Surtex 2014

Soon I'll on my way to NYC yet again to visit my agency, see my art on the walls, meet with manufacturers and walk the floor of Surtex, one of the top trade shows for the sale and license of art and design. It's an absolute honor to be represented at this show and my agent does it beautifully. If you'll be attending Surtex or the ICCFF ( one of the BEST shows...inspiration and eye candy galore) I'd love to meet with you, perhaps catch a design presentation or walk a few aisles together.  

Surtex 2013 - Imagine the possibility

SURTEX (Surface & textile design) begins Sunday at the Jacob Javits Center in NYC...It's a fabulous show and I know that my Brand will be represented beautifully by my agency. This is my second year exhibiting at Surtex and it's a show that my design team and I work towards and look forward to all year long. This year, I have designed five brand new collections including my first Holiday collection which I am very excited about.
I've done some of my best work so far this year.  I'm proud of my collections and I know my art is in good hands.  I welcome the opportunity to share my art and vision and am grateful for shows like Surtex which allow manufacturers, artists and agents to all come together in the name of collaboration. I love the feeling right before a big trade show! The energy is palpable and I am imagining the possibility... ~ 

 

Impressions from NYC - Bacova Showroom

This, what greeted me upon walking into the Bacova Showroom at 295 Fifth...

My Bath collection...shower curtains, bath rugs, towels and bath accessories all displayed along the front wall of the showroom... It looked absolutely beautiful and took my breath away. My gratitude to all the kind folks at Bacova, for so warmly welcoming me into their showroom and for presenting my designs in such a striking way. Bed Bath and Beyond has already placed items from my La Mer collection...fingers crossed for continued placement. 

 

Spring Market Week- 2013

Just back from four incredible days in New York City. It always feels like my time there is a whirlwind of activity...jam packed from beginning to end.  And, although the pace is fast and quality sleep is elusive for me, the food is so, so good as is the energy swirling around me and I've learned that I like all that... a lot;)

This trip was in honor of Market Week to see my newest Bath and new Bedding collections which were featured in the home textile showrooms. I am finding it difficult to fully articulate how it actually felt to see my art/designs on all of those beautiful products for the first time...I know how much time and energy went into the design process and it's been a slow but steady progression. But to see it all come together in such a lovely way...well...it's beyond thrilling and a bit overwhelming. I feel immense pride and accomplishment. And gratitude, to my agent for guiding me along. I am genuinely appreciative of all she does for me and my brand.   

I met some wonderful people! Had a memorable dinner with my agent and two new business colleagues who felt like old friends by night's end...I'm still smiling as I think back on the conversation. Enjoyed so much, all who so warmly greeted me in the showrooms...fabulous to finally put faces to names/voices:)   I also had the honor of spending precious time with some very dear friends, such a pleasure.       

I'm learning as I go, quietly watching and listening... absorbing it all. Enjoying these moments, profoundly so. I feel as if I am gently perched on the cusp of... something ...  and I like that feeling a lot, too.

I'll be posting the product photos from the showrooms in the coming days as soon as I get them all sorted. But for now, here's just a few of my favorite impressions from New York City ~ 

 

New License with Tree-Free Greetings

New coffee mugs, anyone?;)

Very pleased to finally share along my new collection of affordable Ceramic Mugs, Stainless Steel Lined Travel Mugs and Acrylic Cool Cups with reusable straws via my license with Tree-Free Greetings, all sold exclusively through Amazon.com.

All three items feature artwork from several of my collections...Many patterns and colorways to choose from so you can mix and match a set by color or collection, or simply choose one that resonates just with you. Pictured are a few of my personal favorites from the collection, showcasing designs that have a modern, organic feel and that look beautiful as part of a set.  The 16 oz mugs are ceramic, solid and heavy in hand which is nice. The art wraps around the mug to about a half inch from the handle. The manufacturer suggests hand washing. The 16 oz stainless steel lined travel cup is great fro hot or cold beverages. The artwork is printed on paper which is secured within the acrylic sleeve, so it is not dishwasher safe...hand wash. The top has a slide opening which is spill resistant. When you view the items make sure to read the detailed descriptions for more information. I am so appreciating all of you who have purchased, plan to purchase and those of you who have shared the link along. 

To see the entire collection of available products and designs, click here!
Thanks as always, for your kind support of my art licensing business! Please do feel free to share the link along if you think others might enjoy this functional yet stylish product line ~

 

Alchemy has arrived!

