Art Escape

Baseballs by Lutz Bacher @ The Whitney Biennial.

After reading the New York Times review of the Whitney Biennial I began to plot plan a trip to the city to see the show. This quickly evolved into a "how many galleries can I possibly see in one trip" sort of exercise. It was at that moment DH opted to abstain from the experience or "36 hours of art" as I conceived of it. Stepping off the train with the prospect of nothing but art, dinner and drinks with friends, and whatever else I could fit in for almost two whole days was awesome.

Note: I've waited so long to post this that the Biennial is now closed, but I had such a fun time I'm posting it anyway. Sorry.

Excellent meals with lovely friends and family were had at the Beacon Kitchen Counter and Maze by Gordon Ramsay at the London. Two delicious midtown finds that I can take no credit for tracking down. Thanks SH. Celebrating my delightful cousin's college graduation over dinner and drinks was great fun, made me feel very old, and I am very proud of her.

Great shows were seen at MAD,  including Swept Away. Yes, that is what you think it is and yes, I do think it's art. It had this lovely quiet quality about it and reminded me of a great presentation the conservation department at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art did a few years back about dust vs. dirt on a Deborah Butterfield piece. Fascinating.

The Biennial itself was interesting, but I fear I either missed out on the most life altering of the installation pieces, or I would have benefited from the curator's insight. That being said there were three artists I really enjoyed. Lutz Bacher, Elaine Reichek, and Nick Mauss. Baseballs by Bacher was strangely captivating. Perhaps it was the audio loop that crackled in the background combined with the dusty lighting, but the purposeful abandonment of the installation was intriguing nonetheless.

The multiple works by Reichek exploring Ariadne's thread made my inner mythology geek totally smile and the use of thread to explore a thread, well, I thought it was well done. Mauss's piece Concern, Crush, Desire, 2011 held the most interest for me over his other work. It may have been more about how it manipulated the space and created multiple viewpoints into the exhibition itself, but interesting all the same.

Mark Tansey, The Innocent Eye Test.

Muse in the Ancient Galleries.

Rain kept me from seeing Tom Saraceno's Cloud City installation on the roof at the Met, but I lingered in the Ancient galleries among the marble statutes I have always loved; enjoyed Oceanic galleries for the first time; backtracked out of the mob scene that was the Schiaparelli and Prada show (OMG); wandered through the modern galleries and then slipped out to go see the Neue Gallery.

An old colleague gave me a peak of the Guggenheim (which is closed on such a random day of the week), and the little bit of the John Chamberlain sculpture show I saw (mid deinstallation) was really interesting and reminded me how much broader his body of work is. There are several prints by him in the Kogod collection, so I had a slightly geek-out moment when I saw the same prints for sale as posters in the gift shop.

The last stop was to see the Cindy Sherman show at MoMA. I completely agree with a friend's assessment that I wish there had a been a broader representation of her work, but all in all a very worthwhile show. Because how can you not enjoy a whole installation of her portraits.

I can't wait to go back this Fall, the list has already started. Sorry DH.

Beautiful People, Beautiful Things

Being around creative people inspires me. Being around creative people that are dear friends is thrilling. Seeing their work up close and how joyful the act of creating makes them is fantastic.So tonight when I got to see a great group of friends, old and new, and check out my talented friend Jeanne Griffin's new creative gig called Zest I was delighted. And now have a new gorgeous necklace for summer. Her new collaboration with a friend is a pop-up boutique. So on point for right now, which is why her taste is always impeccable and on trend.

Finding a creative outlet is so critical to keeping the creativity in my work fresh. It's been waning as of late, so I'm in search of something new. Painting course vs. graphic design... hmm. Seems like a more logic summer endeavor than say working on an unhealthy tan at the beach. Maybe a little canvas, literal or digital is exactly what I need.

Well Appointed

There's a quiet beauty in a well composed still life.Through 3191 Miles Apart, I peer each week into a seemingly effortless moment of two talented, creative individuals. For a moment I escape and think about a serene well-paced morning. The kind where the crisp air inspires warm, soft pajamas to be worn a little longer. Coffee scented steam seeps from the kitchen and fluffy pancakes beg to be made. Sweet syrup swirling with melted butter creating breakfast perfection on a plate. The sky is wide and bright, the view expansive and whole.

So I'm seeking to capture more of those moments. On film and in life. Well edited groupings of personal belongings does not need to be an endeavor left to professionals. Items with stories, tables carefully laid, cheerful yellow shoes. These are all edited pieces of expression. I haven't decided if or how to catalog the images I snap, but I am starting with a fresh look at my walls. Specifically what's hanging on them.

I love a good Target  wall piece as much as the next person. But, I'm starting to edit commercial art out of my life.  It's not a finite, never ever will I own something that's mass produced. Rather, I want to try to know the artists that created the pieces on my walls or even better create some of it myself. Purchased and hung because it was the right piece for the space and because I like the color, the image.

