MOROCCO: the Medina

Since I have a long weekend on my hands, I've finally been culling the hundreds of photos I took in Morocco in January.  It was, by far, the best trip of my life, and I still get excited when I see the colors and patterns in the photos, which, of course, is nothing like experiencing it in real life.

My favorite parts of Morocco are the medinas, the ancient walled-in cities within cities that feel like stepping back in time.  Walking through the winding streets that are mazes of shops and stalls selling everything you could possibly imagine is an experience unlike anything else.  The artisan handcrafts in Morocco are unbelievable, and I couldn't get enough of the tilework, hand-woven rugs, and leatherwork.

The photos above are from Fes, my favorite city in Morocco.

Next up on my Morocco recap: the Sahara Desert.

ORTA ARTE

I was walking down the street in Chelsea, and a flash of neon orange caught my eye.  The flash was coming from Jane Lombard Gallery, and orange nylon was part of a symbolic hot air balloon made by Lucy and Jorge Orta.

I had never heard of the couple before and later found out that ANTARCTICA is their first exhibition here in the US, based on their expedition to the icy continent in 2007.  Much of the pair's work considers environmental conditions and human survival, and the exhibition includes drawings and plans for sculptures that the artistic duo executed in Antarctica during their travels.

Part of the traveling exhibition, The Antarctic World Passport Delivery Bureau, encourages individuals to pledge to work against global warming, and I happily signed up to participate.

It was so refreshing to see and experience new-to-me artwork dealing with a global issue that is also well executed and eye catching (thanks to that flash of traffic-cone neon)!

Lucy + Jorge Orta

ANTARCTICA

Jane Lombard Gallery

Open through February 20

BAM and then it hits you

I recently had the opportunity to return to the Brooklyn Academy of Music, one of my favorite venues in NYC.  The Trisha Brown Dance Company was performing for three days only, alongside an exhibition of works by Elizabeth Murray.  [See my Elizabeth Murray post here.]

I had never before seen the Trisha Brown Company, but was familiar with her work with Merce Cunningham in the 1960s and was excited to finally partake in the thrill.  There were three dances, one with costumes and set designed by Robert Rauschenberg, one by Elizabeth Murray, and one by Donald Judd.  The most interesting part of the experience, for me, was seeing how three visual artists whose work I know so well reinterpreted the set and costumes for modern dance.

I highly recommend that you catch a show at BAM sometime soon - and be sure to stop by BAMcafe Live - one of my favorite low-key live music venues on Friday and Saturday nights.

Coat: Vintage - last worn here, in San Francisco!

Jeans: Hudson

Boots: Chloe

Bag: Milly

Photos by William Sealy.

IN THE HILLS

Well, this just made my day.

I've been thinking about mothers and daughters working together creatively, and here is another joint effort: this time at the Chrysler Museum of Art (my old stomping grounds!).

Caroline and her daughter Willoughby are perfectly placed with Leon Kroll's In The Hills (1920-21) and I couldn't help but notice how Willoughby's dress even echoes the plaid of the skirt in the painting.  Not only do they echo the pose of the ladies in the work - they both also look surprisingly like the subjects.

My own mother used to take me to the Chrysler Museum, and I always dreamed of being in this painting - perhaps my own concept for Artfully Awear began in those halls!

Thank you to Caroline and Willoughby Trudell for sharing this photo.

ONE IN A MILJAN

The beauty of nature is not perfection, but harmony. 

--Miljan Suknovic

Earlier this week, on a chilly afternoon, I trudged downtown to meet Miljan Suknovic in his studio.  Miljan is a Serbian artist who lives and works in NYC.  We became acquainted through Artfully Awear, and he invited me to his studio because he said, "I have a feeling that you might like it."

Those words ended up being an understatement, because as soon as I entered his studio, I gasped with delight.  Actually, I gasped well before walking through the door because his exuberant, large scale paintings were lined up to greet me as soon as I exited the elevator.  Not only were the works all-encompassing, but the temperature in his studio was so warm and the fast-paced music so intoxicating that I actually felt as though I were on an island somewhere very far away from post-snowpocalypse NYC.

