the sketchbook project

during the summer of 2008 i spent five weeks studying abroad in italy with 19 other interior design students. it was by far the most influential experience of my educational career. it not only increased my knowledge and appreciation for art, architecture and design, but it also deepened my love for italian culture, food, language and traveling in general.

one of the girls from the trip, bre, emailed me last fall to let me know she signed up for something called the sketchbook project. we did plenty of sketching while we were abroad so i was excited to see what she was going to do with this project. her theme was "down your street" and she had the brilliant idea to have her friends from all over the world send pictures of their streets so she could do something creative with them. i jumped on board right away.

bre finished her book and turned it in earlier this year. her lovely sketchbook is now touring the country and this weekend the tour stopped in chicago. yesterday i made the trek to the hyde park art center and saw it in person.

leah and jessica were part of our italy group and they also helped with this project. holding bre's sketchbook in my hands and seeing the sketch of via ricasoli, our home in florence for five weeks, made me miss italy so, so much. i haven't seen these girls in three years but flipping through the sketchbook brought all of us back together in a way. oh, what i wouldn't do to be back in firenze, sitting on the steps of the duomo, drinking cheap red wine and talking about the amazing works of art and architecture we had seen that day..

to ease my longing for all things italian, i stopped by the istria cafe (next door to the art center) and enjoyed a piccolo cup of strawberry gelato. sure, it wasn't as good as the gelato i had in italy but it got the job done.

bre, congrats on a beautiful sketchbook! so glad i could be a part of it.

isn't this lovely?

i want it.

kim sly has more prints on her etsy. check it out.

things that make me happy: the chagall windows at the art institute

they're coming back!

when one thinks about the art institute, one may think of american gothic or a sunday on la grande jatte or at the moulin rouge or water lilies. and while my mind may also conjure up these images, i think most about these gorgeous blue windows. i still remember the first time i walked down the long hall housing the museum's collection of medieval suits of armor and seeing the windows at the end. the hall is now filled with stunning indian art, in case you were wondering.

if you have been to the art institute in the past five years, you may have noticed the absence of chagall's windows. the first time i visited the museum and they were gone, i was a little heart broken. they were removed for safety reasons while the new modern wing was under construction. they were also in need of a good cleaning.

but as of november 1st they will be back! and better than ever, if i do say so myself. it's been a while since i spent some time at the art institute. i have a feeling i'll be visiting in novemeber.

indian summer

fall may be here but this weekend it felt like summer. the past three days have been sunny and hot. not just warm but hot! i enjoy summer but fall has my heart. once the calendar hit september 23rd, there was no turning back people. the warmer temps were nice but i'm ready to be back in the 50s.

to celebrate the (most likely) last warm weekend of the year, i put on a pretty dress and went downtown to spend the day with a family friend.

we had lunch at rl restaurant. i've walked past this restaurant on chicago avenue countless times and never really thought much about it. good thing i have friends who know their restaurants. rl restaurant is a real gem. hey, if it's good enough for oprah, it's good enough for the rest of us, right?

anyway, the food was delicious. i had the arugala salad with a champagne vinaigrette to start, then the lobster club sandwich and for dessert i had cheese cake with michigan cherries. it was perfect. oh, and there was coffee.

lunch lasted almost 3 hours. i hadn't seen this particular friend in a couple of years so there was a lot to catch up on. good thing the interior was relaxing and easy on the eyes. just as good as the food.

supposedly the pictures, prints and paintings hanging in the restaurant are from the personal collection of mr. ralph lauren. i love how eclectic they are without feeling distracting or forced. i especially liked this combination of images.

after lunch we rushed to the oriental theater to see billy elliot. wonderful show. go see it.

i spent the rest of the day enjoying the warm weather and the changing leaves.

i ask you, shouldn't every weekend include good food, good friends and good times??

oh, cy..

what have you done.

as if i didn't need another reason to go to paris. this is the newest work by cy twombly at the musee du louvre. i think it's great. and i'm preeetty sure i need to see it in person.

i loved his series cy twombly: the natural world, selected works of 2000 - 2007 at the new modern wing at the art institute last summer.

this series just makes me happy. it's so summery and bright and energetic. i want a full sized replica of the above painting to hang in my teeny tiny apartment. i don't care if it's too big. i'll make it work somehow. even if i have to knock down a wall.

i doubt i would ever be in a foul mood if every day i woke up to his paintings.

to end, here is the quote cy incorporated into the sixth panel from the series:

ah! the peonies

for which

kusonoki

took off his armour

-takarai kikaku