17 Friday Sep 2010
Posted in Art, Design, Fashion, Photography, Reflections
≈ Comments Off on Boots…
© Catherine Lee
My boots weren’t made for walking, they are works of contemporary art.
Lauren DiMarco
My daughter considered urban graffiti a legitimate art form even before she lived in São Paulo, Brazil, “the current worldwide mecca of graffiti.” When Christian Louboutin designed these radical red calf boots she had to have them – not to wear, but to display.
© Joan Currie - Christian Louboutin Boots
© Joan Currie - San Francisco Graffiti
Model – Lauren DiMarco
08 Wednesday Sep 2010
Posted in Art, Fashion, Photography, Reflections, Writing
≈ Comments Off on Shared Experiences: Sailing…
Tags
beautiful, Jesper Brandt, Lucy Macdonald, Memoir, Photography, Sailboat racing, Sailing, Writing
© Jesper Brandt
The initial bond is the shared experience.
Lucy Macdonald
Some time ago, I signed up to crew in an overnight yacht race across Lake Ontario from Toronto to Rochester and back. I had sailed with this all-male crew many times before, save for one new member, John, who was to share the same watch.
Once under sail, both the weather and our stomachs turned bad. It was the worst night of my life – apocalyptic downpours requiring the storm jibs to be changed every hour, heaving over the sides of the boat, the boom hit John in the head and sent him flying overboard, the skipper and first mate had a fist fight on deck, and we were disqualified from the race for hitting another boat.
The next day, I received a phone call from John telling me that the night before had been the best of his life! He wanted me to be the mother of his children and there was another overnight race the coming weekend – when could he pick me up? Was it the head injury or did this man, after witnessing me at my sick and bedraggled worst, still want to meet me again? It was amazing how we had such different takes on the same experience, but beautiful in that John saw beyond the difficulties of the event and still wanted to go back for more.
© Jesper Brandt
07 Tuesday Sep 2010
Posted in Art, Design, Photography, Reflections, Relationships, Writing
≈ Comments Off on Morning Snuggle…
© Pia Ulin
Body of a woman, white hills, white thighs,
when you surrender, you stretch out like the world.
Cuerpo de mujer, blancas colinas, muslos blancos,
te pareces al mundo en tu actitud de entrega.
Pablo Neruda
One of the things I loved most about being married was snuggling in bed wrapped in the arms of my beloved in the early hours of the morning. It was during those precious moments under warm layers of an eiderdown and cotton sheets, with our bodies intertwined as one, that we shared our innermost thoughts, hopes, and dreams.
Forsaking all others, we talked in hushed tones and tenderly stroked each other’s heads and soft spots until dawn’s first light. I savored and luxuriated in those moments of reverie and touch before we would reluctantly break away to begin the morning routine. Building a few minutes of intimacy and pleasure into the start of the day can make all the difference to a relationship and the quality of your life. You may come to treasure and yearn for more of those tender times, too.
© Tom Shannon
01 Wednesday Sep 2010
Posted in Art, Photography, Reflections, Writing
≈ Comments Off on Bonfire…
Tags
beautiful, Beauty, Bonfire, Capitola State Beach, Dante, Memoir, Photography, Writing
© Joan Currie
Heat cannot be taken from fire, or beauty from the Eternal.
Dante
During the day few people stop to notice this bonfire, but at night it takes center stage for many types of gatherings. This weekend, the annual Burning Man event will take place in the Black Rock Desert, Nevada. The event notice prompted me to think about the bonfires of my youth.
My first exposure to bonfires was at a girls’ summer camp in northern Ontario, Canada. I remember the darkness of the night and being lulled into a dreamy state by the cinders dancing up and around in the hot flames – broken only by the occasional cracking sound, like that of a ringmaster’s whip. The counselors sang and played on their steel string guitars the melancholy tunes of Joni Mitchell, mostly from the Blue album. I’m Leaving on a Jet Plane was also a favorite that they played over and over again. Those sessions were pure magic and the lyrics of the songs are emblazoned in my memory forever.
