Artwork of the Week: Long Braid

Long Braid by Diem Chau

porcelain plate, silk, thread, 6.25" in diameter

Tomorrow marks the second anniversary of Swings & Arrows! Hurray!! So I thought as our gift to you I'd find an Artwork of the Week to commemorate the occasion that blends the traditional (cotton) with the modern (china), something I think we strive to accomplish here daily. 

Artist Diem Chau embroiders drawings on a fine silk muslin that is stretched like canvas across various serving dishes. The effect is quite ethereal, an image floating just above the surface of a saucer or bowl. My favorite pieces are the ones where the line comes off the canvas, engaging the territory around the work, or when the thread pools in the space beneath the scrim.  

You can see more of Chau's work on her website: www.diemchau.com

- Cathleen 

Finds and Treasures

It's just a few more days until Brian, the kids, and I are off to the beach and I am counting down the minutes! I am not much of a beach bum but I definitely appreciate the change of pace a vacation brings. Right now I have my eye on these 100% cotton candy stripe bath towels. The colors make me so happy and I love that they are different than the usual big fluffy beach towel. Problem- I can't decide on a color... which would you choose? 

Available through Kara Weaves these babies are priced at an affordable $30 a piece... nice! 

- Grace

Straight Up Muggin'

This might just be the perfect mug. 

Round up top, square on the bottom, and robin's egg blue! This mug made by Paul Eshelman (how does he do it??), certainly makes all the right moves. 

This beauty and more can be found at theclaystudio.org

- Cathleen 

Mastering the Art of Baby Naming

The Newest Addition to the Royal Family

The arrival of the newest royal baby and the recent birth of my own little princess (only slightly less newsworthy, I feel) have 

meant a lot discussion and speculation about names lately. I love thinking about names and 

talking about them and pairing first and middle names together.  

Sometimes I think I only want to accumulate more names, not so much the children that go with them. I kid. 

That being said, I really like the new prince’s name; George Alexander Louis. 

George is solid and traditionally English and so trendy right now. Alexander is classic and brings to mind strength and determination, not to mention world domination. (Also, it is the name of my brother who happens to possess all those qualities- including the desire for world conquest. And everybody knows that “A” names are pretty much guaranteed to be fabulous.) Finally, Louis, a traditional French name, is also strong and classic. A great multicultural choice for our increasingly global culture. :)

Whatever your feelings on the matter, I hope y’all have a great Friday. I’m so glad to be back on Swings and Arrows!

Happy Weekend, Friends!

-Alissa 

Artwork of the Week - Grace Edition

Merijm Hos
via This is Paper Magazine

Loving this wood sculpture by Merijn Hos. You can see more of his/her (?) work here.

Happy Thursday! Alissa will be back tomorrow to infuse our Fridays with a little bit of inspiration!

-Grace

Artwork of the Week: In the Middle of the Night

Illustration by Adrienne Adams

from In the Middle of the Night by Aileen Fisher

It's official: we are moving to Durham, NC THIS Friday! So while my guys and I are busy packing up and heading down south this week, I thought I'd post some art that really resonates with one of the reasons why we chose to move out of the great big (New York) city: a yard! 

I cannot wait to finally have a yard of our very own. Where we can plant rosemary and tomatoes and blueberries. Where we can go hunting for fireflies at dusk. Where we can tromp barefoot through the grass without any fears of stepping on broken bottles or possibly human turds. 

It's going to be awesome! 

- Cathleen 

Lighting Inspiration

I have a serious lighting issue in my kitchen. About 6 months ago our toilet overflowed and dirty toilet water was pouring through the kitchen ceiling. It was one of the grossest moments of my life. Grossness aside, it caused us to rip out our existing and totally uninspiring light fixture and to live with holes in the ceiling and table lamps on the counters. I have been planning to install recessed lighting along with a statement piece pendant. The pendant I had in mind was $800 until I stumbled upon this beauty at Land of Nod:

Super cool, fresh, and edgy. The price is perfect at $169. Yay Land of Nod! 

-Grace