Posted in art, Design, inspiration, tagged architectural vault, Biltmore Estate, contemporary, Design, inspiration, interior design, laurie prophater, ornamental elements, polymer, polymer clay, Rafael Guastavino, youtube on February 9, 2017| Leave a Comment »
On a recent trip to the Biltmore Estate, I noticed the amazing tile work of Rafael Guastavino. Little did I realize his work covers some of the most iconic public spaces in the United States. “The Guastavino family’s soaring tile vaults grace many of the nation’s most iconic structures including Grand Central Terminal, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, the Boston Public Library, the U.S. Supreme Court, and the Nebraska State Capitol.”
Posted in art, color, Design, fashion, furniture, glass, inspiration, jewelry, tagged art, black & white, contemporary, Design, fashion, inspiration, interior design, joseph hoffman, laurie prophater, ornamental elements, polymer, polymer clay on October 28, 2016| Leave a Comment »
I stumbled across this glassware by Joseph Hoffman in a Wall Street Journal insert entitled…The Future of Everything. His background is fascinating, but the scope of his life’s work is amazing…furniture, glassware, architecture, jewelry etc.
“With an eye that favored strict geometric shapes, Josef Hoffmann was in many ways anticipatory of the cubist movement. His fondness for the square was so well-known that the architect and designer earned the nickname Quadrati-Hoffmann (Square Hoffman) among his peers.
Hoffmann was among the rare breed of designers who could make anything. Coming to prominence at the turn of the 20th century, the Austrian creative put his mark on everything from lounge chairs and silverware to a modernist sanatorium. Hoffmann undoubtedly owed much of his success to good company—working alongside artists like Koloman Moser and Gustav Klimt, the young Hoffmann founded the Vienna Secession, an organization of artists that held exhibitions of progressive work as a reaction to the prevailing conservatism of the art world.”
Posted in art, color, Design, inspiration, new, tagged art, color, contemporary, Design, Flowdecor, inspiration, interior design, laurie prophater, ornamental elements, polymer, polymer clay, Prestige Art on April 2, 2016| Leave a Comment »
While flipping through the pages of the High Point Accessories Preview book, metallics appear to be ‘THE’ surface for Spring 2016. I apologize for the quality of the photos. Most of the items are new and the items have not been published online.
The feature photo is an oil from Prestige Art. The reflective nature of the gold veining is not apparent in this photo, but I see translating design into a marbled polymer surface or even mokume gane. Love the tonal effect of the grays in contrast to the gold.
The trio of lamps from Flowdecor, features the metallics in a traditional greek key columnar shape, a sleek contemporary paired with acrylic and a glass & textural base.
Gold appears to dominate the metallic landscape this year, followed by bronze and then silver.
Posted in color, Design, furniture, inspiration, new, tagged color, contemporary, Design, high point furniture market, inspiration, interior design, laurie prophater, ornamental elements, polymer, polymer clay on March 29, 2016| Leave a Comment »
The next few posts will feature the colors, textures & trends from the Spring 2016 High Point Furniture Market. The preview books arrived yesterday and after a quick perusal, it appears this deep blue is ‘THE’ color. How to describe it…HMMM!!! The deeper blues in this beautiful agate are close, as is the background color of blueprints.
Posted in art, color, Design, inspiration, tagged color, contemporary, Design, inspiration, interior design, ornamental elements, polymer, polymer clay, sarah bagshaw on March 12, 2016| Leave a Comment »
Sarah Bagshaw’s work is informed by artists and designers working in a wide range of disciplines. That description applies to the underlying design process of many artists. We collect, study and ponder the world around us and then transform or translate those insights. Sarah Bagshaw “makes one-off pattern designs using handmade processes (drawing, painting, printmaking, photography and collage) combined with Photoshop. I use Photoshop in an experimental manner and love ‘happy accidents’.”
Posted in art, color, Design, inspiration, jewelry, tagged art, color, contemporary, Design, diamonds, fashion, inspiration, interior design, jewelry, laurie prophater, ornamental elements, polymer, polymer clay, rings, rug, solange azagury-partridge, wall street journal, youtube on December 13, 2015| Leave a Comment »
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.
Posted in color, Design, fashion, inspiration, new, tagged color, contemporary, Design, fabric, fashion, inspiration, interior design, jewelry, laurie prophater, ornamental elements, pantone, polymer, polymer clay, rose quartz, serenity on December 6, 2015| 1 Comment »
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!!!
Posted in art, Design, inspiration, jewelry, lighting, tagged art, bec brittain, calder, contemporary, Design, fashion, hilda hillstrom, inspiration, interior design, ladies & gentlemen studio, laurie prophater, ornamental elements, polymer, polymer clay, wall street journal magazine on November 14, 2015| Leave a Comment »
The latest issue of the Wall Street Journal Magazine features 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 from Ladies & 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 Hillstrom and ” pairs LED lights and brass forms with pigmented jesmonite, illuminating the relationship between planar forms and volume.”
Posted in art, inspiration, re-purposed, tagged art, brenda guyton, contemporary, Design, inspiration, interior design, laurie prophater, michelle stitzlein, ornamental elements, polymer, polymer clay on October 20, 2015| Leave a Comment »
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’s work 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.”
Posted in art, Design, inspiration, tagged art, Big Bambu, contemporary, Design, interior design, laurie prophater, metropolitan museum of art, mike and doug starns, ornamental elements, polymer, polymer clay on December 15, 2014| 1 Comment »
Identical twins, Mike and Doug Starn’s work encompasses conceptual photographs and installations. “In the summer of 2010, their temporary site-specific installation Big Bambú transformed the Metropolitan Museum’s rooftop into an evolving, interactive waveform made entirely of bamboo poles; a version of the piece later appeared at the 2011 Venice Biennial. Another work by the Starns, the mosaic, fused-glass and stainless steel installation See it split, see it change, is permanently on view at the South Ferry subway station.”
For the featured photo, Mike and Doug mounted microscopic lenses on a large format camera and photographed actual snowflakes in the midst of a storm. The photograph, one of 50 gift suggestions, was printed as a full page in the December 6-7 edition of the Wall Street Journal as a gift to the readers.
Ornamental Elements 