A Wonderful Collaboration!!

I have a weakness for hand painted ceramics done in true Italian style....
Gina of Art and Alfalfa is my weekly "fix"for photos of beautiful painted ceramics! She is a gifted artist that lives in the middle of an alfalfa field in Utah.

Gina creates beautiful ceramics and conducts workshops for students wanting to learn the ancient craft. She recently had some of her work displayed at the Springville Museum of Art! I was immediately drawn to the large platter she did. Gina sells her work through etsy and I signed up for a platter to be painted.

A design was chosen for inspiration. Several things were" tweeked", a reference to the Medici family, my family initial and some "artistic interpretation".

My armorial  plate was painted, fired and re-fired  again with gold and sent to me! What to put on it? What about my marzipan fruit from Bologna, Italy that was brought back so carefully?

Or maybe some salted caramel cookies with sugared fruit jellies?  What? Did your eagle eye spot some differences in the two photos? There was a flaw from the firing of the first plate, so, I ended up with TWO! How lucky am I?

How does my new Italian serving set look with them? Pretty fantastic, I think! I picked them up at an estate sale this week!

I just love that each time I received a plate, it came with a lovely letter from Gina on her custom stationary!

These plates are the perfect size for entertaining or displaying on a shelf.

And her colophon on the back makes them very special to me! Thank you so much Gina!

Scrolls, swags and such.....

Alan Carroll recently featured a wonderful article on the works of Jean Berain on his  incredible blog- Surface Fragments....Alan is an Irish born artist now living in New York. He began his work in America with Pierre Finkelstein of Grand Illusion for four years going on to create his own decorative paint company twelve years ago. His blog is a virtual archive of rare books and other sources pertaining to the art of ornamentation.

Pierre Babel study for cartouche-Metropolitan Museum

Ahhh, ornamentation....I am a sucker for intricate, engraved ornamentation and have a weakness for all things rococo....all those scrolls, swags and such....

Pierre Chedel- Metropolitan Museum

The fantastic morphing of nature and human form embellished with heavily engraved ornamentation..
.

Rocaille-Metropolitan Museum

These designs have popped up unexpected in my life and are mentally filed for inspiration! I have always gone ga-ga over the sets of Three Coins in the Fountain..especially the red paneled drawing room in Dino de Cessi's home. Those walls are incredible!!!!

Fortuny fabrics, such as the Lambelle pattern shown above, make my heart skip a beat!

Genevieve Woodford

I recently stumbled upon artist Genevieve Woodford on etsy and purchased this lino print! She, like many natural artists, began her career about a year and a half ago out of necessity....she wanted art for her walls  that she did not afford to buy.

So, she went to the local art store and bought her first lino block and began to carve a simple Christmas card design. She was addicted and continued to refine her techniques being drawn towards 17thc intricate engravings.  Much of her work is rococo influenced and fits my mood nicely!

She has no formal training, does not own a printing press or a studio but, she does have passion! Her natural talent has allowed her to find a way to create these wonderful pieces.  Her work is on etsy and other public websites and she finds time to also manage her blog-The Scoop.

With Gen's recent decision to sell on Etsy, she has received immediate recognition for her work.

Look at this Venetian pudding print ....it comes in pink!

Papatotoro

There are other lino artistis on etsy selling great art. This etsy store-  Papatotoro offers textiles with asian influence created by a London based artist.

Papatotoro offers tea towels.....

aprons.....

and tote bags.

Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum

So, go to the museums and drool over the engravings....

Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum

but, remember, you can get your "rococo fix" by contemporary artists all around you!

Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum

Shall we Dine...?

Ahhhhh...Rosenthal....Versace blue Medusa....it gets no better than this!

Courtesy-Sothebys Versace auction 2001

Anyone who has a bedroom that looks like this can certainly inspire china!

Isis custom painted dishes with their curved edges and hand painted scenes is also a favorite of mine. She combines the brushstroke technique of Italian pottery with an asian influence.

Speaking of Italian, don't get me started on Deruta, or any other elaborate hand painted Italian pottery!  If you want a source here in the States, try Gina Garner . She has an etsy store.  Using pigments from Italy and extensive research make  her designs works of art!

Slabs of salt have been used for years to serve or cook on.

Look at the beauty of thick slabs of opaque salt. They can be chilled to serve hors d'oeuvres or heated over a burner and cooked on.

Want a great look without getting out the china? Caspari has taken disposable plates to a new level.

Offering metallic chargers to compliment their many design patterns, eating can be civil... even on paper.

Remember the feel of a smooth wooden spoon in your mouth as a child when you ate ice cream from a wax cup ? Well, Conran offers an adult version. They offer knives, forks and spoons for your upscale picnic. Make your dining fun....I'm going for the slabs of salt.....fabulous!