thursday: mild cravings

Boden flats
(shoes again on this blog?!)

Right now I'm not craving anything in particular. But I am *sort of interested* in a bunch of things in general. The theme, if there is one, seems to be a dark background with a touch of spring color.

Maje top
(also comes in an equally pretty dress)

Boden girls' embroidered dress

Milly Paola tank

So much for the theme. But I really like this.
West Elm pillow

JCrew cashmere raglan

Heather Taylor's new linen collection.
(And the blue teacup.)

luke stephenson photography

Red Canary #1

My love of animals is no secret. Neither is my love of sleek, modern photography. British photographer Luke Stephenson takes gorgeous shots of birds; his series of balloon animals and ice cream trucks are equally beautiful.

Bourkes #1

Balloon 004

Mind That Child 003

the white ribbon on etsy

Electric blue

My fantasy shoes tend to be heels. But these ballet flats—handmade, in great colors of  upcycled suede or leather, by a European couple working in Berlin—are making me reconsider.

Teal suede

Peach suede

Gold!

"Audrey"

monday thoughts: louise bourgeois

It's really striking that Louise Bourgeois is so popular with all the artistically inclined bloggers/pinners/online writers/whatever you want to call them. Search for her on Pinterest, and you'll get lots of delicate feminine studies and inspiring photos of a "handsome" bohemian-elder-stateswoman type. 

by Helmut Newton, no less

Bourgeois was born in France and became a lifelong New Yorker after her marriage to an American art historian. Some of her work is definitely pretty and appealing in a traditional, comforting, lovely way. Some of it, on the other hand, is intimidating and angry and weird, obsessed with animals and bodies and flesh and ugliness:

If I'm being honest, I like her pretty work better. I happily defend prettiness, after all. But I think her floral paintings and feminine drawings are all the more interesting because we know what else she's capable of—what else is going on. And maybe the "pretty" work is more than simply pretty. For one thing, red is everywhere in her drawings and paintings, and it's such a loaded color.

Complicated, prickly, strong-willed, ambitious, she outlived her husband by more than 35 years, and she worked almost until the day of her death at 98. Apparently she was a bit of a hoarder, and her home studio overflowed with possessions and bits of inspiration. (Wikipedia, as always, leads to all sorts of great information.) Making art at 98: She's a true inspiration.

sara maragotto

Italian artist Sara Maragotto works in several styles. But for my first official Friday painting post, I'm most drawn to this series, done as part of the creative collaborative Studio Fludd. These pieces are funky, strange little collections, sculptural and unserious. Would you mount them on a wall, or strew them across a table? Is the arrangement part of the artwork, or are you free to move the pieces? I like their uncertainty and cuteness.

Blue Locket Art (and Pinterest)

Perla Anne

Yesterday, in my New Year's attempt to get organized, I wrote that Thursday's category would be style. Style as in clothing, home design, jewelry, culture—anything. So for this first stylish Thursday, I'd like to reintroduce my Pinterest account and lead you to my new Blue Locket Art board, filled with highlights from this blog. Not coincidentally, Blue Locket Art is also live and official and up-and-running and all those other cliches. Oh, and once I convert everything at this address, you can find all my blog posts here. Until then, keep visiting this page, OK? Don't worry—I'll remind you. I promise.

Of those highlights, these are some of my most favorite images, my greatest hits, my most Nadya-ish pieces. Looking at them all together, I realize something: I like cool colors, clean lines, flowers, and animals that aren't cutesy. I hope you all find something appealing here as well.

Serena Mitnik-Miller

Mia Christopher

Rachel Castle

Lily Stockman

Jen Gotch

Caitlin Foster

Kate Miss

Kirra  Jamison

matthew tischler (and a new schedule)

From the Nightscape series

I just discovered Matthew Tischler. A New York photographer, he's got a few works available on the fantastic 20x200—but you should check out his own site too. Not only is it beautifully spare and nicely designed, but it gives you a fuller sense of his style: colorful, stark, fascinated by screens and distance and misconception—a little creepy and totally intriguing.

From the Public Space series

From the Screen series

Buy this one on 20x200

From the Italy series

PS: For the new year, and as part of my imminent launch, I'm getting a little more organized. Here's my new weekly schedule: Monday Thoughts (slightly longer essays with a more personal slant), Tuesday Etsy (featuring an Etsy artist who's especially noteworthy), Wednesday Photography, Thursday Style (which could be anything from clothing to home style to jewelry), and Friday Painting or Drawing. I'm sure I'll deviate from that if something is incredibly compelling in one category or another on a particular day. But this way I'll have more of a framework—and you'll know what to expect.