Softer street art

Feminine street art by Miso (Stanislava Pinchuk), a 21 year old artist in Melbourne. As evident in these pieces, she draws a lot of inspiration from Ukranian folklore.

via Jessica Sutton Graphic design

Poetry for breakfast

AUNT LILY AND FREDERICK THE GREAT

After the war, she painted her walls
a French blue, pale as the watered
blue silk of her eyes, filled her rooms
with cream and gold-leaf chairs,
and when she raised her porcelain cup
with pinky arched and blew the word
"Limo-o--o-gges" across the lip,
that made a tender wind, as if a host
of cherubs rafted through the room.
Mad for all things French,
she'd never read Voltaire,
went straight from the Academy
of Typing in the Bronx to work
for Mr. Hyman at the J.D.C.
In 1945 she went to Paris--ah, the city
was a shambles then, American cigarettes
were currency, her Yiddish
far more useful than her French
in working with the refugees. History
was hell, she learned, but life
moved on. She purchased
silver fruit knives, teacups, pastel
figurines, and tottered home on platform
wedgies to attend the rattle and attack
of morning trucks along Third
Avenue and to receive us kindly
when we came to call--in short,
to lead a life not sans souci
(for there were deaths,
and loneliness), but of her own
design. You'd never guess
King Frederick and my aunt
would have so much
in common. Both were short,
bilingual, stubborn, confused,
enlightened in some ways, benighted
in others, tyrannical, clever, benevolent,
fierce. Like Frederick, she flourished,
like Frederick, she died. She was tiny
and great and is buried in Queens.

A poem by Jean Nordhaus, a Washingtonian and amazingly articulate woman.

Don't you think?

(Maira Kalman)

It's true ...

(via Jessica Sutton Graphic Design's Daucus Carota via The Test Pilots)

Inside Out: A Global Art Project

This is something worth talking about. It's something we should kick start in D.C. and in cities all across the world. It's Inside Out: A Global Art Project, a call-to-action created by TED prize-winning artist JR.

I'll spare you my description and adoration by simply recommending that you read this GOOD article about the project and watch the video below. Together, they capture the project's purpose far more eloquently than I can.

Images (top to bottom): Kenya - JR covered 2,000 square meters and several trains with the residents' faces in Africa's Largest Slum / Cambodia - "28 Millimeter: Women" JR's project portraying the unseen and unempowered women of the world / London / TED Prize Winner JR & INSIDE OUT from TED Prize on Vimeo.

Bouncing off the wall

Xavier Veilhan

via blue pool road

Walking on sunshine

Artist Gene Davis painting the street leading up to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1972.

(photo by Henry Groskinsky for Life Magazine via Oh Joy!)

When in Rome

A soothing angle, proportion and curve.

MAXXI - National Art Museum of the 21st Century

Rome, Italy

(photo by Helen Binet via bluepoolroad)

A reminder of summer

Love this fun and friendly poster by Sarah Illengerger. I think, between this poster and my last post, there may be more color on Georgia E. than ever before. It must be my craving for sunshine and warm weather.

Words of wisdom

Live the full life of the mind,

Exhilarated by new ideas,

Intoxicated with the Romance of the unusual.

- Ernest Hemingway

These bright pansies are hand-stitched by Nicole Baumann, an artist and friend. I was lucky enough to see a gallery wall covered in her pansies while visiting Nashville last year. The precision and patience it takes to hand-stitch on this scale is remarkable. It's easy to walk by and assume Nicole's pieces are drawings, but on closer inspection, their real wonder knocks you off your feet.

When the show shuts down

Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre have photographed abandoned and repurposed auditoriums built in the early twentieth century on the profits of America's early entertainment industry. The photos are hauntingly beautiful and make me a little sad. They just don't make enough ceilings like this one any more.

Wouldn't it be magical to see live music here?

(photo of Fabian Theater in Paterson by Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre via Laughing Squid)

Dressing with imagination

I've never been able to walk past Agnes B. without stopping in for a look. This weekend I found myself in their NYC store, pulling every piece off the rack to admire magical designs and strange combinations. Their clothing always reminds me of my mother, Paris and my favorite writer/illustrator, Maira Kalman.

(Agnes B.'s cardigan Betsy, robe and Perfecto. Maira Kalman's self portrait and "No One is Perfect" from Elements of Style.)

Art Basel Inspiration

photo by The Glamourai

Another day at the beach

You rarely see photographs of jet airliners flying next to people, let alone women lounging at the beach. I love these photos by Josef Hoflehner. It's strangely wonderful to see big, loud machines in these calm settings.

(Real live-action wide-angle photographs by Josef Hoflehner via Trust Your Style. From top to bottom: Continental Airlines Boeing 737-800 from Newark, NJ, Corsair Boeing 747-400 arriving from Paris-Orly, Continental Airlines Boeing 737-800 arriving from Newark, NJ)

A powerful tribute

This hauntingly beautiful video is photographer Nick Knight's tribute to the late Alexander McQueen. It debuted yesterday at the British Fashion Awards just as The Costume Institute plans for its McQueen retrospective.

The short video features models wearing McQueen's iconic designs, with both models and clothing moving to a song Bjork wrote specifically for the tribute. Its dark, powerful energy strikes a chord with any admirer of McQueen's unique creations.

(via Styleite)

To Lee, With Love, Nick - A Tribute to Alexander McQueen By Nick Knight from SHOWstudio on Vimeo.

Color me crazy

Mary Stengel Studio.

Watch her art take shape.

Art for everyone

I'm struggling to write about 20x200 because it's just that good. Suffice to say that I have a huge crush on the concept, the art, the site and the girl behind this online gallery.

20x200's founder, Jen Bekman, has assembled prints from emerging artists that appeal to diverse tastes but are uniformally sophisticated. They also meet a wide range of amateur art collector budgets, ranging from $20 to $5,000 a piece.

The site itself is a joy to putz around. I particularly love 20x200's story. It's a well written and thoughtful page that reveals the smarts behind this unique business. Bekman clearly has a great eye for art, but she's also a gallery owner who uses her words wisely, describing 20x200's mission in a way that has me really excited about buying art and being a part of her project!

So check out this latest crush of mine - 20x200, a project by Jen Bekman.

(photos by Christian Chaize. "The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes." —Marcel Proust)

Artist's studio

Artist Brian Donnelly (a.k.a. KAWS) talks art and relationships.

His work has always struck me as a little too bizarre, but KAWS' thoughtful demeanor makes me want to revisit his very punchy art.

(KAWS' newest book is available on Amazon)

Coco's photos

Laughs and Giggles by Coco Young. This "It Girl" (more info) has a good eye.

Rue Mag

Check out the Nov/Dec issue of Rue for home decor inspiration and shopping tips.

It's the best of both worlds ... great magazine layouts + live links.