sketch42

Black Gravity and the Drawings of Sculptor Richard Serra.

Nicole Cohen — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 11:30:33 +0000

Hey everyone!

I asked one of my blogging buddies, Courtney of Breaking Down the Big Beige Box to sub in for me while I was away. Court and I have a lot in common; we generally love the same art, design and fashion… and of course, we have a great time hanging around in NYC together. I know I’ve said this before, but remember when meeting people you met on the internet was generally a good way to get killed? Well, now it’s the source of half my friendships! Ha!

Enjoy this post- I really loved it!

-N

Sequence by Richard Serra c/o: Moma.org

It is well-known amongst my family and friends that I consider black my primary color. I’ve always been drawn to how it can create a mood in a room, provide a contrast in graphic prints, or even serve as the perfect backdrop for colorful accessories at home or in fashion. Black is often used to define shapes; consider your kitchen appliances, computers, tvs…a company that is focused on the design of the product almost always manufactures in black.

“September” by Richard Serra

This is why I was immediately drawn to the work of Richard Serra this summer while strolling through the Metropolitan Museum of Art here in NYC. My friend, who is an artist, accompanied me to the museum that day and we stumbled upon the Met’s collection of Mr. Serra’s paint stick drawings. The artist, she explained, is an American minimalist sculptor who was famous for his gigantic steel freestanding sculptures. He not only focused on sculptural work, but also in large-scale drawings on paper and canvas with paint stick.

c/o: Met Museum

Oh, how the paint stick stuck with me! Paint stick is a wax-like grease crayon that Serra often melted down, handfuls at at time, to form large pigment blocks on canvas. The technique of melting down and layering gobs of paint stick literally conveyed something beyond color and form….the color now had a texture and weight to it…it’s own movement and gravity.

I was drawn to some of his drawings simply because they were heavy black and white abstract lines and swirls (my favorite). Initially, these drawings look angry. There’s a lot of energy and force conveyed by the strokes he used with the paint stick. You can see that he would trace the same circle over and over again; it reminded me of art therapy for anger management, I’m not going to lie. Other works just stumped me: what is the significance of huge black squares on a canvas?

“No Mandatory Patriotism” by Richard Serra c/o: NY Times

Serra is a minimalist sculptor who was a part of the Process Art movement, with the “process” referring to the process of the formation of the art. His sculptures are easy to understand because they are heavy, massive, and looming. “Ballast,” as seen below, demonstrates this. So how does Serra convey the same feeling in “No Mandatory Patriotism” (above)? It’s the paint stick! There are layers and layers of paint stick melted onto these canvasses, so much so that they could probably stand on their own (he in fact, did a few pieces where paint stick-soaked canvasses were propped on top of each other–like sculpting with canvas). My recommendation if you come across a Serra drawing (after you finish the “Hey, Richard! The paint store called….they’re out of paint stick! *yes, this IS a Seinfeld reference*), is to get your face up in it (as far as the museum guards allow!) and take a look at the texture. Step away slowly and gather up how the form dominates your visual field, then how it looks from afar. They’re heavy in more ways than one.

Ballast by Richard Serra

The use of the color black and the medium in which it is conveyed gives weight, shape, and depth in the case of Serra’s work. I came across this wallpaper shortly after seeing the Serra exhibit this Summer.

c/o: Marcus Design Inc.

The challenge with decorating is to think outside of the box to bring dimension to a room. What Serra does to flesh out a simple black to give it personality, weight, and movement inspires me to do the same in the rooms I decorate. Colors and textures can do double-duty and multitask if you’re clever about it.

I’d like to thank Nicole for asking me to share my novice art-lover’s take on this amazing artist!!

Shopping the sales.

Nicole Cohen — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 03:37:21 +0000

I know people who won’t shop sales thinking: If I didn’t like it enough to buy it when it was expensive, I shouldn’t clutter up my life with it now, just cause its cheap. AND, also, the good stuff doesn’t go on sale.

Eh, I don’t agree.

I scored both these shoes on MAJOR MAJOR sale in the post holiday sale bonanza. Who cares if its winter and they are LAST SEASON? My rule for sale buying is get something either so basic it transcends seasons and time (In addition to scoring both of these, I also found Jil Sander trousers for around $100 bucks and a white button down from The Row for 75+++off) or something so fun and trendy that you just wouldn’t spend a serious amount of money on it, but for a good price you’d do it.

Another good idea is to buy things ahead of time for your kids in a size bigger for the next year, like winter coats and cashmere sweaters. You can also stockpile bathing suits at the end of summer…

Follow my rules of 1. Boring and Basic, or 2. Cheap & Cheerful and sale shopping will be very rewarding!

