I haven't painted in yeaaaaars. I have two giant canvases at home, but have yet to make it happen. So, when I was invited to paint at The Paint Bar in Boston, I asked if I could bring along some friends to try it out with me and they were gracious enough to host us!
Boston: MFA, John Singer Sargent Watercolors
Violet Sleeping, ca. 1907-1908, Brooklyn MuseumIt's always such a treat to visit the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Remember this?
Cambridge: Antique Market
Location:
201 Monsignor O'Brien Highway, Cambridge, MA
Open Tuesday-Sunday 11am-6pm
Antique shopping or thrifting is not something I do a lot of, but I do enjoy it once in a while, especially when it's an outlet!
The Cambridge Antique Market is not an outlet, although with five floors of antiques, it's certainly got plenty to choose from. Having been there more than a couple of times before, I thought it would make for a perfect summer afternoon excursion with Ana and Alaina.
A few hours and dust-covered fingers later, we came away with a couple of scarves, a poster, some glass jars and a few tiny treasures, not to mention an appetite for pastries (but that's for a separate post)!
Here, an afternoon of thrifting.
India: Delhi: Lotus Temple
The perfect time to visit the Lotus Temple was at sunset, a sight beautiful to see.
It is open to all visitors, of all religions, which is the basis of Bahai faith, making it simply a house of worship; a place of prayer and meditation.
The temple is made of marble, cemet and sand and was finished in 1986, designed by Persian architect Fariborz Sahba, and took 800 engineers and artisans and 10 years to complete.
Shoes have to be taken off and photography is not allowed inside the temple, but there is enough beauty in it's incredible structure and surroundings to take in.
India: Delhi: Qutab Minar
One of the first stops of sites seen was the Qutab Minar, a 72.5 meter tall tower, made in 1192 of sandstone and marble. A World Heritage Site having survived lightning storms and the test of time, the Qutab Minar has remained an impressive structure of unique and beautiful Islamic design.
They no longer allow people to climb up it and it's already begining to lean, but I'm not the first to notice, apparently, it started to lean shortly after it was built.
Here is a journey through the Qutab complex....in all its ancient Mughal glory.
Open HeARTS Inc. Presents #GoingMobile
I am showing a couple of Instagram photos at the Open HeARTS Inc. "Going Mobile" exhibit tonight from 6-8:30pm if anyone is able to drop by!
Publication: Med Chem Comm Cover
Pretty excited about this cover I designed for Med Chem Comm. The publication just came out.
NYC: The Guggenheim: Picasso, Black and White
While in NYC I took in Picasso's Black and White exhibit at The Guggenheim, a museum I hadn't been to in years, remember THIS throwback Monday?
The exhibit is expressive, robust and void of color, as Picasso claimed,
Color weakens.
Thus, I present my vision of the Guggenheim in black, white and shades of gray....(with a bit of Central Park thrown in for good measure).
Black and White runs until January 23, 2013
New Haven, Connecticut
24 hours in New Haven, started with breakfast, then the Yale Center for British Art, Yale University Art Gallery, Old Campus, Sterling Library and ended with tea at Claire's....
August: Art to Inspiration
This month's A2I post features artist Lara Harwood's "...now imagine all the thick birdsong thick as a forest"
Harwood's watercolour paintings are sublime, the type of work that could enhance any space with their bright, vivid colours, illustrative nature and minimal subject matter.
This jungley image from Harwood's sketchbook of watercolours from India, 2009, is a piece that really took me back to my own journey through Kerala's backwaters in Feb 2010.
The composition of heavy greenery vs the simple silhouette encapsulates the very nature of Kerala's scenery.
Today, Harwood's watercolour has inspired me to reminisce...
Last month's Art to Inspiration featured my own work (thanks Sups!): July
Want to join Art to Inspiration? Just click here!
Miami: Wynwood Art District
It was so fabulous to check out the Wynwood Art District for Art Walk 2012 while in Miami last month, and to meet up with Elizabeth who I'd met while she was visiting Boston!
Being surrounded by gorgeous murals was like walking in a garden of art...
July: Art to Inspiration
I'm beside myself that Sups from Chevrons & Éclairs has chosen one of my photographs for this month's A2I!
I thought I'd give a bit of background to this image, which is one from a series I shot for Aarti when she was starting up her yoga company, 'Healing Yoga with Aarti'.
I love this quote from her practice:
"Health is wealth, peace of mind is happiness, yoga shows the way" - Swami Vishnudevananda
Aarti was looking for yoga photos that weren't conventional (ie. sun-set-silhouette-type shots) but more of something organic with interesting body shapes and unique backdrops. She was really open-minded so we tried some really cool things, like this shot of her in her beautiful lehenga out on the skating rink at the Harbourfront Centre across from our condo and the CN Tower in Toronto. Here, some other shots from her shoot.
Thank you Sups for choosing one of my pieces for this month's Art To Inspiration!
You'll be able to see the full A2I gallery over here.
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Greece: Santorini, RGBY
After our hike, and surprise encounter, there was time for a last saunter through the village for souvenirs and THIS!
*RGBY = Red, Green, Blue, Yellow, the colours that summarize this post.
June: Art to Inspiration
It has taken me a while to get around to doing this month's Art to Inspiration, even though when I first saw this image, I was excited about it because right away an image clicked in my mind of what I wanted to pair it with. I saw the turquoise blue, the hanging objects and immediately knew.
So here it is, folks!
Jill Ricci's Float took me back to the streets of Bombay, India (y'all know how much I love a clothes line!)
Past A2I posts: Feb, March, April,May
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May: Art to Inspiration
YES! It's time for another installment of Art to Inpsiration, folks!
This month, we're looking at Echoes of Fragrant Voice by Jo Howe
What an interesting piece of work! Abstract and minimalist, with just two shades, light and dark. Which is very much what I look for in subject matter, as a photographer. Lightness and darkness together creating shape, and you need one shape to highlight the other.
In breaking this beautiful work into basic shapes of light and dark, I was then inspired by my own minimalist photograph taken in Santorini. Light and dark working in harmony.
Past A2I posts: Feb, March, April
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