Stanley Park, Vancouver, BC Canada

One of my favorite places to walk is Stanley Park. You can be on the water then into the wood and around a lake ending in a formal rose garden in just a couple of hours. 

There's Old Growth Forest

Wonderful walkways wind all along the waterfront.

Wildlife abounds.

Beaver Lake

Water Lilies

So cute!

Formal Garden

Gustav Klimt and Emilie Floge: A love Story?

My Friend sent me the most wonder blog about Gustav Klimt and Emilie Floge. It's their story and how they inspired each other. Emilie made wonderful Klimt inspired dresses and he consulted her about his paintings. It's worth the read. Here's the link.

http://www.messynessychic.com/2015/07/15/dressing-the-woman-in-gold-the-unknown-bohemian-designer-behind-the-paintings/

Portrait of Mada Primavesi by Gustav Klimt
I have spent many of hours over the years standing in front of this painting at the Metropolitan Museum.
It is so beautiful and inspiring. 

The Kiss by Gustav Klimt
Klimt was known for paintings with many shapes in them. He also used a lot of gold.
Klimt's paintings are truly stunning to stand in front of and take in the details.

I hope you like the story as much as I did. 

Paris Postcards: Free Clip Art

I found these postcards in a small street flea market. It was so much fun looking through the box, and so hard to decide which ones to purchase. I hope you like my picks. You can download them for your clipart. I thought they could be used in many ways. I would love it if you emailed me pictures of what you do with them.

I could see putting a cute hat and dress on this sweet little girl.
Then a message over her head.

Why can't we write this beautifully anymore?

I love how the person wrote on the front of this card and not the back.
I hope it doesn't say anything inappropriate. 

See nothing on the back.

The Farmer's Market, Bellingham WA

Bellingham has two wonderful farmer's markets. The big one is on Saturday, it's downtown on Railroad Avenue. There is a smaller one on Wednesday's on the Village Green in Fairhaven. Both are worth checking out if you're in Bellingham on either of these days during the Summer.

I love taking pictures at the market. The colors are so vivid and the farmer's display there items so well. This week I was struck by the beautiful flowers.

Chanel Fall Winter 2015/2016 Fashion Show

This fashion show is just so French! I couldn't resist sharing it.

Unique and Modern Planters

I love these planters because they have such a clean modern look. The planters are made out of painted plywood and metal rims.

One is all flowers, another is a landscape, and the third is Vegetables. 

Flower planter

Landscape Planter

Vegetable Planter

Please click on the pictures if you'd like to look at them more closely. 

A Voyage to South America: Andean Art in the Spanish Empire

 I was lucky enough to stumble into this great exhibit at the Chicago Art Institute. The exhibit was called "A Voyage to South America: Andean Art in the Spanish Empire." Here are some of my favorites that I wanted to share with you.

A Spanish Icon

A Spanish Icon

A Spanish Icon

A Spanish Icon

If you would like to learn more about this show please click on the link below.

 http://www.artic.edu/exhibition/voyage-south-america-andean-art-spanish-empire

The Seattle Woodland Park Zoo

Have you been to the zoo lately without young kids? I went with my 22 year old son, and boy was it fun. You really get a chance to look closely at each animal and see their amazing details. You have time to think about each one of them and how their life must be in captivity. You have time to think of lots of bigger questions about our planet and how we are affecting nature. You just seem to have so much time to enjoy the zoo in a whole new way. We both had a wonderful time.

Grizzly Bear 

Otters

Tiger

Komodo Dragon

Boar

Hippo

Flamingos

Toucan 

Snake

Inspiration: Fruits and Vegetables

I'm on a search for what will inspire me. It's hard at times to find inspiration especially when you are going through tough things in your life. Motivation for your creativity can be found anywhere so I hunt everywhere: antique stores, nature, even television and of course museums. I was lucky enough to find time when I was in Chicago at my son's graduation to get to the Art Institute.

When I'm in the museum's if they let me photograph the paintings. (I always ask first) I try to get small details because they seem to inspire me more than the complete painting. I think it's because the details are, for me, the most magical parts. They usually have interesting colors that when looked at from a distance will create a totally different color. You can see the actual strokes the painter took, almost catching his very thoughts.

Here are some of my close ups. I hope they can inspire you.

Henri Fantin-Latour  French 1873

Henri Fantin-Latour  French 1873 (Detail)

Pierre-Auguste Renoir "Fruits of the Midi" 1881

Pierre-Auguste Renoir "Fruits of the Midi" 1881 (Detail)

Pierre-Auguste Renoir "Fruits of the Midi" 1881 (Detail)

Pierre-Auguste Renoir "Fruits of the Midi" 1881 (Detail)

Pierre-Auguste Renoir "Fruits of the Midi" 1881 (Detail)

Claude Monet "Apples and Grapes" 1880 

Claude Monet "Apples and Grapes" 1880 (Details)