Sol LeWitt still gives -- The Shul print

December immediately brings to mind giving.

The late Sol LeWitt was an active member of the Chester community. He was extremely generous to so many people. When I visited the Chester Gallery recently (one day they will have a website) owner Sosse Baker showed me the "Shul print." The Chester Gallery is selling a limited edition (175) print framed or un-framed. Proceeds will benefit Congregation Beth Shalom the synagogue in Chester that Sol was instrument in designing. Please note that the photograph doesn't quite do it justice.

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Dalton Ghetti -- Graphite Guy

On a recent visit to the New Britain Museum of American Art I came upon three framed pieces of Dalton Ghetti's amazing carved pencils.

The focus of the visit was to see the Escher exhibit (which was fascinating) after which we decided to look at the contemporary art galleries. Poking around, I was surprised to see Ghetti's work. I ran to my friend all most yelling. "He's here, the pencil guy!" Fortunately good friends usually understand my distinctly ridiculous stringing together of words when I am excited. My friend Sosse Baker of the Chester Gallery loves all things pencil and in August she sent me a bunch of his images. They are literally mind-bending. You'll see what I mean when you get to the final image.

Brazilian born Dalton Ghetti is a Bridgeport (CT) artist who has spent years carving magnificent miniature masterpieces on graphite pencils. His tools consist of a razor blade, sewing needle and a sculpting knife. The process is extremely slow; pieces can take years to complete, but they can also break while being worked. In the event a piece must be scrapped Ghetti keeps it and places it in a sort of broken object cemetery. What struck me when viewing the life-size framed pieces -- having only seen images on the computer -- was that they are really small. The "Alphabet" below gives you a hint of the actual size.

They are not for sale. But . . .

He would love to do a gallery show in London if his travel expenses were included.

Love it.

This last one demands serious consideration.

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The Rambles -- Patrick Dougherty's Stick Art

I recently had the privilege of working on a Patrick Dougherty installation at the Florence Griswold Museum.

"The Rambles" is site specific installation that was so much fun to participate in. There were two shifts per day led by Patrick a self-described "stick artist" from North Carolina and his assistant Mike. Mike had been a volunteer last summer on a piece Pat did in Virginia. I volunteered three days, once at the beginning of the project, in the middle and at the end. I figured that I would get the most out of knowing all of the steps. His website is beautiful and has breathtaking photographs from all over the world. Scotland is a must see.

The photo above is from Day 4, I think. The first day that I was worked, we stripped leaves and made piles while the holes were being dug for the heavier saplings. It was very team oriented at the beginning.

I was quite surprised that they had gotten this far one I worked the second time. Note how the columns are coming together nicely (above). Each day Pat reminds the teams to throw out ideas for a name. This morning googling around, I found a video, produced by the museum, where Pat announces the name of the piece.

I like this little fenestration detail. Toward the end, there is a great deal of neatening-up required.

With one day left, things were definitely coming together. I dropped by afterward and little kids
were running through it gleefully. Grownups react favorably, but sometimes have to ask "what it is". Toward the end of the building the museum was smart enough to ask Patrick to deliver a whoppingly super lecture, but they didn't make a video. I would have loved to have such a remembrance. He showed photographs of not only his art, but the home he built and his garden, where he has benches filled with stick people. Very funny. I'm hoping to obtain some photos of them and will post them. Speaking of photography, I'll be posting some better ones later. These are just Iphone shots.


I cannot wait to see it in snow. Actually I can, I lied. The work above is at the University of Southern Indiana New Harmony Gallery in 2003. (photo by Doyle Dean)

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Wes on Wednesday -- "Of All the People in All the World"

There is a performance art/exhibit opening this week at Wesleyan University in Middletown CT that uses piles of rice to depict human climate statistics.

As part of its Feet to the Fire program (which explores Global Climate Change from Science to Art) Wesleyan commissioned the Stan's Cafe team (UK) to produce a version of the work which will help humanize the issues of climate change. At the conclusion of the installation, the rice will be donated to local food banks. The photo above shows the number of people who purchased the Beatles "Can't Buy Me Love" on April 4, 1964 (its release date in the USA). The photos below are the amount of people who heard JFK (on the left) and Barack Obama (right) speak in Berlin. The The exhibit opens Friday, February 20 and only runs to Tuesday, March 3 at the Zilkha Gallery and Olin Library Lobby. The photos are from flickr. Confused? It's Wesleyan, don't fret.

