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Pictures from Canyon Road

We don't get up to Canyon Road nearly enough.  There is one gallery in particular....Chalk Farm....that we love to visit. They refer to their art as visionary.  I guess I would call it fantasy.  Visiting the gallery gives me a sense of wonder...like I had when I was little.  A time when bears played with butterflies, rocks came alive, and a girl could have a tiger as a guardian.

Some other art up on Canyon Road... Posted by Gail at 9:49 PM No comments: Links to this post 

Santa Fe is always a good idea....

Last weekend we were in Santa Fe with Tony and LaVette (Lou's uncle and aunt).  We had a great time.  We stayed at La Fonda...which is wonderful.  The rooms have gone through a renovation and they are lovely.

The stores in Santa Fe are interesting...expensive...but interesting.  Shiprock is a great store on the plaza.  They have gorgeous Navajo rugs and a huge collection of jewelry.



Overland Sheepskin Co. has the most amazing coats....and some pretty cool hats.  This time it wasn't me modeling the hats.

Cowboys and Indians had these great tables that were inlaid with turquoise. We went into the Torres gallery to look at the Robert Rivera gourds.  These are amazing.

Posted by Gail at 9:30 PM 1 comment: Links to this post 

Want to go to jewelry school in Paris??

...not a school to learn techniques...but a school that covers the history of art, the universe of gemstones, and .... le savior-faire.  L'Ecole Van Cleef & Arpels offers 13 classes at their school (l'ecole) on the Place Vendome.

In 1906, Van Cleef & Arpels was among the first jewelers to settle in Place Vendôme, a square designed by Mansart in the 18th century. The original boutique was inaugurated at 22 place Vendome directly opposite the Ritz. The Hôtel Ritz had opened in 1896 and attracted Russian and European aristocrats, along with American magnates of business and industry. Place Vendôme became a symbol of Parisian luxury and the new benchmark for international elegance.
The classes are open to the public and are scheduled one week of each month.  Some of my more favorite topics include "Symbols and Power of Jewels", "Art Nouveau: 20 Years of Freedom, "Interpreting Gemstones",  and "Having Access to Van Cleef & Arpels Creations"....Oh Lord....who wouldn't want to have access to their creations!! I break into a cold sweat just looking at the pictures.  I'd probably have melt down to actually touch some of these....or dare I dream....to try them on.
Each class is 4 hours long and costs between 600-950 Euros...yep...that's $800-$1200 per 4 hour class.  For all 13 classes you would pay $12,500.  Well....guess it's not really open to the "general" public.  Only those that have lots (and lots) of disposable cash.  I wonder if they offer scholarships??
The Van Cleef & Arpels website has some fascinating information on it.  In the upper left hand corner...click on "The Maison" and you can read about the history of the brand and see some amazing historical pieces.  Also they have a really cool virtual tour of Les Ateliers (workshops).
Au Revoir...Bye Bye!!
Posted by Gail at 11:41 PM No comments: Links to this post 


I've been working with new textures.  Taking inspiration from African mudcloth and adding just a few Aboriginal dots, I've created a couple of designs that I really like.  Next step is to etch these in copper. And of course I had to throw a few into the kaleidoscope and twist them around. These are only a few of the ones I am going to etch.  I have about 6-7 pages of designs to etch.  Some are just random textures for the backside of my pieces.  Like some severely cracked earth And some animal prints.  This is jaguar.  I also have giraffe. 
Posted by Gail at 11:35 PM No comments: Links to this post 

Daniel Waples and the Hang Drum

I posted a picture of some street musicians we saw on Portabello Road in London.  I'd never seen anyone play this instrument before.  The sound was amazing and seemed...at least to me...African in nature. I got an anonymous comment on the blog the other day.  The artist playing the hang drum is Daniel Waples and he is fairly well know. It's great to know who this is and to be able to hear the music again. Thank you Anonymous!!

Check out the video below.  I love watching Daniel play.  He is in such a zone....obviously doing what he loves.

Here's a TED talk where you can here some of the story behind the instrument and get to know Daniel a little bit more.  He's genuine and endearing.

Posted by Gail at 12:29 AM 1 comment: Links to this post