The Moon and Sixpense

As my husband and I drove home from Vermont, I read a book aloud as he drove, as we often do. It was Somerset Maugham's 'The Moon and Sixpense'. I confess I've never read anything by Maugham until now. The book is a fiction about a man named Charles Strickland, loosely based on the life of Paul Gauguin. Very loosely, actually, as facts and destinations that we know about Gauguin’s life don’t align very well with Strickland’s. It starts slowly and I had difficulty getting into it at first, but with patience I was rewarded with a stunning novel.

Everybody knows the Gauguin who went to Tahiti to paint the natives, but his life leading up to it and the mystery of his life in Tahiti makes for a fascinating read. In Maugham’s fiction, Strickland is not what you would call a friendly chap, but the book slowly draws you in and makes you confront the conventional premise of what society deems ‘nice’ and question what constitutes a meaningful life.

Gauguin, the real artist, was indeed a stockbroker, but he abandoned his career and his wife with five, rather than two, children. He was also less furtive than Strickland in his pursuit of art and who can tell if Gauguin was as callous as we are lead to believe. The man had vision, and he was slave to getting his vision out onto canvas. Who am I to say that making a living versus following one’s genius is morally good or bad? I think we must each decide for ourselves what makes a good life. But it can be said that Strickland, if not the real life artist, was true to himself and his priorities.

This book literally changed my life; the way I see art and one's responsibility to a life's calling.

Happy New Year!

I revisited my post from last New Years Eve, and enjoyed the idea of leaving you (and 2009) with a questionnaire.

What did you do in 2009 that you'd never done before?
Visited Fallingwater, the country home of the Kaufman family designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Words cannot do it justice, you must simply visit it.

Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?As I mentioned last year, I don’t make New Year’s resolutions. I make commitments. One year I committed to master the fine art of bread-making. After several flat, lumpy or doughy loaves, with the help of Julia Child, I made one glorious, crusty peasant loaf and checked it off the list. This year’s commitments include taking many pictures and making many paintings. And I have a special creative project in the works.

What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?Like most people, I wear many hats. I’d like to streamline my life a little and find ways to get more out of every day.

What was the best thing you bought?I didn’t buy much this year; a black silk evening gown.

What did you get really, really, really excited about?Spending time with old friends, and making new ones. And being fortunate enough to attend the Art Ball. And as one of my Christmas gifts was a museum membership and tickets to ProMusica, I plan on having a very art-filled 2010.

What do you wish you'd done more of?Paint. And entertain.

What was the best book you read?Mrs. Dalloway. Virginia Woolf had a wonderful way of getting at the conversations we have with ourselves as we make our way through a single day. As the drama of a single day unfolds, the tragedies and victories of our past flit through the mind even as we’re working on the most mundane tasks.

What did you want and not get?Not a thing.

What did you do on your birthday?My husband and I drove to Cleveland to visit the West Side Market and the Cleveland Art Museum. It was sublime!

Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.You can only control your own life, and even that is often left to fate. Worrying about situations that you can’t help or change is fruitless. Let others worry about being small, mean and petty; you have a life to live. Control only what you can, be quick to forgive, manage your expectations, and enjoy the rest.

What sums up this year?
I quote Erica Jong’s poem Autumn Perspective …
And we have plans that will not tolerate
our fears--a year laid out like rooms
in a new house--the dusty wine glasses
rinsed off, the vases filled, and bookshelves
sagging with heavy winter books.

I wish you all a healthy, prosperous and inspired New Year, friends! Thank you for sharing another year with me!

Wrapping Gifts with Pantone

I think that gift wrapping is more fun for me than the recipient. I've used many kinds of wrapping, but keep coming back to my favorite; brown paper. This year I thought I'd dress it up with Pantone's color of the year; turquoise (Pantone 15-5519). Perhaps you remember last year they chose Mimosa? Pantone has a huge influence on color trends and I've noticed that some companies (such as J. Crew) are already presenting their new products in turquoise.

Are you ready for the Year in Turquoise?

Dreaming of a White Christmas

I've been on vacation and have been taking it easy. REALLY easy, actually. Our cat has been sick, and five years into kidney failure, we can expect these peaks and valleys in his health and have learned how to manage the valleys with a variety of medications. The reward is a resilient creature who still loves life.

