It`s a Blue Blue Summer

So striking -- stark white cubes accented with the richest royal blue and occasional oxblood red



Blue Plus...

White plus red.

 



For little feet -- each pair touched with various shades of blue culled from nature
 

Reminiscent of a Georgia O'Keeffe painting:
strong light, limited palette, crisp geometric shades, near abstraction
 



Freshly painted door + worn trim + new growth = charm



The view around every corner



A constantly clear and intense sky, day after day after day










Images D. Sleziak





 

Of Sky and Sea: Greece Part II

On the big island of Crete, the softest blue sky melts into the azure sea

In the parched and sun-drenched landscape that is Greece, shades of khaki, ochre and silvery olive-green dominate the countryside.  Here, shunning a trellis, grapevines huddle over in mounds keeping their tendrils close and their precious fruit protected while trees grow stout as their gnarled roots claw their way into the hardened earth.  This harsh environment with precious little rain and unrelenting sun produces some of the best olives, pistachios, herbs and honey -- with such delicate and light flavours as pine thyme or orange blossom -- imaginable. 

In this land of deep sun and deeper shade, it is the vibrancy of the blue, in the sky and in the sea, that is so intoxicating.  Follow the next several posts for pairings of images that celebrate the best of this Greek light.

True Blue





 

 

Images D. Sleziak

Finding Pretty: Greece Part I

Elegance and beauty is found in the simple-lined Ionic capital fragment on display in the ancient Athenian agora
 

In the City

Athens in not a pretty town.  Like any large urban centre it sprawls out from its chaotic core, and in the summer it just feels hot and crowded and sooty.  Everyone told me so and everyone was right.  But I was looking for the pretty.  In the past, everywhere I've travelled, I've found it.  And it hasn't been just one aspect of a place, say the breath-taking architecture or a sweeping landscape, that has thrilled or inspired me, but rather the impact of the whole.  I have been dazed, excited, overwhelmed and pleased by such vastly different settings as the deep American south west to the northern reaches of the English countryside and many locales in between.  But where to find it here?  I just wasn't feeling it.

A small snapshot of pretty: a street in Athens bordering
the Acropolis where well-maintained buildings sport
soft pastel shades and ornate ironwork

To be fair, I only spent a couple of days in the capital, but rather quickly a pattern emerged and I realised, that for me, the parts are far greater than the whole.  For starters, no one can argue with the awe-inspiring power and grace of the buildings on the Acropolis.



Neatly stacked architectural fragments with Greek inscriptions sit before
the Parthenon, a temple dedicated to the goddess Athena; built between
447 and 432 B.C., it is the earliest Classical structure on the Acroplois.

Pediment detail.

On the north side of the summit hill, the Erechteion.

A southern view of the Erectheion with the famed Caryatids,
the six maidens who support the roof of the porch.

The solid heft of the Doric order.

Capturing grace like no others before.

And once I got beyond the Acropolis, I stumbled upon many other sites of beauty and wonder, like this old Greek Orthodox church with tufts of grass growing along its roof line, giving it a forsaken air.  Inside were whitewashed wall studded with jewel-toned murals and the simplest of altars.

As I moved through the city, I began to see things like this...

contemporary artistic expressions of this time and place in Greece's history.  And least you think these are simply defaced walls, the work of bored hoodlums, Athens is known for its thriving graffiti community that tackles complex social and political issues head on.  What could be more engaging, provoking, informative and adventuresome?

At dusk one evening, as we made our way far off the beaten track and through the back alleys of the Plaka district, the old town quarter of Athens, we came across this:

And just out of sight, around the corner, was the artisit.  Here was a work in progress!  After a late dinner we returned to see if he had completed his work, and this is what we discovered...

It was at this moment I knew: I had found my pretty.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Images D. Sleziak

 

Modern Vintage

Punked-out serving platter: White opaque milk glass with studded rim and bottom
 

Everything Old Is New Again

London, England has Portobello Road; Brimfield, Massachusetts has the Brimfield Antique Show; and Paris, France has the Marche aux Puces de Clignancourt.  In your neighbourhood, you might find yard sales, tag sales, or estate sales; antique shops, junk shops, or consignment shops.  Whatever you find, wherever you find it, what they all have in common is a bevy of used goods that often show the hallmarks of beautiful design, skilled craftsmanship, and exquisite execution.

