Mexican Saddles
The exhibit Art en la Charreria: The Artisanship of the Mexican Equestrian Culture shows incredibly ornate and intricate design work in these Mexican saddles — exquisite detailing and fine craftsmanship of tooling leather, spurs and ironwork — all attire of the Mexican cowboys in the early 20th century. This also reminds me and parallels the exhibit that my husband and I just recently saw at the National Gallery of Art on Spanish armory, The Art of Power, Royal Armor and the Portraits of Imperial Spain.
Cascade
I have to say, I was very taken with designer Michelle Brand’s Cascade design. It is made of 600 plastic bottles that have been cut and assembled to form a beautiful sculptural fountain. I love that everyday items can be recycled into art. That’s a lot of water…. I was looking for Irma Thomas’ Blackwater Blues, which I love, but ran across this John Lee Hooker classic called Tupelo, also known as Blackwater Blues. Since I’m in New Orleans, I thought this would be rather appropriate to Kick Start the Weekend. Let’s hope there’s not a hurricane brewin’ where I’m going. I also discovered in this search process that Irma…
Framing Design
This is the way I view art sometimes — as practical design. I view design as a subcategory of an overall umbrella description of art that in this case can be enjoyed and serves as a practical purpose. I’m a decorative finisher with a background in Art History, so when I go into a museum to view masterful artwork, I am always looking at the walls and the over all exhibition design. The two work together to give the total effect. If these sofa fabrics can be framed, then certainly this sofa by Italian designer Gaetano Pesce can be viewed as art as well. It’s only $23,500, museum prices by…
