Aloha Cuz (Cousin)!

I just returned from a fun (and sun) filed week in Hawaii! I was so stressed out before heading on vacation, so you can imagine the calm that came over me when we landed in sunny, warm, and colorful Oahu. I felt the tension release from my neck almost immediately.

This was our 3rd trip to Hawaii, but I must say, I never get bored of this place. I could seriously live there. This time around was less hustle and bustle, and more relaxation. Part of that relaxation consisted of me gaining about 5lbs from all the wonderful Polynesian/Japanese food, maitais, beer, sushi, noodles, and steak. Mmm. It was sunny and 80 degrees every single day in Waikiki, and we never tired of hitting the beach.

Here’s a few highlights from our trip – with photos (and commentary of course).

1. The “Eddie”
Normal Decembers in North Shore, Oahu, HI means big waves and surf competitions. But this December meant, the 25th Anniversary of the Eddie Aikau! Even though it was the 25th Anniversary, the actual competition has only been held 8 times. That’s because, the waves in Waimea Bay have to reach about 30 – 50 feet. And boy did they! The waves were huge, and we only made it to the pre-competition heat! Those surfers had some “cajones” to paddle out and brave the life-threatening surf. It definitely was a treat to see, and very exciting to watch. The crowds were packed tight all along the road, and the traffic was backed up for miles. I can only imagine how crowded it was the very next day for the actual official competition.


(Photo taken about quarter mile from Waimea bay)
(see more info and better photos here: MSNBC)

2. The Food
You can find just about every type of food in Waikiki – but most prominent – Japanese! Our favorite spot is a great little authentic Japanese Noodle House on the main ‘drag’ with all the upscale shops. The noodles are cooked properly, the broth is superb, and the dumplings are always fresh. We thought about taking some noodle soup home with us, but the TSA has those pesky rules about ‘no liquids on the plane’…

3. Spotting a celeb at Denny’s
While enjoying our pancakes at Denny’s, much to our surprise, an actor came into the small breakfast joint. All four of us recognized him, but could not place his face in a movie. We checked our iPhones but couldn’t figure it out. I really wanted to approach him (the wannabe paparazzi inside me did), but you can’t go up to an actor and say ‘I don’t know what you’re in, or what your name is – but I know your face! Can I take a photo?”’. We hovered around a bit to see if someone could jog our memory – but to no avail. We went back to the room and tried to research. Zero hits. Then about 5hrs later, it dawned on it – the actor was Kevin Durand. He played ‘The Blog/Fred Dukes” in the Wolverine Origins movie. I WAS SO MAD AT MYSELF! He was about as close as I could get to Halle Berry, Ryan Reynolds, and Hugh Jackman! Unlike most actors, he wasn’t tiny – he was huge (at least 6’1”) with gigantic biceps.

4. Surfing
I’m not athletic. Everyone knows this. I have no coordination. I hate the gym. So no wonder all my friends were shocked to find out I took a surf lesson. Not only did I take a lesson – I caught two waves, and got a surfboard rash (my battle scar). Surfing is surprisingly easy. Standing on the board isn’t so bad – I was surprised at how much traction I had. The tough part is paddling out to the wave area (my arms were killing me!), and paddling to catch the wave. I felt so proud of myself as I rode the wave until it died out near the shore. I have a newfound respect for surfers. Those guys and gals are true athletes. We were catching ity-bity waves and they were scary enough – I can’t imagine the heart-pounding excitement of pro-surfers catching waves at the ‘Eddie’ competition!

5. The Royal Hawaiian MaiTai Bar
I must admit, we hit this place about 4 times. The drinks are TO DIE FOR. I get the scratch maitai, instead of the royal hawaiian signature (only because I’m not a fan of Kahlua). Order the Royal Hawaiian buffalo wings while you sip your maitai. You’ll be in heaven. And an added bonus is nabbing a table just before the Hawaiian sunset!

