Thursday, July 30, 2009
Busacca Gallery
Mark Busacca, owner of Busacca Gallery is my featured article this week.
The Gallery carries a High-end, one of a kind art Collectibles from around the world!
The Busacca Gallery brings you contemporary & traditional museum quality
works of art and antiques. They are one of the most comprehensive art
resources available worldwide. Providing contemporary art and Antiques for
sale to collectors, consultants, architects and interior designers,
providing an opportunity to view and purchase art for their art projects.
Whether it’s for the office, or art for the home, their online art gallery
includes all kinds of the most amazing edited and published art found online
today. The Gallery is the first new online art consignment pre-edited, hand picked and targeted website with world wide free service for buyers and sellers of high end art and collectibles.
Busacca Gallery is looking for high-end, one of a kind, spectacular old and new artists, collectibles or top designer items from around the world, that can be purchased, or posted to our {No Cost} consignment web-site. In this respect, they want distinguishable art objects from top end collections, which may also include natural objects. Their goal is to make it easy to market, edit, catalog and sell specifically to targeted high end collectors within the world wide web art audience. All within a stunning secure, private hand-picked, beautiful and anonymous safe on-line powerful environment. Mark's job is to cherry pick the best art posted. Inclusion is pre-edited and catalog and published like a magazine so the buyer has a wonderful experience when looking for hard to find art objects on the web. They are doing all this to help the small seller to get the free tools, and opportunity to piggyback on us, without having to pay a fee up front. This opportunity keeps the dealer from having to build there own web site and database, that's only if they are unable afford or build this kind of online sophisticated system. The piece always stays with you until it is sold. The gallery makes absolutely nothing unless they are able to find a buyer for your art object. This can still give you that opportunity to sell and market the art object on your own. Busacca Gallery is compensated by the capability to perform, which means, the seller has nothing to lose if they post with them. This is a new cost effective exposure consignment system for the seller and buyer to do safe transactions within the collectible market place.
Mark Busacca Founder, Busacca Gallery
free consignment ? http://www.busaccagallery.com
2010 Hyde Street San Francisco, CA 94109
Gallery 415-776-0104 or cell 415-215-6533 Mark Busacca, owner of Busacca Gallery is my featured article this week.
The Gallery carries a High-end, one of a kind art Collectibles from around the world!
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Mixed Bag Designing with Black
Kelly Wearstler is a decorator with her own studio, House of KWID (Kelly Wearstler Interior Design) and is particularly well-known for colorful mod-baroque commercial interiors, such as those of the Viceroy hotels in Palm Springs and Santa Monica, the Avalon in Beverly Hills, and the Tides in Miami Beach. She is currently a design judge on the second season of Bravo reality television show Top Design, and her books include Domicilium Decoratus (Harper Collins, 2006) and Modern Glamour: The Art of Unexpected Style (Collins Design, 2004).
Kelly Wearstler designs featured at Neiman Marcus
Below are more mixed bag ideas for using black in your home decor color scheme.
Armani inspired custom pillows
Sometimes the most sophisticated nuances of any home décor are in the subtle accents and props that create design harmony. Décor that is interesting as it is beautiful can be achieved by maintaining a comfortable balance between the look and function of a room.
The simplicity of the black bar stools adds elegance to the black bar.
Armani inspired fashions and accessories using basic black
Bath designs using black accents simply speaks elegant
I love this for a bistro theme, the tassels don't seem to fit. I would have added a colorful accent rug to blend all of the colors in the room for a focal point.
Tables and lamp accents in black
Coco Chanel and Armani all use it as a base, now trends using black in kitchens are making their debut. When using black make sure their is plenty of natural light. You can create light by spot lighting certain areas in the room, then go wild with your colors. Bring in the glass, chrome or mirrors, which will also keep it light and airy!
Kelly Wearstler designs featured at Neiman Marcus
Below are more mixed bag ideas for using black in your home decor color scheme.
Armani inspired custom pillows
Sometimes the most sophisticated nuances of any home décor are in the subtle accents and props that create design harmony. Décor that is interesting as it is beautiful can be achieved by maintaining a comfortable balance between the look and function of a room.
