Eye On Design: Chinese-Inspired Fretwork Candlestands

Oct28

pair of fretted candle stands 2 photo by gail worley
All Photos By Gail

Chinese fretwork first appeared in Britain in the early eighteenth century on garden fences, but it was not until midcentury that the vogue for fretwork on furniture erupted.

top fret detail photo by gail worley

Here, the three-dimensional angular pattern seems to float in midair to support a small, six-sided tray. The exact design for these candelstands comes from the first edition (1754) of Thomas Chippendale’s Gentlemen and Cabinet-Maker’s Director.

center fret detail photo by gail worley

This Pair of Mahogany Candlestands (Circa 1755 – 60) Was Photographed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC.

pair of fretted candle stands photo by gail worley

Product Review: Boo Baked Good Gift Box Just in Time For Halloween!

Oct27

boo box baked goods
Image Source (All Other Photos By Gail Except Where Noted)

Some of our favorite Halloween traditions may be off-the-table for this year’s scariest night, but there’s still time to create your own delicious festivities with a treat from Gourmet Gift Baskets that can be delivered direct to your door! Honored by Newsweek earlier in 2020 as a Top Food Site, Gourmet Gift Baskets has a few new offerings for Halloween that are scary good ways to treat yourself, or someone you love! Check out the Boo Baked Good Gift Box, packed with tasty sweets that I am currently enjoying here in the Chickpad.

boo baked good gift box photo by gail worley

Before we take a peak at what’s inside, can I just say that anyone would love this adorable, lidded-box that lets the gift keep on giving as it can be re-used to store whatever strikes your fancy once the enclosed treats have been gobbled up! So cute!

boo baked good open box photo by gail worley

Brand new this season, the Boo Baked Good Gift Box, ($29.99) is stuffed with nearly dozen fresh-baked goods, including delectable, chewy chocolate chip cookies, fudge brownie cookies and a novelty crispy rice treat shaped like a giant Candy Corn. You need to see this to be sure your eyes aren’t tricking you! This very affordable gift will make anyone’s Halloween feel special.

halloween card photo by gail worley

The baked goods are individually wrapped to stay fresh, and each gift box arrives with its own greeting card, so your recipient knows it came from you.

candy corn rice crispy treat photo by gail

Rice Crispy Treats are a favorite of mine since I was a wee lass and used to bake them with my Mom. I’m happy report that the Gourmet Gift Baskets bakers’ version of this classic is just as soft and chewy as I remember, and the candy coating takes it to the next level. This oversized treat is so rich that you might want share it with a friend, or wrap half of it to save for later!

gourmet gift baskets beer bucket
Image Source

Also brand new, for those looking for a more Adult-geared gift, is the Eat, Drink & Be Scary Beer Bucket ($69.99) which features delicious treats like handcrafted Kettle popcorn, peanut butter cups, and Halloween Junior Mints — packed in a fun and functional black cauldron pail — plus 6 assorted Beers that provide a perfect pairing.

Find the perfect Halloween Treats for your scary celebration now at Gourmet Gift Baskets!

boo baked good gift box photo by gail

Modern Art Monday Presents: The Death of Munrow

Oct26

the death of munrow photo by gail worley
“Ouch, My Head” (Photo By Gail)

The Death of Munrow (circa 1820 – 30), a glazed earthenware figure group by an unknown artist, records a specific historic event in 1791, in which Hugh Munrow, a British soldier, was killed by a tiger in India. Its composition was inspired by an almost life-size wooden automaton of a tiger killing a European that was owned by Tipu Sultan, the ruler of Mysore in India. Tipu’s Tiger was seized by the British army in 1799 and brought to London, where it was placed on public display.

Photographed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan.

Pink Thing of The Day: Pink Felt By Robert Morris

Oct23

pink felt by robert morris 2 photo by gail worley
All Photos By Gail Worley

Felt works by Robert Morris, including this piece entitled Pink Felt (1970) embody his notion of Anti-Form. Instead of executing a predetermined design, Morris allowed the final outcome of a sculpture to be determined as much by his simple actions (cutting and draping the material) as by gravity and chance.

pink felt by robert morris detail photo by gail worley
Pink Felt, Detail

A departure from earlier, unitary geometric forms of the Minimalist sculptures that the created in the 19603, Morris’s felt works, including Pink Felt, foreground the physical qualities of his materials and the artist’s physical process.

pink felt installation view photo by gail worley
Installation View

“Disengagement with preconceived enduring forms and orders for things is a positive assertion,” the artist writes in his 1968 essay, Anti Form. “It is part of the work’s refusal to continue estheticizing form by dealing with it as a prescribed end.”

Photographed in the Guggenheim Museum in NYC.

pink felt by robert morris photo by gail worley

A Lone Astronaut Roams Deserted Urban Landscapes in Scott Listfield’s Quarantine

Oct22

quarantine by scott listfield photo by gail worley
All Photos By Gail

In the early days of the Covid 19 lockdown, most of us — not just here in Manhattan but around the globe — were spending close to 24 hours a day in our homes. It was during this time that photos began appearing on the Internet and Instagram depicting places like Times Square and other generally heavily-populated ‘tourist destinations’ in states of complete abandonment. It was as if civilization as we know it had ceased to exist, and our cities been left to the elements. The world was looking more apocalyptic by the day. The only thing missing were the zombies.

scott listfield quarantine signage photo by gail worley

I thought of these images immediately when I got an email from Hashimoto Contemporary Gallery about their latest exhibition, Quarantine by artist Scott Listfield — who is known for his paintings featuring a lone exploratory astronaut lost in a landscape cluttered with pop culture icons, corporate logos and tongue-in-cheek science fiction references.

quarantine by scott listfield photo by gail worley

The gallery is walking distance from my home, so I made an appointment to see these enigmatic and compelling paintings in person. I was the only person in the gallery at the time of my visit, which made the experience even more powerful. To say that Scott Listfield’s work encourages imaginative extrapolation is an understatement.

