PAUL SMITH VS. CHROMOPHOBIA

Double-decker buses even look more stylish wearing Paul Smith's trademark stripes!


Check out this video of British designer Paul Smith giving a tour of his recently opened San Francisco boutique. I just love his total lack of self-consciousness and his sense of humor.

OK, a perfect match....Paul Smith stripes on a MINI!

A spunky striped swimsuit.

Paul Smith has that innately British knack for being hip, quirky, smart, fun and stylish all at the same time. Talk about innovative, he has a uniquely cool philosophy when it comes to design and business. He celebrates color and infuses all realms of design with life and personality. He decries what he terms"chromophobia" and somehow manages to make most of the other design gurus look kind of stale and stodgy by comparison. I think that he has reinvented the wheel. And with great finesse!
Have a terrific weekend, everyone! I'd like to wish all of my US friends a wonderful Memorial Day Holiday.
See you back here next week!

SMITH'S SWIRLS

I am captivated by Paul Smith's signature swirly stripes design on everything. The rug above.

 The shoes above.

The bag beneath.

And all of them are beyond my budget, but that doesn't keep them from inspiring me and giving me a great deal of joy when I look at them.  That's the beauty of photos, all of the pleasure, none of the calories. Is there a particular artist or designer's style that inspires you?

DESIGNING FOR THE GIRLS

My t-shirt design for the Fading Ladies

I was recently contacted by a fellow blogger who is an American expatriate living in India. She authors an amazing blog, The Existential Expatriate, about her life there, adapting to the culture and the ups and downs of living on the other side of the world. She and some of her fellow expatriates have formed a charity to help combat some of the social problems and assist the needs of the most downtrodden, unprotected and forgotten in society.

I was asked by Jennifer and The Fading Ladies, as they are called, to design a t-shirt that included the popular "Keep Calm and Carry On" slogan, but with a decidedly Indian twist. The inspiration was a photo of Jennifer's daughter, Helen (another popular blogger from Dallas who authors "Monograms and Manicures") atop an elephant during a recent visit to India.

Working with the Fading Ladies has been nothing but a joy and I am so thrilled to be a small part of supporting such a wonderful outreach to homeless and abused little girls. There is so much suffering and abuse in this world and oftentimes women and girls are the most victimized, whether they be on the street or suffering in silence in what appear to be "privileged situations" in life.

It's so wonderful to see these women take it on upon themselves to better the lives of the people in their adopted country and I am 100% behind the Fading Ladies and the charity these shirts will go to support. Here's a little more about it-

The Salaam Balaak Trust runs five 24-hour full care shelters for homeless children, one being devoted to girls.

These shelters provide the children a sense of home and security they lacked while living on the streets.

They aim at restoring the childhood that was lost and teach them independence. Provide education and social values and financial self-dependence to become mature and responsible citizens.

The Arushi shelter in Gurgaon, Haryana is devoted totally to the care of girls.

If you're interested in buying a shirt for a very worthwhile cause, they are available in several colors here.

AT HOME OUT EAST

I have a special love for architecture and houses and enjoy painting portraits of homes all over the country and beyond. These works make a wonderful gift for a homeowner or a way to immortalize a period of time in a family's life. I'd love to discuss working with you - please contact me here for more details.

Have a great weekend!

A FATHER'S DAY SUGGESTION....

Are you looking for a unique gift for Father's Day? Do you have a father or a husband that is a baseball fan? You might be interested in this unique, limited edition poster created by my graphic designer brother, Josh Harwell. It features my grandfather, Ernie Harwell's famous poem on baseball. I am including an excerpt here written by my brother that explains his love for baseball and the poster in his own words:

“I guess what I love the most about the game though is all the memories of my childhood and the connection it has for my family. My grandfather, Ernie Harwell, had the privilege of calling the Detroit Tiger games for 42 years, so I grew up listening to him, going to games with him and loving all things baseball.
One of the many perks of my baseball family is that Grandpa was always giving us baseball related items that he received. One such item was the album Terry Cashman’s "Talking Baseball". My brother and I listened to this for hours on end, and I can still sing you most of the songs word for word.
You see, wedged in between all the wonderful baseball songs on this album was my Grandpa reading his definition of baseball. (I can also still quote this… just ask my wife!) I loved listening to this poem/essay, and last summer, when Grandpa was diagnosed with inoperable cancer, I instantly knew I wanted to make a piece of art from that essay as a tribute to him.
I really enjoyed creating this piece of art. It was a privilege to create something special for a man who was always giving of himself to others, and I put all of my heart and soul into it. I really debated about offering this poster for sale, but I decided that in the end it was something I wanted to share with all those who loved baseball and my Grandpa. He enjoyed sharing his life and love of the game with everyone, so a poster in tribute to him should be about just that.
The 18 x 24 poster is pictured in the heading of this post. It’s limited first edition signed and numbered by myself and printed on 80# cover. If you are interested in purchasing one you can find them on my Etsy site.”

