Archives for posts with tag: New York City

Day 2 started bright and fair.

I don’t remember the city ever being this beautiful.

On the way in from the airport we passed block after block of car-sized forsythia in full bloom.

It was as if someone had reached down with a giant paint brush and painted the city bright yellow.

 I guess “Someone” had.

In the park dogwoods created a white canopy for the tiny daffodils to dance under.

Walking past the southern edge of the park we strolled down to Sarabeth’s, our favorite neighborhood stop for brunch.

They have some of the best eggs benedict you will ever eat to say nothing of the pumpkin waffles topped with sour cream and toasted pumpkin seeds.

You can dine on the sidewalk or inside in the garden room surrounded by  black and white photographs of Audrey Hepburn and other icons.

Today was a day filled with much walking… over 100 blocks to be exact.

If you know Manhattan this will mean something to you.

We walked from Central Park South to the Flatiron building!!!

That’s some miles folks.

Then we taxied to the village, walked all over Soho and walked to Tribeca.

I would NEVER walked that much at home. haha

Today was The Writer’s day to work and we met some fantastic people who will be friends forever.

Their names will be revealed later…. by him… but this is a glimpse into where we went and some of what we saw.

In Soho…

We visited a very cool war era loft apartment filled to the brim with intriguing art.

Here The Writer ( isn’t he handsome?) conducts business with one of the artists.

I felt right at home among all of the Mose T artwork.

Mose was a primitive artist from Montgomery, AL. I used to go downtown and visit with him in his little shotgun house as he sat cross-legged in the middle of his bed which was in the front room and painted on pieces of cardboard or wood or whatever was available.  On the floor would be dozens of open gallon cans of house paint. This was his medium.

I can relate. I designed my first fabric painting with Benjamin Moore latex house paint. It’s the medium I know best.

LOL

In those days if you took Mose a six-pack you would leave with a painting.

Those days are over.

His work now hangs in museums from Montgomery to New York and was included in a Nall showing in Paris.

Now, on to this artist.

This was a prototype for a work commissioned by the State of New Mexico.

Made of bronze and stone the real deal stands 14′ tall.

Another prototype, this one planned for Shanghai, depicts the new face of energy.

The larger man standing holds a solar panel. The smaller one, kneeling represents kinetic energy.

The prototype is carved out of wood. The actual installation will be bronze.

This little guy cracked me up. (The Writer’s background is the brokerage world)

This is one of a series of people who open up to show what’s inside of them. Some are filled with music.

This poor guy was tied up in knots inside. He’s from Wall Street. The knife-like objects stabbing him…..

Monte Blanc pens. haha

There is nothing in the world better than new friends. Especially ones with fascinating stories to tell.

From here we raced across town to meet with my old friend from grade school. Trust me.

You want to see what this guy is up to now.

Click HERE to see the awe–inspiring work of event planner extraordinaire DeJuan Stroud.

And finally, a meeting with a beautiful young Russian (U.S. citizen) artist back at the hotel.

 There are so many stories that we aren’t at liberty to tell yet.

Thanks to all of you who knew what was going on and prayed for us.

We felt them.  God is good.

This one is out of order but I had to include it.

It’s a tradition. I always have my picture made with my portfolio with the Doorman.

He brings me good luck.  We have our picture made. I present. I come back with a “yes”.

Works for me.

So from the city with soaring buildings


and soaring dreams

I bid you adieu.

If you would like to say, “That was fun!” at then end of your project contact me at

www.cindybarganier.com.

Don’t you love it when you “lose” a friend for years and years and then one day quite by accident you not only “find” them but discover that they are happy and incredibly successful? That just happened to me and I can’t wipe the smile from my face.

While at Auburn I had a precious little cupie doll friend named Dana Barnes. She was the tiniest cheerleader who always was tossed the highest and because she was in Fashion Design and I in Interiors we spent many hours together at good ole Spidle Hall.

So last night I couldn’t sleep and ended up surfing random blog sites at midnight. Suddenly this post pops up about Dana Barnes who has won the ICFF ( International Contemporary Furniture Foundation) Award for textiles and was preparing for an exhibition at Ralph Pucci… was it possible?????

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!

There she was right in The New York Times. My sweet, sweet little friend. Dana, I am so very proud of you and for you. Here is her story as told in The Times.

“Dana Barnes’s debut collection “Souled Objects” won the Editors Award for Textiles at last year’s ICFF. And deservedly so: They are like nothing you’ve ever seen. Her new collection, Unspun: Tangled and Fused, currently available at Ralph Pucci International.

This collection was inspired by a trip home, down south, where aspects of the landscape and vegetation (oak trees, hanging Spanish moss) made their way into the needlepoint and knotted vessels seen here.”

Actually, the whole thing started when her neighbors complained about the pitter patter of little feet and Dana had to come up with some way to cover the vast floor space in her 3250 square foot loft in Soho.

 

 

 

 

All photos from The New York Times

Traditional textiles were an earlier obsession, said Ms. Barnes, who has collected Asian pieces for years. She and Mr. Westhoff married in Nepal in 1996, and have traveled extensively in the Far East.

“Dana always meets the artisans wherever we go and brings stuff home,” he said. “I think, ‘Why is that even interesting?’ When we get it home, I can see it. She makes you see it.”

Ms. Barnes made banquette cushions out of Japanese saki-ori — indigo-dyed work clothes — and wrapped the leftovers around a giant steel spring. This reporter sat down on it, thinking it was a bench.

“It’s just a sculptural thing,” Ms. Barnes said. “I thought it looked neat.”

A colorful pile of woven clothing in a corner came from Hmong farmers, she said, explaining that she had traded Mr. Westhoff’s T-shirts and sunglasses for the pieces on a recent trip to Vietnam. “Look at this hat, isn’t it great?” she asked, holding up a striped cap. “I just love it.”

Mr. Westhoff said, “I really loved my sunglasses.”

That quote cracks me up. Turns out Dana has been a fixture on 7th Avenue all of these years designing collections for several internationally known fashion houses. She wanted more time at home with her young family and turned to her love of textiles to make that happen.

 You really must go to her home page at http://www.souledobjects.com/#/process

to view the pictures of the process. It is quite amazing!!!

You go girl and War Eagle!

If you want to say,”That was fun!” at the end of your project

contact me at www.cindybarganier.com.