ModerneMama

I had a lovely trip to see blogger Jane, aka Modernemama's, bathroom today. The house, an Andrew Gellar modernist puzzle, is a complicated balance of midcentury aesthetics, so redoing the master bath is an interesting renovation. It's size-- substantial-- with a connection to a walk in closet, and the space functions well with both a shower stall and a sunken bath, so the renovation is more cosmetic than structural. Jane graciously shared her tile ideas over a delicious cup of Belgian coffee, and I was keen to agree with her direction for the space.

What was even more intriguing was searching for the best spots to photograph the facade of the house. Its complexity combined with a shadowy elusiveness made me wonder which elevation could serve as the genesis of a surreal painting based on the house. I like that the building ducks and hides behind shrubbery, sneaking an unexpected angle here and there. Finding its sweet spot? That's a challenge I'm willing to take.

Measuring Life With Coffee Spoons

The metaphor of using everyday objects to note the passing of time is nothing new. Some of us mark calendars, others focus on the seasons. As a child, my every afternoon was marked with the closing line "Like sand in an hourglass, these are the days of our lives." Poet TS Eliot used coffee spoons to measure out a lifetime in The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock to show how the narrator goes from looking to disturb the universe to wondering if he should dare eat a peach, until he finally questions if his mundane life is what he intended at all.

Nostalgia is another way to mark time. More than our personal photos, finding a vintage package of cereal, a childhood toy, or a retro lamp brings us back to a point in our collective consciousness. Members of an entire generation can spend hours reliving details of pop culture, both big and small. I myself keep a can of Octagon cleanser in my basement just as a reminder of the past.

Recently I saw some photographs which connect the nostalgia of vintage-model toy cars with a very modern and clean style. Cliff Gardiner and John Keller from photography studio Klph and John Studio showed one image recently at Ripe Art Gallery, and plan to have an upcoming summer show of many more. On several levels, I love the contrasts they offer: gritty and clean, child-like and ironic, simple and complex.

Recent Sketches

I spent this weekend working on a handful of postcard-sized gouache sketches. Keeping it loose, gouache has the immediacy and childlike quality perfect for small studies like these.

Potic Weekend

This weekend brought a quick but much needed trip up to Potic Cottage. On the agenda: insulation and leaves.

Taking a bit of time to unwind, Liv and I decided to peruse the Ravina Flea Market. Nothing restores calm like buying other people's junk. And look at this goodie I found: a mod vase for $5. It appears I was not alone in my quest for second-hand treasures, bumping into the fabulous blogger Jean of Renovation Therapy, who has a gorgeous place in the area. It was a pleasant exchange, though I was distracted with eyeing her basket to see what she had already snagged. No matter, there was enough junk for us all.

Back at the cottage, James pulled out the last of the walnut slabs to discover they fit perfectly at the top of the stairs, one stacked on top of the other. We celebrated by hanging out in the stairwell with a bottle of prosecco. We raised a glass to his handiwork, and another to my leaf raking, and a third, just because.

Fantastic Mr. Fox

Another in the list of classic children's literature is being memorialized in a film adaptation. This one, a stop-action animation directed by Wes Anderson, takes Roald Dahl's text Fantastic Mr. Fox, and stages it in miniature sets. The images of the interiors, Badger's law office, Ash's bedroom, all created at a dollhouse scale provide a warm charm that is often lacking in other types of animation. Perhaps it is my love of another classic children's book, the Borrowers, that I really love anything miniature in scale, as well as my long-standing admiration for the imaginative work of Roald Dahl that I can hardly wait to see this film which is being released in theaters next week.

*disclosure-- I received several promotional posters and complimentary screening passes for this film, though I would have probably mentioned it anyway.

Architecture Humor

Found this funny image on Resetta, an Italian design blog: LeCorbusier, Philip Johnson, I.M. Pei all sporting the same frames. And yet, architects aren't the only ones with funky glasses. Check out my personal fashion hero, Iris Apfel. Last year the Nassau County Museum in Roslyn hosted a show of her personal wardrobe. Most striking was her unabashed use of accessories to transform an outfit from ordinary to imaginative. Seen here in one of her more sedate outfits, Apfel traveled the world and integrated breastplates, bangles, cocktail rings, belts and boots from around the globe, sometimes wearing them all in the same outfit.
As an accessory, glasses have become iconic-- John Lennon's wire rims, Sarah Palin's frames, Woody Allen's horn rims. I fall in love with frames all the time, but as luck would have it, my vision has actually improved over time so I no longer need glasses for now. I'll just have to think of another way to become a fashion icon I suppose.

Millmann Strikes Again

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, my postcard of the House of Hysteria is a part of a collaborative art exhibition of postcards in honor of the late artist Ray Johnson's innovative use of the mail system. Artist Louise Millmann, who has been a part of the Book About Death exhibition from its early stages, popped by the Queens Museum today to check it out and take some pics. Her postcard, a collage mixing a bull's eye, text, numbers, and figures, is another great example of her ability to create images which are both clever and attractive. Time Out NY recently reviewed another recent group show featuring Millmann, Bowery Now and Then.