What can I say, I’m naturally drawn to
botanical abstract compositions. Of
course I can’t help but admire the beautiful vibrant work of San
Francisco-based artist Jennifer Garrido.
Some paintings are done in acrylic and oils on wood panels and some
watercolour ones are done on paper – lending them a more ethereal feel. Especially the way she uses neon paints alongside more opaque neutral colours creates an extraordinary striking effect – evoking the
experience of discovering unexpected botanical gems in the midst of some dim
garden corner.
Talk about an entrepreneur – back in 1924 that is! Amazingly so, Miriam Haskell was never a
designer herself. Nevertheless, with her
acute business savvy, not only did she simply had the knack to recognize the
skill and talent of which designers to employ, but also which of their jewelry
designs should go into production. On
top of that, she and some of her designers traveled the globe in order to
source only the best and finest materials – like crystals from Austria, luminous
glass beads from Murano, Italy and silky-sleek faux pearls from Japan. The designs were elegant and cutting edge and
seemed oh so alluring to such a degree that many other designers didn’t
hesitate to try and copy them. Not even
to mention the prestigious and celebrated client list that followed. After her death in 1981, the company still
continued her legacy by producing poetic and innovative pieces to this very
day.
Who knew, yet another Cape
Town-based artist making waves – or rather filling spaces which others wouldn’t
even consider spaces to be filled in – like vintage tennis- and badminton
rackets. Of course I couldn’t help but
be stunned by the impressionistic embroidery done by Danielle Clough. There is a vibrant and quirky air about the
way she uses the thickly textured and colourful yarn to stitch up these amazing
embroidered works of art. Personally,
I’m especially fond of the flower embroidered rackets, which just happen to be
so in tune with the current upcycled vintage trend.
Obviously
Stanley Hagler is a name quite familiar to those who avidly collect costume
jewelry created especially by golden era designers. Dubbed as “the Picasso of jewelry”, by many devotees
it doesn’t exactly take a rocket scientist to comprehend why. His lavish pieces were intricately wired by
hand, using the finest materials and components, with no stone or crystal
glued, but always rather prong-set. This
complex attention to detail contributed a strong multi-dimensional style to his
sumptuous pieces, which eventually afforded to him an eminent- and notorious line
of clients. After his death in 1996, the
company continued to produce jewelry under Stanley Hagler N.Y.C.Hhh