Enter: Reed Krakoff pony hair mules and Dries van Noten orange, blue, python, tortoise shell concoction. And I realize they are essentially the same shoe just different colors and textures.

I don’t know why I inexplicably dislike Reed Krakoff, the man, even though I like the things he makes… You can read my comprehensive report (not really) on him and see photos of his house and art collection HERE.

As for the Dries, I really wish I had the ones with the orange lucite heel… and while these are really a fall shoe, I’m not cool enough to wear them how they were worn on the runway with black and white zebra striped socks (HERE), so I’ll just save them for warmer weather. Like here on my vacation.

Im only blogging because my husband is watching an NFL Award show! WTF is this? I’m like Miranda on her honeymoon when she just can turn off her brain. Ok, now I’m turning off. Going to read Kelly Cutrone’s book. I’ll report back.

Have a great weekend, and enjoy the Super Bowl!

Giorgio Armani At Home In The Swiss Alps.

Nicole Cohen — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 11:23:41 +0000

My husband referred me to these photos of the Swiss home of Giorgio Armani… I decided to post it, because while the furnishing are not particularly what I would do, the architecture and structure of this house amazed me…

The exterior of the house is covered with traditional scratch-work decoration called sgraffito.

Armani used his own design team for the project. This part of the house is a converted barn.

The house was nicknamed the “Polar Bear House” by its previous owner and coincidentially, Armani was gifted that stuffed bear. The walls are called marmorino veneziano, which is a plaster treatment that mimics limestone.

The kitchen is different from anything Ive ever seen before.

Japanese inspired staircase. Magnificent.

The Master bedroom… There is something I love about that bed and the drapery in that window’s alcove.

The Spa

Forget about every type of excess and concentrate on elegance achieved through simple lines. Beauty must be consistently linked to functionality, because wherever one is living, it should be a place where you feel totally at ease.” – Giorgi Armani

All photos via Architectural Digest. Photography by Roger Davies.

Outfit Bliss: Black, White & Brown.

Nicole Cohen — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:30:04 +0000

Now, I’m by no means a fashion blogger, but I wanted to post this shot, cause I hit upon outfit bliss here. It was a glorious 60 degrees in NYC this week, so I got to bust out my shrunken vintage brown leather jacket (it was literally $80 downtown and its a dead ringer for this Balenciaga motorcycle jacket, in fact mine is a little cooler.)

The white jeans are by Rag & Bone and they are sort of waxy, which kind of makes them less see-through to things like cellulite. Ive actually never worn white jeans before this, now I’m hooked. The belt came with a pair of Zara trousers, the briefcase-y bag is Lanvin and the shirt is Madewell.

Do you ever hit upon outfit bliss and then wear the same thing on and off for days straight? Cause I do. And this is one of those.

I’m off on a little family vaca this week, but I have everything all planned out in advance. So don’t worry. Sketch42 will be up and running!

Have a great weekend!

DIY: Geometric Stencil Heaven.

Nicole Cohen — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 11:30:04 +0000

Remember last week when I posted that Cavern Arrow wallpaper? Well, a blog reader and blogger in her own right Ombre Ombre emailed me and told me about these badass stencils she found on etsy called Olive Leaf Stencils. OH HOLY AWESOME.

(I literally wore the outfit translation of this room today. Im going to show you later!)

I obviously picked all the ones I liked the best, but they had a much larger variety with a bunch of styles… not just these bold geometrics.

So all of you people that claim you rent and can’t wallpaper, DO THIS! Its so cheap($35 per stencil) and cool, and if you screw it up, you can just paint over it.

I really would love to do this somewhere, but WHERE? I may have a tiny little wall that I could do it on in my kitchen. OR, I could scrap the hummingbird paper in the kids room and do this in a white/aqua combo.

Another idea, is to take the stencil and do something more intricate, like this:

This is wallpaper by the Paris based company called Minakani Walls. It’s obviously much MORE intense than the stenciled walls, but you could take the stencil and fill in each triangle in its own color. You could also do it on a background of something other than white.

These are just ideas… now lets see what we all do with them. Someone do this and report back to me please!

In the meantime, I’ll think of a project I can do. Even using these for Ikea Hacking would be amazing!

I’ll keep you posted- have a great day!

My Picks at the NYIGF 2012.

Nicole Cohen — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 11:25:44 +0000

I’ve told you guys a bunch of times that I have SUCH a love/hate relationship with the NYIGF. On one hand: FURNITURE! DESIGN! YAY!!! On the other hand: Chaos, aisles and aisles of stuff, impulse buying expensive things and the dreaded Javits center… UGH.

The first few times you go, it’s heaven. By the 10th time… you can spot a new piece in a collection or a new vendor’s booth from a mile away.