Business Cards & Thank You Cards

My corporate identity has been in a constant state of flux. At the beginning of this year, I redesigned my logo and company forms/contract, and redesigning my website and portfolio photos is on the task list for 2010. Two things I can check off my list – my Monark Design Studio Business Cards and Thank You Cards. Thanks to UVCards.com, I now have some very elegant, and well printed cards.

The Thank You cards fit an A2 envelope, and are full-color, duplex, on 16pt card stock. There’s Spot UV on the front.

The Business Cards are by far my favorite, and feature both Spot UV and brilliant Silver Foil Stamping. I’ve always wanted to try both print methods, but my local vendors estimates for special print treatment is always super outrageous. UVCards.com is probably the best online print shop to use, especially if you want Foil Stamping, Spot UV, or Silk Laminate.

UVCards.com not only has excellent print quality, but phenomenal prices as well. I paid less than $300 for both cards, with substantial quantities for both sets.

Below are photos. I’m so sorry about the poor photo quality. I plan on getting studio quality photographs taken of my identity set next year (when I do my website overhaul).

It feels good to get a few items on my design ‘to do list’ completed.

Fierce Style - At the Corcoran with Christian Siriano

Last night, Christian Siriano did such an excellent job at his seminar/lecture for the Corcoran Museum of Art. He really gave us a behind the scenes look into Project Runway, and his new life as a top celebrity designer. Christian is just as witty and charismatic in person as he was on his season of Project Runway. He appears to be very much a ‘people person’, and even though he remarked that the crowd was quite intimidating, you would never have known if he was nervous. Christian is also very petite, topping probably around 5’1 or 5’2. His lecture was about 45min long, with a book signing at the end (Christian Siriano’s “Fierce Style: How to Be Your Most Fabulous Self”).

Here are some tidbits from the lecture:

• Christian grew up in Annapolis MD, so he’s very familiar with the DC area.
• His family was always supportive of his avante garde style – especially his mom
• He was not accepted to Parsons or FIT in New York – but since he won Project Runway, they’ve invited him to be a guest speaker for their schools
• He was Ariel the Little Mermaid for Halloween
• There’s a possibility he could design fashion eyewear in the future.
• The Project Runway judges deliberation is in reality 4hrs long.
• The contestants on P.R. are given 17hrs to complete the challenge, but in reality, it is 10hrs, because the contestants also have to do mini-interviews and press in addition to finishing their garments
• Christian was just recently on Oprah
• Christian styled Lady GaGa before her first album dropped and hit number 1.
• The items that sell in stores most are "patterns". So, Christian is currently working on pieces that have graphic prints and patterns.
• Apparently there is a team of industry professionals that annual write a book on what colors, items, accesories will become trends - but generally the items they choose are not what consumers buy (odd).
• A good pair of tights/leggings are always in - ill fitting jeans are definately a fashion "don't".
• Christian feels like Washington DC has the potential to be a ‘fashion city’ because of Michelle Obama – but sometimes DC it too serious. (I admit, I have to disagree with him on this one. DC will always be about Brooks Brothers and Ann Taylor – and less about Prada and Chanel!)

Once the lecture ended, nearly all 150+ plus individuals converged on the stage at one time. I’m not sure if the staff at the Corcoran anticipated that large cluster of fans would swarm the stage so quickly. They had to do some major crowd control. My friends and I waited until the line died down to only 10 people, and then got our book signed, and a photo with a visibly exhausted Christian Siriano.

Here are a couple pics from the lecture (as always, more on Facebook):

Christian Siriano Tonight!

I'm super excited. I'll be sure to post photos this week. I already bought his book so I can get a signature, and wore flat shoes today so I can sprint down the aisle to get a photo. Time to get into paparazzi mode. lol. It took ages last night to find an outfit. What do you wear to a book signing for a fashion designer?!

M.I.A

This may be the longest hiatus I’ve taken from my blog so far. It wasn’t on purpose. Things just get so hectic sometimes, it gets hard to sit down and write something decent.

I’ve been participating in a volunteer work that requires about 70hrs per month. It’s incredibly enjoyable, and keeps me focused and busy. It’s good for me to be busy, as I get reckless when I have too much free time on my hands (ex., too much credit card abuse).

