We had a nice break from the heat last week and I went down to Bishop Arts to eat on the patio at Cafe Brazil and enjoy the breezy day. I saw that my favorite gorilla was in the window at Ginger Fox Gallery. I have mentioned this gorilla before but this time I have a picture to share. I finally got a printed card of this happy painting too!
close up
I just love her use of color, the bright fuchsia and the stark contrast of the black fur with the bright yellow flower....it makes me happy. Her attention to detail is incredible.
At the Artisan Collective, I always drop in to see what's new and I was so excited to see that Manuel Sarmiento had some new pieces.
I love his style and his long stick-like people, he also
has some miniature chairs that remind of Tim Burton's style in a way.
But his new pieces were playful metal ants that could be hung on a wall
or I'm thinking my backyard fence, a perfect playful accent to my
garden! I could not find pictures of his newer work, but here are some
of his past works. He uses scrap metal and re-purposes it ways that are
so unexpected. See more here
Of course I also had to make also make a trip to my favorite pie place. I've always loved their floral touches in their menu design and other pieces and I recently discovered who created their branding and website.
Such a great sense of style and use of color, great design makes me happy.
Here's the latest random assortment of things I'm excited about lately.
1. Summer Movie Season
Well summer movie season is definitely upon us, I saw two movies this past weekend. The Great Gatsby which was good, even though it's not my favorite story. Although my favorite parts from the book were also my favorite scenes from the movie. Like when Nick first meets Gatsby at his party and when they have tea in Nick's tiny little cottage. Also the costumes were great, and the touches of art deco, I especially loved the way they incorporated Gatsby's initials into design.
I also saw Iron Man 3. Which I LOVED!! Yes I am sucker for Robert Downey Jr, and I love the way he portrays Tony Stark as a sarcastic, quick witted, engineering genius. This third installment doesn't disappoint, it supplies twists and turns that you do not expect from a three-quel, and it's fun to see the characters back together again, not to mention the new designs he's come up with. If you thought the 2nd movie was horrible I agree with you, but don't let it stop you from enjoying this movie. These two movies have got me super excited for July when basically everything else comes out.
2. Awesome Catcus
I have had my eye on this ocean inspired coral catcus for quite awhile, I first saw it in the floral arrangements at Northpark a couple years ago. I have seen them at a few places but they were always kinda pricey, and my track record when succulents are a little spotty. But when I saw this one for under $15, I jumped at the chance to buy it!
so happy :)
3. Polia Pillin
I was watching Antiques Roadshow and discovered a Polish couple who began making pottery together in the 1930's and became more established in later decades. The husband William, would throw the vessels for his wife Polia. She would use the pottery as her canvas and paint beautiful birds, horses, and portraits of dancers and women. Her technique is something I have never seen before, I am so intrigued by her use of color.
birds
love the varied colors
portrait
4.Stuffed Animal Book by Abby Glassenberg
Abby makes awesome stuffed birds and animals, she's very talented and sells pdf patterns of some of her stuffed creations. Now she's tackled all sorts of construction issues and design details. I'm pretty excited to explore everything she's addressed in this book. See more adorable videos of animals from her book here
5. Netflix Mother's Day packaging. This is just me geeking out over cool design concepts. I think it's always a design challenge to only use 2 colors and create a powerful statement. In this case the white print is used on the already existing red packaging. I love how the cute imagery from Brave pops out & grabs you, so cute and clever :)
