A Word with You

... and the big ones, too, of course! :) 

Ready, set, draw! Easy, right? (Well, at least it is to doodle.) The background in this image is actually an abstract drawing on paper created with red thread. Can you imagine stitching a pattern on paper to create an image that makes any sense in, well, any sense? That is exactly what Emily Barletta does. This little homage doesn't do her work justice. I'll have to do a real feature on her sometime soon so you can truly appreciate her genius. Is your brain hurting yet, envisioning the planning and needle-filled execution of a work like this one?

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image by natalie | notecard by Alana Winder | red thread on paper by Emily Barletta via imrevolting

{ Guest Post } Kirtsy to A Love Story in Shades of Silver

I had the small but lovely honor of curating two collections of images for kirtsy.com. "A Love Story in Shades of Silver" is the second collection. Here's a storyboard I created based on that collection. Black and white photography has a unique power to move, because its simplicity strips away distractions and differences, leaving only emotion which is something we can all relate to. I crafted this story from a string of memories evoked by beautiful images. I dedicate this story to my favorite kindred spirit, who came home with a rose on Friday and inspired this week's {Food for Thought}.

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girlfriends via catherinecampbell; retro ladies at beach by Nina Leen; chic swimsuit by Jose Villa; chic floppy hat by Albert Giordan via hautedesign; drawing woman's eye unknown via weheartit; hands holding unknown via whatsmineisyours; ballet dancers feet unknown via carolinepeq; scalloped blouse unknown via crushculdesac; marion cotillard unknown via listal; sunlight kiss by unknown via stylemepretty; drawing of couple in bed by B. Vaughn via deviantart; couple laughing by unknown via jennytea; gray beach house for House Beautiful via habituallychic; modern white gray living room by stylizimo; dachshund puppy running by Michal Szydlowski; I fell in love and you smiled because you knew image by natalie @ calliope with flourishes by justlucky

Perspective. Choices.

A beautiful illustration. How does it speak to you?

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drawing woman's eye via weheartit

{ Guest Post } RSDC Washington Glass School

Check out my article about the face of the Art Glass Movement in DC, the Washington Glass School. Most of us still perceive glass art strictly as decorative, but much of the work showcased at the WGS's most recent exhibition was undeniably expressive. The collection consistently impressed with creative use of mixed media, but it was the stories behind the work that illuminated the pieces and crafted an almost palpable connection with the artists...

Click here to read the article at ReadySetDC. (Note: Their system must be experiencing minor glitches with formatting/alignment and copy-paste issues affecting some of the text. Also, all except the first photo on that page are my slightly questionable attempts at indoor photography.)

Below is the work of Dale Chihuly, my first introduction to glass art:

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lamp by Mears via longviewgallery; glass chandelier, ceiling and spears via dalechihuly

G40 Urban Art Show: Go Play

Art Whino's G40 Summit is a pop-up urban art show fresh in its multi-experiential innovation. At G40, virtually all surfaces are used as part of any given installation - floors, ceilings, walls, stairwells. Most senses are engaged, too. Ambient music streams through some rooms, while other rooms remain intentionally quiet. One installation provides the viewer with actual candy to enjoy, and another has a dedicated room that makes you feel as if you have stepped into the artist's scrapbook and features journals to peruse. At last year's Summit, there was a small room dedicated to the audience's doodles, a haven for the inner child who yearned to draw on walls. More importantly, G40 gives average people of diverse backgrounds and aesthetic preferences access to the explosive creativity of emerging art, once considered "underground art". What I love most about new art forms is the truly border-free license it seems to grant creatives, in not only a spatial but also a conceptual sense. It doesn't limit the artist's or the audience's experience to a canvas, dimension, aesthetic or statement. It seems to say, "go play!". Don't you miss that chance to play, to follow your imagination without reservation?

1 The words "truth, justice, no crimes" surrounded the painting and window boxes of broken pieces of china lined the bottom edge. 3 If I could buy one work, it would have been these 3 skateboards with butterfly appliqués. 4 Stairwell between exhibition floors. 

1 Refreshingly feminine, this artist's work - in this case, crafted with tulle, found book pages, handmade paper - "is intimate and personal, with a bent towards exploring things that have remained unspoken, secret or denied." 2 Is she evil or distraught? Pilgrim or elfin? Either way, her gaze is mesmerizing.

1 cloth blossoms on mesh with coated wire. 2 twine installation that evokes car wash, hair, hay. 3 all in the eyes. 4 almost phosphorescent.

