artist friends, skulls and scotts

{image via scottboilard.com}

{image via the paintingloft.com}

This time of year, near All Hallows Eve is a wonderful time to spotlight spooky art, like our own Scott Boilard and our friend, relic painter Scott Holloway. The latter gives us insight into his process, pretty cool stuff. Holloway is currently showing at La Luz de Jesus Gallery in LA.

Perhaps you saw the skull mask in a recent post that Scott Boilard made for the recent Halloween party we all ventured out to. Boilard's work has taken him all the way to St. Petersburg. We are lucky over here. Our community is brimming with incredibly talented artists that inspire us everyday.

After I posted this, we were all chuckling a little bit about Scott designing skulls at home and chickies and airplanes any given day here. I am sure his fellow artists don't know how fuzzy and cute his chickies are, but I can attest. Being versatile is pretty key.

{also designed by Scott Boilard}

We've got a winner!

Alexa and Ben (@APandBBetz) of Kirkland, Washington are the winners of the Twitter contest! We can't wait to see what they choose for their invitations. Congratulations and best wishes from all of us at eInvite!

{an adorable engagement, via Bren t& Jeneane}

Happy Halloween from Frank Frazetta

{"Headless Horseman II" by Frank Frazetta courtesy of www.bunnybunnyrabbit.blogspot.com}

Loving Preen

{preen, british and edgy via design centre, dublin fashion house}

Cirque Du Noir 2009

{scott boilard working his octo-magic with "deep sea" in the art fusion}

{jessica burhans illustrator extraordinaire sketching away}

{payal kripalani and derek ring work magic in minutes}


{derek ring on the dark side, recently featured on behance and fuel your creativity}

{creative black attire winners, 2 of which were our own scott boilard and jessica burhans}

{esthema of boston}

{liz charbonnier, erin wolczik and emily quillen and cynthia woehrle}

{artistic guests rocked the creative black, todd rawley and aaron white,
both winning contest prizes}


{scott boilard and me, michelle may having fun in the fusion, oooo check out the hat I made at a workshop at sprout before the festivities, graciously hosted by cathy walsh}

{andreea waters getting caught in the shot of guests watching the art fusion}

{extraordinary flora and candy du noir by Cathy Walsh of SPROUT}

{this handmade "ghost rider" mask by scott boilard definately won some votes for best costume}

ALL OF THESE AMAZING IMAGES BY THE VERY TALENTED

LOUIE DESPRES

Sunday night at Bocado in Worcester was filled with creativity, as the folks from eInvite stepped out onto the dark side to support the Worcester County Food Bank. {Yeah, we party like rockstars!}

You all were invited...Live violin from Onur Dilisen and then the rest of Esthema joined him to set the tone and kick off the evening. We celebrated with a live art fusion, a silent art auction, and prizes for best creative black attire. There is always next year...

additional pix can be view here

Stina Persson

Inspired by last night’s fundraising event, I wanted to share with you a favorite artist, Stina Persson. Based in Stockholm, Sweden, Stina’s work includes acrylic and ink, watercolour, cut paper, and photo collage.



Her edgy style has been used in campaigns for Absolut Vodka, Atlantic Records, Coca Cola, DKNY, and has graced the pages of Harper's Bazaar, Elle UK and Nylon Magazine, amoung others. I am particulary drawn to the use of color in her watercolour and her fashion sketches. Her portfolio and contact information can be found here.

{all photos © Stina Persson}

Overwhelming Amounts of Sparkles

I was enjoying a film this evening and in the midst of the film was an astounding shot of a building that seemed to shine like a million jewels in a cave. The film was the non-narrative art film "Baraka" by Ron Fricke, and the building was Shah Cheragh in Shiraz (present-day Iran).

Used under Creative Commons - Photographer: Cyrus Shahmiri

I find religious spaces like this one to be awe-inspiring in their physical impression but also in the labor that must have been necessary to create such a place. Artists would have labor for innumerable hours to inlay the glass and jewels to make this possible. I've had to the chance to travel many of these types of sacred spaces (though never this one) and they always inspire awe. Of course, this was and is their purpose.

The space itself reminded me of the photographer, Neil Folberg, who published a book of work on such places, photographed in exquisite detail. His images often included up to 40 exposures in a single frame, so as to replicate the experience that one has upon entering the space themselves. He approached photographing these spaces with the same devotional energy that the artisans whom created them used in their own work.

