She Brakes for Art: Diane Arbus

Continuing with our tools of the trade theme while Grace is away, I bring you an inspiration board of sorts (waaay before the likes of Pinterest ever existed) created by photographer Diane Arbus and explained thusly: 

“I like to put things up around my bed all the time, pictures of mine that I like and other things and I change it every month or so. There’s some funny subliminal thing that happens. It isn’t just looking at it. It’s looking at it when you’re not looking at it. It really begins to act on you.” 

(From Diane Arbus Revelations, Victoria & Albert Museum, London, October 2005–January 2006. Photographs and other items as they appeared on the wall of Diane Arbus’s apartment, circa 1970.)

- Cathleen


[Quote excerpted from Exhibiting Photography by Shirley Rea, image via arp4.blogspot.com

She Brakes for Art: John Singer Sargent

John Singer Sargent's Palette (1933.49), Oil Paints and Brushes (Straus.919)

via harvardartmuseums.org

Grace is currently tied up producing the annual Week of the Arts extravaganza that she helms every year, and so, will be taking a short break from the blog for the next two weeks. She did an awesome round-up of artists' palettes and their work last January, so I thought in honor of the hard work she puts into inspiring young minds towards creativity every year it might be cool to see some more tools of the trade used by the great creative minds that inspire us everyday. 

John Singer Sargent is one of my favorite portraitists, but I especially love his en plein air work. Imagine him toting all of this equipment out to capture the ephemerality of nature in slow-drying oil paint no less. More to come! 


- Cathleen  

Community Forklift

Yesterday I died and went to heaven, at least that's what it felt like. 

I went to a warehouse called The Community Forklift in Edmonston, MD (never heard of Edmonston by the way and I've lived in MD the vast majority of my life.) Community Forklift is a Goodwill for all things home related. People donate home items they no longer want and Community Forklift sells them. 

Photos from the CF website. 

This place had EVERYTHING! Front doors, interior doors, windows, shutters, architectural salvage, sinks, tubs, bricks, granite scraps, door knobs, tools, paint, wallpaper, lumber, lighting, fireplace mantles- I mean EVERYTHING. And the prices were insane! 

I bought these three door knobs for $10 each. Yes that's right I said $10! 

I recommend you check it out.

-Grace