The Curated Collection Archives - Page 10 of 12

The Curated Collection | Paulette Tavormina

Art is meant to elicit a response. To move you. To draw your attention to pain or beauty; to provoke thought or emotion. To filter the world into a more meaningful experience. To heighten and distill what is beautiful and unique in the world, and perhaps even make you gasp just a little bit.

“Figs and Morning Glories”

And food? Well food is sustenance. But much more than that, it is comfort. It is a means of expressing love. It is a way of showing honour and celebrating. It is the foraging and forming of nature into beauty and meaning for our bodies and our palettes. It is a way of making everyday life an art form in and of itself.

“Crabs”

Married together, these two forms of sustenance – food for both body and soul – meet in the stunning work of New York photographer Paulette Tavormina.

“Yellow Cherries and Crab Apples”

Weaving together a contemporary medium with an old world aesthetic, Tavormina’s dramatic photographs harken back to the sumptuous lighting and decadent details of 17th century Old Master still life paintings. The vibrant saturation and contrast in the images brings the masterfully styled food and flora to life, elevating the everyday to the status of extraordinary.

“Watermelon Radishes”

“Pears”

“I have long been fascinated by the magic of everyday objects, the majesty and delicacy of nature, and the world of culinary delight,” said Tavormina. “I have blended decades of photography and food styling with a love of 17th century Old Master paintings to create these still-life photographs. My greatest influences have been Francisco de Zurbaran, Adriaen Coorte and Giovanna Garzoni, in particular Zurbaran’s mysterious use of dramatic light, Coorte’s unique placement of treasured objects and Garzoni’s masterful composition and color palette. The works of these artists remind us of the irretrievable passing of time – tempus fugit.”

“Sour Cherries”

“Cranberry Beans”

Tavormina’s work can be found in museums, corporate and private collections and have been exhibited all of the world including shows in New York, Paris, London and Moscow. This current collection is showing at MARCH in San Francisco until June 1st and can be purchased by contacting owner and curator Sam Hamilton.

Wishing you a Monday filled with light and contrast and the time to drink in the sumptuous, decadent details in the everyday.

xo
s.

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|March 25th, 2013|2 Comments

The Curated Collection | Altered Perspectives

I love it when something ordinary is transformed into the unexpected. When the simplicity of everyday objects are imbued with a new kind of beauty and meaning, it somehow wakes me up inside. It’s an invitation to remember that beauty can in fact be found in the commonplace with the help of a little juxtaposition and attention to detail. And that is exactly what I’ve stumbled upon with the discovery of a series of art plates entitled “Altered Perspectives.”

Marrying two classic Dutch art forms – china and painting – this collection elevates the upcycled china-canvas back to the status of collectible with a unique and entirely original twist.

My favourite in the current series is the grouping above. The texture of the clouds and the water strategically gathers together seemingly disparate plates into a beautiful collection of textural and geometric interest with a classic scene as its focal point.

The subject matter varies from still life to landscapes to marine scenes and portraits, and each collection is entirely original. More groupings in this series can be viewed here.

Wishing you an inspired Monday, filled with moments of recognizing beauty in the everyday.

xo
s.

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|February 11th, 2013|1 Comment

The Curated Collection | David Graham White

In a world where our need to control and predict outcomes drives our obsessions as much as our fears, David Graham White‘s photography speaks straight to the heart of culture with a haunting beauty that is deeply profound.

In this series, entitled “In The Garden I Felt Safe,” Canadian photographer David Graham White explores the exacting precision of topiaries in the Welsh landscape. Historically viewed as symbols of power, wealth and control, topiaries also allude to a magical, other-worldly fantasy where nature is harnessed with “corsets and stays” and where mazes lead into the depths of our imaginations. The tension between beauty and fear – held together in this horticultural form – is somehow mesmerizing.

Even more mesmerizing is David’s process. The images are photographed as Polaroid negatives and then processed using the light from the flickering images on a television to replace the enlarger. The unpredictability of where the light flares will show up on the TV screen imbues the images with compelling movement and saturation of colour. Ethereal and uncontrolled forms are mysteriously woven into the precisely controlled landscapes of David’s images as the analogue Polaroids are transformed by coming in contact with the post-modern digital era television.

David says, “Television reflects culture from the inside out as it reports on the spectacular world around us. [It] serves as the mouthpiece of material culture generating need for its products to fill as it celebrates the elite and famous. Fear becomes a commodity that is bought and sold on the backs of its viewers. In the end we are left looking for a way through the maze back to a safe place where we can rest.”

Limited edition prints of David’s stunning photographs are available through Art Interiors. As you reflect on his images, his process and the statement David is making with this series, perhaps you will consider what it is that makes you feel safe, what it is that you are trying to predict and control, and what it is that has you in “corsets and stays” right now.

I’ve been thinking about these things a great deal lately, thanks to inspiration like David’s work and this TEDtalk from Brené Brown. I’m coming to believe that it is indeed what makes me vulnerable that also makes me beautiful.

Happy Monday!
xo
s.

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|January 28th, 2013|0 Comments