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.

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.

Yes, the writing's on the wall...

Not only do I love notebooks, but I also love textured surfaces, especially weathered materials, old floors, rusted metal. So when I came across this journal, I flipped. I bought two, one for me and one for a friend. I cannot wait to spend some time doodling, sketching, maybe using the book itself as inspiration. Each spread has a unique wall scene that just makes me itch to pick up a pen. It is published by Quirk Books, who I am just discovering, and distributed by Chronicle Books, an old favorite of mine.
By the way, I picked up my copy at Room Service, at their new location on West 25th St.

Morning coffee tends to bring inspiration.

My favorite part of the day. A cup of coffee, a window, and my thoughts. Today I was enjoying the texture of my patio table. It has been repainted several times, but I didn't paint it this year as I thought it was pretty done for. But I am starting to like the patina and texture that is developing.

Shelf Liners. They're not just for Grandma anymore.

I am in love with this surface design. It is a woven, bamboo-burlap pattern, printed on a cushiony plastic that comes in rolls, to be used as a shelf liner.
It has been sitting on my desk for the last two weeks, a product sample for some TV concepts I am working on. I have to say, although I love the pattern, I did not think I would love lining my shelves with it. But every day another drawer gets a mini-makeover, and I get a little lift. ( I like to clean out and reorganize, go figure).
The cool thing about this particular shelf liner is that it has a grip bottom (non-adhesive) and a smooth top that makes it easy to clean. AND you can even throw it in the washing machine.
OK, I stole a few lines from the TV script, but seriously, this product offers a fresh approach in an old category.
Check out the Smooth Top Easy Liner from Duck.

message #12: i don't have a label

Here's a peek at a new series of art I am developing. Available for license in 2010.