ANNECHOVIE GIVE-AWAY ON FLOURISH DESIGN AND STYLE

Sarah, a great blogger and friend from Calgary, is hosting an Annechovie give-away this week on her blog.

Be sure to check it out and enter here!

MORE PARISIAN GOODIES

Happy Monday!

I had a busy weekend and was able to check quite a few items off my to-do list and I am regaining my footing as far as work goes. I am settling in and loving my new place - very efficient and comfortable. I also spent some time at my local garden center as I have decided to take another stab at growing tomatoes and am reading up on successful cultivation of heirloom varieties. Call me crazy, but the scent of tomato leaves is wonderful. If you have any tips, please feel free to share. I hope that you had a nice weekend, too!

"St. Honore" is the latest print on stretched canvas from my dessert series. It's from an original painting of a Parisian delicacy. It's available here.

THANK YOU!

Stay in the Lines

Hello Lovely Inc.

Living Livelier 

Live in Full Color

Sparklesmith 

Thanks to all of the great blogs listed above for featuring my work in recently! Be sure and check them out.

I am still playing catch-up with a huge backlog of "to-do's" that have resulted from my move followed by my grandpa's death and traveling out of town for several days. I am making progress but still catching up on commissions, orders, correspondence and all of the wonderful comments that you left me! Doing business is challenging when I am still getting settled in my new place and not sure where everything is amongst the boxes. I flew up to Detroit last week without any closed-toed shoes appropriate for a funeral, not to mention that it wasn't the best time for sandals as it got down into the 30's while I was there. Brrr. I am usually pretty organized, but lately it's been a challenge and I am starting to feel like Mr. Magoo.

Thanks again to all of you for your patience and all of the support and kindness you have shown me. I hope that you have a beautiful May weekend!

RIDING THE COAT TAILS

It is always an honor to spot my work somewhere when I least expect it. Recently, blogger friend and fabulous Australian designer Anna Spiro decorated the models for a very chic housing development in Brisbane, Australia. The interiors are clean, contemporary and youthful, with Anna's trademark bursts of color and art/book vignettes. I spotted one of my chair silhouettes on the second shelf, far left. Anna is quite a star on the design scene, so it's an honor to ride her coat tails into some fabulous spaces - she has been incredibly kind and supportive from my first introduction into blogland, so thank you, Anna! Check out her post on the project here. 

BLUE & WHITE - A PERENNIAL CLASSIC

I hope that you enjoyed your weekend. I hope that all of the wonderful mothers out there had a very special Mother's Day.

Thanks to all of you for the comments and well wishes relating to my grandfather's passing. I just flew home last night and am a bit exhausted, but all of your support and concern means more than you could know! I received messages from people I haven't been in contact with since as far back as pre-school. There are no words to express my appreciation for each of you who took the time to write or comment. I truly am overwhelmed. THANK YOU!

I apologize for being a bit MIA, but will be able to catch up on correspondence, orders and comments this week.

For many of my customers who have requested more blue and white prints, there is now a stretched canvas version of the "Blue and White Ginger Jar". It's available in both an 8x10 and an 11x14 here.

Stay tuned as more new paintings will debut soon!  

MY GRANDPA......

ERNIE HARWELL

January 25th, 1918 - May 4th, 2010

My grandfather passed away earlier tonight. He is now at peace and out of his pain. He had been diagnosed with bile duct cancer last August and had made it to his 92nd birthday in January and beyond, lasting longer than he or anyone else had expected.

I am so happy for him - he was very ready to leave and confident of his destination and the peace and joy that awaited him in heaven.

He was a great man AND a gentle man and proved beyond a doubt to so many that the two are not mutually exclusive. He taught me many things by his words and example and the legacy he left to me was something far beyond his public persona and accomplishments. I  love you, Grandpa! I am looking forward to seeing your beautiful clear blue eyes once again in a far better place.....

A GIFT FOR DISPLAY

I hope that you enjoyed your weekend. Thanks to all of you for the comments and well wishes for my move. All went well and I am still recuperating and getting things organized. I apologize for being a bit MIA, but will be able to catch up on correspondence and comments this week.

It's amazing how some people have the innate ability to even make a catch-all console in a hall appealing. There's something so "fetching" about this table arrangement in Sabrina Linn's home.

I think that the color from the roses and the green boxes have a lot to do with it (although the retro phone, mismatched frames and seagrass baskets don't exactly hurt, either)

Excuse me for now, as I have to get back to my own arranging. Right now I need to make room in the garage amongst the boxes just to park my car!

Photo from Canadian House and Home