I did a quick run through of Pier 94 and I zeroed in on my favorite new pieces instantly.

Does someone want to buy my Made Goods stool in this same pattern (for a great price!) so that I can upgrade to these coffee tables? Perfect if you want a little bit of stripes but not the whole crazy hog. And then LUCITE SIDED FURNITURE by Design Legacy’s new line by Nancy Price. Amaze balls. And I never say that word. It’s got brass rods and straps holding it together. Fab. Capital F. Then, Pacific Connection (known for making those pretty lacquer boxes in an array of colors, came up with this print on a small lacquered side table. LOVE. Between that and the coffee table, its like you are living in a Celine ad:

Celine, courtesy of 58th & 5th.

Add in a piece of Bungalow 5′s new rosewood parsons tables,and a few swing arm lamps, and you’ve got yourself an awesome SKETCH42 approved living room.

Also noteworthy: New shell headboard by Made Goods, the Chair version of the sofa by Design Legacy, and this AWESOME acrylic magazine holder. Those need to be filled with Elle Decors, don’t ya think?

Does anyone want to buy any of my current furniture so I can swap it out for new stuff? Ha! (I’m serious.)

And thats it, short and sweet. The best of the best, or basically, what I want to buy for myself… ENJOY!

You asked for it: RHOBH Reunion Recap.

Nicole Cohen — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:13:23 +0000

OK, So I decided when Russell Armstrong hung himself that I wasn’t going to talk about this crap anymore.

It was too dark, too sad and heaven forbid that poor Kennedy googles her dad one day and comes across this blog… But then Taylor herself went on a speaking tour across the country and published every punch, hit and text message all in the name of helping others.

Last night 3 very important things happened:

1. The women planned a Coup De Lisa.

2. Adrienne revealed that she is not above the fray and is indeed quite petty and sensitive.

3. Taylor acknowledged her abuse, again, but finally Camille was able to express herself on the matter.

Now here’s what I think about it all:

The women went into reunion revved up and ready to go. In addition to having visited Dr. Paul Nasif for a bit of pre-show tweaking, they all seem to have made a stop to the pharmacy to refill their bitch prescriptions.

Unlike in former years, they hit the ground running on the cattiness and first in line for the fire was Lisa. Sure, she is a tad harsh sometimes, and sure she doesn’t take shit and says it like it is, but MALOOF HOOF? Is THAT worth making yourself look like an ass on TV, Adrienne? You have an unbesmirched record until now! And Im sorry Adrienne, but Lisa is allowed to make a party somewhere other than your hotel. You can handle it. You don’t ONLY eat at Villa Blanca do you?

And Kyle’s criticisms of Lisa are unfounded too. “Its like playing chess with bobby fisher”…. Kyle you DO love attention, and the point of these shows is to stir drama. The worst she said about you after you did that twirly hair thing and SPLITS at her daughters engagement party is that you love attention? YOU SHOULD BE THANKFUL! She could have talked about how you make every single thing about you, you cry at the drop of the hat, YOU single handedly ruined your husbands birthday by CAUSING the drama with kim and then crying about it… blah blah blah… its the same story every single week. And speaking of weak- you surround yourself with weak people because it makes you feel strong. Admit it. The only way you tolerate Taylor, is that she makes you feel good about yourself. And as for Lisa “praying on the weak” I wouldn’t call it praying, I call it not taking crap.

And now: On to Taylor, the reason I stopped writing about this show. Taylor makes me hate myself. She makes me angry at my own mind. Ya see, whatever she is selling, Im just not buying. I am not saying everything she is saying is a lie, but SOMETHING is, and I just can’t figure out what. I never want to be the person that says that a woman claiming domestic abuse is a liar. I just don’t want to be that girl. I actually do think he probably hit her. But there is backstory here. Taylor and Russell had a sordid past, in which they are both implicated as criminals. Aside from numerous name changes (Who changes their legal name MORE than once? I could see doing it once…but more than that?!? Shady.) and originally describing her relationship with Russell as a “business agreement”, there have been many stories in the press about how she played the roll as “hot wife” to his “rich businessman” and helpd secure investments around Hollywood…they were both involved in defrauding people.

Whatever it is, I think, like Camille, that Bravo was completely wrong. They should NOT have aired this season. Unlike Taylor and Adrienne who think that the show saved Taylor from a murder/suicide, I think perhaps Russell might still be alive today if it weren’t for all the public scrutiny. I mean who knows… What I do know is that a public shaming of a dead man is just too much. The man has children and his name, for all eternity has been dragged through the mud, then crapped on, then tarred and feathered and then left out to dry in the public square.

