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

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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

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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

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the sea

“Long before we saw the sea, its spray was on our lips, and showered salt rain upon us.” ~ Charles Dickens

The Beach at Trouville at Low Tide ~ Gustave Courbet, 1865

Seascape ~ John Singer Sargent, 1875

Note in Blue and Opal ~ James McNeill Whistler, 1884

Sailing boats ~ Mikalojus Ciurlionis, 1906

The Beach at Trouville at Low Tide ~ Gustave Courbet, 1865

The Coast of Bellangenay ~ Paul Gauguin

The Coast of Brittany, Fishing Boats ~ Pierre-Auguste Renoir, 1878

A Fishing Boat at Sea ~ Vincent van Gogh, 1888

Shoreham Bay near Brighton ~ John Constable, 1824

The Porte d’Amont, Etretat ~ Eugene Delacroix, 1849

Seascape near Fecamp ~ Claude Monet, 1881

Great Sea ~ Maxime Maufra

Bathing Posts ~ James McNeill Whistler, 1893

Symphony in Grey and Green: The Ocean ~ James McNeill Whistler, 1866-1872

The sea at the Mouth of the Ebro ~ M.C. Escher, 1922

Low Tide at Grandcamp ~ Georges Seurat, 1885

Violet and Silver – The Deep Sea ~ James McNeill Whistler, 1893

Standing off Deauville ~ Eugene Boudin, 1886

Coastal landscape ~ Paul Gauguin, 1886

The Gulf of Marseille seen from L’Estaque ~ Paul Cezanne, 1885

The Wave ~ Gustave Courbet, 1871

Cliffs of Etretat ~ Gustave Loiseau, 1902

The Sea ~ Eflm Volkov

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rose uniacke ~ a breath of fresh air

The heat wave we’ve been experiencing for the past few weeks finally lifted this morning! With windows wide open and fresh air wafting through the house, I thought today would be the perfect day to feature a designer who personifies the phrase, a breath of fresh air! London based designer Rose Uniacke is the talent and visionary behind this light, airy and artful masterpiece…built in 1861, in the Georgian Revival style by society portraitist James Rannie Swinton, the 14,000-square-foot Victorian manse is her most exciting and personal project to date…when Uniacke and her husband David Heyman (film producer of the Harry Potter series) bought the property in 2007, it was in bad disrepair and needed a complete restoration…her first grand gesture, pictured below, involved rebuilding and installing a 12-ton stone cantilevered staircase just as the house’s original architect had intended…pictured above is the original ballroom, now re-imagined as their study and furnished with a 17th century Mughal rug, an octagonol Regency partners desk and a Sigmar Polke painting…by keeping the palette simple, pale walls and unfinished wood floors, but with luxurious and thoughtful touches, Fortuny fabrics and a lava stone indoor pool, she strikes a perfect balance between the past and present…a historic home brilliantly conceived for 21st century living…now that’s a breath of fresh air!

Wishing you a lovely weekend!

“If the space is properly balanced, then the rooms can be simply furnished and allowed to breathe.” ~ Rose Uniacke, T Magazine

photos from Rose Uniacke and T Magazine

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art in bloom

Let’s celebrate the summer solstice with art in bloom!

Happy weekend!

Nude gathering Flowers ~ Pablo Picasso, 1958

Gaspe Pink Sky ~ Milton Avery, 1940

Tulips and Statuettes ~ Edouard Vuillard, 1919

Peonies ~ William Merritt Chase, 1897

Dutch Tulips ~ Karen Tusinski

The Park on the Caillebotte Property at Yerres ~ Gustave Caillebotte, 1875

A Vase of Roses ~ Vincent van Gogh, 1890

The Flower Picker ~ John William Waterhouse, 1895

Too Blue ~ Karen Tusinski

Roses under the Trees ~ Gustav Klimt, 1905

Woman in a Blue Apron and Straw Hat, Picking a Spray of Flowers ~ Henri Martin, 1919

Flowers in front of a Window ~ Henri Matisse, 1922

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spring cleaning

For a few mornings now, I’ve been serenaded by the sweet sound of baby Robins…their masterful nest sits just outside my bedroom window, atop a sturdy old branch in the Magnolia tree…what a priceless gift to be given! This miraculous event has inspired me to re-read the one and only Walden by Henry David Thoreau…as I slowly savor his words, filled with infinite wisdom and unparalleled insights, I find myself sharing my new found discovery with him…a timeless companion if you will, elevating my experience with his ever-present eyes and ears…

It is with his voice in the forefront of my mind that I’d like to share with you one of my favorite excerpts from Walden…it’s quite possibly the most profound description of spring cleaning and outdoor living I’ve ever come across! Wishing you a wonderful spring weekend!

“Housework was a pleasant pastime. When my floor was dirty, I rose early, and, setting all my furniture out of doors on the grass, bed and bedstead making but one budget, dashed water on the floor, and sprinkled white sand from the pond on it, and then with a broom scrubbed it clean and white; and by the time the villagers had broken their fast the morning sun had dried my house sufficiently to allow me to move in again, and my meditations were almost uninterrupted. It was pleasant to see my whole household effects out on the grass, making a little pile like a gypsy’s pack, and my three-legged table, from which I did not remove the books and pen and ink, standing amid the pines and hickories. They seemed glad to get out themselves, and as if unwilling to be brought in. I was sometimes tempted to stretch an awning over them and take my seat there. It was worth the while to see the sun shine on these things, and hear the free wind blow on them; so much more interesting most familiar objects look out of doors than in the house. A bird sits on the next bough, life-everlasting grows under the table, and the blackberry vines run round its legs; pine cones, chestnut burs, and strawberry leaves are strewn about. It looked as if this was the way these forms came to be transferred to our furniture, to tables, chairs and bedsteads, – because they once stood in their midst.” ~ Henry David Thoreau, excerpt from Walden

Top ~ In the Woods by Paul Cezanne, 1900

Bottom ~ In the Woods by Paul Cezanne, 1898

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inside out ~ new york city

“I wish for you to stand up for what you care about by participating in a global art project, and together we’ll turn the world…inside out.” ~ JR

This week, while in NYC, I happened upon a wonderful surprise in Times Square, the INSIDE OUT PROJECT. From April 22 to May 10, 2013, artist JR and his team invited New Yorkers and visitors to take self-portraits in a photo booth truck stationed in Times Square, the site of the world’s first ever photo booth almost 100 years ago. These large-format street “pastings” lined Duffy Square and wrapped an adjacent building, offering the public a unique interactive experience between the subject/protagonist and the passer-by/interpreter. Unknowingly, one of these faces may have passed me by in the crowd, people I have yet to meet and may never meet, but who have now made a lasting impression. They were willing to share their beauty with the world, and in doing so, allow us to examine ourselves more closely. Making the world a better place through art? Genius

photography by danielle boudrot for a thoughtful eye

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