The simplicity of the black bar stools adds elegance to the black bar.
Armani inspired fashions and accessories using basic black
Bath designs using black accents simply speaks elegant
I love this for a bistro theme, the tassels don't seem to fit. I would have added a colorful accent rug to blend all of the colors in the room for a focal point.
Tables and lamp accents in black
Coco Chanel and Armani all use it as a base, now trends using black in kitchens are making their debut. When using black make sure their is plenty of natural light. You can create light by spot lighting certain areas in the room, then go wild with your colors. Bring in the glass, chrome or mirrors, which will also keep it light and airy!
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Grandma Moses of the American Southwest
Featured Photographic Artist
Aggie Villanueva, The Grandma Moses of the American Southwest
Aggie, raised her children in Kansas City, and discovered Thomas Hart Benton on a school field trip with her daughter’s class to visit the local Art Museum. She loved his style so much she bought a coffee table book of his work. She never thought about it before, but there was an influence of his style in the smoothness and 3-D visual of her own work, which they shared. Aggie was drawn to this style decades before she became a photographic artist.
Like Frank Lloyed Wright, inspired architects and designers, Aggie found her own mentor in Thomas Hart Benton.Born April 15, 1889, in Neosho, Missouri. Died January 19, 1975, in Kansas City, Missouri.
Visual ArtistAggie remarks, I don't photograph the world-famous. Here you won't find photo art from Monument Park, Yosemite, Soquoia and other sites that have been raped of their spirit. In the vast chasms of Southwest beauty I don't spend time shooting scenic routes and tourists parks.
I roam the wonders of my own world of northern New Mexico and the Southwest regions surrounding me. Another photographer simply couldn't find most of the places I shoot. I need my 4X4 to get to the places where my camera and I spend time.
Though there remains hardly a spot on earth unmapped by man, there is still undiscovered territory all around us, especially in the American Southwest -- a place that holds vast, yawning chasms of unplumbed wisdom, alive with it's spirit still speaking, captured by my camera. This is what my photo art depicts. The raw beauty that 99% of humanity will never see with their own eyes.
Who is Aggie?
Rural subjects in the Southwest are very different than elsewhere in the United States. We are the last true American frontier; with a gritty purity born of living close to the land. The American Southwest continually draws awe and interest worldwide.
Beginning in 1996 she lived in rural New Mexico's Madrid/Cerillos area without water, electricity or plumbing, hauling water by hand, the only light was a kerosene lamp, with no phones as cell phones don't work in the "dead zones" she occupies, past and present. Aggie spent those years roaming the mountains, sometimes sleeping on the ground under the vast, crystal expanse of southwestern skies; sometimes in her van.
In 2001 she moved to an even more remote sector with her dogs, into a tiny log cabin in the foothill forests of the San Pedro Wilderness area, getting snowed in most every winter, but now with the luxury of "water pouring right out the wall when you turn the knob!" No more hauling.
Locals say she "paid her dues to the land," but still spends time roaming the majestic mountains of northern New Mexico to know them more intimately. Locals of many generations can't recognize where most of her landscapes were taken, though they are "in their own backyard." It is in Aggie's hope that her photographic art reflects a spiritual intimacy.
The Story Behind the Pictures, as quoted by Aggie, is like reading a short story. I love the way she places you at the scene and what inspired her photograph.
Genesis
When monsoon season collides with icy rain
I was to attend an early September artist’s reception for my friend, Corinna Stoeffl in Abiquiu, NM. I scanned the skies before leaving and was elated to find that monsoon season had once again supplied awesome and outrageous stormy skies filled with icy rains. After one skyward glance I began loading all my photo equipment (to use after the reception) with full intent of the rains drying up for a long-anticipated photo shoot, and headed out to pick up my friend Fatou.
On the way to the reception I pointed out the swirling black clouds and told Fatou that I would stay at the reception for 45 minutes only and needed to leave right at 5:00 to photograph Cerro Pedernal beneath this sky. She laughed because the freezing rain pounded around us with no signs of letting up.
But I was determined, because one hot and lazy day the previous spring I departed my usual errands and treated myself to my favorite adventure; following roads unknown, at least to me. I ended up in the beautiful, sleepy Spanish village of Canones.