Post Continues, With More Photos After The Jump!

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Eye On Design: Gilded Wooden Bench by Thomas Hope

Oct21

gilded wooden bench by thomas hope photo by gail worley
All Photos By Gail

A member of a wealthy banking family and sophisticated patron of the arts, Thomas Hope (1739 – 1861) set out to influence and improve contemporary taste through the publication of his own collection in Household Furniture and Interior Decoration (1807).

gilded wooden bench by thomas hope installation view photo by gail worleyInstallation View

Following interest in ancient Rome and Greece, attention turned to Egypt as a major source of inspiration for furniture and interior design. This ‘Egyptian” bench shows influence of Hope’s archeological taste and may have been part of the furnishings of his country house The Deepdene, Dorking, Surrey (outside London). It was possibly sold in the Christie’s sale of the Hope heirlooms held at Deepdene over six consecutive days in September of 1917. Lot 1044, sold on September 17th, consisted of: “a carved 4ft. 4in. gilt Egyptian pattern settee with scroll ends, on claw feet, and squab seat upholstered in gold satin damask.”

gilded wooden bench by thomas hope photo by gail worley

While several surviving pieces of furniture can be attached to the detailed line drawings, Hope never remarked on the fabrics to be used. The present wool covers are based on fiber fragments from this bench and on original textile remains from a settee also designed by Hope, which is now at the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Photographed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC.

Shark Attack Tile Mosaic

Oct20

shark attack tile mosaic photo by gail worley
Photo By Gail

To find the Shark, you must have the Eye of The Shark! Fortunately, I possess that eye. This little guy, made from precisely-arranged, blue glass marbles, was spotted — just waiting to attack — on the sidewalk outside of The Pearl Room, a restaurant located at 8518 3rd Avenue in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.

Modern Art Monday Presents: Marble Bust of Mary Shelley By Camillo Pistrucci

Oct19

bust of mary shelley photo by gail worley
Photos By Gail

“Singularly bold, somewhat imperious, and active of mind.” This is how the radical philosopher William Godwin described his daughter, the Romantic novelist Mary Shelley, who achieved fame and infamy for her groundbreaking Gothic fiction Frankenstein (1818), written at the remarkable age of twenty-one.  Here, the Italian neoclassicist Camillo Pistrucci uses the imposing genre of the white marble portrait bust (1843) to present Shelley in the grand manner of a virtuoso. Balancing the rhythmic forms of the face and drapery with the dazzling details of her sweeping Victorian hairstyle, Pistrucci achieves a precision and finesse that betrays the influence of his father, Benedetto Pistrucci, the unrivaled cameo carver. The artist carved the bust in Rome in the year of Shelley’s Italian sojourn.

bust of mary shelley photo by gail worley
Mary Shelley (1797 – 1851)

Photographed in the British Wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC.

Pink Thing Of The Day: Pink Tent for Outdoor Dining

Oct16

pink tent photo by gail worley
Photo By Gail

Outdoor dining during the Covid 19 pandemic has really saved New York City, not only economically but morale-wise. I love how the little temporary dining areas that restaurants have built curbside make it seem like there’s street fair going on all the time! This Pink Tent and Picket Fence was spotted on Bleecker Street in the West Village.

Product Review: Dreams Aren’t This Good Chips and Salsa!

Oct15

chips and salsa photo by gail worley
All Photos By Gail

Growing up in Southern California really ruined me for Mexican food. New York has a handful of restaurants that have game, but if you crave the consistent taste and authenticity of real California Mexican cuisine, you might be better off cooking at home. Even if you want the convenience of using a few packaged ingredients, it’s important to have a fresh-tasting salsa on hand, and what I call ‘restaurant style’ chips that are sturdy enough to stand up to the thickest guacamole. The problem is, which brands of chips and salsa taste the best? Obviously, other non-native New Yorkers have considered this situation, because fellow East Village resident Matt Bennett has created Dreams Aren’t This Good (DATG); a line of unique salsas and authentic tortilla chips that blows away everything else on the supermarket shelf. Seriously, this brand is a game changer.

dreams aren't this good salsa jar photo by gail worley
Sweet Dreams Are Made of This Salsa

Inspired by and infused with the sights and sounds of New York City, one-of-a-kind DATG salsa flavors include The Original (which I received for review), The Fighter (garlic cilantro),  Just Dance (jalapeno pineapple), Now or Never (avocado pepper), and Girls Girls Girls (blueberry coconut). All salsas and tortilla chips are gluten free, vegan and contain no preservatives.

DATG’s origin story goes back to Matt’s upbringing in Southeast Texas and his tenure as a student at Louisiana State University (LSU). “At school, I started making salsa by mixing Mexican style with a little Cajun spice,” Matt remembers.  “As I experimented with different ingredients and flavors, the salsa was always a huge hit with everyone, and I knew I was on to something.”

Review Continues, After The Jump!

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