I’ve also been taking care of some family business, and preparing for our vacation in December (Hawaii! Yay!). Work has been busy, especially since plenty of items need to be designed in preparation for benefits ‘open enrollment’.

Speaking of which - I know this sounds odd, but I’m probably one of the only people that takes full advantage of my vision benefits. I have this obsession with buying new glasses whenever I qualify. I know I just bought two pair last year, but I’m retiring my black/dressy ones because they never feel comfortable. I’ve had them adjusted about 20 times, and they still squeeze my temples.

So, I’ve been eyeing up a cute pair of Prada frames. They retail for about $389, which is ridiculous!! I’m going to wait until Jan 1st so my vision insurance provider can pay for a large chunk of it.

On another note, the hubby and I just bought tickets to see comedian John Mulaney tomorrow night in Virginia. He’s hilarious on VH1 – so hopefully he’ll be equally as funny in person.

Lunchtime Art Tour

During lunch today, I finally had the chance to see the ‘Sargent and the Sea’ exhibit at the Corcoran Gallery of Art. I adore Sargent as an artist, so it was a real treat to see some of his early works – watercolors and drawings when the artist was between 18-22 years old.

It was interesting to see how much his style had changed. Even though the exhibit focused more on his maritime artistry, there were a few rough portraits speckled around the tour. Sargent’s portraits were relatively primitive in his early years. His models faces were either quick, vague sketches, or completely blurred and implied. Sargent focused more on the model’s pose, stance, and contours.

One thing I always admire about Sargent’s drawings are that, they are seemingly simple. They consist largely of some contour drawing, and lot’s of simplified lines. But all these elements put together really create an extraordinary composition. It’s so much fun looking at his pieces up close. His line strokes are so delicate and calm.

Unfortunately, the museum wouldn’t allow photos of the ‘Sargent and the Sea’ exhibit, but they did allow us to photograph some of the Corcoran’s permanent Sargent collection…which oddly enough consists of my favorite drawing by the artist, “Olimpio Fausco” (photo below).

At the very end of the tour, the museum set up a still life, surrounded by benches with sketchpads and pencils. This interactive part of the tour allowed the visitor to freely sketch the still life. I figured, I really couldn’t call myself an artist unless I participated. So, I drew a rendition of a portion of the still life (which you will have to wait and see on Corcoran’s site). The museum plans on scanning in each visitor’s drawing, and posting them up on their site. I’ll post a link once it’s available. Believe me, it’s nothing fancy – just a quick sketch with minimal shading.

Something else I picked up from this tour…my new slogan from John Singer Sargent:
“Sketch everything and keep your curiosity fresh”

And how true this is, for any artist. Sargent had countless sketchbooks. One caption on the tour stated he had about 13 completed sketchbooks by age 18 – full to the brim with completed works, studies, and random renderings. I’ve made a promise to myself to try and keep a sketchbook with me at all times. I really miss the days when I used to sketch vs. solely working on the computer. In some ways, graphic design can really dull raw artistry - if you let it.

(Sargent - Olimpio Fausco)

(Sargent - Seated Woman drawing)

(Still life, which visitors could sketch from)

More Corcoran Events: Christian Siriano

Christian Siriano of Project Runway fame will be holding a seminar/lecture at the Corcoran Gallery of Art on Tuesday November 3rd at 7pm.
Get your tickets fast - as this is sure to sell out. Christian was one of my favorite PR winners, and it would be such a bonus if I hear him call someone a 'hot tranny mess". Hilarious!

Hope to see you there!

I tell you - the Corcoran should really give me an honorary membership for all my online promos. =)

Meet Tim Gunn this Saturday at Tyson's Galleria!

I just received an invitation from Lucky Brand jeans to meet Tim Gunn of Project Runway fame, this Saturday (Sept. 19th) at Tyson's Galleria in Tyson's Virginia! Tim will be hosting a Fall 2009 Fashion show featuring Lucky Brand jeans, followed by a cocktail reception.