Just as we are drawn to the bonfire, so are the beasts. There is a certain vulnerability when seated in a ring facing the fire with our backs exposed – an uneasiness about who or what is lurking in the shadows. Ghost storytellers know this and so did an older boy when, at a local bonfire pit, he delighted in recounting a gruesome tale about a green-eyed monster. To this day, the monster has a habit of rearing its ugly head when I am alone at night – walking along deserted streets, in the woods, or going down to the cellar. Sometimes the imagination fuels the fire even more…
28 Saturday Aug 2010
Posted in Art, Crafts, Photography
≈ Comments Off on Art Objects…
Tags
© Joan Currie
Art does not consist of making a living or producing an object d’art or in self-therapy, but in finding a new soul. Henry Miller
I spied these charming pieces of art in my Santa Cruz bed and breakfast room today.
© Joan Currie
© Joan Currie
© Joan Currie
18 Wednesday Aug 2010
Posted in Art, Crafts, Design, Fashion, Photography, Reflections
≈ Comments Off on Handmade Gifts…
Tags
Beaded necklaces, beautiful, Beauty, Ceramics, Crafts, Design, Fashion Accessory, Gifting, Jewelry, Photography
© Joan Currie - Necklace by Lauren Currie
The only gift is a portion of thyself. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Knowing that I appreciate handcrafted gifts, my daughters love to make me jewelry and ceramics for special occasions. The very first offering from my eldest was a necklace fashioned from plaster of Paris cylinders painted red, blue and yellow and strung on a red shoelace. The necklace still graces my bureau and every time I look at it, I am transported back to that tender time.
Over the years, all my daughters have created unique presents for me. The jewelry has evolved in both materials and design from simple single strand beaded bracelets and necklaces to more complex ones with silver wraps and Murano beads or pearls and organza ribbons.
The first ceramic and pottery gifts were primitive tangerine pots and sky blue vases, but they, too, became more interesting featuring multiple colors, textures and new patterns. I continue to wear and use their gifts because they are beautiful, but also to show how much I value them and honor the artistic effort that went into their creation.
I am particularly delighted when the creations serve as touchstones for my daughters’ childhood memories. We have wonderful conversations about how their interests and preferences have stayed the same or changed over the years. They are astonished when they find clues in their early art that inform who they are today.
© Joan Currie - Plate by Caren Currie
16 Monday Aug 2010
Posted in Art, Reflections
© Joan Currie
Now I really feel the landscape, I can be bold and include every tone of blue and pink: it’s enchanting, it’s delicious. Claude Monet
I recently attended the Birth of Impressionism exhibit at the de Young museum in San Francisco. Of all the works on display I found myself first drawn to Snow at Louveciennes by Alfred Sisley, one of the fifty snow-themed paintings that he completed during his lifetime. Because of my northern sensibility, in part from being raised in Canada, I favor winter landscapes with a limited color palette.
Alfred Sisley
My home decorating choices reflect my love of blues and whites with a touch of chamois. These colors, throughout my adult life, have made me feel as if I were in a cool, calming sanctuary, thus helping to form an atmosphere where my creativity could flourish.
Lately, however, I have wanted to shake things up a bit – make a few changes. As an experiment, I started injecting some new colors into my own landscape. I added sofa pillows, blankets, floral arrangements, and candles in richer more sumptuous colors: royal purple, fuchsia, chartreuse, and gold. With these little additions not only has there been a change in the mood of my living space, but there has been a change in my outlook as well.
Suddenly, I feel like having a dinner party, dancing the samba, and singing Brazilian love songs! I am composing poems in turquoise ink, painting my nails mauve, wearing new earrings, and embracing life in a whole new bold way.
It took such a small effort to begin tripping the light fantastic! Imagine the possibilities if I were to paint a dining room or bedroom wall a Corvette red…Watch out, the day is still young!
03 Tuesday Aug 2010
Posted in Art, Crafts, Design, Photography
≈ Comments Off on Beautiful Collections…
© Joan Currie
Have nothing in your house which you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful. – William Morris
My mother gave me my first glass paperweight over twenty years ago and has continued to surprise me with new ones for special celebrations.
Satin & Sand 