Posts from March 2022

nature knows

March 29, 2022

Every year around this time I see tulip leaves emerging in the gardens around Victoria College and I worry that they’re too eager, that they won’t survive another Spring snowfall. “Why would you leave your cozy bunker for the wicked chills of lingering winter?” I ask them. “Stay put, little blooms.” But the tulips ignore my pleas. They know better. I see these ones bloom year after year. They’re a vibrant red and bring a splash of majesty to the grounds of the college. Spring is always a bit of a miracle, isn’t it?

around and around

March 25, 2022

Custom rosettes in velvet and grosgrain by Leila Sanderson.

Harriet Powers’ quilting legacy.

Hinke Weikamp’s nature inspired monoprints.

An eclectic home in Mexico City.

A kitchen of soft edges and pastels.

Garth Buckles‘ ancient oaks.

metal works

March 25, 2022

Adele Brereton‘s vessels, crafted from silver and gold, look like they might have washed up from the ocean, or fallen from a magical tree. They look like fragments of a larger vessel. Made from a flat sheet of metal and using ancient techniques such as hammering, her delicate bowls are destined to contain your most precious items. Her jewellery –– delicate pendants and textured rings –– is simple and beautifully crafted. Heirlooms, one might say.

artist as sea

March 23, 2022

Sax Impey‘s work is inspired by his experiences at sea. He’s clocked thousands of nautical miles delivering yachts to places all over the world. Impey’s paintings are so beautifully atmospheric, as are is his highly detailed pencil drawings. It’s his most recent seascapes that I am most drawn to, that show the many moods of the ocean.

light as air

March 22, 2022

The heavier the world feels, the lighter this blog gets. Springs salads, Hyacinths in handmade vases, flamingo pink guest loos. My best writing comes when I have room to think, when I have to room to reflect. And in order to do that, I need to release air from the balloon, so to speak. The key for me is that I keep writing, even if what I have to say is as frothy as a cappuccino. Because when the urge does come for me to express something weightier, I’m more likely to have the words.

spring salad

March 21, 2022

I always feel bad when someone makes the effort to slice mango into a salad only to see me pushing it to the edge of my plate. Same goes for Kiwi. Ew. But this citrus salad looks delicious. Somehow oranges and grapefruits seem so much more palatable in a salad. I love adding fresh herbs –– mint, dill, flat-leaf parsley –– to a salad, and I’d sprinkle some pecorino shavings on top, too. Al fresco lunches; we’re almost there, folks.

in the shade

March 18, 2022

This lamp, designed by emerging talent, Oscar Piccolo is so beautiful I want to carry it around like a little parasol. Affectionately called the, ‘lampada cappello’, –– cappello means hat in Italian –– the pleated lampshade sits on a squiggly base that makes it easy to twist around. Inspired by vintage hats Piccolo found at a local charity shop, the lamp is available in a range of chic colours. “I wanted to make a subtle lamp that’s not too imposing,” Piccolo says. “One that’s beautiful, even when it’s off.” Have a look at Piccolo’s London flat; white washed walls and a minimal aesthetic are an ideal canvas for this designer’s creative mind.

around and around

March 18, 2022

Dancing bedouins by Inge Morath.

Claudia Rankin’s happy-making pottery.

Culinary photographer, Franck Hamel.

The flower that walks by Fernand Léger.

Yoshishige Saito‘s blue.

material matters

March 16, 2022

Yutaka Yoshinaga‘s artworks have the look of paint peeling from a wall. Drawn on traditional Japanese washi paper using dry pigments, colour and texture are both central to his work. The pieces are like unfolded origami. “The life of materials,” every crease, blemish and repair, is what intrigues him. I find them very beautiful, but it’s his meditative pace –– Yoshinaga works on one square at a time –– and his respect for what happens to his materials over time, that I find inspiring.

flat pack

March 15, 2022

I’m always inspired by artists who stretch the boundaries of traditional ceramics. Willem van Hooff‘s playful vessels are flat versions of traditional three dimensional shapes. They’re about 10 cm thick and made from joining two thick slabs of clay together. “Willem prioritizes experimentation, freedom and fun in his approach: often shaping works by hand and deliberately distorting their proportions, adding a personal touch that he finds lacking in the era of mass-production and consumerism.” His Core series is inspired by prehistoric African building techniques. Each vessel is functional –– as was always the case with traditional African pottery –– with a secret chamber in which to carry water. I find the work fabulously original, and that it’s functional, adds to its appeal.

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