeing with Margie.
She'll be going back home to the snow very early tomorrow morning.
I will miss her so much! It was such a special privilege to get to spend time with her.
She is the sweetest, kindest & most generous soul I've encountered.

Sunday 27 February 2011

El Charco del Ingenio

Rock egg
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After a morning visit to the botanical garden
we came home to work on a crochet covered rock collaboration
Margie and I are doing a for a summer show at Bookhou in Toronto, Canada.
We were very inspired by what we saw at the reserve.

JOE DE MERS' TONSORIAL PARLOR AND ABSTRACT ART GALLERY

Joe De Mers (1910-1984) illustrated women's magazines in the 1940s and 1950s, a market characterized by simplified pictures of pretty girls against plain backgrounds.





Later generations would look down on what Robert Weaver ridiculed as "candy box" illustration. Jim Silke accurately noted, "that style was derisively called the 'big head school of illustration,' a name derived from the fact that every picture was dominated by a huge close up of a beautiful woman...." Illustrator Al Parker explained the popularity of such illustrations with tasteless audiences:
Readers demand pretty people in pretty settings forming a pretty picture. The larger your audience, the more limited its taste. It prefers subject matter to design and girls to men. It wants no message other than girls are cute and men like cute girls.
At the same time De Mers was catering to popular taste, genius artists such as De Kooning, Franz Kline, Joan Mitchell and Diebenkorn were boldly experimenting with abstract paintings. Compare the freedom, vigor and originality of De Kooning's brilliant masterpiece:



...with these details from the bourgeois pablum being served up by De Mers:



Errrr.....







Umm....










See the difference?

Saturday 26 February 2011

Artful Birds

Numbers
Paint by Numbers Bird
Bird Tattoo Bird
Tattoo Bird
Love
Margie & I had a very birdie afternoon yesterday.
We both used the wren pattern from Abigail Glassenberg's new book
"The Artful Bird" published by Interweave.
I recycled my 2010 Linea Carta linen calendar to make my birdie.
Margie used a piece of turquoise cotton I had previously stamped
with one of my hand carved bird stamps and made the beaks with polymer clay.
We gave each of them our own twist & when they saw each other
they immediately fell in love ♥

Thursday 24 February 2011

Soaking up the Sun

Yellow
Botanical Platters
Media Naranja
Balcony with Cactus
Plants at Posada Carmina
Wall art
Margie & I enjoyed a gorgeous day at San Miguel de Allende, Guanjuato today.
Here are some of my shots of the day. I can't wait to see the photos she took!

Wednesday 23 February 2011

Coastal Treasure Hunting in NYC

On a recent day trip to the big apple, I was excited to discover some unusual shell art and other vintage coastal pieces of interest at two of my favorite Manhattan architectural salvage shops offering architectural elements and antiques primarily from reclaimed buildings in NYC.

The first stop was The Demolition Depot & Irreplaceable Artifacts, located in Harlem at 216 East 125th St, between 2nd & 3rd Avenues.


The Demolition Depot offers a hugh selection of reclaimed fixtures - plumbing, doors, and much more. You just never know what you will find. I discovered (above photo) a lovely vintage tub, shelled to perfection!

Vintage shell encrusted bath tub


Vintage shell encrusted mirror.


Vintage bar entrance constructed from nautical rope


Vintage bar shaped like a boat


Piles of weathered and worn shutters


Next stop was a visit to Old Good Things, located in Chelsea at 124 West 24 Street, between 6th and 7th Ave. Old Good Things has other stores located in both Manhattan and in Los Angeles, CA. Their warehouse is located in Scranton, PA and is a must see for treasure hunters - just make sure you remember to bring your hard hat and a flashlight and get ready to sift through piles of vintage stuff reclaimed from old NYC buildings.


Vinage shell encrusted cross


Vintage giant clam shells


Large vintage clam shell Price: $1,150.00!!! The great thing about
Old Good Things is that they will bargain with you!


Vintage nautical lighting (above) and vintage fishing nets in a box


Above photos of a vintage ring buoy, vintage tin reclaimed from NYC buildings and re-worked into beautiful shabby mirrors and vintage store sign