The dirt road literally parted for a ridge towering above the camino and providing a broad, open view of the Cerro Pedernal peak, made famous by Georgia O’Keefe. The sun that day was far too bright for a good shoot, but I promised myself to return during monsoon season when the sky creates legends.
But today, Fatuou and I drove past the peak hidden in the downpour, though I stole many glances as I drove. The reception was wonderful, and my friend Corinna’s photos huge and gorgeous. Still, Fatou knew I was serious about my shoot.
At 4:55 she kidded me again about the pouring rain, and I reiterated that it would stop for me to get my photos. I don’t know why I was so determined, especially as we left running through the drenching rains to my truck, then looked at one another in surprise when, as soon as we shut ourselves into the truck, the rain stopped.
We drove to my spot and I was fully prepared to climb that steep ridge with 60 pounds of equipment on my back despite my bum knee. I'd waited for months for conditions to be right and nothing would stop me now.
I circled the ridge and was grateful to find a narrow rutted path barely as wide as my vehicle that took us to the top. Fatou slept while I used all my favorite lenses and snapped Cerro Pedernal from many angles for the next hour and a half in high winds, but not a drop of rain to harm my equipment.
I wasn’t even aware of the passing time. I didn’t stop shooting until the already high winds increased and blew over my tripod, and nearly me. The rains started at that moment sending us home, Fatou well rested and me well satisfied.
________________________________________
Snow Cloud
"Get your head out of the clouds!"That's what people have told me all my life. Usually it was somber, critical, unhappy people (or groups of them) who are angry that someone in their presence has the nerve to be joyful. So naturally I did just the opposite.
I now live where I can keep my head is in the clouds! One fine and stormy early April day, my friend Sue and I set off to go up the mountain for photo ops. In New Mexico everything is photo worthy. Even bad weather is awesome here, so sometimes you'll find me heading out in the worst of it.
I chose Mesa Alta, as I often do when I know the snows have not cleared from the higher roads. Not that Mesa Alta isn’t plenty high. This day we attempted to crest the mountain and loop down the other side into a neighboring village, but were blocked by snow and a fallen tree.
Sue and I were exuberant as we climbed in and out of clouds on our way to the peak. It is exhilarating to be among the clouds, as always, but this day had a special treat for us. Near the crest we drove into another cloud, but this was a first for me for this was a snow cloud.
It was not snowing when we entered it, or when we exited it. I had to just stop in the middle of this snow-engorged cloud and marvel. When I saw the white wisps of the cloud all around us I grabbed my camera (imagine that!).
What you might first think is blurred snowflakes in this picture is in reality wisps of the actual cloud we sat snuggled within. I could barely catch my breath when I realized where we were. There are moments in your life in which you are so engulfed in its surreality, you know you will never forget, nor ever experience the likes again. Those are the moments we live and die for. Why, would we ever want to get our head out of the clouds?
Aggie has an August solo exhibit in the Gulf Shores, Alabama. She doesn’t have the details yet of the local newspaper interview, she will be interviewed the evening before the reception. The radio internet interview, by Shirley W. Mitchell, is one hour and broadcasts to 209 countries and around 2 million listeners.View Aggie's site to follow the exhibit details.
Grandma Moses of the American Southwest
PHOTOGRAPHIC ART
VISUAL ARTS JUNCTION
VIEW LANDSCAPE PROMO VIDEO
Aggie, is currently working on publishing a book soon, I am sure it will be filled with lovely photographs. How exciting to follow her creative works.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Spectacular Homes of Georgia
Geometric Elegance
A bold stroke of crimson ignites this otherwise quiet, contemporary dining room. The two tone chocolate and mocha tones set the stage with accents of platinum in the lighting fixture and shimmer of bronzes, silvers, and golds in the centerpiece. The mirror is actually a scarlet mosaic trimmed in gold and reflects the high gloss finish of the exotic wood table and chairs. The rug mirrors the geometric aesthetic.
Featured Designer Melissa Galt is an acclaimed interior designer and design coach known for her no-nonsense philosophy working with clients to design their signature style. Her mission since 1994 when she established her firm, is to create unique and personal environments reflecting her clients life experiences and passions.
