Have a happy Monday

Finally over my cold and feeling human again. Thank you everybody, for all your get well soon wishes!

And for your Monday, a sneaky picture of my eternal girl crush, Charlotte Gainsbourg.

12x12 Exhibition

Exciting news friends!

Two of my paintings just won a national competition and will be on display at MTSU's Todd Gallery until mid February. For all you Tennessee folks, this show is in your neck of the woods, so stop on by and let me know how it looks. :)

The show is called 12x12 because the only requirement for entry was that the artwork be smaller than 12 inches by 12 inches.

Wish I could be there to see it for myself, but the parents have promised to take lots of pictures, so stay tuned!

A little sugar for your weekend.

The promise of trying this recipe is the only thing getting me through this cold. How incredible does this look?!

The title alone makes my jaw drop: one-pan-dark-chocolate-chunk-skillet-cookie. Aka: Yum.

Head on over to Sophistimom's lovely blog for the full recipe. And let me know how it turns out if you try it! xo.

[Via Diana]

Have a cozy Thursday

I'm sick in bed despite the unusually beautiful weather we're having at the moment. Ugh. Here's to lots of lemon tea and honey. And hoodies.

[via WeHeartIt]

Adorable.

This week is just going to be dedicated to ridiculously cute pictures of animals.

[via Concept Blanc]

I don't know what's come over me. I just can't get enough of them.

Swell Gallery + Candystore

Here are a few shots from the Swell Gallery opening last Thursday. Our show is up for 5 more days, so swing by if you get a chance. :)

And if you feel like doing a little shopping, head over to Candystore Collective and check out my solo show before it comes down next week! xo.

Happy Tuesday :)

I don't think I've ever seen anything cuter?

[via Heart Charlie]

Parking Lot Wedding

Just when I thought weddings couldn't get any more creative...Fin sent me this remarkable and stunning wedding venue: a Miami Beach parking lot!

Read gallery director Nina Johnson's full story here.

Would you ever get married in a parking lot? I totally would. :)

Orange + Gray

I might have to use this color palette in my next painting. It's so unexpected and gorgeous!

What are your favorite color combinations?

[via The Sartorialist]

Eye Candy

 I have soft spots for three things: Ken, pie, and jewelry. This post is in regards to the latter.

Have you all seen this company? Erstwhile Jewelry is like a bottomless pit of treasure. For any brides to be out there--this one's for you.

 

Swoon.

Weekend Glimpes

Dear readers I'd love to share some pictures with you from my recent trip to Arizona.

There's just nothing quite as special as grandparents. My mom's parents have led such amazing lives--it's always a blessing to spend time with them.

My grandparents are both doctors and left Iran in the 50s to move to Africa and be of service. They lived in both Tunesia and Zaire (present day Congo) for over 40 years. After the 1992 Revolution in Zaire however, the political climate was too dangerous for them to stay, causing them to relocate to Arizona. 

Hearing their stories from Zaire are spellbinding. I keep promising myself I'm going to record them someday.

In recent years, my grandfather has taken up baking. His signature dessert? Pineapple Upside Down Cake. :)

And my grandmother is an amazing seamstress.  She used to make all her own clothes, and even some of mine as a little girl. She even made her own wedding dress!

What are your favorite things about your grandparents?

New paintings + Upcoming Shows

Mark your calendars friends! This Thursday my newest paintings will be in a group show with three other phenomenal artists at the Swell Gallery here in San Francisco.

The title of our show, "Flesh Was The Reason", is an homage to the great artist, Willem de Kooning, who famously said oil paints were made so that artists might capture the beautiful quality of flesh.

There will be free drinks and food (I'll be making dark chocolate Godiva brownies), so come check out some great art and pay us visit!

Arizona

I'll be in Arizona until Friday for an impromtu visit with my adorable grandparents.

The weather here is perfect, which is a nice break from San Fran's recent cold spell.

Looking forward to catching up with your blogs and news when I get back!


[photo via Dirtyblonde]

Wedding Portraits

I've always loved painted wedding portraits. Wedding photos are incredible on their own, but having a painting to remember the day by just seems so right.

The below painting is by the phenomenal artist, and dear friend, Nicole Edwards. It's a self-portrait of her and her hub on their wedding day. Isn't the detail on the dress so incredible?  And the lemon tree is perfect!

Have any wedding day portraits stolen your heart?

Needs vs. Wants

This might be a need. 

[via Wit + Delight]

We're moving to India!

I know this is old news for many of you, but for those who haven't yet heard, it's official--we're moving to India!

The why: Ken got his dream job with The Centre for Microfinance (CMF) based in Chennai and will be leading a team of 90 people! CMF is dedicated to evaluating microfinance practices--so he'll mainly be doing research rather than actual lending. I'm so proud of him and can't wait to hear him speaking Hindi. :)

The where: We still don't know exactly where we'll be stationed. So far Chennai seems to be the most likely.

The when: This is the tricky part. They requested that Ken start asap so he left for India today. I on the other hand have 1 more semester of grad school, so I'll be in San Fran until May. Long distance is no stranger to us, but I'll admit I'm going to be pretty mopey in the coming months. I anticipate watching lots of Grey's reruns (there's no heart Mcdreamy can't make better) and spending obscene amounts of time painting in my studio. Here's hoping the next 5 months fly by....and that we never have to spend this much time apart again...ever.

The silver lining: I get two closets.

Lifesize Dollhouse

Have you all seen Heather Benning's life-size dollhouses? I just came across her work and am in total awe!

She apparently renovates old houses and covers the back in plexiglass to give them an authentic open dollhouse feel.

How amazing is that? I would love to see one of these in person.

Also, we have some big news to share with you folks, so stay tuned. :)

Yuko Murata

Currently I can't take my eyes off the paintings of Japanese artist, Yuko Murata.

Her whimsical and ultra-simplified compositions feel so fresh and unfussy, almost like clean slates. There also seems to be a quirky sense of humor in the work that gives it a contemporary feel. Apparently she derives her inspiration from post cards, tourist brochures, encyclopedias, and magazines.

I've been getting so much inspiration from Eastern artists lately. What artists are you looking at right now?

Dominican Republic

Our beachy Christmas getaway to the Dominican Republic was truly one of the best trips we've ever taken. Ken and I had such a blast with my family and wish we were still there now! 

We stayed in Casa de Campos which is right outside of La Romana.

 

This was about the time my brother found his soulmate... (we wish it wasn't an inanimate object).

 

 

 

At night we headed over to the beautiful artist village, Altos de Chavon, for some after-dinner ice cream.

I'd never been golfing before, but my uncle and cousins are avid fans. So we joined them one afternoon to give it a go. Turns out Ken and I are converts. We loved it. 

 

New years was definitely the highlight of our stay. There was all you can eat lobster. A band. A beach. And Cameron (Jennifer Morrison) from the t.v. show House! We were all a little star struck.

In true form, Ken and my cousins somehow managed to make it up on stage...and then started singing with the band and improving a little piano on the side.

Our trip was an amazing way to end an amazing year. Here's to a wonderful 2011 off to a beautiful start!