Flores!

I cleaned, purged and organized a lot of art supplies recently, which meant digging elbow deep into my fake flower stash. I have a bit of a hoarding problem with faux blooms: I buy bushels in thrift stores. I tend to fall in love with the colors, and they are so cheap! Plus, I feel so much better “recycling” them in crafts and decor. So…green.

Wildflower crowns were a staple in my Etsy shop last spring, and have been a huge trend for a while now. Though the boho vibe is always fun to invoke, I love the burst of color they bring to an outfit even more.

Inspired by Frida Kahlo’s fresh flower do’s and the gorgeous haku lei’s Free People used in their May 2011 catalog, I wanted to construct a tropical version of this accessory to take with me on my island vacation. This time I went less structured, more natural and fuller in greenery. I wanted them to feel handmade on a whim, with mixed blooms and asymmetrical configurations.

Still, I do not know if a girl needs upwards of six flower crowns, so I may have a limited run of treats soon for sale. Also, poor Evangeline looks like she needs a good makeover, so mannequin maintenance may be next on the DIY agenda.

You’re walking along,” he begins slowly, “and you look over and see some  incredible violet and deep purple going to black. The light is hitting  it a certain way. It’s very, very beautiful. And then you step a little  closer.” He pauses, dangling the words in suspense. “And it’s a dead  woman with her stomach ripped open. Now that beautiful thing has turned  to absolute horror. It’s a whole ’nother ball game. But it still drew  you in at first and you saw a beauty there. So as soon as something is  named… as soon as a certain thing is known about a shape or a colour or  whatever… it changes it.” 
Happy birthday David Lynch, you crazy beautiful thing you.

You’re walking along,” he begins slowly, “and you look over and see some incredible violet and deep purple going to black. The light is hitting it a certain way. It’s very, very beautiful. And then you step a little closer.” He pauses, dangling the words in suspense. “And it’s a dead woman with her stomach ripped open. Now that beautiful thing has turned to absolute horror. It’s a whole ’nother ball game. But it still drew you in at first and you saw a beauty there. So as soon as something is named… as soon as a certain thing is known about a shape or a colour or whatever… it changes it.”

Happy birthday David Lynch, you crazy beautiful thing you.









NYE 2012
We filled a room at the Hotel des Arts downtown with confetti, color, champagne, and friends. Each room at the hotel is decorated by a different artist, and we stayed in an awesome suite painted by Shepard Fairy and Tricia Choi…which meant really cool floor-to-ceiling Obey wheat pastings and crazy color explosions. Multicolored crepe streamers composed a rainbow wall, giant balloons and mylar stars floated about, and we toasted until the bottles were empty.
Some of us continued the climb up Nob Hill to a masquerade party, where we rang in 2012 under colored balloon ribbons, pizza and ostrich feathers. It was a lovely way to send off 2011, and I’m excited to see what adventures the new year will bring.

NYE 2012

We filled a room at the Hotel des Arts downtown with confetti, color, champagne, and friends. Each room at the hotel is decorated by a different artist, and we stayed in an awesome suite painted by Shepard Fairy and Tricia Choi…which meant really cool floor-to-ceiling Obey wheat pastings and crazy color explosions. Multicolored crepe streamers composed a rainbow wall, giant balloons and mylar stars floated about, and we toasted until the bottles were empty.

Some of us continued the climb up Nob Hill to a masquerade party, where we rang in 2012 under colored balloon ribbons, pizza and ostrich feathers. It was a lovely way to send off 2011, and I’m excited to see what adventures the new year will bring.








Before it Was Sewn: Bri’s Art Show at RGB
I am so very proud of Briana! I am lucky to be surrounded by genuinely talented, passionate, and beautiful people–of which she is a favorite. Her group show was fun (I always enjoy art, pear cider and fashion) and I was so glad to be in attendance. Now I just have to get my commissions in before she gets famous and expensive…
Check out Bri’s work on her website here.

Before it Was Sewn: Bri’s Art Show at RGB

I am so very proud of Briana! I am lucky to be surrounded by genuinely talented, passionate, and beautiful people–of which she is a favorite. Her group show was fun (I always enjoy art, pear cider and fashion) and I was so glad to be in attendance. Now I just have to get my commissions in before she gets famous and expensive…

Check out Bri’s work on her website here.

Collaboration & Creativity

“The physicist, David Bohm, while researching the lives of Einstein, Heisenberg, Pauli and Bohr, made a remarkable observation. Bohm noticed that their incredible breakthroughs took place through simple, open and honest conversation. He observed, for instance, that Einstein and his colleagues spent years freely meeting and conversing with each other.  During these interactions, they exchanged and dialogued about ideas which later became the foundations of modern physics. They exchanged ideas without trying to change the other’s mind and without bitter argument. They felt free to propose whatever was on their mind. They always paid attention to each other’s views and established an extraordinary professional fellowship.

This freedom to discuss without risk led to the breakthroughs that physicists today take for granted.

Other scientists of the time, in contrast, wasted their careers bickering over petty nuances of opinion and promoting their own ideas at the expense of others. They mistrusted their colleagues, covered up weaknesses and were reluctant to openly share their work. Many refused to discuss their honest thoughts about physics because of the fear of being labeled controversial by their colleagues. Others were afraid of being called ignorant. The majority of scientists of the time lived in an atmosphere of fear and politics.

They produced nothing of significance.”

- Cracking Creativity: The Secrets of Creative Genius

"I think a good way to figure out your passions are to look at what you do when you’re procrastinating from everything else."

Jessica Hische

"That which is not slightly distorted lacks sensible appeal: from which it follows that irregularity–that is to say, the unexpected, surprise and astonishment, are an essential part and characteristic of beauty."

— Charles Baudelaire

Tags: beauty art quote

So my Behance finally matches my actual portfolio. Better pictures. Yay.

So my Behance finally matches my actual portfolio. Better pictures. Yay.

Ten Things I Have Learned by Milton Glaser

1
. You Can Only Work for People That You Like

2. 
If You Have a Choice, Never Have a Job

3. 
Some People are Toxic: Avoid Them

4. 
Professionalism is Not Enough or The Good is the Enemy of the Great

5. 
Less is Not Necessarily More

6. 
Style is Not to be Trusted

7. 
How You Live Changes Your Brain

8
. Doubt is Better Than Certainty

9. 
On Aging: It Doesn’t Matter

10. 
Tell the Truth

Read his explanations here. So very good.



 Pisciotta Realty Rebrand
A few (ahem) rough directions…

 Pisciotta Realty Rebrand

A few (ahem) rough directions…

 


Pisciotta Realty Branding: Part 1
I’m helping my mom and step-dad rebrand their real estate company. It’s a family business, so I think it’s important to maintain a sense of heritage and personality, even as we modernize. The original logo from the sixties was a pretty cool hand-painted sign. I started by adjusting some modern script fonts to keep the equity and personal touch of the original. I’m starting out with almost too many ideas (as usual)…we’ll begin narrowing down and running with a few of the marks soon.

Pisciotta Realty Branding: Part 1

I’m helping my mom and step-dad rebrand their real estate company. It’s a family business, so I think it’s important to maintain a sense of heritage and personality, even as we modernize. The original logo from the sixties was a pretty cool hand-painted sign. I started by adjusting some modern script fonts to keep the equity and personal touch of the original. I’m starting out with almost too many ideas (as usual)…we’ll begin narrowing down and running with a few of the marks soon.