Solange Azagury-Partridge has a rather eclectic mix of inspirations…Berbers, Rubies, the Moon, Gargoyles etc….but first on the list “LIONS”. “I feel a huge love and affinity with Lions. My star sign is leo, my hair is big and frizzy like a lion’s mane, I’m a carnivore, I’m from Africa, I’m sociable and lazy”
Like the inspirations, her work encompasses a wide variety of styles and several categories. Rings, in the jewelry category, move from refined to playful and then into edgy. I was attracted to the stairway in her London showroom. Each step is carpeted in a different pattern, creating a riot of color. HMMM!!! I wonder if I can talk my husband into that for the stairway to his loft office!!!
A recent article in the Wall Street Journal featured Solange and highlights of her work over the past 28 years. The 1999 ‘Nature Ring’ for a mere $24,500 caught my eye…but the 1996 ‘Hotlips’ ring is still a best seller…$9,600.
The wait is over and the Pantone colors of 2016 are Serenity and Rose Quartz…YAWN!!! Since the last 20 years of my career was in interior design, I am seeing nursery decor, or onesies in Serenity and possibly party dresses up to age 6…beyond that…NOT SO MUCH!!!
From the Pantone Executive Director “Joined together, Rose Quartz and Serenity demonstrate an inherent balance between a warmer embracing rose tone and the cooler tranquil blue, reflecting connection and wellness as well as a soothing sense of order and peace.”
As you look over Pantone’s color of the year for the last 6 years you will see several colors that have ‘legs’ and some that fall flat. While my favorite color palette includes the rusts, golds and neutrals of the Fall, Radiant Orchid through Turquoise find a way into my Spring and Summer designs. (My daughter’s burgundy school uniform definitely influenced my decision to avoid Marsala) Let’s talk next year about Serenity & Rose Quartz…I would love to know how they have influenced your designs…or not!!!
The latest issue of theWall Street Journal Magazinefeatures a series of ‘Calderesque’ light fixtures. The dramatic arrangement of the elements in the fixtures would translate well as pendants, suspended on a cable necklace.
The photo on the left features a fixture fromLadies & Gentlemen Studio. “Ladies & Gentlemen Studio is a bi-coastal based design studio operating between Seattle and Brooklyn and embracing the best of both coasts. L&G Studio’s aesthetic and design philosophy is a balanced blend of warm minimalism, playful austerity, and simple sophistication.”
The photo on the right features the Helix Variant from lighting designer Bec Brittain & sculptor Hilda Hillstromand ” pairs LED lights and brass forms with pigmented jesmonite, illuminating the relationship between planar forms and volume.”
Przemek Krawczyński started his career working in architecture and engineering…until 2009 when he ‘met his first gourd’. “I started making gourd lamps in 2009 when, for the first time in my life, I accidently came across the gourd fruit. As soon as I made my first gourd lamp, I knew that I wanted to make another one and shortly after that it became my great passion.”
Przemek feels that “Light is kind of magic: insubstantial, yet visible. It is something that can change our material world and the way we perceive it in thousand ways. After all, it is light that winds our body clock; it naturally boosts our mood and heals us.”
Today’s post includes artists who are kindred spirits, who elevate the flotsam of our daily living to a new level and a new life.
Brenda Guyton’swork reflects her interest in artificial intelligence and biological adaptations.“In the body of work I am currently building, my intent is to shift the viewer’s perspective. The figurative elements combine with the electronic parts to evoke images of the “future is now” melding of biological creature with machine “life”. Perhaps one day our very thoughts will be software, riding on an electric network of consciousness.”
In addition to creating artwork from recycled materials,Michelle Stitzlein has created a series of workshops, demonstrations and lectures for children, adults and teachers focusing on the use of bottle caps and other recycled materials. She“has been creating sculpture with recycled materials as a full-time artist since 2000 in her Baltimore, OH, studio. Her work has been shown in art and craft museums nationally. She has visited over 50 elementary schools and organizations as an artist-in-residence and continues to share her passion for creating with humble materials in her books, workshops, presentations and exhibitions.”
In a recent Elle magazine, there were pages and pages of trends. The trend that caught my eye was entitled Board Games and the page was covered with models wearing checkerboard patterned clothing. While, all were interesting the Emilio Pucci ‘Op Art’ boots and tunic dominated the page.
As an additional visual ‘feast’, I couldn’t resist adding another photo from the Pucci 2015/2016 Fall/Winter collection. Scroll down the page on the link above for more from this collection.
The September issues of the fashion magazines were waiting for me when I arrived home. I feel like a child again, dreaming as I turn the pages of the toy catalogs before Christmas My husband pointed out the featured photo from Ralph Lauren. One of the conversations at ‘art camp’ was the interest in chunky jewelry by the millennials. HMMM!!! This may be the perfect addition to my ‘Fall Collection’ and possibly my personal collection. Definitely, a we can do this necklace.
Tiro Tiro jewelry designer, Teresa Robinson, allows the materials she selects to direct her. “Tiro comes from the latin word for a beginner or novice. Tiro Tiro embraces an era of experimentation and improvisation, drawing from our years of practice and honed expertise and then making things up as we go. Evolving and exploring new mediums and techniques, we allow the materials to guide us, finding that some of our best work happens by accident.”
I apologize for the erratic nature of my posts of late. During the last month we completed our move from Columbus, Ohio to South Carolina. Leaving behind 4 decades of family, friends and memories has certainly had it’s ups and downs. But, we are both excited to see what this new chapter in our life brings.
Lauren Pollaro is drawn to combinations of unexpected materials that take the viewer on a visual journey. “I find it satisfying to harmonize the chaos of so many disparate materials and options. I first surprise myself with certain combinations and discoveries and then it is my intent to take the viewer on a visual journey. I believe there is so much to see upon close observation of most anything. I hope for the viewer and/or wearer to make continual discoveries in my work and to feel a pleasing connection with my pieces.”
As a ‘failed’ complex caner, I am always looking for patterns that can be translated into a simple cane. As you study this painting by Iranian artist, Monir Shahroudy, you can see it is a compilation of small pieces.While this artwork has many of the same design elements of a Zentangle, it was completed in 1980.
HMMMM!!!! Possibly, a complex cane is in my future…bit by bit.
Solange Azagury-Partridge has a rather eclectic mix of inspirations…Berbers, Rubies, the Moon, Gargoyles etc….but first on the list “LIONS”. “I feel a huge love and affinity with Lions. My star sign is leo, my hair is big and frizzy like a lion’s mane, I’m a carnivore, I’m from Africa, I’m sociable and lazy”
A recent article in the Wall Street Journal featured Solange and highlights of her work over the past 28 years. The 1999 ‘Nature Ring’ for a mere $24,500 caught my eye…but the 1996 ‘Hotlips’ ring is still a best seller…$9,600.
Ornamental Elements 