To RSVP call 202-625-8370. Spaces are limited.

The event starts at 1pm in the Center Court.

I'm only passing along this info because, sadly, I won't be able to make it. If you go, take plenty of photos. I adore Tim Gunn, especially because he's a Corcoran Gallery of Art alum.

Sargent and the Sea at the Corcoran Gallery of Art

Once again, the Corcoran is featuring a phenomenal exhibit in honor of my all time favorite artist: John Singer Sargent. The exhibit ‘Sargent and the Sea’ starts September 12, 2009 and runs through January 3, 2010. This must see exhibit features more than 80 paintings, watercolors, and drawings from the early career of American artist John Singer Sargent. Sargent is known most notably for his portraiture, but his depictions of seascapes and coastal scenes are breathtaking as well.

If you’re in the DC area, this is a must see show for art enthusiasts. I plan on attending the exhibit next Monday around lunchtime (since I work only 2 blocks from the gallery).

Enjoy!

Lou Lou Boutique (Dupont Circle)

On nice days like today, you’ll often find me strolling through Dupont Circle doing a little window shopping at all the cute boutiques.

Today I stumbled upon a shop called “Lou Lou”. Considering all my jaunts through Dupont, I can’t believe I never noticed this place before. Lou Lou offers tons of a reasonably priced earrings, scarves, hats, handbags, headbands and other accessories. All items feature an eclectic flare, and no doubt many items are one of a kind pieces. I was drooling over all the unique silver earrings with various semi-precious jewels and stones. One could also easily get lost in the plethora of brilliantly colored leather handbags. The staff was friendly, and helpful – and had a wealth of knowledge about their merchandise. I’ll definitely be visiting this spot more often – especially for some unique fall scarves. This is a real retail ‘gem’ for visitors and locals.

Neighborhood: Dupont Circle
1601 Connecticut Ave NW
(between N Q St & N Hillyer Pl)
Washington, DC 20009

Great Product from Ole Henriksen

(*For the ladies*)
Yes, I’m still obsessed with skin care products. I’m always trying to find the best (and cheapest!) solution for great skin care.

I used to use the Kinerase Blemish Stick for minor acne breakouts. Problem is, Kinerase is extremely expensive (steep price tag of $42!), and while the blemish stick worked well, I ran out after about 15 uses. It only lasted me about 2 weeks.
I found a better solution, and it’s half the price. The Ole Henriksen Roll-On Blemish stick works better than the Kinerase blemish stick at fighting acne, and it’s better suited for people with sensitive skin (like myself). You can purchase this product at Sephora. It’s also almost 3 times the size of the Kinerase product, so it will last you for quite a while. It goes on smooth, and dries clear as well. I'm not sure if this will work for people with 'severe acne', but if you have minor/occasional spots – this blemish stick will knock them out overnight.

Like with all acne based products, remember to use sun-block!

Hello Cupcake – Free Cupcakes Today!

It seems like almost everyone in the area has found out about Hello Cupcake’s free promotion today. In fact, I think they advertised the event a little TOO well. It was posted on Twitter, Facebook, Metromix, DCist blog and the Hello Cupcake website.

I called the shop about 9:50am to ask how long the promotion would be going on for. They told me they baked about 1,500 cupcakes for today, and the promotion would go on until the cupcakes ran out. They also told me, that there was already a line forming outside their door. Rightly so I suppose – in my opinion, this place does have the best cupcakes in DC.

I rushed up there about 10:30am to get my free cupcake (figuring I’d beat the lunch-rush), but was quickly diverted at seeing well over 50+ people already in line!!! Much to my dismay, I went back to work empty-handed, and sugarless. I’d rather pay the $3 per cupcake vs. standing in that ridiculously long line. And I only suspect it will get worse as lunchtime approaches.

So, if you scored a treat today – good for you! Everyone knows when you advertise “free” anything in DC, patrons come out the ‘wood-works’. Maybe I’ll hit my new sweet spot today – Robeks!

