Curling up with Jr. and Raoul

I'm really not in a Cinco de Mayo mood today.  Early this morning I sat at my desk decked out in yoga pants and my favorite plum-colored wrap sweater, listening to the rain outside and Esperanza Spalding on Pandora.  I tried to write about something Cino de Mayo related, I really did.  A great recipe or drink or something.  All I could think about was a cup of tea. You see, for me was a perfect morning for reading and writing and listening and quiet.  I just couldn't throw myself into it, so I whisked Jr. off to look at books and play with trains at Books-A-Million instead.  I think Cinco de Mayo may be a bigger deal in the US than it actually is in Mexico, anyway.  Mr. M enlightened me today with the fact that it is only a regional holiday celebrating what turned out to be a fairly insignificant win against the undefeated-for-50-years French army in the Battle of Puebla.  The day to get really excited about is September 16th, which is Mexico's Independence Day.

I don't know why, but I've always soared on days like this.  It's overcast, with occasional patches of rain here and there.  It makes my struggling garden look like I'm taking better care of it and puts me in a bookish (more so than usual) frame of mind.  When I arrived at the bookstore with my excitedly wiggly toddler, I picked up a few books and magazines and settled in.  One of the last things I thumbed through while Jr. was making sure that Thomas the Tank Engine and all of his Friends had enough water was this month's issue of Veranda magazine.  I came across an advertisement for an auction of pieces by Raoul Dufy*.  I had not heard of the artist, but the equestrian watercolor that caught my eye let me to look him up as soon as I got home.  Apparently he started out working in an Impressionist style before moving on to the Fauvist and Cubist-style paintings that were featured in the advertisement.  It was difficult to find a whole lot of information about him on the internet, but I found some beautiful pieces.  Being a horsey girl at heart I of course fell in love with his race pieces.

Image from www.weinstein.com

Here's one for Cinco de Mayo! See, I'm not totally out of the spirit! It's called "Le concert Mexican".

Image from www.artnet.com

So, that's my day so far.  Please continue to be on the lookout for the blog makeover.  As soon as some key components which are a little late coming together are in place, it will be going live and you will be able to find lots of fun things at the new domain name.  You can continue to see my posts on The Columbia Cool, and I'll also be posting on Bloomacious Café, Bloomacious.com's new social networking site focusing on design, beauty, fashion and more.  I may wait until the new site is live, though.  We'll see.  I can't wait to show you the new look and to share great conversations, foodie musings, and beautiful things with you all!

*This is a French language link, so if your browser has a translator, get ready to use it if your French is as slack as mine.  Just another reminder that I need to get back in the practice of speaking and reading!

Conversation on a room

Last night I was up (way too late) catching up on some reading when I cam across this article about Carlo Molino's garçonniere, or "playboy's lair" in Turin.  The interesting thing about this abode is that he had a room set aside that was to be the room in which he would die.  The idea behind the room was to have his death be like that of the Egyptian pharohs (though his plan didn't quite pan out), which is a suitably odd idea for an odd and perverted man.  But it got me thinking about rooms which serve specific purposes.  There was a post recently over at pve design about fainting rooms... little side rooms with daybeds where ladies in tight corsets could take a breather.  I remember looking at a house with my parents once that had a delightful little fainting room.  It had baby pink silk wallpaper and a marshmallow-like settee that was also covered in silk.  It seemed like a great place to get lost in a book.  I've had friends who had music rooms and conversation rooms, and these also seem like fascinating concepts if you have the space.

If I were to ask one of my fabulous interior designer friends to create a room for a specific purpose, I think it would be a conversation room, based on the concept of one a the house of a childhood friend.  No music, no television, no musical instruments.  Just beautiful furniture arranged so that everyone can see each other.  Fascinating pieces of modern art on the walls:

A large Jonathan Green

Photo from www.aviscafineart.com

A Willie Leftwitch Ceramic

Photo from www.williespots.com

And I would add in some pieces by my friend Anna Redwine, whose pieces show so much thought and depth that they are irresistable.  Stop by her website to see what I mean, she's fantastic!