Something really special about seeing your creative vision come to life...

And that's how it felt as I opened the box that contained my very first collection of fabrics. Alchemy has finally launched via the wonderful team at Blend Fabrics and shipped to retail stores across the country. My samples arrived and I can tell you that seeing my art on this lovely soft cotton fabric was just...fulfilling. The watercolor feel of my designs comes through beautifully...you can really see the gradations of color, like brushstrokes on watercolor paper. The colors are tranquil and soft, the designs modern and organic and the entire collection can be easily mixed and matched. 

I envision a beautiful quilt, pillows, duvet cover, a slipcover for a special chair.... maybe a really cool satchel, or a tunic (yes, that feels like me.. ) If only I knew how to sew.... ;) Wondering, what will you create with my Alchemy collection? 

 

Happy Birthday, Gustav...

I'll never forget the day I stood before Gustav Klimt's famous portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer at the Neue Galerie in NYC....Years ago I wrote about that moment  where I shared one of my Klimt Inspired paintings,  'All My Love'. His work has been a mainstay influence in my work for years ~ Often, direct inspiration for a painting and other times, quiet Klimt-esque elements that subtly find their way into my art. In honor of what would have been Klimt's 150th Birthday, I'm happy to post another special painting titled,  'Fulfillment', directly influenced by Klimt and which has become one of my best selling ketubah and print designs.   Happy Birthday, old man...I'm most grateful for your sweet inspiration ~  

 

Captivated by light, color, line...NYC's High Line

I enjoy a handful of revolving obsessions. Visiting New York City's High Line has been at the top of my list for some time. I first read about it a year ago and it piqued my interest. For the few of you who may not know...the High Line is a public park built atop a historic freight rail line elevated above the streets on Manhattan's West Side.  I had seen photos of the space..intriguing, the way natural plantings, sculptural art and imaginative architectural details were incorporated into a space that is not only functional but also, quite visually inspiring. So, when I found myself in NYC last month for the Surtex show, naturally, I made time for a side trip. 

Yes, it's absolutely worth the trip and yes, bring a camera and try to go on an off hour so you can really wander and play freely up there...So many beautiful angles and juxtapositions of  form, line and light.  But as you'll see from my pics below, I got a bit sidetracked when I noticed the windows.... They were luminous in the afternoon light...Blues and greens, the colors of  the sea. They called to me, of course, the softest opaque glass warmed by the sun. And so I stayed for a while...captivated by the light, the colors, the line. 

 

Baby It's Cold Outside

How can one not be inspired by this?

Look past the ice and see the texture, the sensual line, the shadows, the refraction of light, the colors (lilac, pale pink and the softest golds)...the delicate translucence. I see so much more than icicles when I look upon these stunning images and all I'm thinking, dreaming, longing to do is try to capture the magnificence in a watercolor painting....

Inspiration is the key to any artists true success. It's that magic Muse, that often indefinable yet, oh so recognizable spark that marks the beginning of an idea or vision. It moves you towards creation and often guides you along the way. For me, that moment of inspiration usually begins with the distinct physical sensation of pulse quickening and heart beats which makes perfect sense to me...When we truly pay attention we notice that the heart leads the way, most of the time.

Such is the case with many of my new paintings and designs here in the studio. I've been paying attention to the natural beauty around me and I've been newly inspired and refocused on painting during these cold Winter months. I look forward to sharing my new work with our clients, galleries, stores and friends in the coming weeks. Good stuff coming, that I hope will make your heart beat just a little faster.

New License for Mitzvah Invitations with Carlson Craft

Beyond excited to announce that my entire Bar and Bat Mitzvah Invitation Collection has been exclusively licensed to Carlson Craft, a division of Taylor Corporation which is the worlds largest wedding and social stationery print manufacturer. 

A top priority this year has been to find a new home for our very successful Mitzvah Invitation collection, which our studio has been producing for almost three years. We connected with the lovely folks at Carlson Craft and presented our collection and our vision. They were instantly receptive and welcoming and we knew that we had found the right production/marketing/sales partner for this special collection.

The Invitation collection has been wildly popular with families seeking an artistic invitation, something beyond the cookie cutter invites that seem to saturate the market. Carlson Craft produces a Mazel Tov Album which 7000 dealers nationwide use to show and sell invitations for the lucrative Bar and Bat Mitzvah niche market. Our entire collection will be featured in the Mazel Tov album as well as showcased on Carlson Craft's websites for easy online ordering, available this Spring.