Here’s a couple of pics of the 10:30am line. Further toward the back of the line, it actually looked as if some lady brought her entire daycare of kids!

Did you know there was a Design Museum?

The Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum to be exact! It’s located in New York city (Manhattan). They feature design in all it’s disciples – graphic design, illustration, textile, product design, interior design, fashion design, technology design, and architecture. It’s nice to know the Smithsonian saw a need for praising and honoring various facets of this noteworthy art form. So, next time you’re in New York city, why not skip the usual museum fare, and stop by the Design Museum? You really can’t beat the $15 admission price.

And if this museum’s mission couldn’t get any better, they also host the Annual National Design Awards, which honors the best in American design. There are normally a few free art/design panels and discussions in D.C. too. Check out the site.

Metropolitan Cooking & Entertaining Show coming to D.C.

If you're as obsessed with the Food Network as I am, you'll be excited to know that the Metropolitan Cooking & Entertaining Show is coming to the DC area on November 7 & 8. You'll be able to meet some of your Food Network favorites, like Paula Deen and Giada De Laurentiis. There will be panels where you can see your favorite stars cook, as well as get book signings. Some noteworthy D.C. restaurant owners and chefs will also be there doing demonstrations and seminars. I'm contemplating getting tickets for the Neely's BBQ lunch or the Wine/Spirits tasting. My friends and family know that I truly hate cooking...but I don't mind watching someone else cook...and I have no objections to eating!

Tickets are selling fast! I believe one of the Giada demos is already sold out.
Check out the site: Metropolitan Cooking & Entertaining Show

I’m hoping next year they’ll have my man, Bobby Flay! I love him!

HOW Design ‘Best of Show’ Promo Piece

I just recently had the chance to read my HOW magazine Self-Promo Design Annual issue. I always anticipate the Design Annual issues, because they are a great source of design inspiration. I was highly impressed by Danielle Lee Kroll’s self-promo piece (on pages 36-37). Danielle is a recent graduate of the Tyler School of Art, but this grad’s design work is far from amateur. I was so blown-away by this promo piece, I had to commend Danielle via email.

I thought her fabric swatch portfolio booklet was ingenious. The typography is exquisite, the portfolio pages are well designed, and the use of color and pattern work beautifully together. I wish I had a copy of this piece of add to my “inspiration” collection.

Well done Danielle – you’d be an asset to any design firm! Here’s a couple photos of her page spread:

Thievery Corporation Coming to Baltimore, MD

Thank goodness for Facebook! Thievery Corporation posted on Facebook that they were planning two more tours – one being in Baltimore! I immediately bought my tix, and scored seats front and center for the show. Sweet! I missed their last two shows (9:30 and Rams Head) – so I’m so glad I found out about this show before it was too late.

If you’re interested, they’re coming to the Pier 6 Pavilion on Sept. 19th @ 5:30pm. Tickets range from $25 to $65.

I got pavilion seats. I never chance lawn seats after I was severely rained on (and slipped in the mud) at the Lilith Fair several years ago.

Free Adobe Acrobat 9 Seminar in D.C.

Today Adobe organized a free seminar at the Marriott Metro Center in D.C. to showcase some new features of Acrobat 9. I currently have 9Pro at home, but had no idea there were soo many cool additions!

In addition to the free session, Adobe offered us a free continental breakfast too! (Nice touch Adobe). The session ran from 9:30am – 12:30pm, and was hosted by Acrobat gurus Rick Borstein and Mark Middleton.

There’s no way these guys could cover ALL the new features in 3 hours, but they touched on the highlights. Adobe has significantly improved the Typewriter tool feature, OCR, Form field creation, Redaction, and PDF to web page conversion features. One of the biggest highlights – the ‘PDF Portfolio’ addition. This thing is cool, and actually pretty useful for Graphic Designers who want to develop PDF samples for email. PDF Portfolio basically takes your PDF files (and Word files, emails, spreadsheets, etc.), and creates an interactive presentation, that can be customized with a background, header graphic and logo. You can even customize your documents to flow ‘a la’ iPod album scroll style.

