Buon Natale!

Merry Christmas, Roman-style! Many of the restaurants in Italy had beautiful displays of food either in their windows or in front of the doorway, but this place in Rome was dressed early for Christmas.

Ho! Ho! Ho!

Ahhh, The Colors & Textures of Venice

Late afternoon light on the Grand Canal

My sister-in-law, Annie.
"Everyone looks more glamorous with Venice in the background."

Venice made me feel like I was a photographer...with my point & shoot.

I just returned from Italy and I am newly inspired! What a beautiful place. It will take more than one post to cover even the highlights, but I am starting where the trip started, in Venice. What I loved most about Venice was all the ancient, weathered walls and window shutters in beautiful, muted colors and textures. The pinks, corals, ochres and earthy grays and browns have me inspired to start a new series of watercolors. 

Collage of texture and the start of a new palette.

My favorite photo of Venice.
Residents chat with their pull cart of market purchases
 on this side street off Via Garibaldi.

Playing with the leaves.

I am never sure where an inspiration is going to take me. Collecting these leaves on my walk started me playing with different backgrounds to capture them on. Then, I thought a little bit about whether I might do a painting based on the photo. And, I also dug into a little color palette play.
Sometimes these meanderings of mine result in a creative project. And sometimes...it's just another day of play...

Thanks for the inspiration Eileen Kathryn Boyd & Duralee Fabrics!

I keep seeing this ad. I loved it the first time and it keeps stopping me, so I finally clipped it and pinned it up on my wall. The color combinations and the design of the textiles are gorgeous. Thanks for the inspiration Eileen Kathryn Boyd and Duralee!
http://eileenkathrynboyd.blogspot.com

http://www.duralee.com

Anthropologie is Food for the Soul

Browsing in an Anthropologie store is like visiting an art gallery. It always gets me inspired. I picked up these post-its on my last visit, because...well, I must have fun post-its. Love the artwork by Betsy Thompson, whimsical and sophisticated at the same time.  

This is why I love Elle Decor

This image from the July/Aug issue of Elle Decor stopped me with it's beauty. I had to look up the photographer and share some of my faves. To see more of Ilan Rubin's work, and there is a lot to look at go to www.ilanrubin.com.

Step One: Get Started

I have been inspired lately but I have not made the time to start creating something new. I think it is because I am not sure which direction I want to go in, not even sure what medium. 

So when in doubt, do something, do anything. Just do, instead of thinking about it. The rest usually works itself out. So I did. 

Early Morning

I am up early this morning. An inspiring time. This is the tree I look at every morning as I drink my coffee. I have taken a lot of pictures of this tree.

"Remember to take your daily dose of color."

Port Authority, New York

Eating healthy and embracing color –  two of my favorite things! New York social sculpture artist, Tattfoo Tan, has combined the two with his NMS: Nature Matching System to create awareness and encourage us to eat our fruits and vegetables.

I love this and what it represents. Read more about the art, the project, the murals at tattfoo.com

Placemat

Grocery Store Stickers

I want to paint like a 6 year old!

Keeping my artwork fresh is always a challenge for me. I tend to overwork things, trying to get them just right. Sometimes that process can suck the life out of a piece of art. So I admire any artist who can keep things loose and spontaneous. One of the reasons I am captivated by children's art.
I was completely blown away by this body of work that was created by my niece, who is only 6 years old. She has been taking classes for a few years now and these small canvases are each beautiful on their own. My sister-in-law creatively gathered them together to create one stunning piece for her kitchen wall.

Random sightings of beauty

Shooting on location is one of the best parts of my job. I have been lucky enough to travel to some wonderful places. And work with some talented photographers. But even unglamorous locations offer moments of inspiration and beauty. These are just a few things that caught my eye last week. I am no photographer, but I can't resist capturing things that inspire me, including yet another concrete floor.

Backdrop to The King's Speech

It's Oscars time and I have been running out to try and catch the nominated movies before the 2011 Academy Awards tonight. I finally saw The King's Speech, which is up for Best Art Direction, and really enjoyed it, great movie.

I was absolutely mesmerized by the wall that served as a backdrop for much of the drama. I kept wondering as I was watching, did they create that? Is it a set or location? It just felt so gutsy, these layers and layers of peeling paper, such rich, old texture.

(I did a little research, and as it turns out, it is part of a location in London. More on that story and the industry controversy , if you are interested, can be found at incontention.com )

So excited for the Oscars, one of my favorite nights of the year.

Retail Therapy at American Eagle

Walked the mall the other day just to check out the point-of-sale. (I am a retail-design-geek, it's true). American Eagle Outfitters' window was the winner. I love the wet-paint type treatment, muted palette. The water backgrounds are great, and I especially love that they used them as "solids" on the merchandising cubes.

Chinet goes beyond basic with Comfort Cup

I love it when a little beauty shows up when I least expect it. And in this case, from an unexpected source, Chinet, a brand that has always stood for strength and quality.

Bringing a little style to it's line-up attracts me, makes me feel differently about this brand. Even the packaging is unique. I'll be interested to see if Comfort Cup is just the beginning of a new Chinet. Will they become "the Target of paper goods"?

Looking back helps me to see ahead.

At the end of the year, I like to take some time to browse through the past 12 months. I look at my date book, I clean out files, I review the work I have created. It gives me a great feeling of accomplishment. I came across these abstracts that I had set aside to a junk pile. A little time passing gives me perspective, and I see these in a new light. Not sure why I did not like them, but I see something more I need to explore, a new path to follow. I like that.