Mike Mills sketch

Sketch done while listening to a great interview with director Mike Mills + Terry Gross on Fresh Air.
Mike Mills was taking about his new film 20th Century women based which is based on his mom.
I so love her interviews. Excellent company.

Sketch is very much influenced by Saul Steinberg and contains an homage to him.
That is his brush and pen cup in the middle of the sketch.

#drawing #illustration #saulsteinberg #inspiration #mentor  #artist #art #illustrator #stilllife

Hijinks

Thursday was gallery night

Araceli + I on streetcar on way to neighbour Richard's opening. The gorgeous bouquet is from Jaiden's petals.

My neighbour Richard (Storms) at Birch Libralato.

Arnaud Maggs at Susan Hobbs

Photos from Xmas in Chicago

Off we go.
I love Porter Airline's branding which was created by former Wallpaper editor Tyler Brulé and his firm WINKREATIVE. Who knew you could make a raccoon look sophisticated?

The exterior of our hotel: The James. I loved their graphic + interior design as well!
(Ofcourse that's why I picked it!!)
Look at that great sideways sign. :-) Very welcoming.

Gorgeous lobby. :-)

Bedroom.
(my bed at home feels very small now....)

Loved this cozy reading /dining nook + this unique liquor cabinet based on an old steamer trunk.

Chicago skyline!

The famous Marina City also known as the corn cob buildings. :-)
Designed in 1959 by architect Bertrand Goldberg.


First dinner = Chicago Deep dish pizza. Boy was it deep...

The "Chicago Picasso" in Daley plaza.

Chicago is jam packed with incredible public art. This is due to the fact that the city passed a law stipulating that 1.33% of the cost of constructing a building must be devoted to original artwork.
As a result a walk in the Loop area = bumping into incredible pieces by Picasso, Chagall, Miro + Calder. (!!)

The Four Seasons mosaic by Marc Chagall in Chase Tower Plaza.
Dedicated in 1974.



Some close ups.

Christmas eve dinner at mk.

5 stars!
They made the most fabulous cocktails and the decor was to die for.


Here is my cocktail called Holiday Smash .
(My company at the table was smashing too - Groan!)

Thanks so much to fellow blogger Heather Retke for recommending mk + many other great spots.

A trip to Millennium Park

Anish Kapoor's Cloud Gate aka the Bean.

Frank Gehry's amazing Pritzker bandshell.

A trip to the Chicago Institute of Art

Love love this piece by Toulouse Latrec - especially that ghostly women' face.


Ofcourse many folk lining up to photograph the Institute' most famous piece: A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte by George Seurat.

*Curmudgeon Note*: When I witness scenes like this it always makes me think that John Ruskin would be rolling in his grave! The Victorian Art critic despised the camera and feared that the invention of it would lead to people focusing on capturing the moment for the FUTURE rather than LOOKING at what was in front of them in the PRESENT.
I heartily agree.

This was my favourite piece in the Institute's collection:
Green and White my Ellsworth Kelly. Love.


Perfect ending to trip:
Cozy flight home with red wine + latest issue of Canadian House + Home.
Loved this interview with Jenna Lyons of J. Crew (Total mentor!!) written by the lovely Catherine Sweeney. Thanks Kim. xo

Ian + Carl Beam

On Sunday I visited Telegramme prints and owner Ian showed me some new stuff which he just bought at auction. Here he is holding up an amazing new Carl Beam print.

Bella Foster's Central Park

Bella Foster's Central Park. Gorgeous.
Sold through Wayne Pate's shop. Check out the shop - his work is also great.
Love the complete monochromatic palette and looseness of her work.

Film: Guest of Cindy Sherman

Director Paul Ho + Art superstar Cindy Sherman (who was soon to become his girlfriend)
Fashion note: Cindy Sherman has great style in this doc. Understated elegance.

Watched a very fun film with my neighbour Richard tonight: Guest of Cindy Sherman which chronicles director Paul H-O's five year relationship with art superstar Cindy Sherman.
In addition to hilariously showing the perils of being a famous person's "plus one" it also explores art's symbiotic (often absurd) relationship with commerce + celebrity. Fascinating + funny plus serves as a great crash course in the Art world circa 1995-2005. (Appearances by Eric Fischl, Tracey Emin, Julian Schnabel and more.)

Images from the Weekend

My favourite barista at the Drake makes it a good morning.(Check out that latté art)

This is my new favourite restaurant.
Wonderful food + interiors: lots of wood + metal and wine bottles used as a decor element.
The manager is gonna get back to me with the name of the interior design firm.

Dinner at Mercatto. So lovely.


Documentary by Corinna Belz on the German painter Gerhard Richter.
I found it amazing that she was granted access to his studio.


It was incredible to watch him push this enormous squeegee across the underpainting. It is what created the magic as it made all the colours schmush together. (Do you like my profound art historian terminology? :-))
Also so interesting to watch his earnest assistants prepare for the exhibitions with elaborate maquettes + see the great gallery scenes in Berlin, London + New York..
You can watch the trailer here.

Girl with a dreamy job: April Walsh

April Walsh

As former Visual manager at Anthropologie April created these fantastic giant flowers.

Close up
(I think these would look great in a little girl's room)

April loves working with unexpected + sometimes discarded materials. The installation above was made of accordion blinds that were getting thrown out by Blinds to Go!
Fantastic - no?

A window display April created for Anthropologie

Yesterday Artist April Walsh popped by my studio for a visit. April seems to have a knack for landing jobs most gals only dream of. In the past she served as Visual manager at Anthropologie where she was responsible for the window displays as well as all the groovy props through out the store.
Most recently she has been hired as store curator for Indigo Books where she will again be working her magic both on the floor + in the window! It'll be very fun to see what she comes up with in the coming months....Keep your eyes peeled.

NYC Day 8: Visit with Lourdes Sanchez

Friday morning I was off on the R train to the Gowanus neighbourhood in Brooklyn to visit and interview textile designer Lourdes Sanchez .
I first discovered Lourdes' work through her collaboration with West Elm.

Here is one of her gorgeous duvet designs.

This is one of my current favourites: Her very colourful Bull's eye rug. So juicy!

Lourdes has been working for over 20 years in the industry and has amassed an impressive client list including Clinique, Kate Spade, Vera Wang Home, and Pottery Barn.

As suspected the minute I entered her fantastic apt my eyes were darting back + forth taking in all the juicy details!


Lourdes (aka Luli!) in her studio. Check out that turquoise wall!

Textile samples hung from the walls, art books were piled high in every room, and a cacophony of images + colour co-mingled on her inspiration board. It was a feast for the eyes.

A close up of her inspiration board

Beautiful Fabric inks

We had a fantastic visit and as is the case with most very talented people I've met - she was extremely modest + more interested in discussing her inspirations rather than her own work!

One of MANY stacks of books

From her huge collection of art books Lourdes pointed out some influential favourites which included Ad Reinhardt, Yayoi Kusama, Philip Taaffe, Morris Lewis, Vincent Van Gogh and Chris Johnson.


Here she is showing me a watercolour piece reminiscent of the one used for the Bull's Eye rug


A drawer full of fabric samples with her logo attached


Off to lunch with Moonpie: Lourdes' beloved Havanese doggie

Burritos - Yum!

Back home goofing around

Lourdes' studio, work and philosophies on art + life were all extremely inspirational. You'll be able to read my full interview with her in the August issue of uppercase magazine.
Thanks for the great visit Lourdes. xo