All Photos By Gail
Trade shows devoted to hospitality design tend to be full of practical pieces — durable chairs, sensible tables, and casegoods built to withstand the constant turnover of hotel guests. Every now and then, however, a manufacturer brings something that exists purely to make people stop in their tracks. At the 2019 edition of Boutique Design New York (BDNY), Kosta Furniture did exactly that. Continue reading Eye On Design: The Crystal Egg Chest That Sparkled at BDNY
Photo By Gail
This intricately pattern painting, Blue Burst Fan (1979), playfully brings together the traditions of decorative and fine arts. Miriam Shapiro (1923 – 2015) cultivated this approach as a key figure of the Pattern and Decoration movement, drawing on myriad textiles ranging from those related to her Russian Jewish heritage to Japanese Kimonos.
Continue reading Modern Art Monday Presents: Miriam Schapiro, Blue Burst Fan
Photo and Story By Gail Worley
One of the vendors I always make sure to visit at the twice-yearly NY Now gift show is Steve Parkes Wholesale. Steve travels extensively — mostly throughout African countries — where he sources local crafts to bring back to the States. Among his suppliers is a workshop in Madagascar that creates miniature cars and ornaments from discarded tin cans, and let me tell you, they are fabulous.
Continue reading Pink Thing of The Day: Crescent Moon-Shaped Tin Ornament with Pink Roses
Photo By Ken Pierce
Yes, it exists: a Pink Ghost Face from the Scream movie franchise in Funko Pop form! More adorable than frightening, this limited edition screaming beauty is ready to steal your heart for Valentines Day (or even Christmas). Make somebody’s holiday dreams come true for just $12 at this link and around the web.
Photo By Gail
In Buddhism, the Lotus symbolizes transcendence, as the flower emerges from stagnant water to bloom in bright colors. Here, the ceramicist Kawase Shinobu uses the clear blue celadon glaze known as seihakuji to capture the spiritual importance of a lotus bud. This vessel is designed to support burning incense sticks, with a lily-pad-shaped saucer to catch the falling ash.
Photographed in The Brooklyn Museum