I'm always interested in artists that devote not just a little bit of time, but their entire selves, to their work. This requires a personal inspiration that comes from many places, but a reflection of what is within the artist. I wonder if many creatives still find this possible - not to be "engrossed", which is a sort of temporary phenomenon of extreme attention over a relatively short period - but genuinely compelled to create a single work or body of work with a singular purpose.

Please leave your thoughts!

A "Rare Bird" flies into Salem

{image of Iris Apfel via wicked local}

Iris Apfel is having an exhibit at the Peabody Essex museum in Salem. This morning driving into work I happened to catch a plug for it on the radio. Immediately my interest was peaked as Iris's personal style is so ecclectic and without any sense of convention.

Visit the Peabody Essex Museum for a taste of fashion, enjoy Salem during this wonderful month of All Hallow's Eve and maybe you will even spot Isaac Mizrahi himself as he stops by PEM on November 3rd for a sold out talk with Iris Apfel. The platform of the chat is personal style. Or catch Unzipped, a film featuring Isaac Mizrahi at work, showing at PEM on Saturday, December 5.

Sculpted Wilderness

{image courtesy of show and tell }

Even though the weather is getting colder and we're headed towards the indoor season there is still time to enjoy the foliage as well as art at the DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park in Lincoln, Massachusetts located near Walden Pond. This park hosts numerous great sculptures, such as "Pine Sharks" by Kitty Wales pictured above, in a beautiful setting as well as an indoor museum with changing exhibitions. I highly recommend visiting them when in the area.

Fashion Week Invitations

(click image to see larger)

I can’t believe I didn’t stumble across this sooner, but apparently the editors at The New York Time Style Magazine showcase their favorite national (NY) and international (Italy & France) invitations to Fashion week on their blog, The Moment! How exciting! Talk about pushing the envelope; these designs are amazingly creative! From the extremely elaborate to the very simple and rustic, each invitation exemplifies an attitude, an energy and of course a style. I can’t even imagine being flooded by these beauties and then having to decide which show, or event to go to…ah the life! I’ve gathered just a few of my favorites here but be sure to check out more at The Moment and get your inspiration on!

{Inviations Top from L to R}
United Bamboo, Hayden-Harnett, DSquared, Celine, Ports 1961, Louis Vuitton, Libertine, Bodkin, Anna Sui, Slow and Steady Wins the Race, Commonwealth Utilities, Preen.

Fun ways to say "Happy Halloween"

~ send a card that says it all! {marmalade ink featured on eInvite.com}
~ bake pumpkin cupcakes from real simple
~ make some fun spooky cocktails {recipes by martha stewart}
~ decorate with black corinthian candles by wisteria

Free wedding invitations and Twitter? Yes, please!

Are you looking for wedding invitations or know somebody who is? eInvite is holding a contest for FREE wedding invitations (up to a $500 value) and will be picking someone at random who follows us on Twitter. To be entered, simply follow eInvite and retweet about the contest by clicking here.

Starting today (10/22/09) and ending on 10/29/09 at midnight EST, anyone who retweets about the contest will be entered into the running for free wedding invitations! Also, the more you tweet about it, the more entries you'll gain and a better chance you'll have to win. For all brides and grooms to be, what could be a better early wedding present? So pass this along to anyone and everyone you know - we'll see you all on Twitter!

{Spun Gold by Checkerboard via eInvite}

Suzani Fabrics

Recently, we have seen a revival of Suzanis, the gorgeous tribal textiles hand embroidered in Central Asia. While the traditional fabrics are quite beautiful, I am enjoying the new color palettes—particularly the hot pink!



{L to R from top: Vintage Ebay fabric, Yurdan, World Market, Donghia}

Slow Art

{the MFA Boston group having lunch and chatting about art images via payal}

{MFA crew on their second lap, AFTER lunch! They could not get enough}

{cathy and jennifer, 2 WAM guests looking at an El Greco, chatting about symbolism}


{Del Sarto piece, found in Worcester, MA in '77}


{The signature of Albrucht Dürer, as seen in The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown}

No dust settles around here, let me just tell you how busy we are doing, seeing, learning, expanding our horizons. What a group we have. I just love this place! This weekend a bunch of us took part in a worldwide event called "Slow Art", initiated by Phil Terry of The Reading Odyssey. Phil contacted us looking for help with his project, setting up Slow Art in Boston. We grew very excited and immediately started planning Slow Art Boston at MFA and a Slow Art Worcester at the WAM. Sixteen cities around the world are celebrating Slow Art.

