New Painting

"Rain," 24" x 24", acrylic on canvas. I don't really like this one. I have been having some difficulty achieving rain on canvas. See post below for an explanation of how the painting evolved.

Evolution of a Painting

Dear readers, I have a little secret to share. I rarely like my paintings. I probably only like three out of ten. The ones that are minimal please me most. But sometimes, I just keep layering the paint on and I wish I had someone to pull me from the canvas. Today I am going to show you a painting that I don't like. It doesn't please me asthetically, but as an experiment it was fun.

As you know, I've been thinking about slate gray. So the canvas looked like this for a couple of days.

I knew I wanted to add pink, so I carelessly painted some flowers.

Next I outlined the flowers. Hmm. Maybe I should have stopped here.

But I didn't. I then decided to make the flowers look more ghostly. Probably should have stopped here.

The next day I was on the phone with my mom and I obliterated the painting. I enjoy obliterating paintings. I don't know why.

The next day we had a beautiful rain storm. So I decided to add rain and clouds. And there you have it, the "final" product. My clouds and rain always look cartoony to me.

Experiments in photography

I can never thank my brother and sister-in-law enough. They gave me my first digital camera, and opened up a whole new world to me. I adore experimenting.

I have been experimenting with photographing candlelight. The top photo is a tea light next to some vases. I was surprised to see that it looked like a butt in the photo! I assure you this was unintentional. Sometimes art takes on a life of its own. I am thinking of starting a blog devoted to photos. I worry that this blog is littered with too many words.

Hope you are enjoying your weekend my dears!

xxoo

Slate Gray and Black

This week I have been obsessing about black and gray. I've been seeing a lot of rooms painted in dark colors and they intrigue me. While I'd love to go OTT and totally redo my apartment, that's not realistic. So for the moment, I am considering whether I could incorporate a small touch of black or slate gray in my decor. Here's some inspiration. Hope you enjoy!

I dropped my jaw when I saw this rug on Desire to Inspire! I need it! Love the hot pink. Also love the purple glass bowls.
This is one of my all time favorite rooms. I had this photo in my inspiration folder. I believe it is from Desire to Inspire. Isn't that little love seat too adorable? Love the juxtaposition of vintage detailing with the graphic pop of the fabric.
This is another of my all-time favorite rooms. I must plan a post with all my favorite rooms! I adore white decor with pops of black and yellow. And if I am not mistaken, that is the fat-fat table from Patricia Urquiola. I love it! Looks fab with the black tray. Image via Decor8.

Here's another of Patricia's designs. I just couldn't resist. I know this is just a showroom, but the concept of a black box is interesting to me, like the theatre. And dig that chair! Patricia is one of my favorite designers, I should do a post dedicated to her.
This is a photo I took at the renovated City Hall in Wellington, Ohio. People think I am crazy because I am always photographing ceilings and light fixtures. I thought it was cool that the ceiling was dark, the tin tiles were painted in a slate gray. And I love that light!

I adore large prayer beads and rosaries hung on walls. Maybe this is a way I could incorporate black. This photo is making the rounds, so I'm not sure of its original source. I think I picked it up at The Brick House.

Also in my inspiration folder. I love paintings in a solid color. I often paint a canvas in a solid color and live with it for a while when I am contemplating a color. Image Elle Decor, June 2008.

I painted a canvas in slate gray. After contemplating this canvas for several days, it was one of those canvases where I couldn't stop layering on the paint. Perhaps gray on canvas calls for layers of paint, as cold weather calls for layers of clothes.

Here is what the canvas looks like now, in black and white. I will be describing this canvas in an upcoming post. The two vases were in my closet ($2.00 each from an outlet store). I've been saving them for my sister-in-law.

Dear Mr. President - You Deserve It

My heart if full of pride today. And it feels good. For the first time in my life, I am proud of the President of the United States.

Image via Ben Heine.

I won't waste a lot of words here. This is a moment to be felt. Mr. President's Twitter site had one word: Humbled.

