Art Archives - Page 35 of 63

Fonds Marins by Lee Ungno, Revisiting for Spring 2018

April 13, 2018 She's an iconoclast - it's safe to assume that you don't know anybody with a wardrobe with color combinations like this! But she's happy, and we need to remember that happiness is a BIG factor when we choose what we wear...This is her dream painting:

She took a quick trip just after the winter holidays, for which she packed this most unlikely but lovely Tote Bag Travel capsule wardrobe:

She's on the road again, for another quick jaunt... Sometimes she's driving to see the World's Largest Ball of Twine, or maybe there's something very important and moving at the Art Institute of Chicago that she wants to see, so she jumps on the train...

Now that she punches nobody's time clock, she ... View the Post

Study in Verticals by Frantisek Kupka – Revisiting for Spring 2018

She likes facets... and doing difficult, serious work that requires her to be multi-faceted. So it's no surprise that her personal style guideline is this:

She's still wrapping up all of the documentation from a taxing negotiation from back in January... It was fully of drama - slammed doors, pounded fists, raised voices, and all sorts of threats to quit, or to fire people.... At least her travel wardrobe was under control - nothing else was!

She's now taking off just a few days, to sit under the trees, near the beach, and listen to the ocean...

She's sticking with dresses. It's how she feels most comfortable! And she's keeping things simple - she's had quite enough complexity in her life ... View the Post

A Colorful Moon by Alain Paillou – Revisiting for Spring 2018

April 11, 2018 She's always loved the moon... And found this unexpectedly colorful photograph to be the perfect inspiration for her wardrobe:

She was bowled over when she was told she needed to travel to the capital because of an issue with Probate Court! But when she received the expense check to cover her travel (and a bit of shopping), she was prepared to make some smart choices. This is what she packed for that most life-changing adventure:

She's still getting used to the idea of being able to retire... She just worked the last day of her 4 week notice to her employers, and she's heading away for a couple of days, to a city in Mexico of which she has heard a great deal...

She's not meeting a ... View the Post

Flowers in a Crystal Vase by Edouard Manet – Revisiting for Spring 2018

April 10, 2018 She's a soil conservation engineer... a job nobody understands...This is what inspires her - the richness of brown, and the beauty of what the soil can produce:

Just after the 1st of the year, she attended a conference of soil professionals. She packed carefully, and within her plan; she was delighted with the results:

One of the people that she met at her conference has invited her to speak to some of the classes at the University where they teach. THE University, as far as environmental issues are concerned.... She's thrilled, but doesn't want to go too "over the top." They will be walking through a bunch of plowed fields, after all. (yes, they have boots for her to borrow!)

The professor ... View the Post

Shallow Deep by Wassily Kandinsky – Revisiting for Spring 2018

April 9, 2018 She loves simplicity, clarity, things that are explained and can be learned...

So she became a teacher! Her last trip to New York was with a group of her students, and her travel wardrobe reflected her need to be bright, cheerful, mobile and ready for anything!

This time, shes going ALL BY HERSELF! Just for a couple of days, but a couple of days among adults...

She's not taking very much AT ALL with her. She's going to concentrate on spending as much time with a work of art as she wants, without worrying about keeping her class on schedule. She's going to eat, slowly, savoring every bite and not caring one whit about the table manners of anyone around her. She's going to sleep late...

Yes, her ... View the Post

Trojan Gates by Helen Frankenthaler – Revisiting for Spring 2018

April 6, 2018 The quiet translator... Meticulous, and attuned to subtleties that are almost wordless... She won an award for a very difficult project, back in January... This is her unifying wardrobe inspiration:

With these words and colors as her... disciplining structures?

