Dolce & Gabbana

Dolce and Gabbana have recently shown their future collections (2012/2013), and these are stunning. Colors of the spring collection and gold embroidery on the fall/winter collection are breathtaking.

Most of us may not wear these clothes but they are a pleasure just to look at and inspiration for artistic minds.

 

Credits; D&G, google etc.

Hyacinth, bow tie and a sunny weekend

It seems spring has arrived early this year, Hyacinths are already in bloom. Temperatures are in 70s for the last few days. We had a wonderful weekend, though my better half and I had plans for a low-key weekend but it turned out to be otherwise. However I still managed to spend some quality time in my garage. Got my new bow tie and Pocket Square in Saturday mail that I ordered a week back. On Sunday chickened out at the last minute from watching “A Separation” the best foreign film Oscar winning Iranian movie. It was such a beautiful day it was a crime to sit in a theatre for two hours.  Instead drove my yellow SL that has been sitting in the garage for some time and was begging to see some sunshine.

Hyacinth in the yard

"The Pocket square"

"The bow tie"

"The Yellow car"

credits: paisleycurtain

Jacob Collins

Self portrait

Jacob Collins is one of my favorite contemporary artists. He paints in the centuries old classical style. Declared a “Living Master” by ARC (Art Renewal Center) and one of the most powerful people of the art world by Art and Auction magazine.

Jacob is married to Ann Brashares, author of “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” series. He runs Water Street Atelier, a school of classical painting, in New York.

Seated nude (oil on canvas)

Reclining nude (oil on canvas)

Odalisque

Green onions

Attributes of the art

Roquefort cheese (oil on canvas)

Jas (oil on canvas)

Working on a sculpture

Michael   (oil on canvas)

Anna Nina by Collins

One of the studios at his Atelier

Jacob Collins with wife Ann Brashares

Credits: google,ARC etc

Teapots!

Over the weekend went out with friends for dinner. On our way back, they invited us to have tea at their house. She was excited to use a new teapot she had purchased around Christmas that she had not been able to use since.  It was a very pretty teapot indeed and the joy of having tea was doubled. This brings to today’s post “ Teapots”.

In my parents home they still brew and serve their tea in a teapot. The teapot is covered with a tea-cozy. Especially the afternoon tea is a very formal affair. However it seems in past few decades we have drifted away from some simple pleasures and traditions of life. This may be because of fast pace of our lives or because of more casual lifestyles or the amalgamation of the world into a big homogenous “pot” of people, where a lot of traditions have melted away.

We have decided that from now onwards we are going to serve tea out of a teapot instead of serving from the electric tea maker. This may happen only over the weekends but it will be worth it. It does not hurt to bring some simple pleasures back in life, why not have my Twining’s out of a beautiful teapot. Pretty teapot to sooth the eyes and the tea out of it to soothe the palette. (This will give the collector/hoarder inside me an excuse to collect some nice teapots, not bad isn’t it?)

Now who would mind to have their tea poured out of these following teapots?

 Salt-glaze Stoneware Camel Teapot-1std

18th Century English Neoclassical Black Basalt Teapot

Silver-plate tea and coffee serving

19th c. English teapot

19th c. English teapot

19th c. English teapot

chinese export famille rose teapot

Monumental Tea Pot

Wedgwood Encaustic Decorated Basalt Teapot

jasper teapot

Whieldon School Hexagonal Teapot With Oriental Figures

Picture credits: one kings lane, 1stdibs paisleycurtain etc.