Pop Pyrotechnics

Many thanks to artist and designer April Rose for posting these explosive

Japanese treats!

Happy 4th!

eBay Eyes: Ikebana Vases

Yes, Ikebana may be described as Japanese flower arranging. But it's much more than that. It is also an art form, a philosophy, and a ritual dating back hundreds of years. Which all leads me to believe that there is probably more to Ikebana vases than what meets the eye. While I know nothing of what the specific guidelines or requisite qualities are for these presentation vessels, I do know that I keep finding myself attracted to their whimsical and even outrageous forms. As singular objects, they become miniature sculptures evoking styles from Henry Moore to Richard Serra. Come to think of it, if you combine them with bonsai trees, you could fashion a table-top sculpture park!

Another installment of “eBay Eyes,” where I present visual treats from that ever-expanding, electronic mega-marketplace. (link)

Kusama, Spot On

"...a polka-dot has the form of the sun, which is a symbol of the energy of the whole world and our living life, and also the form of the moon, which is calm. Round, soft, colorful, senseless and unknowing. Polka-dots become movement... Polka dots are a way to infinity." Yayoi Kusama

There will be no shortage of dots in New York City this summer. In particular, white dots on red, but also dot/ground combinations of white, black, red, and yellow. A retrospective of the dot-obsessed 83-year old Japanese artist, Yayoi Kusama, is on view at the Whitney, while elsewhere around town, Louis Vuitton is featuring a Kusama-inspired collection in their windows.

There’s lots to read about the artist, whose life is an ongoing performance piece, and there are plenty of videos on YouTube to check out.

Here are some iPhone pix from the Whitney party.

You will definitely want to see the the fabulously trippy installation, Fireflies on the Water.

As I was leaving the museum, I met the Ariel, the “Anti-dot.” He effortlessly carried off an elegant ensemble--shirt, tie, vest, and trousers--of dark blue toile on cream. 

Black & Blue, with Points

MoMA 25th Anniversary Bulletin. I think that what I like most about the bold cover design by Leo Leonni, are those quiet lines of type.

Chichu Art Museum in Naoshima, Japan.

Two works by California hard-edge painter John Barbour, mid 1960s.

Found Polaroids, subject matter, unknown.

I’m still working on a term for these images that share similarities in appearance, but otherwise have no connection (see Of eBay and Empires).  Suggestions are welcome.

The ABCs of Fairy Dust

Very few stores are better at sensory overload than ABC Carpet & Home. Even when you think you cannot absorb one more dazzling display, pattern, color or texture, ABC’s “Visual Team” successfully manages to impose yet another layer of retinal stimulation.

So it was at a recent event held at the store, that I found myself under the spell of what the ABC employees call “fairy dust.” It might appear as glittery graffiti on a mid-century étagère, or as carefully arranged dried buds peeking out from under a porcelain dinner plate. Even when the pixies take it up a notch for special events the effect remains subtle as the sparkles, petals and powders blend naturally with the flickering candles and the ambient surface reflections. After last week’s Apartment Therapy meetup, where Mira Nakashima-Yarnall, daughter of George Nakashima, talked about the work of Nakashima Studios, I had to take a closer look at these ethereal flourishes.



“Fairy dust” also graces the always otherworldly store windows.



















Mira Nakashima-Yarnall, signing books, after her presentation.