Melissa designs in and around the Atlanta area, Florida, Texas, Michigan, Connecticut and more.
Entertaining with Drama and Flair
Melissa has created the media and dining room for a former pro basketball player and his family, who is now a successful real estate agent.
The slate fireplace really makes the statement in this room. The rich espresso leather sectional is complemented by the cracked glass table on burnished bronze and platinum legs. The walls are dressed in a ragged glaze over Indian Hills gold, adding depth and interest. Artwork and collectibles are arranged for visual interest, a personal mix of glass, lacquer, and ceramics hand crafted.
Casual Elegance
This terrace level guest room is an eclectic fantasy in moss greens, terracotta, and blue. The soft curves of the wrought iron bed are in a bronze finish. The night tables are a collected pair displaying unique lamps. The window treatments are butterfly style panels which provide a simple, but effective means of privacy and light control.
This is a model home designed to provide a rustic getaway for long weekends and eventually a home for retirement.
Film Fanatics Only
This media room beckons with oversized custom movie loungers, in charcoal suede with individual cup holders in red mahogany. The floor has a wall-to-wall black and gold carpet in level loop, commercial grade for durability. The walls are dressed in a cabernet stripe texture paper, and movie strip lights accent. Posters were selected by the client and backed without glass to avoid glare. A built-in in satin black lacquer houses the electronics and collectibles.
Melissa created this media room for a successful pediatrician and his wife, living in Marietta GA.
Reynolds Plantation, Lake Oconee, Ga
Timberlake Views
This master bedroom boasts a Bob Timberlake bedroom suite with art glass lamps, and soothing gold, moss, and merlots tones. It is a bold statement that suits the rustic tone of the house and carries the Arts and Crafts theme throughout.
About the Client
This is a model home designed to provide a rustic getaway for long weekends and eventually a home for retirement.
"Spectacular Homes of Georgia", is a publication where Melissa Galt's design work is showcased in an exclusive tribute to Georgia designers.The book features brief biographies and selected projects by the South's finest residential interior talent.
Melissa has published her own book about her suggestions to make small and simple design changes to your home or office environment. You will find more details on her web site.
Change Your Interiors
Change Your Life
This booklet provides the essentials to empower you, the reader, to get going on those long overdue projects you've been planning. Simple small changes in your home environment can often lead to significant changes in your life. Inside you'll find 209 tips for improving your home interiors and changing your life.
Awards:
Roswell Women's Show Home, Entry
Roswell Women's Show Home, Teenage Retreat
Callanwolde Christmas House, Library
Great Oaks Historical Show Home, Library & Master Bath
Atlanta Home Builder's Showhouse, Entire Home
American Craft Council Showhouse, Rotunda & Hallways
Melissa has been featured in the following publications:
Southern Living, Georgia People and Places
Atlanta Business Chronicle, Living on the Edge
Atlanta Journal/Constitution, Profile
Piedmont Review, Who Is Melissa Galt
Decorating Spaces, Project Feature
Planhouse, Arts and Crafts Revival
Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles
Atlanta Magazine Home
Jezebel, Best Designers
Better Homes and Gardens, What's In a Name
New Jersey Life
Atlanta Home Improvement, Contributing Editor
Melissa is the great-granddaughter of Frank Lloyd Wright — the iconic American architect who believed “the space within becomes the reality of the building.”
As if this weren't prestige enough, her mother was the famous actress Anne Baxter.
Through her presentations, Melissa helps individuals discover how to become their own architect, using that “space within” (core values, dreams, and desires) to create an all-new reality.
melissa@melissagalt.com
www.209homeimprovementtips.com
www.mylifeadventures.com
404-812-4613 office/404-592-6890 fax
Twitter: http://twitter.com/prosperbydesign
Facebook: friend me on facebook
Avaliving: Be a fan on avaliving
Linked In: http://www.linkedin.com/in/melissagalt
Friday, July 10, 2009
Evening in Venice
James Coleman
James Coleman - a name synonymous with sweeping skies, tropical rain forests, rich deep woods and silent deserts. The images created by this talented man continue to delight all who view them. James Coleman was born in Hollywood, California in 1949. As a youth, his creative abilities seemed to dominate his world. Though he lacked the athletic skills of his young friends, he more than made up for it with imagination and ingenuity. As a young man his interest in film making and fine art would be the genesis for a long, successful career in animated films.