We made the New York Times

"...this piece of paper, this beautiful piece of art, is the sign of our covenant.” ~Sally Austin

Christians Embrace a Jewish Wedding Tradition~ New York Times(click to read)

A sweet mention in the New York Times!! The article features Sally and Mark Austin, one of our Ketubahtree.com wedding clients who wanted to incorporate the Jewish tradition of signing a Ketubah (A wedding certificate that combines beautiful artwork and wedding vows) into their wedding ceremony. We were thrilled to be able to recommend one of our couples to be interviewed for the New York Times article and even happier to see acknowledgment of this growing trend. Then again, our studio has been proudly creating ketubot for Jewish, Interfaith and Non Jewish couples for over 10 years ;) We wish the best to the Austin's and thank them, for their kind words about our art.

 

Ketubah Featured in Martha Stewart Weddings Magazine

What a sweet surprise to see a beautiful picture of one of my Ketubah (custom fine art wedding certificate) designs featured in a wedding spread within the Fall issue of Martha Stewart Weddings magazine!Amanda and Douglas's storybook wedding took place in Italy at Villa del Balbianello, a stunning chateau on Lake Como. The couple looked picture perfect and the setting, sublime. I am honored that they chose my popular Ahava Ketubah design and thrilled to see a great photograph of Doug signing the Ketubah on wedding day. Click hereto see more beautiful photos from this enchanting wedding on MarthaStewartWeddings.com.

I invite you to visit my Ketubahtree.com website to see all of my fine art Ketubot, Wedding certificates and Mitzvah Invitations 

 

Artist Inspiration - Egon Schiele

Austrian Painter, Egon Schiele (1890-1918)

"At present, I am mainly observing the physical motion of mountains, water, trees and flowers. One is everywhere reminded of similar movements in the human body, of similar impulses of joy and suffering in plants." E. Schiele


I had the pleasure of closely viewing many of Schiele's drawings and sketches at the Neue Galerie in New York a few years ago. His figurative works are easily defined by the detailed bone structure he managed to capture...the bones, muscle and joints beneath the skin. Notable was the absolute delicacy of each often heavy, line...a talent to express strength, grace and sinew all within the same line...don't you think?


Having studied and worked alongside fellow Modernism heavy weights such as Gustav Klimt and Oskar Kokoscha, many of his portraits, erotic in nature, have a tense beauty that seems to come from within. Schiele favored geometric shapes and his portraits have a twisting, bending, jerky, angled presence about them. Favoring a muddier palette, his work was often punctuated with jolts of intense color. His paintings and sketches are both visually

stunning and unnerving at the same time.

 

Georgia O'keeffe Abstractions Exhibit


I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn't say any other way - things I had no words for~ Georgia O'Keeffe


A recent visit to the Phillips Collection museum in Washington DC to see the Georgia O'Keeffe Abstractions exhibit left me newly inspired and exhilarated. Featuring more than 100 Watercolor and Oil paintings, this gorgeous exhibit focuses on O'Keeffe's lesser known Abstract works...beautiful gems, delicate and serene.

I have seen O'Keeffe's work up close before...notably her most famous, and easily recognizable paintings of animal skulls, seashells and sensual flowers. However many times I stood before those famous works, as lovely as they were, never was I moved to silence. I viewed the art and certainly enjoyed the simplicity of the way in which she seemed to so effortlessly capture objects, but that's where it ended for me. I never had a "Gustav Klimt Moment" as I like to call it....a moment where, when viewing a piece of art, all else falls away, leaving just me and the painting alone in the room...my own breath and heartbeat, the only sounds I hear. That is, until I saw the Abstractions exhibit.

This collection of paintings is so gentle, sensual, evocative, erotic and dreamy. Her color palettes go from soft and serene to joltingly energetic. Her lines are exquisite and each piece evokes feeling, emotion, sensitivity and thought. There is an honest integrity in O'Keeffe's work. A genuineness and a purity of soul that comes through so strongly in those brushstrokes. In the end, her abstract paintings ultimately feel like an abstracted portrait of a woman who simply wanted to paint what she felt inside. And I can't help but relate so deeply to that part of her.

And so, with that clarity of thought filling me, validating me, empowering me... I pick up my paintbrush, turn up the music and simply, paint....