An Artfully Delivered Oyster Roast
This week we were all scheming on oysters (after all, they are in season, being that January is a month with the letter “r” in it) and naturally I thought of my friend and well-known Savannah based artist Katherine Sandoz. You see, every year she and her family host a big annual oyster roast on New Year’s Eve at their little farm in Vernonburg. In a word it is magical.
A Man, His Hands, And a Bag of Oysters
I have this habit of looking at people’s hands like I’m looking for clues. I find they reveal so much more than most people are willing to offer. They tell a story.
As Vincent Hooper hauls 50-pound burlap sacks of oysters, I can’t help but notice that his hands are big—too big for his average size, as if they grew in spite of him. His fingers look swollen and ashy around the joints and cuticles. The skin across the backs of his hands stretch tight, like leather gloves that are too small and worn to offer any real protection.
Inspired by Oysters
Food is our trigger to all design. Its color may inform our fashion, its texture may inform our artwork. Its shape may inform our interiors and its flavor will always inform our table. This week our inspiration is an oyster. Rough yet refined. A skilled knife hand to open and well worth the briny blast of refreshment in the end. Plucked from the sea and shucked for your table, take a rake through our mud this week and see the beauty in our bounty.
My Darling Clementine
Mandarin Orange and Clementine season is upon me and when asked what art inspired me, I naturally chose this mixed media piece by SCAD alumna Beth Loraine Bowman. So reminiscent of my darling clementines (yum!) with its deep texture, full-bodied orange hues, and glossy finish…I can almost smell (and taste) the sweetness now!
A Handful
Nothing intrigues us more than a well crafted bio. Artist Pedro Friedeberg’s bio, like his original hand chair, is pure genius.
A Lesson in Geography and Modesty
There’s nothing like a worldly person to remind you you’re not.
When I meet Merveille Kasongo, her body language reads like one of those signs on the back of a semitruck that warn: “Stay back 200 feet.” Her arms remains locked at her sides and without smiling she looks directly at me with big dark eyes lined with lashes so thick I wonder how they could be real. My brassy American sensibilities are, of course, injured.
Eat This and Keep Your Eyes on the Horizon
Disclaimer: The healing power of the Mandarin oranges noted in this article are not substantiated by any medical authority aside from a surly retired oral surgeon and a novice yacht chef.
Inspired by Mandarin Oranges
This week our inspiration is a Mandarin orange. A slight spray of juice, a peel’s texture, a vibrant color (Libbie’s favorite), a stringy pith and a sweet woman from The Congo who holds them ever so gently against her skin. Welcome into our home for a week of orange clad citrus inspired living and take a peek under the rug.
