Sara & Sam

One of the best parts of my job is being able to design pieces for friends and family. I was so happy to be working with Sara on her wedding invitations because I knew they'd be full of personality and awesome-sauce - remember these business cards from a few years ago?

True to form, Sara and Sam decided to have their wedding at the MIT chapel and the reception at the unconventional (but crazy-fun for us old timey machine lovers) Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation. We took our inspiration from that for a gears motif on the invitation.

I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that this tableau met me when we arrived at the museum for the reception.

Backing up, the MIT chapel is an intimate yet breathtaking non-denominational sanctuary designed by Eero Saarinen, and though I've lived down the street for seven years, I'd never visited before. Just look at that backdrop for a ceremony - like little pieces of light falling from the sky to surround the couple with happiness and light (sculptural installation by Harry Bertoia).

Their reply postcard was left blank on the back with an invitation for guests to decorate it. Sara and Sam shared many of the art works at the reception (sorry, no photo) including many sweet portraits of the two of them. I love reply cards that invite thought and creativity from the invitees - they create a truly memorable keepsake for the couple.

Plus there was an ice cream bar manned by people wearing cow suits.

Congratulations, Sara & Sam!

p.s. for those interested, Sara the journalist, author and all-around funny lady has been chronicling her road to the alter all over this great interwebs. You can read about it here, here and here, for starters.

Art in Bloom

Monday I went to my favorite annual exhibition at the MFA, Art in Bloom. Over 70 professional florists and garden clubs create decorative and sculptural floral arrangements inspired by works of art throughout the museum. The flowers are displayed side by side with the art for one weekend only. It's a fabulous way to get a taste of the entire collection by spending a few minutes in each room focusing on one work of art in a whole new context. Plus it's a fun scavenger hunt to try and find them all.

The inspiration art ranges from the very contemporary to ancient Egyptian, furniture design to classical portraits. I find it exceptional to see both literal and liberal translations of the works into flowers.

On the last evening the doors are open to the public and the museum hosts various musicians to play in different courtyards throughout the museum.

No flowers in that one, I just love how very meta it is to have those particular paintings hanging in that particular gallery.

 

Sadie said this one looked like Candyland.

And taking a breather - it's a lot of museum to cover in one night!

Color inspiration

The Chihuly exhibit at the MFA is incredible, and photos just don't do it justice. I was simply awestruck by the power and intensity of the colors and movement in the installations.

Then I come home from the office to this sight in my neighbor's garden - the whole front yard is abloom with tulips and daffodils and bluebells and hyacinth. The way the golden end of day sun catches the flowers and creates gorgeous layers and transparencies was just as inspirational.

I'm not generally one for quite this sort of vibrant color and intensity in my own designs, but I'm feeling a little inspired and adventurous. How do you capture a glowing tulip on paper?

Accordion book on a whole new scale

As the year winds down I'm doing anything but slowing - we're already deep into design and sample production for our 2011 greeting card collection (I can't wait to show some sneak peeks!) and there's been little time between that and craft fairs for things like photographing work and updating the blog. So instead I'm going to share a photo from the MFA exhibit Fresh Ink: Ten Takes on Chinese Tradition which I visited with Sadie and my parents (in the background) about a month ago.

I loved the exhibit and the whole concept behind it - ten contemporary Chinese artists re-imagine the work of past masters from the MFA's collection. I loved this series of oversize accordion books with giant brush stroke paintings set up in a series of tiers like an audience. It was amazing to walk through the installation (and believe me I got up close and personal to figure out the construction and materials he used) since the accordion is a construction after my own heart.

I highly recommend the exhibit (up through February 13) and can't wait to go back to further explore the new Art of the Americas wing.

A night at the museum

Yesterday evening the MFA opened their doors to the public (free!) for the end of Art in Bloom. Fifty florists and garden clubs from the area donated spectacular arrangements inspired by the works of art throughout the museum and shown alongside their muse. To accompany it all were live musical performances: a children's gospel choir in the main rotunda, Spanish guitar and song in the European furniture room, a string quartet near the cafe, and many more.

It was exciting to look anew at the art and artifacts through the lens of another artist's interpretation; are they imitating color, texture, materials, or do the shape of the flower blooms themselves somehow speak to the lines or meaning in the art? Many of the arrangements were incredibly sculptural with single orchid blooms seeming to grow out of thin air (kept alive by tiny hidden "oases" filled with water), or the one above, incorporating plates and painted curly willows (inspired by the Karen Walker decals behind).

Some arrangements were incredibly literal, like this Metzinger above.

It was a studio and family field trip, and with little Sadie in tow we couldn't linger too long in any one place. We did, however, make a fine game of finding all the little "Albertines" in the Egyptian wing:

What a refreshing and inspiring break from all of the madness of business and life.