View his collection and see how he how he magically added Mickey and Minnie into the, "Evening in Venice", pictured above. Titled, James Coleman, Black Tie Affair with Mickey and Minnie.
In 1969 Coleman found his creative energies welcomed by Walt Disney Productions. As an animation background designer, Coleman styled and worked on nine feature films and over 30 short subjects. Winnie the Pooh, The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast came to life with James Coleman's background images gracing the silver screen. Twenty-two years with Disney found him ready to develop all of his time and talent to the love of his life, fine art. Today he continues to illuminate the art world with vibrant colors, gentle moods, powerful design and exquisite detail. Coleman works in oil, watercolor, guache and pastel. His work is impressionistic and luminous. His pieces intrigue the eye and touch the heart. His paintings are warm, inviting and unique.
Coleman began doing paintings of the islands in the early 1980's. "Originally Hawaii was an escape for me, a place to recharge my batteries and enjoy the peace and tranquility of a heaven on earth. The land, its history and its people were my secret to serenity and relaxation. Soon my love for these beautiful islands and its people began to translate into my paintings. My desire has been to connect those who view my work with the past, present and future of the Hawaiian experience." Though traditional in technique and medium, Colemans tropical pieces are anything but traditional. They are a fresh and unique personal view of Hawaii. A master of color, light and design has in recent years made Coleman one of the most collected and sought after artists in Hawaii and around the world.
James Coleman pieces can be found in many fine, personal and corporate collections including the Disney family and corporate collections. Coleman is a naturalist and environmentalist who involves himself with the National Parks and other environmental organizations. He has been a finalist five years in the Arts for the Parks competition. The contribution made by Coleman to the world of art over the last twenty-six years, both in film and fine art, make him one of the most collected artists in contemporary art. His work is represented by some of the most prominent and respected galleries in North America, the Orient and the Hawaiian Islands.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
La Concha Revival
Designed by architects Osvaldo Toro and Miguel Ferrer, the hotel was completed in 1958. Marchand and Rosselló created an atrium to open up the lobby to the pool deck.
Rosselló designed handblown Murano glass lamps for the iconic restaurant, which was conceived by Mario Salvatori.
In the presidential suite, Rosselló, who designed furniture for all of the guest rooms, used modern pieces in the same palette of white found throughout the hotel.
The penthouse terrace.
Windows of the guest rooms were enlarged, and the small balconies were eliminated. “We put that space back into the room,” says Rosselló. “Now it is all about the air, the light, the water, the view.” Donghia throw fabric.
In San Juan, Puerto Rico, architect José R. Marchand and interior designer Jorge Rosselló restored and updated historic La Concha hotel. Inspired by the original design, colorful bridges connect the shell-shaped restaurant to the hotel.
Rosselló designed handblown Murano glass lamps for the iconic restaurant, which was conceived by Mario Salvatori.
In the presidential suite, Rosselló, who designed furniture for all of the guest rooms, used modern pieces in the same palette of white found throughout the hotel.
The penthouse terrace.
Windows of the guest rooms were enlarged, and the small balconies were eliminated. “We put that space back into the room,” says Rosselló. “Now it is all about the air, the light, the water, the view.” Donghia throw fabric.
In San Juan, Puerto Rico, architect José R. Marchand and interior designer Jorge Rosselló restored and updated historic La Concha hotel. Inspired by the original design, colorful bridges connect the shell-shaped restaurant to the hotel.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Vintage Modern
My Featured Designer today is Suzanne Meyer-Pistorious
Choose custom designed fabrics for any area in your home or an original designer gown creating excitement wherever it is worn.While Suzanne will showcase some of her custom designs as apparel, she does not make or sell apparel, the fabrics are draped to give a suggestion of how they can be used to make your one of a kind designer gown.
