Moving On

 

This is the last post on this blog location. It's a long and boring story.

Before I became so tech savvy (not), my sweet daughter created this

blog for me. Now that I can (barely) figure it out for myself, I need to

have my own big girl blog

.

So I will be shutting this one down.

Please check out www.kathleentaylorstudio2.blogspot.com

 

Same stuff. Different location.

 

Thanks for reading my ramblings and come on over to the

new location!



Iris Apfel and Being Yourself

I keep seeing Iris Apfel here and there in the media.
She is definitely worthy of the coverage.
I think she's in her late eighties or early nineties.
Still out there, being relevant.

I remember seeing her at the NY Gift Show a few years ago.
Our booth was on the Pier.
( I loved being able to walk to the far side of the building
and seeing the aircraft carrier, Intrepid, out the window.)

The Intrepid is huge and awe inspiring.
Kind of like Iris, but she's not huge.

Back to the Gift Show. 
Iris and her husband stopped at the booth across from us.
Chris sells one of a kind vintage Suzani rugs. Anthropologie, ABC
Home and Jonathan Adler vie for her time and rugs.
Iris strolled by, stopped to inspect the goods and decided
she wanted one particular Suzani.
She wanted to have it made into a shawl.

I love love that kind of thinking outside of the box. Taking the joy in her
individuality and style. We tend to choose the safety of Pottery Barn decor
and Gap dressing. It all matches and you don't have to think much.
Your friends will approve because they've seen it before
and it's safely acceptable.

The same is true of art and painting. It's easy and profitable to paint images
 that we see everywhere. Put a bird on it, as Carrie and Fred say.
The true self expression is in finding your own "Suzani".
Taking an idea that charms and appeals to you and running free with it.
It takes courage.

Iris Apfel has had her own show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's
Fashion Institute.Pretty cool.
That kind of individual style inspires me to try
and follow my own path and passion.

Think about it.

Catching Up

 

It's been a busy summer and fall. We just got back from the most awesome cross country vacation. We drove thru 15 states and clocked 4000 miles. Visiting the National Parks was just the best kind of getaway. Arches, Zion and the Grand Canyon. The frosting on the cake was a day in Santa Fe and a visit to the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum. Now we're back home and happy to be here.

 

I love what I do, I love my house and home. I'm very blessed.

 

Getting space and time out of the studio always provides new perspectives. I am not painting

canyons and mesas. But I have lots of ideas I want to try that popped into my head while on

the road. I have to say, nothing feels more luxurious than being the passenger on a long ride.

I get to read and nap and sketch. Sometimes, I knit. It's the little things, right?

 

 Saturday and Sunday I'll be at the Norcross Festival in downtown Historic Norcross, GA.

It's a great family show - you can check it out at www.splashfestivals.com



Larry and Lady Bird

Larry Bird and his best bud, Lady Bird came to

 life last week in the studio. Larry is on the right.

He's a boy. Of course, he's taller

.

Birds keep showing up in my work. More and more

birdies. Different shapes and sizes. I'm not sure why

I am so enamored of them right now. I do know that I like

 how I can divide up their bodies into any kind of design and paint them

in fanciful colors .Most of the time they can fit into blank spaces

 on the canvas and create color and movement.

 Lord knows, I abhor a vacuum.

Also, they remind me of Fred and Carrie in Portlandia, putting a bird on it.

 

I used my complete supply of vintage yardsticks to

make the frames. I love them. I find standard frames

 plain and boring and lacking in creativity. The

un-standard frames I favor just have so much more character.

 

 Larry and Lady will be on display

at the Country Living Fair  in Atlanta next weekend -

October 25, 27 and 28 at Stone Mountain Park

in Stone Mountain, GA. This is the most fun and

inspiring show I do each year. No disrespect to

the other great shows I do. I love each

of them. ( Otherwise I would not expend the sweat,

lack of sleep and energy that it takes to set up and sell

 my wares at each and every one. )

 

It's just that Country Living has it all. It's like the magazine

has come to life and you can talk to and buy from the

lovely glossy pages. I know. It sounds a little weird.

But it's true. This year they have pre-sold tickets to the

show in 42 states. Yes. That's 42 states. Women fly

and drive into Atlanta from all over the country. They

know why they want to get there and see it. The energy

created between the buyers and the creative vendors

is the best. One big happy family. If you can make it,

come on out and see us. You can check out the show

info at www.stellashows.com.

 

 Larry and Lady Bird will be happy to see  you.

 



What We Pay Forward

I've been in the studio a lot for the past two weeks.

"Stitch" is a new collage/mixed media piece that I

just finished. It's a tribute to the way life used

to be. Thrifty and practical were traits to be proud of.

My Mom had them in spades. She was a child of the

Great Depression. My Grandfather was a plumber back

then and he always had work and income. Her family lived in 

Gloria Swanson's  house in those days. A family of seven

 and they used  half the house.

 I loved the stories of those days when I was little. 

 The lessons of that era were ingrained in my mother.

 We remade and recycled and saved. It was a virtue.

Most of my dresses were made at the sewing machine.

We'd go to the local five and dime ( a non-existent

retail concept now...) and pick out a pattern and

fabric. At home she'd clear the dining room

table and lay out the fabric, pin the pattern and

cut the odd shaped pieces out. The sewing machine

would be set up and a pretty new dress

emerged from the presser foot.

I don't think this tradition will see a revival

any time in the near future. I want to honor

my Mother and those rituals that are gone.

Many of the needlework projects that she

made for her family are still being used and loved.

She lives on through these things. Her legacy

is honored this way.

Midsummer Thoughts

It's been a busy Spring and Summer here. As it is for everyone - I tend to get

lost in the details and lose my overall focus - making sure I keep a presence

in cyberspace. I've felt like being quiet which is definitely bad marketing.

These months have been bountiful. Four grandchildren marked another birthday.

On Friday we welcomed our seventh - a beautiful little boy, Matteo David. He's

healthy and doing great. And I love that name. As our 7 year old grand Ella says -

" His name is Italy-ish." Italy-ish fits right into a family whose ancestors carried

the names Antonucci and Arcidiacono.

Tomorrow I leave for our annual family reunion/celebration. I feel so blessed.

I have work that I love and a happy healthy family that wants to be together

whenever we can. After the tragedy in Colorado I am more grateful than

ever for my ordinary life and all it's blessings. Grateful for my little wings

 that work hard to keep me aloft.

Decatur Arts Festival

Both of these collage pieces sold this weekend at the Decatur Arts Festival.

Despite the 90+++ degree heat, it was a great show. I got to meet lots of

interesting folks and see old art friends. The image below is a 40th anniversary present for someone's parents who are 70. They must be pretty hip. I love knowing who is going to live with my art. 99% of the time I think the art and the buyer are a perfect match.

This jpeg is a detail of the collage that I titled " The Proposal".

It was gratifying to sell a bunch of the collages. They're a little quirky but

Decatur gets quirky. I love doing collage. It's even better to know that

I can SELL collage. I'll be setting up shop at the Virginia Highlands Summerfest

on Friday. Another very hot weekend to come. Looking forward to the fun. It's a

great show in one of my favorite Atlanta neighborhoods.