Archive for the ‘inspiration’ Category
Keeping Casco Bay Blue, One Tile at a Time
Monday, August 2nd, 2010
THAT’S ME, IN THE LOWER LEFT CORNER.
MY DOG, SARA, FROLICKING ON WILLARD BEACH IN CASCO BAY.
I’ve been thinking a lot about the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Mostly, about the animals and humans who inhabit the gulf waters and its coast. It breaks my heart to think what they are going through. I was trying to imagine if my bay became the victim of an oil spill. I live on Casco Bay in the Gulf of Maine. I love this bay and it would be devastating if 174 million gallons of crude (or anything for that matter) took over the waters. This is where a big chunk of Maine works and plays… not to mention the visitors who spend their summers and dollars here. Maine is not a rich state, but it is known for its beautiful and bountiful coast. We rely on these waters for just about everything. Anyway, like I said, I love this bay and want it to remain part of what makes Maine… The Way Life Should Be. (That’s what it says on the really big sign as you enter our state from New Hampshire.)
So, here’s to keeping Casco Bay blue! To that end, I will be donating a portion of every sale from my Casco Bay Tray to the good folks at Friends of Casco Bay.
5% of all sales will be donated to Friends of Casco Bay. Visit their site for other ways to enjoy the bay and to keep it blue!
The bay is represented in a watery and reflective blue while the coast and islands are a mat and earthy green. Each tile is hand drawn, glazed and then kiln fired. Slight variations in line and glaze color will occur. The tiles are grouted into a sturdy, handled tray and ready for serving on deck (or your back deck). 13 5/8″ square, 2 5/8″ at handle, 4 lbs
Price: $125 +5% sales tax
Domestic shipping: $15
Order your tray today for 4 to 6 week delivery. Email Me (or lauriespugnardi@gmail.com)
Keep the bay blue and spread the blog. Thank You!
Tags: casco bay, ceramic tile tray, friends of casco bay, gulf of maine, gulf oil spill, hand painted tile, maine coast, willard beach
Posted in goings on in the studio, inspiration, sustainable design | No Comments »
Boston Museum of Science: Mathematica
Tuesday, May 18th, 2010
One of the delightful parts of parenting is that you get to go on adventures you may not otherwise have the opportunity to experience. We go to the Museum of Science every couple of years with our kids and it is a different experience each time. Not just because some of the exhibits change, but because the kids change. They absorb the same information in an entirely different way at each stage of their cognitive development. Me too.
My favorite exhibit is Mathematica. It was designed by Charles and Ray Eames (of chair fame) and manages to make math, kind of, well… fun. Have you ever tried to wrap your head around how a Mobius Band works? Trippy.
The exhibit is loaded with interactive fun, while showing how math is the basis for art, architecture, music and design. We humans respond to order in our art. As it turns out, beauty has a mathematical formula.
It reads like this:
and it looks like this:
Snapshots from the museum…
Mathematical relationships and their graphic counterparts: Organized doodles!
The Pythagorean Theorem, the Fibonacci Series and the Golden Ratio: Perfection in Proportion.
(left) Network mathematics: Think… the internet or the lymphatic system.
(right) A family of curves satisfying a differential equation. I don’t even know what that means, but it’s much more interesting than my last family portrait.
Posted in inspiration, just for fun, observations, on design | No Comments »
Fritillaria meleagris and Fashion
Friday, May 14th, 2010
One of my favorite spring plants…
If I were a fairy, I would wear the petals as a skirt.
Posted in inspiration, just for fun, observations | No Comments »
The Diptych Project, part one
Wednesday, May 12th, 2010
I’ve been invited to participate in this years Diptych Project. The Diptyich Project was started a few years ago by New England Wax. This talented group of encaustic artists has been organizing this project for a few years now. Here’s how it works: Artists are paired up and begin making a painting. The paintings are given to their partner who will create a response painting. Each artist will create two paintings. There is only one rule: the size must be 18 x 12. This year, New England Wax has invited mosaic artists to join in the fun. My partner is Kimberly Curry. She lives just over the bridge in Portland, but we’ve never met before. She and I will be switching pieces this week and will begin our response pieces. There are 36 artists (18 encaustic and 18 mosaic) involved in the project which will tour new england galleries later this summer.
This is the piece I will give to Kim. I found inspiration while on a trip to Damarascotta to watch the alewives run. May is spawning time for alewives here in Maine. The fish, which spend most of its life in the ocean, crowd into a narrow fish ladder to make the long journey (for a fish) from the bay up to Damarascotta Lake to spawn. I was mesmerized by the moving pattern of crowded fish. It also happens to be when the poppies bloom. I loved the warm and bright poppies floating in a spring breeze in contrast to the dark layers of wriggling fish in the cold and bubbly water. Good stuff.
Poppy and Alewife, 2010
I look forward to seeing what Kim has made and to start my response piece…
Tags: alewife, alewives, ceramic mosaic, damarascotta, maine, poppies
Posted in goings on in the studio, inspiration, just for fun, shows & exhibitions | No Comments »
intricate tile in the william morris style
Tuesday, May 4th, 2010
I love William Morris’ wallpaper designs, though I admit, an entire room would make me feel like grabbing the hedge clippers. His wallpaper patterns have a certain quality of texture, line and downright coziness to them that intrigues. Here is my attempt at enhancing those qualities: wax line method to create real 3D texture; the use of matt and gloss glazes to add depth; enlarged and cropped sections to draw attention to motifs and line-work. At this point, I think one tile, simply framed would be lovely to hang on a wall or for use as a trivet. It’s my first go-round with this series and I’m happy enough with the results to keep experimenting. What do you think?
sections of black and white wallpaper, enlarged, transferred onto 6″ bisque tile then overdrawn with black wax (see technique on my hand painted tile page)
crow and flowers, glazed and fired. I captured this photo at an angle to show the use of matt and gloss glazes.
crow and flowers.
grapes and foliage, glazed and fired.
grapes and foliage.
Besides wallpaper, William Morris (and protégé William De Morgan) also designed tile for the home. Here are a few samples of their work.
Tags: art tile, crow, tile design, william morris, william morris tile
Posted in goings on in the studio, inspiration, surface design | No Comments »
About the Designer
Tile design is a functional aesthetic. It's that place between art and
order where I am most happy to be. I'm a graphic designer by training,
a painter in practice. Painting appeals to the artist in me, while I
rely on the grid and functionality of tile to bring order and utility
to environments. Welcome to my site and that place where art meets
utility.
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- portland maine usa :: 207 318 3064
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