In recent articles, I have featured clothing designers such as Armani and Coco Chanel, whose clothing line inspired their home decor creations. I believe Suzanne is following in their footsteps, in the reverse, displaying her fabulous hand painted fabrics for, furniture, pillows and art, while introducing the idea for lovely designer gowns. As a designer, I can see making a wood frame to your own dimensions and framing it with your choice of one of her hand-painted prints to make a dramatic statement on any wall as an actual piece of art.
Any of her designs can be used for various applications in the home from upholstery to drapes and cushions.
Eco - friendly chairs with an uncommon flair; fun and funky with style!!
This Fabulous Victorian lady has been modernized yet retains a classic look with a poppy circle paint job on the seat and an abstract floral print on the back. Paints are metallic blues, brown and bronze with flat black accent swirls. Finished with 1/8 double welt trim.
The dings and dents of their history have been intentionally left behind. While not trying to produce new furniture, she is giving new life to old vintage while recycling.
With a content of 60 % hemp and 40% silk. This fabric has a subtle sheen and a silky smooth finish.
You don't always have to hang your art on the wall.
Like choosing clothes that suit your own unique taste.. functional household items can be stunning works of art that are part of your everyday life.
Blugirl Art where fabric becomes fabulous;
Born out of a desire to create something new out of something old, her chairs are one of a kind original pieces of ART that will create a sophisticated statement in your home or office. Destined to become collectors items.
Art
Featuring Artwork by Max Rudolph, original collage's created from recycled paper products and found objects. Read more about him on her website.
Suzanne Meyer-Pistorious believes in reincarnation, at least where furniture is concerned. The Springfield, Massachusetts based artist rescues antique chairs, giving them new life by dressing them up in her hand-painted fabrics. These centuries old pieces may once have led lives of quiet refinement, gracing parlors swathed in velvet and brocade, but today, outfitted in Meyer-Pistorius's vibrant fabrics, they're at home in both traditional and contemporary settings. Among her favorites is Alabaster Rouge, a Louis XIV-style chair with a glazed finish. Meyer-Pistorius salvaged the chair, complete with its original horsehair, and re-covered it with a silk-and-hemp blend in vivid terracotta with accents of black and burnished gold. The chrysanthemum- trellis design is "grandiose" says Meyer-Pistorius-an appropriate look, I think, for a chair named for a king".
While visiting her site, don't miss a thing, plan to stay awhile to appreciate this talented designer's style.
http://blugirlart.com
Choose custom designed fabrics for any area in your home or an original designer gown creating excitement wherever it is worn.While Suzanne will showcase some of her custom designs as apparel, she does not make or sell apparel, the fabrics are draped to give a suggestion of how they can be used to make your one of a kind designer gown.
In recent articles, I have featured clothing designers such as Armani and Coco Chanel, whose clothing line inspired their home decor creations. I believe Suzanne is following in their footsteps, in the reverse, displaying her fabulous hand painted fabrics for, furniture, pillows and art, while introducing the idea for lovely designer gowns. As a designer, I can see making a wood frame to your own dimensions and framing it with your choice of one of her hand-painted prints to make a dramatic statement on any wall as an actual piece of art.
Any of her designs can be used for various applications in the home from upholstery to drapes and cushions.
Eco - friendly chairs with an uncommon flair; fun and funky with style!!
This Fabulous Victorian lady has been modernized yet retains a classic look with a poppy circle paint job on the seat and an abstract floral print on the back. Paints are metallic blues, brown and bronze with flat black accent swirls. Finished with 1/8 double welt trim.
The dings and dents of their history have been intentionally left behind. While not trying to produce new furniture, she is giving new life to old vintage while recycling.
With a content of 60 % hemp and 40% silk. This fabric has a subtle sheen and a silky smooth finish.
You don't always have to hang your art on the wall.
Like choosing clothes that suit your own unique taste.. functional household items can be stunning works of art that are part of your everyday life.
Blugirl Art where fabric becomes fabulous;
Born out of a desire to create something new out of something old, her chairs are one of a kind original pieces of ART that will create a sophisticated statement in your home or office. Destined to become collectors items.
Art
Featuring Artwork by Max Rudolph, original collage's created from recycled paper products and found objects. Read more about him on her website.
While visiting her site, don't miss a thing, plan to stay awhile to appreciate this talented designer's style.
http://blugirlart.com