roots and leaves themselves alone

Welcome spring in all its glory

Roots and leaves themselves alone are these,
Scents brought to men and women from the wild woods and pond-side,
Breast-sorrel and pinks of love, fingers that wind around tighter
than vines,
Gushes from the throats of birds hid in the foliage of trees as the
sun is risen,
Breezes of land and love set from living shores to you on the living
sea, to you O sailors!
Frost-mellow’d berries and Third-month twigs offer’d fresh to young
persons wandering out in the fields when the winter breaks up,
Love-buds put before you and within you whoever you are,
Buds to be unfolded on the old terms,
If you bring the warmth of the sun to them they will open and bring
form, color, perfume, to you,
If you become the aliment and the wet they will become flowers,
fruits, tall branches and trees.

Walt Whitman ~ Leaves of Grass, 1855

Wolf Kahn ~ From Emily Foard’s Photograph II, 2013

still life masters

I could study these paintings every day for the rest of my life yet still see something new to appreciate and discover. They are a masterclass in composition, color, texture and beauty. How a few simple objects can transform into a masterpiece.

still life with self portrait ~ emil carlsen

still life of cooking utensils, cauldron, casserole and eggs ~ jean baptiste simeon chardin, 1733-1734

still life with pepper and carrot ~ william merritt chase, 1900

still life ~ henri matisse

still life with teapot and fruit ~ henri rousseau

still life ~ julian alden weir, 1902-1905

still life with apples ~ paul cezanne, 1879

still life with apples and pears ~ gustave courbet, 1871

still life ~ giorgio morandi, 1925

still life with pears ~ vincent van gogh, 1888

still life in green ~ helene schjerfbeck, 1930

still life ~ camille pissarro, 1867

still life with nautilus cup (detail) ~ willem kalf, 1662

still life glass, silver goblet and cup of champagne ~ henri fantin latour, 1871

still life with china vase, copper pot, an apple and a bunch of grapes ~ william merritt chase

kitchen still life ~ william scott, 1948

brass kettle with porcelain coffe pot ~ emi carlsen, 1910

reawaken

“We must learn to reawaken and keep ourselves awake, not by mechanical aids, but by an infinite expectation of the dawn, which does not forsake us even in our soundest sleep. I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by a conscious endeavour. It is something to be able to paint a particular picture, or to carve a statue, and so to make a few objects beautiful; but it is far more glorious to carve and paint the very atmosphere and medium through which we look, which morally we can do. To affect the quality of the day, that is the highest of arts.”
~ Henry David Thoreau, Walden

William Merritt Chase, 1893

jersey ice cream co.

These imaginative environments are the thoughtful work of Tara Mangini and Percy Bright of Jersey Ice Cream Co., a full-service interior design duo who love to travel wherever there’s a space begging for a transformation. They dream, design, build, furnish and style everything you see here.

“In a world filled with so much design talent, what sets us apart is our connection to the spaces we transform. We truly are homeless home designers, so when we relocate to renovate a home, it becomes more than just a job; it becomes our way of life. Sure, we usually learn that there’s no decent takeout nearby and that the stairs creak. But we learn other things too. We observe the light, we hunt for original floors, we try to figure out what the house looked like five renovations ago. We watch where we find ourselves looking for hooks, wishing for a table, pulling up a chair, and we let those natural tendencies guide our design. By letting the space speak to us along the way, and really tell us what it needs, we are able to create homes that feel true to themselves-sincere yet functional- the homes they were always meant to be.” ~ Tara and Percy

photos from Jersey Ice Cream Co.

dieter rams: ten principles for good design

 Back in the early 1980s, industrial designer Dieter Rams asked himself the question: is my design good design? As good design cannot be measured in a finite way he set about expressing the ten most important principles for what he considered was good design. May you be inspired.

1) Good design is innovative

The possibilities for innovation are not, by any means, exhausted. Technological development is always offering new opportunities for innovative design. But innovative design always develops in tandem with innovative technology, and can never be an end in itself.

2) Good design makes a product useful

A product is bought to be used. It has to satisfy certain criteria, not only functional, but also psychological and aesthetic. Good design emphasizes the usefulness of a product whilst disregarding anything that could possibly detract from it.

3) Good design is aesthetic

The aesthetic quality of a product is integral to its usefulness because products we use every day affect our person and our well-being. But only well-executed objects can be beautiful.

4) Good design makes a product understandable

It clarifies the product’s structure. Better still, it can make the product talk. At best, it is self-explanatory.

5) Good design is unobtrusive

Products fulfilling a purpose are like tools. They are neither decorative objects nor works of art. Their design should therefore be both neutral and restrained, to leave room for the user’s self-expression.

