Saturday, January 30, 2010

Today I am obsessing about...

Sake sets! A quick search at Ebay revealed the following lovelies:

I love that this funky little set has its own tray!




Oh dear, this black set is tempting. Making my dilemma about whether to add black to my apartment difficult. For another pretty collection of black ceramics, click here.


And look at this orange set. I adore it. Ahh, so many choices. What's a girl to do?

Pottery Jones

These beautiful vessels are by flickr user Nadine Hacker. I want them all!




Metallic flowers vases, verso sage vase and bowls from Calvin Klein Home Collection.

Beautiful gilded porcelain by Doris Bank. Image via TableArt.

Delicate porcelain form by Katherine Glenday. Image via gallery thirty three.

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Blog Love

Today I am adding a new blog link, to my photoblog. Take a look at the work of Famapa of My Funny Eye.





Beautiful. Love the austere nature of her work. Is there such a thing as photo envy? I wish I'd taken these shots. There's much more at her blog, check it out. If you love photography, you're in for a treat.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Surely, this must be what heaven looks like...



Pure romance by Sia Home Fashion.

Square Peg, your curator, hosts the Edge

Dear readers, I dream of owning a gallery. I dream of shows I'd like to curate. Shows of contemporary artists, illustrators and painters. Here are the elements I'd like to display in such a show:

1. Artists' sketchbooks. (I adore this peek into the private thoughts of artists).
2. Videos of collaborative works.
3. Cuting-edge graffiti artists, juxtaposed with -
4. Sweet works.
5. Tactile works - I'd like to display urban vinyl toys as sculpture, on acrylic cubes.

Why dream? I do have a gallery! Welcome to my e-gallery! I am Square Peg, your curator, and I have curated a special show for you today. The show is entitled, "Edge." Here is a peak into the heart of artists, who create simply because they must.

1. Artist's sketchbook. I adore the sketchbooks of Darick Ritter. More of his sketchbooks can be seen on his blog, Lumi 9 News.

2. Video of collab work. This video features two of my favorite artists collaborating! Tara McPherson and Buff Monster. This work was created at Art Basel Miami 2009. The painting they create is amazing!

3. Cutting edge graffiti-inspired works. These paintings by TEF Studio fit the bill perfectly. Just the right amount of cute and creepy.


4. Something sweet. Love these new works by Julie West. Nobody does faces better.



More sweet. I can't get over the lush, mystical work of Sam Flores. His sensual, surreal worlds pull me in and keep me there. I can almost hear the sweet chirps of the birds.



5. Sculptural elements. Fatima by Sam Flores, image via Highsnobiety. Treedweller by Nathan Jurevicius, probably my favorite vinyl toy of all time.

Any good show should always have a couple of extras. There should always be a nod to the omnipresent influence of Picasso as well as a perfectly-executed abstract, both of these elements are provided by the lovely and talented Jessica Torent.




I hope you have enjoyed this view into the Edge. Stay tuned for more virtual gallery shows.

Saturday, January 23, 2010

New Painting

Untitled, 2010, 24" x 24", acrylic on canvas. I am pleased with how this painting turned out. It is deceptively simple, as it is comprised of several layers. I am perfecting the swirl brush stroke that I've been working on for a long time. The layers and colors are subtle in this painting, making it difficult to photograph. As you know, I'm obsessing about turquoise for Spring, so I think I'm going to hang this in my sleeping area. Now I'll need to move things around .... stay tuned.

Friday, January 22, 2010

Stylin'

yep, i have insomnia ... but it's not necessarily a bad thing ...




all images by peggy

That's a wrap ... for now

The city has a habit of splashing paint in a lackadaisical fashion over guerrilla art. Honestly, I don't know why they bother. The street art looks so much better than these sloppy splashes, and our tax money would be better spent on enforcing the dog poop removal laws. Sorry for the digression, this is not a post about local politics. This is a post about the fascinating phenomenon of street art. I love photographing street art, the notion of rendering the impermanent permanent is fascinating to me (although not very Buddha-like). I imagine I photograph it in the same way it is painted. Quickly. I just finished a series of street art images. Some new, some old. Some already splashed over by the city. I'm always on the look out for new street art. Please click over to my photoblog to check it out. xxoo

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Window Shopping

Hello dear readers! Just a quick post for now. Today was a beautiful sun-shiny day, so I decided to take a walk. I saw a couple of interesting things I'd like to share.
You already know that I adore white pottery, so I got terribly excited as I approached the window of this shop. I thought these vases were stoneware. On closer inspection, I was surprised to see that they are glass. They have the most amazing opalescent glaze. Really beautiful work.

I've never seen anything like this before! It's a curtain made of styrofoam! A great recycling project. I must go back and talk to this shop owner. I want to know if she made the curtain herself, and whether the styrofoam was already dyed that color. If I didn't have so many projects going on, I might take a stab at this. I will keep you posted when I learn more about this fascinating curtain. Beauty is everywhere I look. It never ceases to amaze me what talented artisans people are.

