Great Kitchens

In my house, my family spends most of our time in the kitchen, so I have always seen this room as a very important piece of a home. It must not only be aesthetically pleasing, but it must be functional, it must be both warm and clean. 

I love all three of these kitchens because they are all different but similar. I ordered them from least to most traditional. All three are classic kitchens, but I mean traditional in terms of classic - a long table with china displayed on a shelf rather than exposed wood beams or pots hung on the wall. They all have that sense of warmness - a place a family could gather, and are all tidey and practical rooms.

-Martel

For.Like.Ever....will I love this

Jessie Randall's (and her husband, creators of the gorgeous line Loeffer Randall) townhouse in Brooklyn is probably my favorite "urban" home. I am always drawn to suburban, if not beach homes, but I obviously appreciate the well decorated brownstone.

I love the slight but totally present femininity of everything. The antique fireplace and ceiling molding evoke an airy and ladylike sense, but the addition of sturdy linear furnature tone it down just to the right level. I painted my room at home the same beige that accompanies the walls behind the fireplace (very neautral of course), and if I remember correctly the wallpaper between the two windows is that of some vintage designer.
This room makes me so giddy, I can't even tell you.
Its 65 degrees right now so I'm not about to sit on the computer any longer!

-Martel

Photo of the Day: March 6th, 2009, taken in Martha's Vineyard, in July 2006

Again a Vineyard scene. I love boats of all kinds, but particularly this scene, both because in the foreground there is a sailboat of magnificent proportion gliding across the cerulean blue waters but also because the entire background is peppered with tiny white sailboat sails. The boat in the foreground is the main focal point, one that represents a history of what the Vineyard is. The white bottom draws the eye downward first, but the the stone wall cuts across the midsection and pulls the eye back up again.


I don't have much to say today but this. I hope this picture represents something for you. All I know is that it makes me miss summer every time I look at it.

-Maddie

I'm not good at taking giant leaps, I guess

Today I get to put up something that's mine. The funny part is... this project ended up being the least "me" I have ever seen. This doesn't mean I don't like it, because I do, but I have never created something like this before - I always have total control over my work but I decided to take a risk and dodge that tendency. The assignment was broad: a "mark-making series". After much of my typical thoughts - very intricate, natural, and serene imagery - I plunged into something irregular. I mixed ink with bubbles (yes, like the ones you played with as a kid) and literally just blew them until the cows came home. Some I stuck up on the wall and let the bubbles drip down the page. It was like playing!

(#3 from the series)

I actually had fun doing this, and realized that so often my works involve something about childhood; usually it's something legible, but even when it's not, even when I'm not trying, it appears... now in the form of bubbles. I believe myself to be mature for my age, wanting to be out of school sitting in a comfy house by the beach with my life partner, but strangely my childhood impacts me in such a way, on a daily basis, that it seeps into everything I do. Somehow, everything I create is a reflection of my childhood, that easy wholesome life. I guess I played with bubbles a lot as a kid. Maybe my next piece will be with side-walk chalk....

-Martel

Photo of the Day: March 4th, 2009, taken in Martha's Vineyard, in July 2007

Today's a lucky day, because it's a two picture day. Occasionally I will have trouble picking just one picture for that day's post, so I will put two up, and it's one of those days. On the notion that we really only like J.Crew and Nantucket Blend Coffee (thank you, Green Mountain), I've decided to post two pictures that remind me of those things.


The first image is notable for a variety of reasons. First, it doesn't look like the Vineyard at all, but it is, I can promise. Second, if you take a look at the top right corner, overlapping the power lines is a resulting reflection from the window of the car that I was sitting in upon capturing this image. In that reflection there are sailboats, and a very typically Vineyard scene. How magnificent, then, that one side of a highway leads to what looks like a destructive thunderstorm and the other to a calm, magnificent Vineyard scene. It shows the power of perception to be able to decipher this image.

The second image has always been one of my all time favorites. It is so picturesque and quiet yet has an astounding presence. The boat's top, a faded nantucket red, is gorgeous, and the little house off in the left corner, a pair of white Adirondack chairs in the distance, reminds me of all things perfect. It's a summer, kind of wonderful image (you know the type), and reminds me every day that what you see sometimes really is what you get, and often that is more than enough.

-Maddie

Well, I'm not a photographer BUT

Ok so Maddie has already posted twice and I haven't done a thing! As a studio art student, it's not as easy to produce works and get them on the computer in basically no time, therefore I won't always be posting my work, but I will be continuously posting some of my inspiration and muses, as I am a serious interior-design freak and keep a collection, a stock, or a hoard if you must - of my influences. I keep all of my imagery electronically and in paper files; this is quite literally my obsession, studio art is just a peripheral activity.

Today I give you one of my favorite homes out there - India Hick's picturesque abode in the Bahamas:

I love white, and she uses it so perfectly. I rarely think walls should be colored, and if they are I strongly urge a neutral palette. Bringing in tropical, eastern, & bohemian elements makes white walls simply a canvas, and that's what rooms should be. I could write a novel on this house, so I will leave with that for now.

-Martel

[Images from www.dominomag.com]

Photo of the Day: March 3rd, 2009, taken in Pittsburgh, PA, in August 2008

Showin' some hometown love today!

So today I thought I would give a shout out to Pittsburgh with one of my favorite pictures, possibly of all time. This is the inside of one of Pittsburgh's very famous bridges that hover over the three rivers. Bridges in general are fascinating, but Pittsburgh's are significant because they present a picture of what kind of a place the city is. It gives a picture of its past as a steel town and has some great photographic opportunities.

I love photographing architecture because there are so many sides to a structure, not just literally but figuratively as well. Everyone sees a different side to a building or structure. To some, it is just that: a building or a structure. To others, what's in front of them is a series of lines, a set of mazes, or even a piece of artwork. Some see the past, some the present, and many the future. Buildings and structures have a beautiful and unique history, very often telling a story of the past that created them.

So until tomorrow, here's an image for you.
-Maddie

Photo of the Day: March 2nd, 2009, taken at Eastern Market in Washington, D.C., in November 2007

It isn’t often that I display my work. After all, I’m convinced that artistic expression is in many ways a personal endeavor, a quiet, simple way to express creative thought. As a photographer, however, and one that is both published and paid to engage the world through a lens, I feel I must share my work, both for comment and critique and to get a better handle on what it could mean to take this to a professional level.

This site is the first step in launching a potential professional career in photography. After all, the most important part of a photographer’s well-being, and success, is the opinion of the public on their work. So I will be providing you with daily photos, taken over the course of my career, some for fun, some for personal use, and some for my career as a freelanced photographer for multiple organizations. I ask for your critiques, questions, thoughts, and comments. If you are interested in purchasing any of the photographs you see here, please contact me at sullim321@gmail.com.

So until tomorrow, here's an image for you.

-Maddie