In the Pro-Extended version, there’s also a nifty PowerPoint plug-in that allows you to add more interactivity to your presentation – including voice over narration. Now PDF can work seamlessly with PowerPoint exports – and you can view and navigate your slides directly through Acrobat.

And the coolest feature added: you can now watch/play Flash movies WITHIN your PDF document! Meaning, if you do a PDF web capture on a website that has Flash – when you open your document in Acrobat, your PDF will play your Flash movie right in the document. Niiice.

Don’t’ forget to download Acrobat Reader 9 – it’s free!! Some of these ‘special’ features can only be viewed with the newest Acrobat versions.

I don’t use Adobe Acrobat outside of creating PDFs from the Creative Suite, but it’s always cool to take advantage of free seminars…especially ones that feed you!

(Unfortunately, the lady in front of me didn’t learn a darn thing. She knitted the entire time. Why come to a seminar to knit?!)

Mermaid Sightings in Israel

New York Daily News reported an online article which states that a mermaid has been sighted in Israel. Last time I checked, weren't mermaids mythical creatures? What's worse - the people quoted in this article are rationalizing the possibility of the mermaid's existance. (?!). Come on people.

Check out this bizarre article.

Vacation Photos...as Promised

Well, it’s probably not what you expect – but below are a couple photos from my trip. They are all scenic ones. Majority of my photos are on Facebook, and truthfully, there are soo many (500+!), that there’s no way I could post them all on this blog, or Flickr.

I hope you enjoy them. I’m not a photographer, but I was quite impressed with myself for taking these pictures. I think they came out really well. I’ve printed and framed a few of them at home.

It takes me ages to pick out wall art for our house, so why not use original work, right? It’s cheaper, and it has some sentimental value.

(Photo 1: Corinth, Photos 2-5: Islands of Hydra and Poros)

‘The Nightman Cometh’ to a City Near You

For those of you that need your “It’s Always Sunny” fix right now (and can not simply wait for the premiere) you might be interested in this news. A live musical production of ‘The Nightman Cometh’ is touring a couple venues across the US. And best of all, the actual cast is performing….including Charlie Day. Tickets go on sale today for the NYC show. All others go on sale tomorrow.

(And for those of you that do not watch the show…sorry for the geeky post)

Top 10 Favorite Artists

Inspired by a post by fellow blogger (and artist) Jeffrey Star, I’ve compiled a list of 10 artists (& their works) that inspire me on a daily basis. The following are simply my opinions, so feel free to disagree. =)

10) Honore Daumier / 'Madame Gargantua'

I was first introduced to this artist while in college. My professor coordinated a visit to the Phillips Gallery in DC to see a once in a lifetime collection of Daumier’s drawings and lithographs. This was one of the best gallery shows I’ve been to. Daumier is quintessentially the father of printmaking, and one of the very first caricaturists. Some of his political cartoons were not only well executed, but very witty and clever.



9) Renoir / 'The Boating Party'

I love to paint, but most of my work is very monochromatic. I’ve always admired Renoir’s use of vibrant and bold colors. Renoir is a genius at painting reflected sunlight and shadows.



8) J.W. Waterhouse / 'After the Dance'

Waterhouse isn’t necessarily the most popular painter, but his works still inspiration me. Waterhouse’s paintings are usually very heavy…lots of earth tones. It’s hard to master the use of painting in shades of brown without a painting looking ‘muddy’. Plus, his fantasy based subject matter captures the imagination. Who couldn’t like an artist that paints fairies, mermaids, and sirens?

7. Frida Kahlo / 'Self-Portrait in a Velvet Dress'

Other than Van Gogh, I don’t think there’s another artist that’s more complex than Kahlo. All of Kahlo’s body of work is full symbolism and emotion. Her paintings are her biography…from her horrific accident as a teenager, to her tumultuous marriage with Diego Rivera. Frida was actually quite a beautiful woman – so, I’ve always been intrigued by the fact that she gives herself a uni-brow and mustache. It’s actually a great glimpse into how she saw herself personally – somewhat masculine, and deeply conflicted.