Upon meeting him, I was not surprised to find that Miljan is energetic and lively, just like his paintings.  He spent the next hour giving me an overview of his career and showing me works from various periods; from living and working in Serbia, Italy, Florence, Germany, and the Czech Republic, to his seven year residence in NYC.

Miljan's pervading style is that of dramatic, lyrical abstraction, but there is also an element of mathematics to his process.  He does not believe that painting should be seen as separate from the architecture in which it is placed, and this has lead him to create some very interesting juxtapositions with his work.  Though his recent works (pictured here) were some of my favorites, Miljan has experimented with almost every style and medium you can imagine.  

If he could sum up his work as a whole, it is about discovery through experimentation.

Interestingly enough, this is something I've been thinking about recently in my own life and work - about how it is important to take time to try things and not worry about whether or not they are successful.  That the importance of creating is what you learn along the way, not necessarily the finished product.

However, in Miljan's case, the finished products are quite brilliant.

Thank you, Miljan, for the stunning introduction to your work and for hosting me at your downtown resort!

Photos by Miljan Suknovic and myself.

MOTHER | DAUGHTER

When I started Artfully Awear six years ago, I had recently lost my mother to cancer.  Her creativity was my biggest inspiration, and dressing up like artwork became a means of recording her influence in my life; a project that helped me to channel my grief into colorful expression.

Yesterday, I received an email from Rina Flatau, a follower I've never met, who wanted to share some photos of her daughter Abby and her friend that were inspired by Artfully Awear.  In the photos, Abby is dressed beautifully in vintage dresses matching the artwork in their local museum, perfectly encapsulating the message of AA: to either be a work of art or dress like one.  When I saw the photos inspired by my six-year project, I realized that Artfully Awear has come full circle: from my mother teaching me about creative expression, to my endeavor to keep that inspiration alive through my blog, to this poignant record of another mother-daughter collaboration that exquisitely captures the brilliance of dressing like a work of art.

I'm eternally grateful to my mother for nurturing my creativity and teaching me about inspiration through art, and I couldn't be more fulfilled to know that her masterpiece lives on not only in me, but now also in others.

Thank you to Rina Flatau for sharing these photos and for her daughter Abby Flatau for modeling.

Photos by Rina Flatau at the Everson Museum of Art.  Artwork by Morris Louis, William T. Williams, Helen Frankenthaler, and Robert Motherwell.

JARDIN MAJORELLE

Happy New Year!

Morocco had been on my list of places to visit for a long time, and I finally had the chance to make the trip over the holiday.  It. Was. Everything.

The colors, smells, shouts of people in the street coupled with quiet courtyard oases in Marrakech; 

The fresh, serene, contemplative feeling of the Atlas Mountains;

The golden ripples of the sand dunes in the Sahara Desert;

The medieval intrigue of Fes,

and the salty air of Casablanca all contributed to one of the most amazing trips of my lifetime.

These photos are from French painter Jacques Majorelle's garden in Marrakech, formerly owned by Yves Saint Laurent and his partner Pierre Berge.  Though Majorelle (1886-1962) was a painter, his most well-known work of art is his garden, which he created during a time of convalescence in Marrakech. 

One of my most anticipated aspects of visiting Marrakech, Majorelle's Garden did not rival the sensory overload of the Djemaa El-Fna souks or the winding streets of the medina.  Still, the relatively quiet oasis, beautiful colors, and thousands of exotic plants made the garden a welcome retreat along the journey.

The exact shade of blue used in the garden is named after Majorelle, but is a common hue found in Berber accessories and tiles.  Luckily, I was able to bring home a can of official Majorelle Blue paint, so I can recreate a bit of Marrakech in Brooklyn.

Jacques Majorelle

Similar Dress

Shoes: Salvatore Ferragamo

Photos by William Sealy; Majorelle painting: dnliving.com