Exquisite silks frozen in time As part of her series, CastAways, artist Nicole Dextras placed these orange silk fabrics out in the ice cold landscape. Once frozen, they resemble natural life forms, reminiscent of women wearing long, flowing gowns. The beauty of this ephemeral art form lies in its brevity and the mystery it leaves … Continue reading The Heart of Art: CastAways
A mound of dead batteries is reborn as a colorful sea creature. A battery powers everything from appliances to watches to your car, and when it's out of juice, well, that's the end of it. Nowhere else to go but the landfill. Artist Michel de Broin had another idea. He gathered hundreds of old batteries … Continue reading The Heart of Art: Dead Star
Intricate watercolor paintings - small in size, big in imagination. These tiny, detailed paintings by artist Wendy Davenport Whatley, invite us into an extraordinary and fanciful version of nature. At first glance, the drawings come across as scientific and literal, but most of the lively, green and growing things in Whatley's watercolors are figments of … Continue reading The Heart of Art: Things of This Nature
A sculptural, formerly forever diamond crafted from salvaged wood. Artist Ron van der Ende's extraordinary depiction of the diamond given to Elizabeth Taylor by Richard Burton in 1969 is oddly apropos considering Taylor's recent passing. Taylor was inarguably the epitome of "diamonds are a girl's best friend." In 2009, van der Ende used reclaimed timber … Continue reading The Heart of Art: Formerly Forever Diamond
Luxurious silk and sharp acacia thorns as a human fingerprint. Another EcoSalon favorite at Art Basel Miami Beach in December was Italian artist Giuseppe Penone. From afar (image above), his untitled piece on display at the show looks like a blown up image of a human fingerprint. Upon closer inspection (image below), we find thorns … Continue reading The Heart of Art: Fateful Fingerprint
The sea as "boundless liquid energy" caught frame by frame. The ocean will support, calm and cleanse; it can also crush, destroy and drown. Keegan Gibbs attempts to capture this complexity in his grainy, moving photographs of the sea. A surfer and photographer, Gibbs has a deep reverence for the ocean and its "boundless liquid … Continue reading The Heart of Art: Open Space
It's what happens when lush plants become wall decor. EcoSalon was at the most recent Art Basel Miami Beach, and caught a glimpse of Doug Aitken's Sex. A terrarium bursting with exotic flora representing a veritable Garden of Eden, this piece leaves plenty to the imagination. Just don't tell that to Adam and Eve. Editor's … Continue reading The Heart of Art: Garden of Eden
I worked for a year in an art gallery while I was in design school. The hours were great - 10am to 5pm Tuesday through Saturday - and I got to hang around cool people and look at art all day. We sold pieces by lesser-known but up-and-coming artists, as well as stuff from greats … Continue reading Art Collecting Comes to a Computer Near You
I'm a down to business, cut through the clutter, don't beat around the bush type of gal. So when it comes to the home and "collecting" I agree with Mies (van der Rohe, that is) that 'Less is More'. That is unless we're talking art. Collecting art is not an elitist activity, nor is it … Continue reading Home Is Where the Art… Should be
No one annoys me more than a constant quoter of clichés. Especially irksome is the motivational kind of cliché - overused, inane and just plain tired. When I'm in the midst of something challenging (good or bad), the last thing I need or want to hear is "when the going gets tough" or "when this … Continue reading Right Brain Terrain Says It, Simple & Green
Art is an intensely personal experience. What whets your appetite might leave me longing for something slightly different. Or the piece I prize and display in my home could inspire in you nothing more than a really bad headache. But something tells me that Tracy Melton's Tree Ring Paintings will strike almost anyone's fancy. I … Continue reading Reclaimed Tree Ring Paintings by Tracy Melton at Etsy
Before you accuse me of being a tad too fond of a certain seat-like piece of furniture, let me explain. This chair isn't exactly that, and although it looks and acts like one, I swear"¦it's not really a chair. At least I wouldn't want to sit on it. Ouch. Tokujin Yoshioka, the designer of Venus … Continue reading Another Chair? No, Not Really…
Poor little plates, unwanted, unloved and discarded. That is, until Daddy Warbucks, or rather Christopher Jagmin gets hold of them. Then the magic happens. Jagmin finds his "orphans" at estate and garage sales and flea markets. Any shape, size or pattern will do. A complete "makeover" follows that involves cleaning, polishing and the application of … Continue reading Little Orphan Trudy Recycled Plates
Like it or not, our planet is stuck with leftover plastic from years of oblivious consumption and waste. But rather than complain about the pile up, why not take the matter into your own hands? Richard Liddle, of UK-based Cohda Design, did just that. He found a way to use trash to create something new … Continue reading A Purpose for Plastic: the RD Legs Chair
According to our calendars, summer is almost over. Kids are returning home from camp, school supplies are being purchased and I'm wondering where the time goes. Want your summer to last forever? The Rolling Summer House may be just what this doctor ordered. It's a huge spherical structure constructed of unseasoned wood (from local, sustainable … Continue reading Steam-Bent and Rolling Through A Garden Near You
I never lose my keys, but my best friend does and I think I'm going to get her this. (Another friend of mine uses a yellow rubber ducky - large, yes - but chic? Not so much. I've also seen flashlights, rabbit feet, coin purses and those mini scannable super-saver cards that get you coupons … Continue reading A Rock and Roll Key Keeper
Straight shooter, no-nonsense, sans hidden agenda - it's refreshing to meet people and know exactly what you're getting. The same can be said for stuff you buy that arrives in a box at your front door. If its assembly doesn't require reading 5 pages of directions and 35 screws and it actually looks like what's … Continue reading What You See Is What You Get
I've heard of sewing and embroidery, knitting and crochet - I've even tried my hand at a few of the aforementioned crafts. (Didn't your grandmother enforce the "you should know how to mend, sew a button and knit a scarf" rule, too?) But felting is new to me. I've been delighted by Etsy's Made by … Continue reading Mod by Moxie
No, Zaishu isn't a new gadget or sugary snack. It's a sturdy little table-seat-whatsit that happens to have quite a story behind it (and on it). The story begins in Japan. Zaishu is Japanese for "small seat" - and small it is (approx 16" x 16" x 11"). Its eco-footprint is equally diminutive. Made of … Continue reading Zaishu!
I came down with some sort of bug this past weekend. I think it's called the "look around your home and feel the urge to change everything" bug. For some reason my eyes focused in on the items I hadn't seen in a long time, and I realized most of them I no longer even … Continue reading Cure Your Bare Wall Blues with Something Green
Kim Derby 
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