Update: I recently met Danielle DeBoe, the owner of Room Service, the shop where these cute curtains are hanging. For those who are curious, she did indeed make these curtains! I love them, and I love her shop. If you are looking for a cute, artsy gift with a little urban edge, Room Service is the place to go. It's in the heart of the Gordon Square Arts District.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Everything but the blue tags

Dear readers, I needed a break from my computer today so decided to go out to play with my camera. I wasn't supposed to be thrifting - but since I was in the neighborhood - I decided to stop at the Salvation Army. As you know, the Salvation Army been berry berry good to me.

While waiting in line, the patient and very dear cashier must have said 100 times, "Everything except blue tags is half off." I shit you not, the following conversation ensued:

"Anything on sale?"

"Everything except blue tags is half off," said the sainted cashier.

"What about red tags, are they on sale?"

"Everything but the blue tags."

"What about green?"

"Everything but blue."

"What about purple?"

"Everything but blue."

"Will you call me when the blue tags go on sale?"

Honest to goodness, this same conversation took place over and over. But that pillar of customer service never lost her composure and never skipped a beat, as she loaded beautiful rugs, bedding, towels, dishes into very large bags. I almost peed myself laughing, which was contagious. Pretty soon the whole line was laughing. I quickly perused my tags: red, green, purple. Not a blue tag in sight. Hot damn! Everything is half off!

All this loot for $16.01! The watercolor painting is a signed original, I thought it was a great deal at $4.99. As you can see it has a green tag - that's right - it was half off! I will probably paint the frame white. The beaded purse is vintage, now I need to dig out my white platform shoes. And the vase to the right has been lovingly hand painted, and is signed on the bottom. Good fortune, indeed.
...

I had to hang the watercolor as soon as I got home. Beautiful! Wish I'd painted it. Wish I could read the artist's signature. Fine work. I'd guess it was painted by an architect.

Here's a detail of the hand painted vase. She's a beauty, so lovingly and sensuously enhanced. Such beautiful colors. Thank you to the fine artist who took the time to create this work. I adore it! It's signed on the bottom, but I can't read the signature.

I hung the beaded purse on the wall, next to my favorite purse. My sister-in-law, as you know, gives me some fine gifts. The silver purse is one of my favorite gifts from her. I love hanging purses on the wall. My place is so unapologetically girly, and I hope Bohemian.

Oh - I almost forgot. I just gotta show you this funky shelf. They get some great furniture, and have some great deals. But I don't know what to think of this one. I've never seen anything like it. Might be cute as a shop fixture. And no, I didn't buy it.

If you are an independent film director of sci-fi flicks, the Salvation Army is the place to get otherworldly looking furniture for your sets. Do you remember the ugly dining room set I showed you when I first started this blog? Have a look, here. See what I mean? Oh, and sorry dears, I forgot to check if this had a blue tag.

Housekeeping

Hello dear readers! I have been having fun with the redesign of my blogs! Just a quick announcement - do not despair if you no longer see your link on my sidebar. I am in the process of streamlining my links and organizing them more effectively. In addition, I am currently taking submissions for links to this blog. Please also contact me if you are interested in being a sponsor or advertising. Thanks for reading! xxoo

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

The next few days... and an announcement

Hello dear readers! Over the next few days, I will be attempting to redesign this blog and to open an Etsy shop. Please bear with me, and let me know if there are any strange glitches or if you have any suggestions. HTML language is kicking my butt, and at the moment I can't afford to hire a designer. I am hoping to take classes in web design soon.

We've been focusing on decor a lot lately, so during breaks from the redesign I will be changing the focus to art for a while. After that we will obsess about the hot color for Spring - Turquoise! Remember you heard it here first. Image by Peggy.

I also have an exciting announcement! I started a new blog dedicated to my photographic work. Since I often worry that this blog is littered with too many words, the photoblog will only be photos. The link is cityandsky.blogspot.com and is also listed on my sidebar. I hope you will check it out.



All photos on city and sky are by me and are my property. Please feel free to use my images with proper credit. I am currently taking submissions from photographers who would like to be linked on this blog. I prefer moody themes. I look forward to hearing from you!

Monday, January 18, 2010

A Hero


It is difficult to find a tribute fitting for such a great man. I am ashamed that I have been silent for so long. Cowardice is a luxury we can no longer afford. Thank God Dr. King did not remain silent. Dr. King helped raised the consciousness of this nation with his eloquence. I think the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wouldn't mind if I quoted the words of another eloquent man, Albert Einstein.

The world is a dangerous place,
not because of those who do evil,
but because of those who look on
and do nothing. - Albert Einstein

A beautiful tribute to Martin Luther King and President Barack Obama by Robins Remixes. Have tissues ready.

My Aparment - for today

Below I outlined renovations I'd make to my apartment. Since none of these are possible, there's only one thing to be done. That's right - rearrange. I am pretty happy with the current color scheme. Here's how my apartment looks today:

I wish I could afford to have those sofas professionally reupholstered.







My work area is very organized, but needs a lot of work to make it prettier. Please forgive the pile of paintings. I am in the process of opening an Etsy shop.



I have a thing for blue bottles.

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