Figuratively Speaking

Kesner, West Village

[1]

Prada on Madison

Zara on Greenwich Ave., Greenwich, CT.

[2]

Ralph Lauren, Greenwich

[3]

Zara, Greenwich

Unnatural Desires: Skoglund, Du Pasquier and Sowden

There are many things to love about 80's art and design...color and pattern is number one (and two, we suppose) in our book. We lived with geometries and neon, synthetic aesthetics that were completely and unapologetically designed for the sake of design. We love the excess, here are some favorites:

Sandy Skoglund, Revenge of the Goldfish

1981 Nathalie Du Pasquier textile design

George Sowden clock, Objects for the Electronics Age

Sandy Skoglund, Gathering Paradise

1984 Du Pasquier design

Skoglund's Cats in Paris

George Sowden, Objects for the Electronics Age clock

Round and Round

Sunday had us at the races (ING NYC Marathon), The Whitney for the Edward Hopper exhibit and home to post Judy Ledgerwood paintings. Though the latter creates paintings that are conceptual, they are certainly decorative at the same time--fat circles of saturated color crowd her canvases, helping us to recognize the repetition of geometries that flavor our own days.

Judy Ledgerwood, Sudden Insight via Artnet

Profile and balloon at the NYC Marathon (1st Avenue at 72nd)

Judy Ledgerwood, Green Goddess at Tracy Williams, Ltd.

Sunlight through waterbottles, early morning in Chelsea

Judy Ledgerwood, Pangea at Garson Fine Art

Ceiling lights at The Whitney Museum of American Art

Reality and Brandywine

Brandywine River Museum; Boy With Hawks, Charles Parks

A special treat for us last weekend was visiting the Brandywine River Museum. The collection spanned three generations of Wyeths, and the setting (in the Brandywine Valley of PA) inspired some of the most recognizable pieces of American art. As we strolled through the floors, we were calmed by the soft palettes and were pleasantly surprised when we found the Reality Check exhibition, showcasing contemporary American Trompe L'oiel. These works seemed in contrast to the Wyeths, yet somehow complimented them perfectly.

Sarah Lamb, Untitled

Andrew Wyeth, The Witching Hour

Sarah Lamb, Hanging Pheasants

Andrew Wyeth, The Big Room

Sarah Lamb, Stock Orange Apples

Andrew Wyeth, Master Bedroom

Work Hard, Play Hard at the Black Angus

On the main drag in Adamstown, PA, "the antiques capital of the US," is the Black Angus Antiques Mall. Part of the Stoudtburg Village complex, the mall houses 70,000 square feet of antiques. You can find virtually anything and everything there, except of course, the one thing you really want. Below are some of our finds from work to play...

19th century Field Boots

Turn of the century Player Piano song rolls

Early 20th century wood and iron casters

1920's 5 cent Mills Nickel slot machine

Depression era strike plates

Wooden antique croquet set

Feeling Blues

Our travels this weekend also turned up a lot of enamelware. From pots to tea kettles, we kept seeing beautiful swirls of blue and turquoise that seemed just as soft as they were hard.

Interior via Apartment Therapy

Interior via Canadian House & Home

Swedish summerhouse by LASC Studio via Remodelista

Interior via Four Walls and a Roof

Interior via Houzz

Simple. Classic. Courier.

We seemed to be surrounded by vintage typewriters this weekend. We're not sure if we just never noticed them before, or there was truly an abundance in Amish country, but either way we were taken with their balance of design and utility. And while the PC seems to have pushed the typewriter out of fashion, there is something wonderfully classic about its predecessor. We think photorealist Robert Cottingham would agree...

Typerwriter guestbook via Elizabeth Anne Designs

Vintage Smith Corona

Vintage Remington Portable

[1]

Robert Cottingham, Oreal's Remington 2006

oil on canvas

[2]

Robert Cottingham, Corona 1997

oil on canvas

Vintage Royal

Robert Cottingham, Lynne's Portable 2004

oil on canvas

On the Road...

We're on the road today in Amish country PA hunting for finds and inspiration. We'll be back tomorrow with a full report.