Go to Elles

I was lucky enough to get a sneak peek at an amazing new exhibit at the Seattle Art Museum a few days ago, Elles: Women Artists from the Centre Pompidou, Paris.

Because I couldn't phrase it any better, here's a description from SAM's site about the exhibition:

Elles: Women Artists from the Centre Pompidou, Paris is a landmark exhibition of more than 130 works of art made by 75 women artists from 1907 to 2007. Organized by the Centre Pompidou in Paris, home to the Musée National d'Art Moderne—the largest collection of modern and contemporary art in Europe—this exhibition is an unforgettable visual experience that will challenge visitors' assumptions about art of the past century. This survey of daring painting, sculpture, drawing, photography, video and installation by pioneering women artists offers a fresh perspective on a history of modern and contemporary art. With humor, disdain, sensuality and ambiguity, these women represent the major movements in modern art—from abstraction to contemporary concerns.

Artists include Sonia Delaunay, Frida Kahlo, Dora Maar, Diane Arbus, Marina Abramovic, Louise Bourgeois, Atsuko Tanaka, Cindy Sherman, Sophie Calle, Hannah Wilke, Nan Goldin and Tania Bruguera, among others.

An exhilarating exhibition that has already become a milestone in the history of exhibitions, Elles: Women Artists from the Centre Pompidou, Paris will excite the casual viewer as much as the hardboiled expert.

– Marisa C. Sánchez, Associate Curator, Modern & Contemporary Art

Here are some of my favorite pieces from the show...

Helen Frankenthaler, one of my favorite artists--male or female--of all time:

Jenny Holzer:

I love these. Not part of the show but one of my favorite of her pieces from this series is this guy:

Ummm...yes.

A huge installation covering multiple walls, with multiple copies of the following texts:

Sonia Delauney, who I recently raved about:

Artist unknown -- but it was one of my favorites:

"Hilton Head Island, S.C., USA" by Rineke Dijekstra. Her work is amazing:

Cindy Sherman, who I think is pure genius:

Guerrilla Girls:

I love "Not having to undergo the embarrassment of being called a genius."

 I was unfamiliar with Guerrilla Girls prior to this exhibit, but they are spectacular. In their own words:

"We're a bunch of anonymous females who take the names of dead women artists as pseudonyms and appear in public wearing gorilla masks. We have produced posters, stickers, books, printed projects, and actions that expose sexism and racism in politics, the art world, film and the culture at large. We use humor to convey information, provoke discussion, and show that feminists can be funny. We wear gorilla masks to focus on the issues rather than our personalities."

I can't say enough good things about the show, not to mention the opportunity it has given me to begin a dialogue with my two daughters, ages 6 and 4, about why women have their own exhibition -- why women are underrepresented in museum collections, in art history, and in all sorts of other places. You simply must go to Elles!

We Are Family

So there's the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon theory, right? I think we all have some version of that game we apply to our own lives; the more connected our world becomes, the shorter the distance between any of us. And that theory feels even more true in the design world -- it seems those of us operating within it are only one layer away from someone we admire....or, as I like to call it, one of our "design crushes."

Because I am a woman, a decorator, and, well, human, I love Nate Berkus...not only is he ridiculously talented and charming, but he is so darn cute. (Yeah, I said it.) You can imagine how excited I was when packing a One Kings Lane shipment to see the shipping address reading "Nate Berkus Associates." Aaack!

Nate (or, more likely, someone working for Nate) purchased one of my favorite items, a pair of wall panels I had made from a roll of vintage wallpaper I purchased from the etsy shop of one of my favorite bloggers, Erin Gates of Elements of Style.

And today a client alerted me to a recent EOS post about Nate's new book, illustrating the panels...featured in the book! Erin wrote that the paper is identical to that she has for sale, not knowing it is actually HER PAPER I bought years ago.

A photo from Nate's new book (courtesy of EOS) showing the panels in their new home.

A shot from the old store, showing the panels in their original home.

The way I see it, Nate, Erin and I are now practically related.

Adult Education

I have long considered myself an art lover, beginning in college with coursework in art history and time volunteering in my university's wonderful on-campus museum, the Georgia Museum of Art. Despite majoring in journalism, I briefly toyed with the idea of attending the Sotheby's Institute of Art after graduation to build upon my developing passion. (Sometimes I still fantasize about enrolling!)

And of course now, as an interior designer, I am fortunate to work with art in varying capacities -- selecting for clients and building on and around existing pieces in their collections -- so I like to think I am fairly knowledgeable about "mainstream" artwork.

Imagine my surprise and delight when volunteering last week in my daughter's first-grade art class to discover an artist who, by all accounts, I should have been familiar with: Sonia Delaunay. The teacher posted images of her work as part of the class's ongoing study of jazz and art's relation to it (!), and many of the pieces felt as if they could have been pulled directly from a contemporary gallery. The colors and shapes are bold and energetic, yet there is also a wonderful sense of whimsy about them that I find so compelling.