What is it exactly? Theoretically, I would be pretty happy if we started celebrating "Slow Life" sometimes. We are all so busy most of the time. Meal times are rushed, days are rushed, family acitivities are rushed. Taking time to visit your local art museum, where the average time spent looking at a piece is under 10 seconds.......should not be so rushed. Sloooow down, enjoy the moment, the colors, the mood of art. Look at the details, emotions evoked, why does it speak to you or not at all? Compare the feelings you have looking at two different pieces. Excercise all these things. Whether you are a novice or an art historian, Slow Art is such a great platform to learn more about people looking at art, the social impact of art, and most of all to ignite your creative soul with visual and conversational fuel.

Slow Art was pretty amazing! I walked away from my museum falling in love with the work of Redon, learning about the tale of a long lost Del Sarto found in a church attic here in town, and seeing the excitement one "Slow Art-ee" felt when she saw the signature on a Albrucht Dürer woodcut print. Frantically, I watched her take her book, The Lost Symbol out of her bag and turn to the page that Dan Brown wrote about! It was an eye opening and insightful day. I can't wait for the next one!

Jesse Rhodes and Jeff Gates at the Smithsonian, writes about Slow Art, here and here, respectively.

If you would like to bring Slow Art to your local museum, just contact Phil Terry and he can give you the s-low down. Take part in this event and put your museum on the slow track, learning from your diverse peers, seeing with new eyes, making new friends you never knew you had, and sharing insight and opinions. Fuel your creative spirit slowly and intentionally!

It's the most wonderful (and stressful) time of year!

I, like everyone else in central Massachusetts, woke up to snow this morning. Unlike most, I was super excited. I love winter, snowball fights, fires, mugs of cocoa, and pretty much anything else you can think of when you think of winter in the Northeast. This holiday season is a bit different, however. This year is the first year I will be sending out a holiday card. And not just on my own, with my boyfriend. The pressure is on.

Given that it's just the two of us and we don't have any adorable kids or precious pets, I'm opting for a non-photo design. I've been all over eInvite.com and have come up with a top 3. What I'm asking of you all is to vote on which one you think I should go with for my holiday greetings, and why!

{Dazzling Holiday via eInvite}

{Checkerboard's Sweet Delights via eInvite}

{Berry Trees via eInvite}

Design for well-being

I came across articles about these 3 beautifully designed spaces in fast company. Each focus on a different space - a hospital, a retirement home and a battered women's shelter. Reading this and looking at the photographs, made me feel like they were definitely designed to help you heal, relax and recharge your body and mind.

It's very inspiring to see great design in places you may not expect to be design centric. With happiness and community in mind, they were designed for a wholesome experience.

Eat Cake Be Merry!

I came across these beautiful cakes by Liz Shim of Eat Cake Be Merry on Brooklyn Bride today! Aren’t they just wonderful! I totally love the crisp colors and simple yet modern designs that adorn each cake! Here is just a small selection of some of my favorites, but you can see more of these luscious beauties on the Eat Cake Be Merry website. Also, be sure to read Liz’s blog where she documents baking behind the scenes…it’s oh so fun!

You are all invited...to Cirque Du Noir

Inspired constantly by the people I work with and faced with the fact the my house could no longer contain the amount of people showing up for my annual Halloween festivities, we decided to host a fundraiser Cirque Du Noir at a local hot spot, Bocado. My thoughts were that we are celebrating anyway and taking the time to costume up, why not kick it up a few notches and do it for The Worcester County Food Bank? I proposed the idea to all my amazing artists friends, whose wheels started spinning as fast as mine. We included a live art fusion, a silent auction, live music and a costume contest.

Another very memorable inspiration came from an incredible night at the Louie Awards at Capitale in New York City back in 2008, chaired by Fern Gimbelman. I was so blown away by the drama and depth of the platform, that I kept thinking of a Halloween party, instead of the "Academy Awards" of Greeting Cards, that is the Louies.

The family of people here and the Worcester community got involved, from our right hand florist extraordinaire, Cathy Walsh from Sprout, to our neighborhood sandwich shop, Vivian's that we all visit. The evening was incredible, beginning with deep, dark violin music and ending with an incredible array of prizes donated by generous friends and colleagues, and a killer art auction.

{scott boilard in action, image by andreea waters via flickr}
{image of Fusion art and guests by Scott Holloway via flickr}
images of Cirque Du Noir 08
and below live art fusion practice session pieces:

{our Jessica Burhans and Derek Ring, also see him here and here}

{payal kripalani}

{our scott boilard and cynthia woehrle}

{click image to enlarge}

Cirque Du Noir (click here for pix) came to be and now we are in our second year! Having friends that are dreamers and doers make anything happen!