I just went to see the Patti Smith show at the AGO this morning and thought it was a very good show. Her work and imagery is so honest and raw as well as intimate, which I find rare. There is no flash just her honest revealing of herself and interests.  I read her book “Just Kids” a few months ago and was just blown away by the life she lived in NY with her best friend Robert Mapplethorpe. They lived solely for  their art and pushed each other to discover and explore deeper into process and themselves. I really believe that less can be so much more in the world we live in today and her work really speaks to that.

I cannot tell you how much I admire and love Fran Lebowitz. My adoration for her comes from the fact that she is incredibly smart & witty. I think that she is such a keen observer of people and society and is one of the few people who can articulate our time with such ease & humour. I am somewhat envious of her ability to sound so intelligent. I do often feel like my internal thoughts never translate into sounding intelligent. I only wish I could sound 1/100th as witty and funny as Fran. Here the documentary “Public Speaking”  directed by Martin Scorsese, with Spanish or is it Portuguese (not sure) sub titles.

A friend of mine just started an online jewelry shopping site. It is called Kavut.com. I love the site not just because it is all about shoppping, but because it is elegantly curated. She carries some really interesting pieces and some really gorgeous ones. I like subtlety and I think that many of the designers she carries are either on the more subtle side or conceptual side, and I like that.

One of my favourites is  Melanie Georgacopolous. I love the earings and the ring. She works with pearls but in such an interesting way.

When I first watched the movie “Kids” it had such an impact on me, not just for the story but for how it was filmed. Here is Harmony Korin the writer and director talking about why he makes movies. I really enjoyed his commentary. Like today it is “raining images”. This rings so true to me. His other quote which I love is …”attack cause there is so much noise out there.” Here is the full interview. My sense of him is that he really is an artist making movies because he needs to, almost like they are an extension of himself. I think that is rarer then ever in the movie business these days, sadly.

I friend just introduced me to the work of Edith Maybin who is an artist working photographically. I am fascinated and disturbed at the same time by her work. The images are really quite beautiful and unsettling. She photographs herself then places her daughters eight year old head on her body. They are startling images. One of my favorite images is actually not any of the ones with a face in it, but the last image I have posted of hers. I find this image quite powerful as it is more subtle then the others. Edith’s work made me think of one image that I love of Hannah Starkey’s of a mother wearing a bunny mask in a kitchen while the baby looks up at her. I find a parallel between the imagery that these women are making, perhaps a feeling of longing or isolation. Both women have used children in their work, which for me is very interesting.

Edith Maybin

Hannah Starkey

I have fallen in love with these stools for two reasons. One they are technically amazing in their construction (Sheet metal that is inflated) and two they make me think of the Jeff Koons balloon dog which I have always liked. The stools are designed by the architect Oskar Zieta who basically invented the process and produces them in Poland which is where he is from. They can carry the weight of a human amazingly!

Interview magazine was started by Andy Warhol in 1969 and it was very much about what his work was about: highlighting celebrities and famous people. At the time it was “the magazine”. It has changed over the years but the fact that it was started by one of the most influential artists in the modern age just says something to me. So it is with pleasure that one of my images is in the magazine ( Click on the link to see and read the interview). I shot Jeremy Shaw a little while ago and I am so happy that not only is Circlesquare doing well but his art career is happening too. We did an in studio shoot as well as going to some sand pits in the middle of nowhere. I love this one image and I think he does too as it is in a lot of his promo material.

I cannot stop thinking about Ai Wei Wei at the moment as it seems I keep seeing his art everywhere. Most importantly I have been thinking about his will power which is super human in it’s effort to overcome silence. With human rights a hot issue right now the world over, his work speaks volumes about TRUTH. He is fighting in such a defiant way to express himself and on behalf of his people (The Chinese) notions of TRUTH and transparency. I am just truly in awe of his IRON WILL and find it very inspiring. Never mind the art work behind it all. Not many people would be willing to take the risks he takes to make his art.

A documentary just came out about him called “Never Sorry”. Here is the director talking about him and the making of the documentary and then the actual trailer.

Most people in North America know about Colette and it is really a wonderful store but not everyone knows about Merci. It is also a beautiful store but quite different from Colette. It is the antithesis of Colette, as Merci has an Earthy quality about it. Less slick, but no less conceptual in execution. You can buy clothes, furniture, paper, pens and even some glasses (wearable & drinkable). Worth a visit next time you are in Paris.

If there is one thing to always do when in Europe, that is find an Antique or Flea Market. They are so inspiring and always full of the most gorgeous objects big & small. We were not able to make it to the biggest one in Paris on our schedule but we just found the one closest to our apartment. It was really great! If only I could have rented a plane to come home!  It was not a very big market at all but there was plenty of Christofle dinner wear, Baccarat crystal and I found a huge set of Limoges China that I thought was just lovely.