Designing Life

Lately I've found myself crowded by my own life--I tend to be somewhat claustrophobic and this reaction to lack of space manifests itself in many ways--A friend of mine recently wrote a blog posting (The Claw Foot Tub)  about the limited nature of creativity and I related to it--when I start taking on too many projects they all begin to suffer due to the lack of focus I'm capable of giving to each individually--I'm easily distracted and it takes some discipline for me to concentrate on one element in my life and giving it the proper attention it needs to flourish the way it's meant to--I was talking with my friend Donovan about this afternoon over brunch and how it's time for me simplify my life so I can focus on what's most important--stripping things down to their bare essential elements--interestingly this is generally my approach to design and building--finding the most basic form and working from that point while being careful not to over embellish--not adding for the sake of filling space--my life is very full at the moment and I'm becoming increasingly aware of embellishments that are unnecessary--time to do some redesigning

Brunch with D (in the Red Sox cap)

Bannister

Seems like I've been building a lot of bannisters and newel posts lately--this one was particularly fun for a couple of reasons--firstly because I got to work with Nick which is always enjoyable--he's both very talented and a pleasure to work with--and secondly the clients were incredibly appreciative (you have to love a client who calls a bannister sexy)--this combination makes work easy--

Nick!

Heavy Texture

I was just walking home and saw two radiators standing in the alley--they were old and corroded with gold paint flaking off their cast bodies--I love radiators--I love their functional quality as well as their decorative aspect--and they age beautifully--the radiator in my living room was probably painted a couple of decades ago and has an incredible two tone texture--at some point it'll probably get sandblasted to its original iron underbelly but for now I sweep up the paint chips and sit beside it when I get cold--It really couldn't be more perfect--

Shrine

I don't have any religious affiliations but recently I discovered I do have something of a shrine in my bedroom--I hadn't thought of it as a shrine until I noticed it the other night--they were really just a couple of things that held some importance in my life that I had grouped together with no conscious thought--but seemingly there had to have been some intent whether I was aware of it or not--an old turn of the century plane that at some point I had decided to store a bundle of sage in (given to me by a good friend)--I use this occasionally as an incense holder--on top of the plane there is a silver cup engraved with my name from when I was a baby--these all are representational of things I value and put faith in--my work, my friends, and my family (community)--they are also the things I need the most guidance and help with--while traveling I've visited a multitude of shrines and have been awed by the meticulous care put into their construction and the beauty that faith is the capable of creating--this isn't one of those...it is, however, important to me--

Coliseum Bath

My associate Nick and I spent the day building a floating bathtub and in constructing the framing found it to have distinct coliseum qualities--this particular tub surround is going to be tiled but we thought it would be much cooler if the framing was exposed and solid mahogany--with some underlighting and a clear acrylic bathtub--then we'd really have something!

If anyone out there has a bit of money and wants an amazing bathroom experience...

The Man with Grey Eyes

This painting by 16th century painter Titian, "The Man with Grey Eyes" (also called "The Englishman") hung in our house throughout my childhood--I cropped this image from the larger original to match the print that my parents bought in Italy when I was a baby--it was a constant in my life and moved with us innumerable times from country to country, state to state, province to province--it was something I could always count on--It also used to terrify me--his eyes, penetrating and  inescapable, would follow me as I walked past him--there was something about his continuous watching that made him so much more than a simple painting and there were times I was certain I saw him blink--

As I got older I came to accept him as a member of our family--he had been there as long as I could remember--he had his own personality and I came to see him as dependable--watching over us with benevolence rather than a sinister intent--later in my life my parents passed him on to me and he moved with me, again across towns and borders--sadly during my last move from east to west he was lost and I was surprised by the feeling of grief I felt--this man had seen my entire life and there was a connection I felt to him--I've lost many things in many moves but for some reason this affected me more than the others--The Man with Grey Eyes was a much a part of our family as I was and to have him gone was like losing a piece of our family--I can only hope he's found a new home and family to watch over--

The Flu and Some Tulips

I’ve had the flu this week and took some time off work—this never feels quite right to me—staying home just feels so incredibly unproductive—sometimes, however, it is necessary—I spent some time drinking tea, slurping soup, downloading bad TV on iTunes, and watching the tulips on my coffee table move towards the light—I don’t have much free time in my life and it’s as if my body shuts me down when I need some rest—I used to fight this but I’m getting better at realizing when I should just take a day or two and do what my body is telling me to do—I found watching the tulips quite beneficial—their serpentine stalks moving with purpose—a natural need for connection with the light—granted it’s been cold, overcast, and raining so they’ve seemed a little flustered and confused but they’re definitely doing their best—that search for connection is the essence of beauty—it’s that driving force to find light in form—and it’s what occasionally tells me I need to get healthy and take a break before I lose sight of that—