In honor of President Obama's receipt of the Noble Peace Prize, I have taken a vow of non-violence.

Please click here to take the vow of non-violence. Pass it along. We can make a better world.

A Quiet Place

Today, I needed a quiet place. My head was spinning with writing and painting projects. Not to mention my favorite way to procrastinate, experiments with color. The phone wouldn't stop ringing.

Time to unplug. I thought about Holly. She wrote a piece yesterday about living at a slower pace which really spoke to me. I've been so envious of her move to Germany, and am fascinated with watching her create her life. Her life is art. I am so grateful she is sharing her journey with us. She is teaching me a lot.

We can't all move to Germany. But we can all live as art. We can move at a slower pace where we are. This is my environment. I write about what I know. And for some odd reason, I love my city. I love Lake Erie and I love the sky. As you know, I even love gray.

And today, I am so grateful to be able to take a long walk in the middle of the day. A luxury I have seldom known. In my favorite season, Autumn.

Blame it on the sky

Cleveland's skies are a never-ending source of fascination. It is these skies that have taught me to love gray.

But I think it's these skies that also make me want to hibernate. Isn't this the most beautiful bedroom you've ever seen? If I went in there, I'd never come out. Image Lucinda Symons.

More dark rooms

The obsession continues. Here are a couple more rooms decorated in dark colors that I adore. Image via The Style Files.

From the West Elm catalog. I love how the white pops against the black.

Oh man. Dig those vases. Dig the lighting.

Oh man. Dig that sofa. I am dreaming of a velvet periwinkle sofa. Images via Apartment Therapy.

Processing

Dear readers, you already know that I obsess about color. My apartment is my lab, where I experiment with color. My current dilemma is this - can black be added to my decor? Canvas is the place to resolve color issues. As you know, when I am processing a painting in my head, I start moving things around.

Votive holders.

Vases. Pink is still my favorite color.

I am using a surprising amount of blue in my apartment. I adore periwinkle and love the jewel tones of these pillows.

I've been thinking about dark rooms (see post below). Perhaps it is in response to an inclination to hibernate, maybe I prefer my home to be more cavelike. Here's a few things I'd like to add to my apartment.


I am currently obsessing about candelabras. And not just any candelabra. A very specific one. It must be black, made of acrylic and have hanging beads. Kind of like the one Kim has in her dressing room. If you know where I can get one, please contact me. Of course, if I add black to my decor I would need some hot pink pops. I am loving these glass vases from Pieces via Casapinka. But not to be, terribly expensive. And I am in love with the Lucy chair from Target.

Dark rooms

All white rooms still make me swoon. Especially with silver accessories. This is one of my all time favorite living rooms. Image via The Style Files.

But Abigail Ahern's beautiful home got me thinking about dark rooms. See previous post here. Image via Designspongeshop.

When I featured this lovely bedroom, I didn't realize it belonged to J. Crew's artistic director Jenna Lyons. Man the girl has style. Image via Moodboard.

This sultry loft belongs to Leila Shams and was featured on Desire to Inspire. I would love to lounge on that sofa with the sounds of Leonard Cohen wafting through the place.

Leila is uber talented. Apparently her diggs have inspired the clothes she designed. Can't you just see her walking around the loft in this gorgeous dress? Sexy. I don't know if this girl is Leila or a model - but isn't she gorgeous?! I saw the movie Surrogates this weekend (crap - save your money). If I were going to choose a surrogate this is what I'd look like!


This lovely bedroom belongs to the talented Ab Chao. I am loving the slate gray with pops of yellow and hot pink. Image via Hashai. She is a finalist in the All the Best Bedroom Contest, so be sure to vote for her!

Melinda and David's Artsy Unique Home via Apartment Therapy. Gorgeous. Love the austere bedroom in the top picture. And dig that mosquito netting. I'm thinking of adding some black or gray to my decor. Oh dear. A new obsession.