Sleep. Oh how I love to sleep. A morning when I can feel free to sleep in, is a good morning indeed. Falling asleep and staying asleep have always been a challenge for me. As a kid I used to keep my parents up all night, begging for one more book to be read or story to be told. Now I simply turn to facebook or my other favorite, episodes of the Daily Show. What did people do before the internet?

Francisco Goya depicted reason in a deep slumber in the etching, “The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters“. On first glance, I can relate. Switch those monsters and animals for giant spiders and you would have an etching of one of my sleepless nights. Goya, however, had a much more meaningful purpose for this etching.

Goya was a Spanish artist who primarily painted Rococo portraits. This etching was created later in his career and belonged to a collection of etchings called “Los Caprichos“. All the etchings followed a similar theme. Goya hoped to reawaken reason.

In High School art class our first project was to create a folder that would hold all our original masterpieces for the year. Our teacher asked us all to paint or draw a replica of a work by a famous artist who inspired us. I remember being so amazed by another student’s folder. The surface was beautiful and it made me want to learn more about her painting.

It’s funny how this was over ten years ago now, but I every time I see this painting it reminds me of that art class, and much like many facets of life—it looks different to me now.

Gustav Klimt, The Kiss 1907-8. Oil on canvas

Gustav Klimt was a pioneer within the Art Nouveau (Sezessionstil) movement in Austria. Within the organic lines and decorative elements you find a couple embraced in a kiss. On first glance you might not notice the tension caused by the woman’s awkward position. Upon further investigation you’ll notice how very close the couple is to the edge of the precipice. The figures themselves are barely visible under the decorative, Art Nouveau elements. You can just barely make out where one starts and the other ends.

It’s as though they have lost themselves in a dangerous kiss.

I have a couple bushes in my yard that I picked out not just because they are a gorgeous blue and have this amazingly soft fern like texture”but also because of their name, Artemisia.

Continue reading Artemisia

My first encounter with William Kentridge’s work was in the winter of 2005. I was at the Met in New York for the opening of the gates and as I walked through the museum I caught a glimpse of this beautiful film flickering on the wall. Kentridge’s animations are composed of a single charcoal drawing that is altered in each frame, leaving behind ghosts of past drawings and creating a sense of motion. I was infatuated by this work- look him up if you get the chance!

I am pleased to announce that nico is being featured on Designers who blog. If you are not familiar with designers-who-blog.com you should really check it out. It’s a fantastic collection of inspirational writing about design. I also want to thank cat for the complement on my blog. It’s funny, sometimes I feel like my soul is drying up. Actually I think my soul did dry up. It morphed into a pile of gun powder. All I need is the occasional spark. Thanks for the spark!

Ben Wilson- he’s local and ridiculously talented. Check out these posters

Watch people get stressed out about relaxing