Vicente Wolf published a book sometime back called ‘Learning to See’.  I have always thought that was such a meaningful title.  Seeing (and looking, fundamentally) is at the heart of a creative person.  What drives artistic and design-minded individuals is a desire to seek out and study what’s interesting, beautiful and/or weird about the stuff of the world.

I’m no exception; I never stop culling the visual data around me.  And I have no shame when it comes to capturing what I see on film.  I’ll lie down on the sidewalk or crawl in the dirt if I see something worth photographing.  Inspiration for my designs can be found in all kinds of places: museums, parks or city streets.  It doesn’t matter if I’m looking at a Rodin sculpture or the bark of a tree.  Cultivating one’s oeuvre (i.e. learning to see) means looking EVERYWHERE, even in the most unlikely of places.

– 3 unique versions of texture –

Left to right:  DIY lattice on a courtyard door in LA; Crepe Myrtle bark in my neighborhood; a broken plate art installation at the 2016 AD Design Show.

Masterfully carved tassels and lace details on a marble statue at the National Gallery of Art.

– a sophisticated collection of swirls and curlicues –

Clockwise from top left:  A frozen puddle in West Virginia; an antique carved marble table top at the State Department; an Art Deco planter on a Kansas City sidewalk; an ornamental fabric necklace in a London shop; a felt jewelry display at Anthropologie.

Left:  Faux finish inspiration discovered at the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden.  Right:  A sample of Japanning at the Geffrye Museum in London.

A large mineral sample on display at a mining museum in Creede, Colorado.

So many photos and so little time.  This post could have been a mile long, so instead, you can expect a Part II, Part III and maybe even a Part IV of Whatchu Lookin At?  Until next time — look, see and soak it all up!

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** all photos in this blog post are my own : )