ARTmonday: Crowded Beaches

Italian photographer Massimo Vitali is one of the the most known contemporary chroniclers of the crowded beach; his work is au courant for sure. Before Vitali, there was Weegee, a photographer and photojournalist, known for his gritty black and white images, including those of crowded Coney Island. (Incidentally, Coney Island was the beach of my toddlerhood. I was born in Brooklyn, a trend-setter from a very early age.) 

The other day I picked up three pieces of art at Delray Art & Framing (have a look at my  no longer bare beach condo wall), where Joe Davis’ aerial paintings of beaches dotted with sunbathers always hang. Yes, lucky me, I’m in Florida. It’s sunny, a tad breezy, not too hot. The ocean is 100 shades of blue. The beach is, well, a little bit crowded. But really, I’m not complaining, because a crowded beach is better than no beach at all. Especially given that my husband is home in Boston, where it just keeps snowing. (Sorry sweetheart.)

Here are 15 scenes of crowded beaches and waters, some more than others. And almost all are for sale (many as inexpensive prints), so if you’re tempted, click through. You should at least be able to gaze at the beach if you can’t be there, even if it’s a crowded beach.

Crowded Ocean Beach Swimmers Bryan Solarski

Beach Goers • Bryan Solarski • UGallery

beach-pattern-alejandra-click

Beach Pattern • Alejandra Click • Society 6

beaches-XV-oliver-kornblum

Beaches XV • Oliver Kornblum • Saatchi Art

beach-tim-kleyn

Beach • Tim Kleyn • Society 6

beach-do-da

Beach • Do Da • Society 6

beach-pau-salazar

Beach • Pau Salazar • Society 6

crowded-beach-camilla-warburton

Crowded Beach • Camilla Warburton • Society 6

Built Up Beach Art Etsy

Beach Crowd • Seven Eleven Studios • Etsy

Beach Scene Margarita Kazanovich

Beach of Cadiz • Margartia Kazanovick • Saatchi Art

crowded-beach-joe-davis-delray-art

Joe Davis • Delray Art

coney-island-beach-mina-teslaru

Coney Island Beach • Mina Teslaru • Society 6

beach-jennifer-mcmahon

Beach • Jennifer McMahon • Society 6

sunbathers-the-333-aliance

Sunbathers • The 333 Alliance • Etsy

*           *           *

Shop the carefully curated collection of artwork at Serena & Lily >

Shop Serena & Lily Art Collection

Gift Guide: Valentine’s Day Hearts You’d Actually Want

Last week, I put together a gift guide of heart-shaped goodies that you’d actually want (unlike, say, a pink heart-shaped diamond engagement ring) for KEEP (it’s like Pinterest but all shop-able; definitely check out my KEEP collections). I’m porting it over here today for you, since we’re getting pretty close to the big day. Flowers die, sparkly jewelry, cashmere sweaters, edgy tableware, mid-century modern chairs, and vintage Chanel are much more appreciated. Here are 10 heart-shaped Valentine’s Day gifts that even would-be heart haters wouldn’t be able to resist.

Heart Shaped Gifts For Valentine's Day
S H O P P I N G 

1. Cashmere Sweater With Cross Heart Face

2. Brown Diamond Heart Drop Earrings

3. Neon Heart Art Print

4. Black & White Graphic Heart Scarf

5. Fragile Hearts Splatter Bowl

6. Alex Woo Heart Pendant on a Ball Chain

7. Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Heart Pop

8. Vintage Chanel Heart-Shaped Minaudière

9. Hot Pink Diary With Heart Lock

10. Verner Panton Heart Cone Chair

*            *           *
Shop Valentine’s Day confections at Dean & Deluca >

Edible Valentine's Day Gifts Dean & Deluca

Carrot Currency: Water Gallery

With life being hectic every single second with constant appointments and snow days , I welcomed an inquiry from Water Gallery to become a StyleCarrot sponsor. Water Gallery is an ecommerce site offering all types of indoor and outdoor water features, including stone fountains for the garden, LED bubble panels, and wall fountains. There are even art fountains, which are custom freestanding panels featuring artistic designs, over which water rushes down. They sell ethanol glass fireplaces too, which might be more appropriate, seeing how there’s a big storm coming.

But looking onward (summer, warmth, sun, gardens), Water Gallery has indoor fountains and outdoor fountains constructed from a variety of natural materials including copper, stainless steel, slate, marble, and glass, which can be customized, along with the sizing. If you have the space for a fountain indoors, it would definitely help cultivate some serenity, and as an added bonus, they also function as natural humidifiers.

I think my favorite options are the stone fountains that would look lovely nestled into a garden, or in the corner of a patio. I’ve put together a collage of half a dozen outdoor stone fountains with a modern, elegant, and rugged sensibility, all from Water Gallery.

Outdoor Stone Garden Water Fountains