6) Vincent Van Gogh / 'Starry Night'

Let’s face it – Van Gogh was a genius. I get chills even when I see a poster of Starry Night. The use of color, the brush strokes, the emotion….it’s awe inspiring. I could stare at his paintings for hours.


5) Jacques Louis David / 'Napoleon at the Saint-Bernard Pass'

This preeminent French painter was highly admired by French leader Napoleon Bonaparte. In fact, Jacques created many of Napoleon’s famous portraits. I think you’d be surprised at how many famous paintings came from Jacques. I’ve seen “Napoleon at the Saint-Bernard Pass” in person – and the sheer size of the painting is breathtaking. Napoleon definitely had a “god-complex”, and Jacques brilliantly painted him in his royal glory.




4) Leonardo Da Vinci / 'Drawing from The Virgin of the Rocks'

Personally, I believe Da Vinci had far better works than the Mona Lisa. This drawing of his, is exceptional. It’s apparent he studied the human body, and the human face in grave detail. I’m most often drawn to pencil/charcoal drawings, and I’ve always admired Da Vinci’s shading techniques. Da Vinci is simply ‘THE MASTER’ of all things art, invention, and science.





3) Alphonse Mucha / 'The Emerald'

Since pursuing graphic design, Mucha has become one of my biggest inspirations. Mucha is most notably a founding father of Art Nouveau, and the principle inventor of vintage poster design. His use of contour lines is the envy of most illustrators. In ‘The Emerald”, I love how the woman in the foreground is drawn very simply. Lots of loose lines, and simple colors. But the background is incredibly ornate. There’s a surprise in every painting with Mucha, and lots of hidden ornament designs and inscriptions. I have a couple of his posters framed at home.


2) Jan Vermeer / 'Girl with a Pearl Earring'

My favorite piece of Vermeer is his notably his most famous painting (and subject of movies/novels). When I was in high school, a Vermeer exhibit came to The National Gallery of Art. This work by Jan Vermeer spurred me to try and perfect my craft. The entire painting is mesmerizing, but the key piece of this painting is the pearl earring. The pearl’s detailed reflection, and complex colors, is the envy of the most calculated and venerated of artists.




1) * John Singer Sargent / 'Fumee d'Ambre Gris' *

In this painting, Sargent has succeeded in completing probably the most complicated and difficult painting technique – painting ‘white on white’. Obviously this painting is not devoid of color, but it’s his use of various colors to create the illusion of white that’s most phenomenal. I admire everything about Sargent’s works. I envy his portraits, as that’s something I’ve never been able to do. He knew the female form very well, and knew exactly how the folds of clothes and ribbon, and satin fell on a woman’s body. Sargent did a series of paintings in Capri – and viewing them, you feel as though you've traveled with him. ‘Carnation Lily Lily Rose’ is another one of my favorites. It’s large, it’s detailed, and it’s soothing. I really could go on and on about Sargent. I have so many books and posters attributed to this artists I could open my own gift shop. I don’t think Sargent is given enough attention in the art world.

Greek Artwork

I haven't forgotten to post photos of my trip. I'm still sorting through all the pictures.

In the meantime, below are two paintings I purchased from Greece. One, I bought in a souvenir shop in Plaka. This lovely Greek woman owned a shop full of typical souvenirs. As I strolled to the back of the store, I found a doorway leading into a small enclosed courtyard. The area was full of oil paintings - some still hanging to dry. The lady told me these were painted by local art students at a local art school - and she had yet to put prices on the items. She gave me a great deal on an 8x10 painting (only 5 euro!).

The second painting I purchased on the island of Poros from another Greek vendor. This older lady's husband was a painter, and she sold a few of his pieces at her market. I believe she told me this painting was of Santorini (another island I would love to visit in the future).

On my trips, I love when I can find authentic local art. These paintings came on canvas, and it's interesting to see the different techniques of both artists. I only wish I had the chance to buy more pieces.