Swap Meet!

Anyone interested in NYFA's Swap Meet? December 10th, 6pm, $5. I'm inventorying swappable items in my mind riiiight now.

Picture Yourself

Well, well. I've been waiting to mention last week's PopRally at MoMA because I wanted to link to the photos they took. The PopRally is an inexpensive after-hours party - this most recent one showcased some of the new photography out on view. In addition to the art, drinks, and music, there was a "photo booth." In my head I imagined one of those old booths with a little curtain and a slot spitting out black and white photos (I should have thought harder on this...). They took amazing digital photos in front of a green-screen, and then we got to choose backgrounds designed by the photographers featured that night!

work in progress

I recently purchased a silk screen used by Scalamandre to print their wallpapers (thanks for the tip, Noel!). This is the type of object that you really have to get close to to appreciate. And it's meaningful to me because it's like owning a piece of the company's history. Apparently they rarely sell them.

Right now I'm "storing" it on my mantel. I need a drill to make a hole in order to hang it properly on the wall. I'm also considering painting the bit of wall behind it white so the flowers stand out more. But for now, it's hanging out. Any other suggestions?

couture auction

I enjoyed my election holiday (ah museum perks). I spent a bit of it with Elizabeth at the Augusta Auctions preview. They were hawking objects from various museum collections, and we said goodbye to a few things we'd seen before. The highlight was really seeing Hamish Bowles. With his moustache (and increasing age?) he reminded me a bit of my dad.

House on Haunted Hill (1959)

I find the disembodied head of Vincent Price hovering over a historic house very satisfying.


This weekend I watched some horror oldies featuring Vincent Price, one of them being House on Haunted Hill from 1959. During the opening scene and credits, I was surprised to see a house I recognized (sidenote: I think it a very poor choice for a haunted house, but whatevs). I know Frank Lloyd Wright's concrete Ennis House (1924) because the Metropolitan has a block from it. The house is still standing, but during the 1980s (I think) the foundation sold a few blocks to raise money for its restoration/preservation. I helped acquire an image and ready the label for this block, which should be in the American Wing's redone Engelhard Court. Neat! (The curators probably would have frowned upon a mention of the movie in the label, so its good that I didn't know about this then).

old lady fun

Homemade pumpkin bread and pumpkin ice cream (oh yeah), friends, a little wine, and this pumpkin carved up in our little yard. Not my best work, but got the job done. I'm so ready for you, Park Slope trick-or-treaters!!

under very fine construction

A quick note: today I was thrilled to hear about the new (in progress) site for MaxAvi Fine Scarves & Costume! I can't wait to see what my super creative friend has in store. Stay tuned, folks.

love this time of year!

The weather today was beautiful! We popped into Manhattan to check out the New Amsterdam Market. Good pumpkin ice cream, but overall was not very impressed, mostly due to the sub-par atmosphere. Much more satisfying was a stop in Bowne & Co., where some great Halloween decorations and cards can be found right now, as well as this awesome new addition to my mantel. Alison thinks it's creepy.




After that we popped up to Central Park, and watched the world go by. There is a bit of fall foliage out there, but nothing like in Ohio. Sigh. Still - a wonderful fall day in New York.

love it

I just read about Sean Scherer's house, and I want it. I want to make that. Sigh. His shop also looks pretty cool.

good intentions...

Remember my trip to the Long Island Vanderbilt home? Well, they fixed up those wonderful/horrible old dioramas. Which I actually find quite sad...

heh.

Nice ending.

We're famous

Elizabeth: "The more stuff we go to, the more famous we get."

reunion

Alison and I were lucky enough to snag our grad school classmate Sam for the weekend! We covered quite a bit of ground, beginning with our local bar scene Friday evening. On Saturday we took her to the Brooklyn Flea and the Union Square market before eating crazy sandwiches from the Peanut Butter & Co. sandwich shop. Those were intense. We took ourselves to the American Wing to show off all that hard work last year. And I ran into my good friend Jonathan Dwight. We spent the evening out with more former classmates and other NYC dec arts superstars playing scrabble over drinks. We only got on our soap boxes about museums and our quarter life crises a few times! It's been too long, friends.

Sunday included nail polish and textiles, as well as a visit to the Brooklyn Museum. It was such a nice walk from our apartment, and there were new things to see. My favorite new installation is Reception, by Vadis Turner (2009). The mixed media piece includes Bibles, ribbons, and birth-control pills (among many other things). It's always great to be reminded of how great New York (this includes Brooklyn!) can be. Safe travels home - and thanks - to Sam!