While well-designed, quality home goods are timeless in their appeal, how do aged furnishings become contemporary?  How does a Depression era platter, a decades-old dish set, or a centurial chaise become new again? 

To start, let's agree that being modern is not necessarily about being newly minted; rather, it is more about being fresh -- an fresh approach, an intriguing combination, a unique juxtaposition, be it in furniture, dishware or home accessories.  Layering vintage items with contemporary pieces keeps things feeling clean and up-dated, not stodgy and jumbled.  Strong lines and graphic designs never feel dated, and pulling together pieces from various decades ensures your space doesn't feel like you're stepping into a time warp.  Besides creating an environment that is eclectic and autobiographical with items that can often be purchased at incredible prices (particularly when compared to their present-day counterparts), you are reusing and repurposing one of the countless consumer goods our civilisation has produced, saving it from destruction or a landfill.  And really, what could be more modern than that?

Sourced Locally

Found in my backyard: delicate organic etching on clean-edged
geometric shaped Depression era fruit cups; also of note, the swirl-rimmed
dessert plates and bead-rimmed serving vessels in deep emerald

Clear colours and strong graphic designs on juice glasses (bottom shelf)
and shot glasses (top shelf)

A perennial favourite and always classic, antique blue and white
china can bring a sense of history and touch of vibrancy to a modern
interior

These jugs hold their own in visual weight and rustic appeal; they would
look great clustered together on a shelf in a white-walled room

In my mind these are the ultimate juicers; particularly lovely is the one
in centre back with its scalloped edge

Traditionally constructed black wicker set cries out for a bold
fabric pattern on the seat cushions in need of refurbishing

 

 

The Take-Aways



Top: a Wedgwood leaf patterned platter cradles a garden find -- a perfect
but abandonned robin`s egg; Bottom: from a set of five,
an octagonal Depression glass emerald-coloured plate presents
a scattering of peony petals



 



Images: D. Sleziak



May Showers, May Flowers

Fragrant flowers on the ornamental tree

After the Rains 

Late to arrive and late to warm, spring is slowly unfurling itself.  Many early blossoms are just now blooming; lily of the valley and columbines, lilacs and magnolias are showing off in the sun-filled day that has followed a rain-soaked week.  These plants bring patches of colour and scent to our verdant landscape which is just beginning to flourish.  So fresh, so lovely.  Ah, spring.

The scent that fills our home: lily of the valley

Buds just beginning to open on the deeply fragrant lilac

The magnolia -- an early bloomer whose flowers have since dropped

The oh-so-sweet and hearty columbine



And as night falls the sky turns a velvet shade of indigo

Images D. Sleziak

March Madness

The now-classic logo

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Antique long-stitched embroidery, early 20th century

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XOXO, Darina Sleziak, Cotton thread on cotton ground, 2014
 

Sealed with a Kiss

As the rosy-hued month of February slipped into the tempestuous month of March, an art project took hold.  Draw upon what you know, the artist is always told.  Here the inspiration is two-fold: the punchy logo of fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg, and the hand-stitched vivid embellishment of a piece of traditional woman's clothing from the village of Dobra Niva, Slovakia.  The results?  A collision of two worlds where old-world creative expression melds with the bold and cheeky styling of contemporary culture.

 

 

Images D. Sleziak

A New Day Has Dawn

In full bloom: seeking richness in each and every day

"Yesterday is gone. 

Tomorrow has not yet come.

We have only today. 

Let us begin."

                                      

                                                                           -- Mother Teresa

Seize the day means different things to different people: how one accomplishes it, or even defines it, is unique to each individual.  For me, it is captured in three succinct statements. 

              1.  Seek new horizons
 
              2.  Push boundaries
   
              3.  Create

These are my goals for the days that will unfold over the coming year.  I seek to breathe deeper, to look closer, and to enjoy more readily.  With this in mind, let's meet back here, say once a month, and slowly, the vivid tapestry that I believe 2014 will be, will unfurl.

See you in February.

 

Image D. Sleziak