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MiX Design Store -- Guilford CT

I did a ton of Christmas shopping last week at MiX Design Store on the Guilford Green.

I wrote a little about MiX in a very early post on Middle Kingdom porcelain, which I love and will never have enough of. I know, bad grammar, but who's watching? I also like these placemats. The ultimate recycle (!) using old NY and LA Times newspapers that are covered with plastic or wax or something so that they can be easily cleaned. The company also makes bags that can be used as hampers or for shopping. There is a collection of reclaimed road signs that are artfully done. Not sure if I really want to be reminded of I-95 (EVER) but it's a fun photo.
These Pantone mugs come in fabulous colors with fun names. The blue one second from the left lists: Aquarium, Sea Glass, King Tut, and Duck. Duck? I bought some of these for my artsy friends. It was impossible to choose colors. I loved them all.
The women who own MiX -- it isn't even a year old -- are wise to a fault. They are so smart (and maybe a little bit lucky considering the economy), becacause they have amazingly affordable pricepoints. I think I bought at least 7 really nice presents, maybe more and spent only $105.

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SONG -- Not Your Everyday Calendar

Actually SONG is precisely an every day calendar. What was I thinking.

.I was having lunch in a very crowded RJ Julia Booksellers in Madison, CT yesterday when a woman sat down and pulled out her calendar. Its distinct shape reminded me that it was time to give Jan a nudge and get some images for my blog. My friends Jan & Peter have come out with their 16th (?) annual Calendar in a Can(nister). This year the theme is SONG. They are the talent behind Cummings & Good a graphic design firm. Each month of this limited edition calendar has art, often by Jan or Peter, that is thematically related to SONG. There are quotes -- on topic of course. A full sized image from the month of April can be seen here, but I'm not willing to anger the blogspot demons by trying to post it. The unusual format of the calendar takes a bit of getting used to (more on that later), but its distinct shape means it's really easy to find a place to hang it. Back to the format. The weekends are always a different color than the weekdays, so once you get accustomed to that little tidbit, you'll be much closer to knowing where to look. I pass this on, because it took me years to figure that out. It's available on the C&G website, at the aforementioned RJ Julia and at Landis Gifts and Stationery in Los Angeles. Note: The introduction to the calendar, is a charming poem by their son Justin, and quite the departure from past years.

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Ann Lightfoot Jewelry -- Just in Time

My friend Ann Lightfoot creates wonderful jewelry that seems more timely now than ever.

I've admired Ann's work for years. Her designs are simple yet elegant. There is sense of nature without being granola-ish. Having worked Thailand and having traveled extensively in Asia, many of her designs employ Asian, South American and African beads and pendants. Her work has appeared in Lucky and Bon Appetite. I love these small blue beads. Wearing it I felt like someone in Mad Men. Ann'e website is under construction, but can be found here. Glee, a small chain of boutiques in CT and MA carry her designs in addition to the Florence Griswold Museum.

While I don't wear much jewelery, this necklace reminds me of something I saw on Michell Obama earlier this year. It's also reminiscent of another famous O -- Jackie O. So classic. So in the spirit of "change we can believe in", I'll be sporting my new Ann Lightfoot loot.

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Boo!

Happy Halloween!

The little Ghosts are my favorites. From Burdick Chocolates in Walpole, NH and Cambridge, MA. The photo below was taken at my friend Kathie's. She's having a tag sale tomorrow and has a ton of vintage fabric and textiles. Neither of us sew, but we both think that had we ever lived previous lives it would have been as textile designers.

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Try it For a CHANGE

I'm going to my first Tweet-up of CT-Rhode Island Twitter people tonight and thought I'd bring a prize for the organizer, Joe Cascio.

My friend Carol from Ashlawn Farm has created the Obama and the McCain Blends. The former fly out of the shop. You can order the latter from the website, but there aren't any on the shelves because it's not a big seller. The Obama blend is described as:

A sweet, balanced blend of dark and light roasted coffees from Kenya, Java and the Americas. Try it for a change.

The McCain blend as:

A light-roasted, highly caffeinated coffee. This edgy, strong, and reliable single origin, is grown in the hills of Vietnam.

I know that Carol tried to find beans from Panama because that's where McCain was born, but there was some snag.

