Category: Art Monday

ARTmonday: Kate Lewis’ Interior Paintings

Influenced by the rehabbing and decorating of her Victorian home, Chicago artist Kate Lewis creates interior paintings in acrylic and watercolor. The scope ranges from full rooms to the details, like a sliver of a stack of kilim rugs. All are full of wonderful color and pattern.

Nate’s House

Radiant Settee

Sister Chaise

Kilims are Kool

Look at that Rug and Half of a Black Chair in progress

Look at that Rug and Half of a Black Chair

Did Someone Say Pattern?

Just Imagine

Breakfast Nook

Kitchen with Blue Dog and Ladder

Fearlessly Mixing Patterns

Confetti

Blue Bedroom

Tribal Doodle inspiration + finished work

Tribal Doodle

Lollipop

Lollipop in progress

ARTmonday: My Impressions from the Acela

I’ve taken a lot of trips to New York this spring. I always ride the Amtrak Acela from Back Bay Station, Boston. It’s a route I love. Rhode Island is picturesque, but I most look forward to seeing the Connecticut landscape.  As the little harbors of boats meld across the state line, we soon ramble by the pair of steel truss bridges that span the Connecticut River from Groton to New London. It’s the first recognizable reminder of college: drives to Mystic, dinner at Paul’s Pasta starting with the peanut butter pie. Then it’s past the New London City Pier, with the ferry docks, where we used to catch the first of a trio of ferries to the Hamptons, or the train to New York City. Then it’s onto the small towns. In Niantic, the tracks are basically on the beach. Soon we pull past Old Saybrook, a town of my childhood (I grew up in the next one over), where the train station has since been rehabilitated. Eventually we make it to New Haven, and then a whole other world of Fairfield County, right through the town where my in-laws live.

Inspired a bit by the memories, a bit by the almost industrial scenes interspersed with scenes, one after the next, of seaside charm, and a bit by my predilection for blurred photographic images, I pulled out my iPhone to see what I could capture. Mostly I used Instagram, though I didn’t always fuss with its editing options. These are the photos I think are most evocative. I’d love to know if you like any of them.

ARTmonday: Caitlin McGauley

You’ve probably seen Caitlin McGauley’s work without even realizing it. She’s done sassy watercolors for Lonny and limited edition prints of luscious interiors for Kate Spade, and even portraits on the spot for chichi style events in New York. Her work is as appealing as her own visage—pretty, spirited, and stylish. She captures the likenesses of strangers on the street, well-known fashion icons, elephants in India, tasseled necklaces, charming foodstuffs, and rooms galore, which are my definite favorites.

While most of her limited edition prints are sold out, you can get an almost daily dose of her cheerful renditions of everyday life on her blog, Caitlin’s Sketchbook.

Caitlin McGauley

Living Room,  Summer Series

Tory Burch

Collector’s Room, Spring Series

Necklaces, Summer Series

Vintage Interior

Kate Spade

Elephant

Grammercy Park, Winter Series

Red Room, Winter Series

New York Junior League House Tour

Rachel Zoe

private commission

personal work

Girl at the Party, Summer Series

Rosé

ARTmonday: Lucie and Simon

Lucie & Simon,  self-taught artists who live in Paris, create photographs that outsmart our perception of reality by staging a quirky view of daily life. Their compositions capture different moods of silent melancholy, in between real life and dreams. Here are 12 images from their Scenes of Life series.

Picture of life, 2008

Last breakfast, 2008

Window on courtyard, 2008

Beyond the sunrise, 2007

The knot of life, 208

The swing, 2008

Alone together, 2008

Missing childhood, 2008

Vertigo, 2008

Beginning of life, 2008

Picture of Julie, 2009

Remember a dream, 2008

ARTmonday: Inge Jacobsen

Using images found in fashion magazines and newspapers, Irish-Danish artist Inge Jacobsen creates textured photo collages by adding embroidery. She sees her technique as a way of linking women’s hobbies from generations ago with hobbies and interests of her own generation. She says, “I can, and have, spent long periods of time reading Vogue magazines just like my grandmother and her sisters spent a long time cross-stitching.”