Wishing each of you a very happy holiday. Thank you for your encouragement this year and allowing us to add a bit of color to your world. We truly appreciate the support you have shown through your regular visits, comments, and emails. We look to getting to know you better during a very colorful 2008.

In celebration of the holiday I thought I would share a few of the holiday decorations I viewed recently.

Holiday Glamour Tree designed by Jamie Drake

Glamorous gold adds a warm glow to the holidays and shines beautifully as it adorns the Holiday Glamour themed tree that greets guest at the Four Seasons Hotel in the Georgetown section of Washington, DC.

The decorated tree is the creation of master designer Jamie Drake of Drake Design Associates in NYC and was one of the trees up for auction at the Georgetown Jingle charity event held to benefit the wonderful Pediatric programs at Georgetown University Hospital.

Jamie has created some of the country’s most dynamic, distinctive, and livable interiors for everyone from Madonna to New York City Mayor Bloomberg. He recently completed the renovation of Gracie Mansion, the ceremonial residence of the Mayor of New York.

In addition to having a phenomenal ability to work his magic in both traditional and contemporary interiors, he uses color boldly, fearlessly, and with great flair. What a talent! I’m a big fan of his and enjoyed seeing him while he was in DC.

Jamie Drake with Kate at the Georgetown Jingle

The beautiful suzani fabric from Donghia seen in my photo with Jamie Drake above and the one below was the inspiration for this festive tabletop designed by David Herchik of JDS Designs.

A suzani is delicate needlework on cloth and has been part of Central Asia’s folk art history for centuries. Donghia has updated the suzani with unexpected colors while capturing this time-honored art in its true form.

One Thousand and One Nights of Hope designed by David Herchik

The jewel tones celebrate the mysticism of far away lands and set the mood for a modern holiday dining experience. David’s delightful wit shows up in his designs as he mixes fine china and crystal with bright acrylic flatware.

The design and decoration of the tree created by Robert Pahnke and Susan Pilchard reflects the style, color, simplicity and rhythm of the artist of the Washington Color School.

In the style of the Washington Color School artists

The bold color, scale, design particularly pay homage to Gene Davis a key painter of the movement. The bright white tree illuminated with white lights create a backdrop reminiscent of the walls in Jefferson Place Gallery and show off the painting of fabric that twist around the branches from bottom to top.

This tree is a beautiful reminder of a time when Washington, DC was in the forefront as the United States developed their own movements in the arts.   

Leave a comment (No comments yet) · Bookmark this post

Michael James, a world-renowned quilt artist, has a well-honed sense of color that is expressed in each of his quilts.

Examples of his quilts are included in the collections of the Smithsonian Institute, the American Craft Museum, and the International Quilt Study Center.

Michael left painting behind to pursue artistic expression through quilt-making. A bold move into a medium that wasn’t, at that point, considered art and was traditionally thought to be a female pursuit.

Following his passion paid off, as Michael has not only produced an amazing body of work, but has also been credited with almost singlehandedly moving quilts from home craft into the world of fine art.

The quilt pictured here is an example of the style that he is most recognized for.

Many years ago, as a students in one of his workshops, I had what I consider to be one of my great “color moments.”

Each student had painted a color wheel that included twelve colors that resonated with themselves, personally. Michael picked my palette out from a wall full of wheels and commented that whoever painted it had a “sophistocated sense of color.”

What unexpected and wonderful recognition from the master himself! A fascinating artist that has often ruffled the feathers of fellow artists and quilters with his views, Michael continues to push himself and his art beyond accepted boundaries.

In the last few years, his art has undergone a radical shift, and you can view his current work on his website.

If you’re interested in learning more about Michael and his art, there is a book that includes a look at many of the earlier quilts that I recommend: Michael James: Art and Inspiration

Photos from the Smithsonian Institutes’s Renwick Gallery website.   

Leave a comment (No comments yet) · Bookmark this post

When I buy a gourmet cookbook, I know I may never cook a recipe that has multiple steps and takes hours to complete. But I still enjoy reading the recipes and taking away the inspiration to create a fabulous meal for my family and friends.

Like a gourmet cookbook, Elaine Eskesen’s Dyeing to Knit is thoroughly enjoyable, even if you are not sure you are ready to dye your own yarn. The book is filled with beautiful photos, wonderful color combinations, design ideas, and fun techniques that you can pour over for hours.

In the opening chapter, Elaine shares her love of color and the sources of her inspiration for the colors she chooses. She then takes her readers through an easy-to- follow understanding of color, their relationships, and provides knitted samples to show the interaction between colors when knitted together.

Elaine’s style is so charming that she may lure even the most reluctant knitter to try creating their own color scheme.

If you do decide to try your hand at dyeing, you will be pleased to find clear instructions and recommended tools and dyes that are easily accessible, plus fun ideas for mixing colors to produce unique effects.

In the chapter on design, Elaine tells us how she thinks about designing the pieces she knits and reveals that she doesn’t “do complicated knitting” but rather projects that she can “pick up at any moment.”

In addition, six knitting designers share their inspiration and Elaine talks about specific artists and how they have influenced some of her designs.

Patterns for items that easily incorporate color and texture are included, but by the time you reach the last chapter, you may already be putting together an idea for your own design.

Visit Elaine’s Shop, Pine Tree Yarn

See Dyeing to Knit at Amazon.com   

Leave a comment (No comments yet) · Bookmark this post

In my never-ending quest for color and creative ideas, I found this website that I think is simply wonderful, and I wanted to share it with you.

Etsy is a marketplace for arts and crafts filled with beautiful handmade items like the polka dot wristband from fresh popcorn. I love the brightly colored dots and it reminded me of Etsy’s awesome “Shop By Color” section.

I stopped back at the site again this evening and had so much fun playing with the colors, looking at all of the imaginative products available, and reading the artist bios, that I have ended up doing more browsing and buying than writing.

Check it out - but if an hour from now you’re still there, you can’t say I didn’t warn you!   

Leave a comment (No comments yet) · Bookmark this post