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Patterns: Paisley

For the past few weeks, I've been musing on paisley. It's a classic. One week, I couldn't find anything worth mentioning. The next I was inundated with images.

The perforated lanterns, above are from River, the wonderful shop in Essex CT belonging to my friends John and Joe. No one has better taste than they do. No 1. They opened in a new location there and it has changed the balance of the town. The following three images are Etro products. A tray, a throw that no Iphone can do justice to and a gorgeous tablecloth. I have successfully edited out Joe's leg. Cute as it might be. A word on Etro. The website is darling; not too great as a functioning site, but darling. Check it out.




Crate & Barrel sports this pillow along with some paisley linens.





Target has an understated paisley shower curtain reminiscent of Les Indiennes









And three good examples from the Bergdorf Goodman website. Check out the Stephen Dweck engraved paisley (silver?) earrings.





Love the Loro Piana cashmere scarf here.



Stella McCartney has the asymmetrical paisley print dress. Might have to see this in person.

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Les Indiennes

So Haute! did a post on Les Indiennes recently and I fell in love with the fabric.



Not sure if it goes to well with an early American home, but I might find some fun application for it. A bedroom? I think that if I ever lived in another life, it would have been a fabric designer. I found out today that my friends John and Joe carry some if the Les Indiennes linens in their store, River. I am always intrigued by fabric. Even when it's absurd to me. Take Romo; I love it, but do we live in the same world?

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New Find: The Elemental Garden

Connecticut Cottages & Gardens featured a short piece about OV3Design and gave a major mention to The Elemental Garden in Woodbury, CT.




I must visit the shop in Woodbury. Great town, great antiques but not a summer place to visit. Although, a bit of antiquing and a visit to the Mayflower Inn doesn't sound too difficult. These finials are pretty captivating, as finials go.

This red table would be great as is almost anything red and iron.

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2008 National Shed Week U.K.

I've been thinking about building a shed for the lawn mower stowed in my upper lawn. For quite some time. Last week, when I was otherwise occupied with catching up with life after being away for the weekend, people in the U.K. were celebrating National Shed Week. Check out the Shed Blog to read of all things shed. The two photographs above are of a shed I drive by frequently and one I'm quite fond of.

Note the detail at the roof on this simple structure. This could be quite nice.




I like the shape of this one, but the arbor makes it look tiny. Maybe it's just the angle of the photograph.



I like this simple understated shed. Although I adore the color, it might be fun to paint it a bright color. But I'm not sure. Design comes first.



I admire this shed, but it is perhaps a bit too grand for my little yard and, for my purpose.

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Peony photographs by John Simoudis

My friend John Simoudis has a series of peony photographs that was a pleasure discover on this rainy Sunday afternoon. The rain is welcome, but the cold it has brought is not. But back to John. His help in the design of my blog was invaluable. He is a master of design who excels at both commercial and a fine art photography. I met him at River, the shop he owns with his partner Joe Marini. More on Joe at another time. Their home was recently featured on DesignSponge.

My friend Barbara and I are planning to attend the first Farm Dinner of the year, although it won't be at a farm, but rather the Connecticut River Museum. Far fetched, one might think, but, alas, the river is the "farm" tonight. The evening will be a celebration of the Connecticut River Shad. Our boniest claim to fame. I've been enjoying shad for a month or so. I finally began cooking it in parchment paper because all of the other methods, while tasty, wind up falling apart and look plain messy. John Simoudis has a wonderful photograph of the Shad Shack on his website, but I hesitate to publish it without his permission. It is number 22 out of 25. Check it out.

I'm hoping that somehow rhubarb is incorporated into the menu. . . .

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An Unfinished Life

Jeff Cooley is exhibiting the work of Allen Butler Talcott at the Cooley Gallery in Old Lyme, Ct through June 7th. Talcott died in 1908 at the age of 41. The exhibit makes me want to sit and stare and study.

Normally I don't care for the work of the Lyme Impressionists. The style is way overdone in this area, in particular. The whole plein air notion is anathema to me. But this guy's sense of atmosphere is stunning.

The painting above, April Buds and Blossoms, is a perfect example of what I love about his work. Evidently he liked scratching and using textural techniques. The scenery begs for it. The back and forth between the detailed versus the squinty areas. Adore his palette. In fact, in this painting he uses my secret color that I put in every piece.

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