Photo from www.annaredwine.com

Hmm... the walls would have to be the color of fresh cream and there would have to be interesting objects strewn about from traveling and just finding things while out experiencing life.  

What would you add?  If you could come up with a room created for a specific purpose, what would it be?

Getting a 2-year-old through an art walk

We decided to head down to Columbia's Artista Vista during the early evening yesterday with Jr. in tow.  The spring air hugged us like a comfortable cardigan as we walked up and down Gervais Street checking out the galleries.  I found lots of potential art gifts for Mother's Day my upcoming anniversary, and just because you love me.

One of our stops was at If Art Gallery, which is owned by one of my favorite European transplants, Wim Roefs (seen having an extremely serious conversation in the above photo).  He is currently showing works by Carl Blair, a Greenville, SC artist.  Blair's work expressive and other-worldly, especially his sculptures. 

Wim also carries works by other local artists, including our mutual friend, Marcelo Novo, whose art I took a passing snapshot of last night!  I went a little crazy with the iPhone, and pushing a stroller doesn't add quality to a shot, sorry.

We also stopped into Carol Saunders Gallery to see Elizabeth Foster, who had already sold quite a bit by the time we arrived.  Think naturalism meets optimism.  Beautiful work.  I wanted to get a photo of her piece that has birds flying and carrying a nest with red sashes, but I was having a hard time with the glare.  Her work had been gaining national attention, and she is definitely one to watch.

Bonnie Goldberg's work was on display at Nonnah's.  She is one of the AboutFACE artists whose work was available at the Soirèe du Soleil last week.  She is beautiful and talented and I have plans to chat with her soon, so stay tuned!  The work above would make a lovely hostess present, by the way, so let me know if you want to bring it over! 

So, how on earth did we get a 2-year-old through all of this?  Well, we're lucky... he really likes jazz music.  And ice cream.  The Spring Valley High School jazz ensemble was playing on Lincoln Street, so with promises of music and ice cream, he was a perfect angel and charmed everyone.  So much so that he fell asleep as soon as we returned home for some wine and tapas on the patio!

A little gift, a not so little festival

Hostess gift? If you ever wonder what kind of hostess gift I would like, this little trinket below will do just fine...

Okay, so it sold a little over a year ago according to artisticinterest.com

BUT, I'll take this opportunity to share something with you.  Charleston, South Carolina is my favorite place on Earth.  Better than the Caribbean.  Better than Europe.  Better than New York, San Diego, Los Angeles.  Am I making myself clear at all?  You can find a fabulous meal on every corner.  The air is so heavy that it lulls you into a state of zen as soon as it enters your lungs.  And then there is the art scene.  The Charleston art scene is where I was introduced the work of Jonathan Green (creator of the above trinket that you will be bringing to my next dinner party).  It is also the home of one of the finest events in the world, the Spoleto Festival, which begins May 22.  Lucky for me, the opening festivities always falls around my anniversary weekend, so I've had the pleasure of attending most of the times that Mr. Maurice and I have celebrated.  During past visits, I have joined an impromptu marching band, samba-ed down Meeting street, accosted secret service agents, discoed with governors, and attended some of the most fabulous and strange dinner parties one can imagine.  Seriously, spending time at the Spoleto Festival is an annual experiment in surrealism.  This year I hope to check out the return of the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater, which is always a treat.  Another interesting piece will be a performance by Hiroaki Umeda, a "multi-disciplinary solo Japanese artist" who combines ballet, hip-hop, and a form of Japanese dance called butoh.    Oddly, I'm having trouble finding out what's going on with the visual arts this year. The web page for Charleston City Gallery goes blank when you get to May, and there is no mention on the festival's page.  If you know of anything, please leave a comment!

Have fun!