I just don’t think its right, for the sake of the children. He is not even around to defend himself.

The thing is: I just don’t like Taylor. Everything she does seems contrived to help her get the most possible attention. She does things like bringing her therapist, Dr. Inappropriate, to someone else’s party so that she could have a sit down with her friends about her problems?!? ITS SOMEONE ELSES PARTY! Lets not even get into last season’s stealing of the thunder at Kennedy’s party (who is named Kennedy Caroline Armstrong btw. Creeps!). How bout how she BROUGHT Kennedy to the suicide discussion party at Kyle’s house. WHA? Am I missing something. Even if she had no one to leave her with and HAD to bring her, couldn’t they have edited kennedy out? You know they make housewives “re-enter” scenes and such… It was just too pitiful and sad. Or how about how she said she was going to have joint custody with Russell over Kennedy. Am I the only one who WOULD NOT leave my child with an abusive and violent man? SOMETHING is just not adding up with her. I don’t know what, but its something.

Seeing her on screen makes me uncomfortable. The combination of victim + attention whore makes me very very uneasy.

But again, how SHOULD a situation like this be handled gracefully? HOW? You are on TV and your husband is abusing you? What are you supposed to do? I just don’t know. I really don’t. (Aside from not going on TV in the first place.)

But everything she has done since his death has made my stomach turn.

So thats it…. thats my strong opinion. This is not appropriate TV for our amusement. I really wish Taylor health and happiness in life, and I hope she can grow to a place where she doesn’t fall into anymore abusive relationships. Its a very sad life, and I hope she can recover.

I just can’t WAIT for Brandi to come on next week and tell it like it is. Good lord, I love that woman!

What did you guys think? I know my mom loves Taylor and feels so bad for her, so Im sure some of you do too…

Worn in brown leather.

Nicole Cohen — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 05:55:25 +0000

Do you believe I take pictures of random middle aged tourists walking the streets of New York? Cause I do. This dude has probably had this thing since his first job out of college.

If its brown and its leather, lord knows I like it.

I’ll be back with more posting later, this was just a little tidbit to keep you happy until I think of something good to write about. Even I get stumped sometimes. Some ideas: I could post new paintings, thoughts on the NYIGF, new clothes I score on sale, ummmm, another sneak peek at Bachelor pad, thoughts on RHOBH recap (although my opinions are so strong on the matter I don’t know if you want to hear them!), my new obsession with Downton Abbey…Blogging is like having a little term paper due every morning at 6 am. You do the best work when you plan ahead (naturally) but there are some days when you are just scrambling at 1 am. I schedule my posts from the night before, I know some of you think I wake up at 6 am to blog. Not even close. The truth is I’m still up at 2 writing it for the next day!

Ok, your turn, give me some ideas people.

Wildfox

Nicole Cohen — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 11:25:27 +0000

In my previous post, I included two photos that I found on a random tumblr with no way to trace them…. A reader informed me they were from the Wildfox look books and that I should check em out because I would LOVE the photos. Um, yea… I DO!

The brand was created by childhood girlfriends Emily Faulstich and Kimberly Gordon, all grown up, and inspired by sleepovers, fairies, dreams, vintage t-shirts… The LA based girls thought the world of fashion “has gotten really serious in the world of fashion, and it was time for a change!”

While I’m not really the fairies, diaries and sleepovers kinda girl, I do love these photos. They are so fun, and just so LA, in a good way. If I weren’t the NYC bitch that I am, I would totally be a California hippie chick, granola as all get out…

How fun? I would love to see more interior design shot in fun ways like this… like Selby-esque but with less crap everywhere… If it were up to me, every interior shot would have a person in it, and not just a prim decorator or homeowner posing casually (no disrespect, I’ve been that person!) but cool photographs… with fashion and humor, edge and sex appeal. I get that the point of design magazines is to show us the space, but with all the close cropped vignette photos out there, one would think we could branch out a bit and maybe spice it up a bit.

Visit Wildfox HERE.

Random Image Roundup…

Nicole Cohen — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 01:32:37 +0000

It’s the weekend, I can’t muster the energy for anything more than a bunch of pretty pictures. And truth be told, you don’t really want to read anything serious, do you?

Is there anything better than well heeled adults? Maybe, but thats fab isn’t it?

A lucite tray I painted way back when…

Graphic images… by Matthew Korbel Bowers

Minty+dip dye= heaven… via Cococozy.

Goyard Via Tommy Ton and Elle Decor.

Don’t know what this is, via Tumblr.

Rag and Bone for spring.

Cant remember where I saw this.

Tumblr, the black hole for photos.

My brother… who lives in Cali. We miss you!

Have a great weekend everyone!