Much of her work focuses on the exploration of pattern and color and clearly predicts her later foray into textile design:

A contemporary of Picasso and Braque, Delaunay was married to the better-known painter Robert Delaunay (though I prefer Mme. Delaunay's work, myself). I find the story of her life to be fascinating and would encourage you to read more about it; her husband and collaborator, by all accounts her great love, died more than 38 years before Sonia, and she went on to reinvent herself many times over -- as a textile and costume designer, car decorator (!), and clothing-design collaborator with the likes of Coco Chanel and Lanvin.

An example of her fabric design...don't you love it?

Delaunay designed for the wives of celebrated architects and designers Gropius, Breuer and Mendelsohn.

Delaunay with the Citroen she decorated. I want one!

Of her life Delaunay said the following: "I have led three lives: one for Robert [her husband], one for my son and grandsons, a shorter one for myself. I don't regret not having given myself more attention. I really did not have the time."

I love that my first-grade daughter's art teacher inspired this art-history lesson for me. A great reminder of how much there will always be to learn, no matter how old we get.

I Want to Go to There

Maybe it's the Seattle summer (read: non-existent), or maybe it's just life, but lately I have been dreaming of an exotic getaway....and because in my world, exotic still has to mean affordable, I find myself thinking a lot about Mexico.

I've been only a handful of times since moving to the "other" coast 15 years ago, but there is something magical about Mexico, when you are able to get past the touristy, "faux" Mexico -- something very authentic and, for lack of a better word, primal about it. Despite seeming less prosperous by comparison, Mexican culture seems superior to ours in its emphasis on finding joy in family and life's everyday moments. The older I get, the more I want my own life to be filled with these elements, less focused on what I have or don't have.

In my research, I stumbled across this charming small hotel in Sayulita; there's no pool or beachfront access, so I'm not sure it's the right escape for this trip, considering my almost obsessive desire to plunge myself into a large body of water, but it feels enchanting. I want to go someday.

Petit Hotel Hafa

 Morocco by way of Mexico. Yes, please.

I Spy

It couldn't be avoided -- I made a trip to IKEA. But a strategic trip: mid-week, mid-day...no drinking was required afterward. I was on the hunt for some organizational items for my new office (filing boxes, storage containers, etc.) but couldn't help noticing some fab new pieces that I would not be ashamed to call my own. What do you think?

Love this rattan chair...reminiscent of one of my favorite companies, Red Egg. A great way to get the look for less...of course, Red Egg manufacturers their furniture in the USA -- Ikea, not so much.

Check out this little outdoor beauty. I can see this in a funky living room or even a kid's room or playroom...or, of course, outdoors, where it is apparently intended to live.

And I loved this hammered metal bowl with gold interiors -- its looks definitely belie its price point, and it doesn't scream "IKEA"...also a plus.

Have you discovered any "hidden gems" at IKEA or other low-end shopping spots? Would love to hear about them!

Visual Feast

Orange Mower

I am loving the new show by Christopher Boffoli, here at local Seattle gallery Winston Wachter.

Cupcake Golfer

Blackberry C.S.I.

My personal favorite, Hot Dog Custodian

What a Long, Strange Trip It Has Been

This could be a lot of things: A wistful, nostalgic post about the evolution of the store over the years. A depressed, pitiful post about the ending of things. A "remember when" post about all the exciting (and not-so-exciting) things that have happened since we opened our doors.

But it's not. Instead it is a time to look back and see that the meandering path led us to the exact place we wanted to be from the beginning, without even knowing it. While perhaps naive, I like to think this is how most of life works...it just takes some time to see it.

Enough with the cryptic philosophizing -- after four years, we are closing our retail storefront to focus on our interior design business. And we couldn't be more excited! The world of retail has been a wild ride and has opened doors to so many people, places, and things we would never have otherwise known, and for that I will be eternally grateful.

But most of all, it has helped to build a flourishing design business, a passion for which has always been the underlying driver of the storefront. And it has connected us with hundreds (thousands?) of people who would become customers and clients--even friends--and that has been the most rewarding part of the entire journey. Since opening four years ago, the city has become a different place to me, filled with familiar faces everywhere I go. What an amazing gift. Thank you for being a part of that, and for sticking with us as life continued to get crazier with more kids, new locations, different business strategies, and more.

We aren't going far -- just to a second-floor spot down the street (1205 East Pike Street, to be exact) where we will have a by-appointment design office that will house all of our wonderful fabrics, wallpaper, product catalogs, and more... We hope you'll continue to follow along on our endeavors; heck, maybe now I'll *finally* have time to blog again!

The good news? We have to clear the decks here before our big move in a few weeks, and there are still some goodies to be had. All remaining inventory (not including already sold pieces --duh, right? -- and artwork) is 50% off.

Stop by Thursday - Saturday from 10:30 - 2:30 to scoop up some bargains and say hello...we would love to see you. Plus we really don't want to move any more stuff.

Thanks for hanging in there with us through thick and thin. We wouldn't be here without you.