Back in January when she went to the awards ceremony, she was delighted with what she packed... (well, getting the award was pretty nice, too!)

and now has been chosen to translate HIS biography from French to English. He's coming to New York for a couple of days, and she has 2 meetings scheduled with him! They'll probably have dinner, his publicist assures her. Not a fancy restaurant, but a nice place, where they talk ... View the Post

L’Oiseau Forestier by Max Ernst – Revisiting for Spring 2018

April 5, 2018 Back in January, her jealous co-workers were fuming because she never wears blazers, not pantsuits...They have no clue. This is her style inspiration:

From this, she developed her style guidelines and color palette:

Back then, when she was going out of town to lead some negotiations, this was her wardrobe - not what one might expect from someone who is supposed to be hard-bitten with brass... knuckles...

"She's heading the overnight retreat? She's such a prissy little mouse... would it kill her to wear some high heels?"

"Have you ever seen her wear makeup? And she doesn't even polish her nails... I don't know HOW she can be so successful..."

of course the men in their office ... View the Post

Paysage de Niege by Renoir – Revisiting for Spring 2018

April 4, 2018

She went away for a weekend, to a snowy, very quiet resort. Her friends and family thought that she was crazy...This peace and quiet is what inspired her:

She found the tranquility of the soft colors relaxing, yet somehow elegant, even though her plans were very casual!

When she traveled back in January, she has the smallest of travel wardrobes:

Now, she's going back! She found... much... there to enjoy. It was warm when she left, but she knew that temperatures could be all over the map - warm days and cool nights... She loves that!

She was pretty excited about this trip, so she had a little bit of trouble focusing on her packing... Especially with the uncertain weather! So she went very ... View the Post

Blue by Kinuko Imai Hoffman – Revisiting for Spring 2018

April 3, 2018

You might remember that back in January I assembled a very simple, but (to my mind) fascinating little Tote Bag Travel capsule based on this work.

The palette suggested by this is very limited, but I think that's part of the challenge/fun - especially for someone who thrives by being creative with constraints:

When we left our heroine visiting classrooms, just after the winter holidays, this was her travel wardrobe:

Her visits continue through the school year, even as the weather warms... And she adheres to her very disciplined wardrobe. Her goal is to be a calming, familiar presence in the classes she visits...

The weather's getting warmer, but it's still cool enough for a long-sleeved ... View the Post

Revisiting a Start With Art: Edith and the Kingpin by Jack Vettriano

March 30, 2018 When we left Edith, she was deeply smitten with a gentleman that she had... encountered... at the resort to which she had been sent to recuperate from a recent illness...So when one of her friends wrote to her that the resort was looking for a new hostess for the luncheon salon, she determined that she was going to get the job!"You're going to do what?"

"Well, it's only 5 hours of work (10 to 3) five days a week, AND I get a room at the resort for the season, and I get all of my meals provided, AND I get paid. It will be almost like being a guest there, except that I'll get to meet everyone, and I'll get paid to get a bit of exercise..."

Her parents are not convinced, but they recognize that expression on her ... View the Post

I Read, I Watch, I Listen…

February 2 2018

As much as it might seem that I work on The Vivienne Files for 16 hours a day, I actually do have leisure time! Recently, I've received a few emails about what I've been doing for entertainment, so I thought I'd share...

If you haven't seen this movie, you really should! Unless you hate paintings, of course. EVERY FRAME of this film is an oil panting - the use of color, and the transitions between scenes, and the recognizable paintings - everything will amaze you. The number of people in the south of France with Irish accents was amusing, too!

And I agreed to watch this because I was outnumbered in the room - generally, war movies creep me out, and often give me nightmares. But this was well worth making an ... View the Post

Instruments de Musique by Pablo Picasso – Inspiring an Unusual Business Tote Bag Travel Wardrobe

January 18, 2018 A Square Peg...

She knows it - she doesn't fit in the way most other staff at her firm does... She works the difference to her advantage.

Many of their clients are as different from her co-workers as chalk is from cheese. She's MUCH more like the clients... and that helps!

Often she can get insights and answers that elude much more senior staff... They marvel at how she does it...

She fits in with her co-workers, superficially, but if someone was paying close attention they would see that she's got her very own approach to things!

One would think that the orange suitcase might be their first hint? Or maybe the concrete necklace...

love, Janice

p.s. Now that I've built ... View the Post