We're also getting ready for Christmas, which includes driving to Vermont to see my family. My family is not exchanging Christmas gifts this year. With the economy the way it is, it seemed a nice opportunity for everyone to focus on more important things like spending time together. Instead of exchanging gifts, my sisters and I are having a stylish white elephant exchange, which includes anything we haven't worn in some time and that we deem worthy of a continued life. My offerings? A red embroidered satin dress, an ivory shantung silk mandarin jacket, to name a few. I'm really looking forward to this!

A Young Artist

Three years ago, a colleague at work approached me about tutoring his daughter in PhotoShop. As an engineer, he didn’t know specifically what that entailed, but his daughter showed artistic promise and he wanted to support and encourage her efforts. She and I spent the summer going through assignments that I designed to develop her skills and establish a comfort level with design software. I was astonished at the pace in which this shy thirteen year old girl acquired and mastered the elements of the software. She soon transferred to a high school that puts prominent focus on the arts.

Just last week, with a mixture of excitement and wistful pride, I wrote a letter of recommendation for her to send to the three art schools she is applying to. She’s lucky to have parents that fully support her dreams. But I was also lucky to have a part in showing her what is possible, and sharing in her enthusiasm.

While part of me wishes she would attend the art school here in town so that I can continue to watch her artistic sensibilities evolve, I also think it would be really cool if she went to New York or Savannah, GA to immerse herself in a different environment. But I wouldn’t be surprised if she got accepted at all three.

The Unexpected List

When you reflect on the year that is slipping away, it's easy to count the things you didn't accomplish. I didn't run a marathon or remodel the kitchen this year. Or master the art of French cooking. But I did do some things that I didn't expect to that made it rather sweet.

1. Had a yard sale where I sold a lot of stuff for not a lot of money. I’m glad I did it and I never want to do it again.

2. Visited Falling Water. I expected to enjoy it, but didn’t expect to be so moved by the simple country escape built with such a great vision.

3. Went to a lecture by my favorite living author, A.S. Byatt. Her Still Life changed the way I saw contemporary fiction. She probes the inner landscape of the human condition with the gentle precision of a rare artist. Her work belongs in the canon of great literature.

4. Visited Cleveland’s West Side Market and the Cleveland Art Museum, where my husband and I had our first date. When a relationship starts with food and art, you know it’s going to be good.

5. Hosted a few parties. They were not flawless, but sharing food and wine with people I care for is a deeply satisfying experience.

What did you accomplish this year and didn’t expect to?

Gifts for the Tough Guys

The hardest people for me to shop for are, hands down, men. Particularly the men I’m buying for who already have absolutely everything. It’s tough coming up with something unique every year that isn’t insulting. Gift cards are great in a pinch, but they don’t say ‘you mean the world to me.’ Forget that I think men should be carrying man purses around so we don’t have to carry all their stuff when we go out. Face it ladies, that idea is just never going to take off in North America.

So here are a few things that might be a hit with men.



























The small Mexican spice kit from purpose design … great if you’ve got a grillmaster on your list.



























The Doc Holiday Hat from Moe Sew Co. Millenery. We love a man in a hat, don’t we?

























A Spalted Maple Titanium Nitride Jr Gents pen from moon sky woodworks.






















How about a fun vintage sign from Larry’s tin signs.

I’m sure I’m missing some gift ideas … and I welcome yours!

Vintage Gifts

In keeping my promise that my gifts this year will be coming from Etsy shops, I found a few vintage treasures to share.



































This glove mold from blue bell bazaar would look great on a dresser keeping necklaces in order.






















These vintage glasses from lucky little dot would also be a nice touch as votives – or to drink from.






















And these locker baskets are great for the organizer on your list.

The Awakening

Stop for a minute. Do you remember the first time you listened to a song and felt ... something, something was changing, and you got to be a part of it? You were eight or ten, even twelve and you suddenly felt like you had your finger on the pulse of what was really going on? Well, this song was that for me, and I'm pleasantly surprised at how well it has stood up to the test of time.



What's yours?