Time Travel via Tea

Yesterday, I shared a nice pot of tea at Tea Spot. It was my first time trying lapsang souchon. And I can see how one might think it's totally gross. But, boy do I like it. It smells like wood smoke, the kind emanating from a working historic house. I once received a letter from a man who thrived on fires in his 18th-century fireplace, and the paper smelled of that wood smoke. It was hands down the best thing I've ever received in the mail. And now I can drink that. Don't worry: the taste isn't as strong as the smell.

Old Stone House

In the neighborhood sits the Old Stone House. I must be some kind of idiot, because when I read the sign nearby I understood the house to be original... from 1699. Yeah, right. Anyway, guess what, it's a reconstruction (surprise).

It's still kind of cool to have something pre-19th centuryish in the neighborhood, even if it's an "interpretive center" (read: stay away). I'm curious anyway, so if I remember to stop by, I'll report back.

In like, a real journal.

New Project

Taking suggestions for my newest project. What's needed around here are couch cushion covers, but I'd rather not sew right now. Thinking of something that involves painting and/or wood.

Halp!
xoxo
P

Fabulous Fanny's

Tonsillitis and a new amoxicillin allergy put me out of commission for a while. I'm still feeling my way back into reality. What's going on?


I haven't been to any new museums or galleries or done much of anything artsy fartsy lately. But after a generous helping at 16 Handles, I diiiiiid go to Fabulous Fanny's yesterday and dig through drawers of vintage glasses. We had fun trying on all the cateyes, giant 1980s specs, and my personal favorite, tiny round tortoiseshells. They have a few things online, but it's minimal compared to the store's stock. I ended up picking out a pair from their own vintage-inspired line, Spectaculars. I took them to get lenses today, and they should be ready for their reveal tomorrow! Bonus: they ended up costing about half of what my last pair did. Kind of an I Heart NY moment.

Edit: here they are.

Less is More (in at least one way)

On Saturday, Katie and I visited the Morgan Library & Museum. It was my first time, and I knew vaguely what to expect, but was quite pleasantly surprised. We gabbed our way through the Thaw collection of oil sketches of nature. The small room nicely housed the little works, and we geeked out over the artist's travel case with paints, palette, tools, etc. - even a little white handkerchief-turned-rag with blue striped edges. So cool.

We next visited Mr. Morgan's domain, his library and study. There were some nice Memlings and my favorite over-the-top 19th-century style of decoration. The library was pretty awesome, with it's glass-floored galleries. I was drawn to the wonderful housing of tiny books in the Elisabeth Ball Collection of children's literature.

Alright, now for the less is more deal: the exhibition we spent time in was a room of recent (since 2004) acquisitions. Sounds slightly boring, right? Wroo-ooong. First of all, each of these works had it's own amazing history. An illustrated letter from Van Gogh to Gauguin, for example. There were letters, scores, photographs, prints and drawings, watercolors, and a slew of other types of ephemera. I actually read full labels - lots of them. The amount of material was manageable. People were really excited by the material (audible oohs, aahs, wows, and cools). One lady even hummed out loud at a listening station, and the other visitors kind of chuckled and exchanged knowing looks.

So, there wasn't a larger theme or story really, but the works were divided into simple categories such as politics, nature, and modernism and beyond. That was good enough for me. And you know what - a lot of people like to learn as a dilettante might, gathering juicy tidbits about a multitude of topics.

I enjoyed it. It was just the right amount of museum, I could read labels, learn, and leave without feeling wiped out.

On Saturday, I touched art.

Welcome to Dia: Beacon!! The red arrow is pointing to what I touched. That cube is lined with mirrors, set at angles... I don't have the energy to describe it. This piece asked me to look into it, to bend over (it's about waist-high for me). Bending over, deeply, I set my hands on the edges. Then I got yelled at, big time. I ran away, leaving me no time to find a label, hence the crappy image grabbed from flickr and lack of information here. I haven't touched art I'm not supposed to before. And, as I've been paid to touch art for over three years now, I'm sensitive about it. Sorry! This was the most pretentious "museum" I've ever been to. I swear I'm not just saying that because of how loud the guard screamed at me.



PROS: really cool historic structure overlooking the Hudson Valley; big comfy sofas that help you actually stop and look at art

CONS: nasty guards; ban on photography; label text that requires a PhD. and lacks context