Local art. Student art. Etsy. All great places to find artists just waiting to share their talent. My one exception? Is do still love The Mysteries of Harris Burdick.

Giving More By Giving Less

Presents piled high under the tree has long equaled a joyous, smile-filled Christmas morning. I too enjoyed plastic toy ladden holidays (I had a serious My Little Pony collection) and have had great fun being a part of holidays where kids and adults have received big gifts they didn't expect.

What if we restructured our giving and receiving expectations? Sure you could use the down economy or the handmade pledge as motivation, but dig a little deeper.

We start traditions in our own families based on what we experienced or wished we experienced as kids. So, why not start a tradition of less? Our children, friends, and family are not permanently hardwired to have to receive a certain number of gifts or a large scale item every year. Why does a dollar value have to equate to affection during the holidays?

And for the products we do purchase, why not consider leaving on the shelves the ones that have too much packaging. Manufacturers won't shrink their packaging and wasteful habits unless consumers vote with their dollars.

This year I'm continuing to make an effort at thoughtful gifts, so I thought I'd share a few shops and ideas that I love in hopes that others might be inspired to find just the right gift rather than a lot of so-so gifts to go under the tree or for eight crazy nights.

Paloma's Nest- Absolutely gorgeous ceramic work that can be custom made.

Belle & Boo- Great illustrator out of the UK with my absolute favorite images of late.

Nudo- Adopt an olive tree in Italy for a year and receive the olive oil it creates in return.

A Bushel and a Peck- Vintage bits used to make fab brooches (place a custom request for each).

Adagio Teas- Create a custom blend and gorgeous label for the tea drinker who has every flavor.

Matthew Stewart- Hand blown glass birds that you can custom order in just about any color.

Locality- these custom signs are awesome, a bit pricey, but so perfect for a special gift

Pennies for Peace- If you've heard of Three Cups of Tea (the book), this is part of the real organization.

Blurb- the best site for making photo books, and they have gift certificates.

And of course books. My favorites for kids this year include The Giant Jam Sandwich, Zen Shorts, The Pet Dragon (paired with a cool Buddha board), "Stand Back!" said the Elephant, "I'm Going to Sneeze", and Is Your Mama a Llama?

What do you love this season?

Why I'm Glad There Aren't Life Grades

I could blame my lack of go-getter attitude on the heat. It has been crazy hot in DC this summer, but that would be pretty much BS. Yes, August has arrived and as I have a small mental freak out that I have squandered away my summer I'm taking stock in what I have and haven't done well or done at all this summer. Here's to hoping "writing this out loud" makes me a little more honest and productive as we sprint to fall.

-Training: Bah! Don't make me laugh. My two gym memberships (one for swimming, the other for everything else) have barely been used and I think my trainer is starting to get testy. I will be running in the Marine Corps 10K so I do need to get my act back together.

-Debt Free: Check. Short of Dear College. We officially owe no one or entity. It's awesome and I'm totally geeking out on increasing our retirement savings and all other sorts of rainy day savings options.

-Eco Products: Very little improvement here. Still working through using up other things, but then when I've run of say make-up, on the fly I've punted and bought drugstore something in a hurry to make up for it and yet to make a full transition to a Greenista suggested brand.

-Eco Friendly Commute: I didn't take up the bike, but we've been doing a little carpool of two in our household and while not the most efficient, it definitely beats out having the old two cars. Bus use still in rotation.

-Dressing Like a Grown Up: Work in progress. It pains me to spend money on clothes because I've fallen hard for not spending (which says a lot because I love clothes and shoes. Oh how I love shoes). I just added a few small items and I'm going to have to force myself to spend a little more to not look homeless.
-Feed the Brain: Went to Seth Godin and I have been reading more, but still more progress required. For the record, Godin was interesting, not mind opening. Still noodling on why.

-Creative Self: Still wait listed for glass blowing, thinking about painting.

-Eat Local: Total fail, unless you count restaurants. My trips to the farmers market (other than at work) have been nonexistent and I am determined to remedy. There's still plenty of tasty things to eat through late summer and fall.

That's enough navel gazing. Sorry about that, but I have to purge it from my head to move on. With more travel on the horizon for the other half again I need to find balance between projects and busy work because I'll need a little bit of both. But did I mention we're financially balanced? That's priceless people. Priceless.

Brain Exercises Required

Feeding my intellectual curosity is a part of mindful living for me. As a result, I've done three things in the last two weeks to try and push my brain around a bit more:

-Started reading Eat, Pray Love. Yes I know everyone dove into this when it first came out, but I held out not sure how I felt about the author. So before the movie comes out and even more people start talking about it, I wanted to dive in. I love this book and I'm only in Part II.

-Signed up for an introductory glass blowing class. I'm on the wait list, but I'll make it into the next session or the one after it.

-Signed up to go to Seth Godin's day long seminar next week so I can geek out on marketing stuff for a full day. I need to fill my professional creativity tank.