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photos: sculpture by stan @ calliope, rest by natalie @ calliope

China artwork by Gabriel Pons, topographical artwork by Charles Clary, skateboards and graffiti mural unknown, tulle dressform artwork by Kelly O'Brien, elfin pilgrim by Rich Salcido, mesh wire and pink artwork by Christina Martinelli, hanging twine artwork by Natalie Andrews, sculpture and hummingbird mural unknown

Art Project: Jet Setting from Home

London, photo ©Natalie@CalliopeBoutique

Ready for a European tour gratis? (That shouldn't even be a question.) This is your travel itinerary:
* London - Tate Modern
* Amsterdam - Rijksmuseum
* St. Petersburg - The Hermitage
* Florence - Uffizi
* Madrid - Museo Thyssen
* Paris - Versailles
(also New York - MoMA)

No vacation-time vanishing acts or boarding queues resembling the line at the ice cream truck's arrival. I must be on something, yes? No. You can now explore some of Europe's most renown attractions, courtesy of Google's Art Project.

ZOBOP! by Jim Lambie @MoMA, photo ©J.Gorman

Google's ambitious project transcends boundaries by offering easy, free access to extraordinary works of art from museums in Europe and the US. You can not only gaze upon these wonders, zooming into some in such detail not possible even in-person, but also do 360-degree tours of the interiors of the famous buildings that house them. Nothing can substitute the experience of strolling through these museums, but Art Project offers a taste of that experience to people of all backgrounds, fostering education and spreading inspiration. All you need is internet access.

Thanks to Art Project, you can enjoy these stunning masterpieces, among others:

E. Degas

* "night vision" and standard views of Ofili's No Woman No Cry at the Tate Modern

* Vermeer's rich and luminous The Love Letter at Rijksmuseum

* Cox's room-filling gilded Peacock Clock at The Hermitage

* Botticelli's iconic Birth of Venus at the Uffizi

* Degas' ethereal Swaying Dancer at the Museo Thyssen

* Versailles' over-the-top, light-filled Hall of Mirrors (click on floorplan, room top-center)

* Van Gogh's Starry Night at MoMA

J. Cox

A truly Exuberant innovation! We heart Google. Hopefully, other museums will heart it, too, and make their mark on the project (ahem, Cooper-Hewitt, Guggenheim, Louvre, Musée D'Orsay, Corcoran). Educated and inspired communities sound like great places to live, work and play, non?

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source: Roberta Smith for NY Times

Today's Inspiration

The name of this bed should be "speechless", because that is the reaction it elicits. Solid wood is laser-cut and crafted with dove-tail joints. Modern fairytale woodland bed, indeed. Time is precious, as are resources, so the tag matches the work. At $14,000, maybe we'll call it "the dreamland bed". It's like a dreamcatcher. How could you not dream of stone cottages, apple trees and furry fawn with this bed? I suppose you would have to keep the wolves, bears and ants out of your slumber... Thanks to designer Tiina Attila of Finland for her inspiring work.

Fairytale Friday: a Google tribute

In case you missed it, Google did a lovely tribute to Hans Christian Andersen's 205th birthday today. Shall we call this Fairytale Friday? Here it is...not just one but a series of fairytale-inspired logos. Enjoy!

Tiny, Incredible Paper Sculptures

How? Just how does this artist create such tiny, precise pop-up figures in these unassuming tubes? Talk about patience and surgeon's precision. We love otherwise function-less creations full of wonder.

 

Thanks to Gugazine for telling us about Anastassia Elias' work.

A Roman Holiday

After years of hard work and a little play, my husband and I went on a much-anticipated European holiday this year. The setting for phase II of our adventure was la Bella Italia. Here's a sneak peek at our digital scrapbook:

When I think of Rome, this image comes to mind. The city doesn't win any prizes for hospitality or graciousness, but it is full of fantastic sculpture - mythical, dramatic, inspiring and always surprising. (photos: Vatican)

boutiques with shelves lined with candy-like pasta

History has a presence so thick here, it's like breathing in steam. (Coliseum)

right place, right time (photo: St. Peter's Basilica)

When you step into Italy, accordion music plays. Yes, they're very enterprising.

Gelato shops, where the cone variety rivals the gelato variety, are like Willy Wonka sets.

We loved Florence. Art, ambience, charm, and good eats.

a sense of humor: a niche in the alley-side of a building

life in Florence

Duomo

drool: the masterpiece of a Florence chocolatier

Assisi

photos ©Natalie@CalliopeBoutique