6) Good design is honest

It does not make a product more innovative, powerful or valuable than it really is. It does not attempt to manipulate the consumer with promises that cannot be kept.

7) Good design is long-lasting

It avoids being fashionable and therefore never appears antiquated. Unlike fashionable design, it lasts many years – even in today’s throwaway society.

8) Good design is thorough down to the last detail

Nothing must be arbitrary or left to chance. Care and accuracy in the design process show respect towards the user.

9) Good design is environmentally-friendly 

Design makes an important contribution to the preservation of the environment. It conserves resources and minimizes physical and visual pollution throughout the lifecycle of the product.

10) Good design is as little design as possible

Less, but better – because it concentrates on the essential aspects, and the products are not burdened with non-essentials.

Back to purity, back to simplicity.

Information sourced from Vitsoe, Photo sourced from Bibliotheque

november

Sixty Years Later I Notice, Inside A Flock Of Blackbirds,

the Venetian blinds
I dusted off

for my mother on
Saturday mornings,

closing, opening them
with the pull cord a few

times just to watch the outside
universe keep blinking,

as the flock suddenly
rises from November stubble,

hovers a few seconds,
closing, opening,

blinking, before it tilts,
then vanishes over a hill.

by David Allan Evans

 Two Birds by M.C. Escher, 1938

autumnal brushstrokes

A glorious mosaic of gold, orange, and red carpets the green grass of summer…brilliant colors, shapes, and textures only nature could provide…somehow, with each passing year, the transition becomes more beautiful…may these brilliant paintings, with their autumnal brushstrokes, offer you a vibrant echo of the season

Orange, Red, Black ~ Esteban Vicente, 1962

Fruit sur la Tapis Rouge ~ Pierre Bonnard, 1943

Three Red Apples ~ Gustave Courbet, 1871

Violet, Black, Orange, Yellow on White and Red ~ Mark Rothko, 1949

Red Ridge ~ Wolf Kahn, 2013

Bouquet de Roses D’Inde ~ Bernard Cathelin

Red Across ~ Esteban Vicente, 1996

La Jatte de Citrons ~ Guy Bardone

Bold Color ~ Wolf Kahn, 2011

Orange Downpour ~ Helen Frankenthaier, 1970

Gray, Orange, Black and Red ~ Wolf Kahn, 2013

Bright Orange with Green ~ Peter Joseph, 1988

In the Red Room ~ Edouard Vuillard, 1905

Ochre and Red on Red ~ Mark Rothko, 1954

painted leaves

Inspired by Thoreau’s Autumnal Tints, his classic essay on the colors of fall, I collected a variety of leaves from my neighborhood and photographed them at their peak…how I adore their imperfections and curled up corners! At the outset, I was determined to capture the most colorful and unblemished leaves…but as my work progressed, I discovered they all had some sort of unique flaw…maybe it was a hole or an uneven edge…in any case, these flaws are what made them beautiful…may we all be inspired by life’s perfect imperfections!

“October is the month for painted leaves. Their rich glow now flashes round the world. As fruits and leaves and the day itself acquire a bright tint just before they fall, so the year near its setting. October is the sunset sky; November the later twilight.” ~ an excerpt from Autumnal Tints by Henry David Thoreau

photography by danielle boudrot for a thoughtful eye

painted skies

Expressive skies as seen through the eyes of some of my favorite artists…

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

Detail from The Roofs of Paris ~ Vincent Van Gogh

Wind Swept Sands, Shinnecock, Long Island ~ William Merritt Chase, 1894

Le Havre, Stormy Skies over the Estuary ~ Eugene Boudin, 1894

Wooded Plateau, Fontainebleau ~ Camille Corot, 1835-1840

French Coastal Scene ~ Charles-Francois Daubigny, 1868

Clouds ~ Fyodor Vasilyev

Cabasson Landscape (study) ~ Henri-Edmond Cross, 1896-1899

Above the Clouds ~ Georgia O’Keeffe, 1962-1963

In the Patio VIII ~ Georgia O’Keeffe, 1950

Hanging the Laundry out to Dry ~ Berthe Morisot, 1875

Mountain Mist ~ Albert Bierstadt

Fontainebleau, Storm over the Plains ~ Camille Corot, 1822

Seascape Near Trouville ~ Gustave Courbet

Sky Study ~ Edgar Degas, 1869

Farm Scene ~ John Henry Twatchman, 1888-1891

The Roofs of Paris ~ Vincent Van Gogh, 1886

an expressive sky

  An expressive sky…mother nature’s brushstrokes in all their glory!

photography by danielle boudrot