friday field trip (from the sketch book).

september 2008

mount holly, vermont

we go to vermont every summer for 2-4 weeks. there, we really connect to nature and the earth, leaving behind busy long-hour days at our offices. when you are far away from your reality and completely surrounded by the most beautiful landscape, it is easy to focus on the small things in life, such as the amazing mushrooms that grow wild all around us. i look forward to vermont all year long.

friday field trip (from the sketch book).

july 2004

stockholm, sweden.

i fell in love with stockholm while i was in sweden, attending the wedding of my friend lotta jansdotter. we stayed at this fabulous hotel called RIVAL. and right across the street was a beautiful cemetery. i find that most cemeteries tend to verge on the scary and creepy side, but this one was quite sweet and picturesque, with rows and rows of beautiful organic shaped and colorfully muted tombstones. stockholm is now one of my all time favorite cities. it is so lovely and inspiring and full of impeccable design as far as the eye can see.

friday field trip (from the sketch book).

july 2004

cortona, italy.

cortona is one of the sweetest towns i have ever been to. this beautiful little town is built upon a hill and has the most amazing medieval architecture. cortona was made famous by frances mayes book, under the tuscan sun. and just by chance, while we were there they showed this movie (under the tuscan sun) on a huge outdoor movie screen. watching this movie under the stars whilst sipping limoncello was truly an epic moment.

friday field trip (from the sketch book).

july 2004

arezzo, italy

one of my top 3 favorite countries has to be italy (tuscany, to be exact). tuscany is so luscious and rich with culture . . . the FOOD, the colors, the people, the art, the landscape. i could easily spend a year eating and sketching my way through tuscany . . . (a girl can dream).

friday field trip (from the sketch book).

2010

emeryville, california

yes, it's true. i am one of those typical girls who LOVES shoes. but not just any shoe. i love sturdy, good leather, well made shoes. fiornentini + baker shoes fit the bill for SURE. ooooops, i left out the "i" on the sketch . . . fiorentini puts the "i" in I WANT MORE fiorentini + baker shoes !

friday field trip (from the sketch book).

2010

emeryville, california

i have a *thing* for great leather bags. i can't seem to get enough of them. this one, that i bought from neiko designs, is one of my all time favorites. it's a great size, super sturdy, and it smells nice.

friday field trip (from the sketch book).

september 2007

athens, greece

there were amazing pots at the acropolis museum.

friday field trip (from the sketch book).

2010

berkekley, ca

painting/sketch on porcelain.

friday field trip (from the sketch book).

june 2011

vallauris, france

when i lived in france for the month of june, i ate caviar almost every day. it was the perfect addition to my breakfast (a spoonful over my eggs) and the perfect mid-day snack (dolloped on a cracker). my corner grocer always had it stocked but why is it so much harder to find here ? weird.

friday field trip (from the sketch book).

june 2011

vallauris, france

this is picasso's man with a sheep that stands in the main square in vallauris. i would pass by it many times a day. it is so powerful, you can't walk by and not notice it.

"in the context of the symbol of sacrifice, picasso's sculpture of the man with the sheep, of 1942-1943, assumes a unique position in his life work. it was created during those anguished years of the second world war of which churchill wrote that "everyone realized how near were death and ruin." after the war picasso donated a bronze cast of this sculpture to the town of vallauris as a memorial to the resistance fighters." (art journal vol.32. no. 3. spring 1962)

friday field trip (from the sketch book).

june 2011

vallauris, france

this is the church in the square where i lived in vallauris. cute little church and such a beautiful color. i miss looking at this church out of my window EVERY day.

friday field trip (from the sketch book).

may 31, 2011

vallauris, france.

my first meal after arriving to vallauris.

i think i'm off to a good start.

friday field trip (from the sketch book).

may 4, 1993

the south of france

i sketched this in 1993 on the road from spain to the south of france. i can remember that trip explicitly. that was the year i started keeping a travel journal, only because i had lost my camera on a train (which was a fortuitous mishap). on monday, i leave to go back to the south of france for the month of june. if you want to follow along on my journey more closely, check my facebook fan page here, i will be updating frequently.

friday field trip (from the sketch book).

2010

emeryville, ca

it's true. i love a squeeze of lime (or lemon) on almost everything. i keep our kitchen well stocked with these citrus staples. and every time i squeeze one on my food, i look at my husband and he says with a knowing nod, "i know, i know, . . . everything tastes better with a squeeze of lemon."

friday field trip (from the sketch book).

2010

emeryville, ca

i truly do believe in wishes coming true . . . well, it's actually more like *the power of positive thinking.* i have "wished" for so many things in my life that have panned out in ways that weren't ME forcing the issue or "trying" to make happen. i think there is SO MUCH to be said about positive energy and just believing, it can really shift things. and one day that "something" will just land in your lap when you least expect it . . . like this.

friday field trip (from the sketch book).

2010

berkeley, california

friday field trip (from the sketch book).

2010

emeryville, california

i have a huge collection of linens. i especially love really old french linen, that thick flaxy feel drives me mad. to me, there is nothing more beautiful than a big stack of folded linen, and that is how simple i am.

friday field trip (from the sketch book).

2010

berkeley, california

my studio hair-do (or shall i say hair-don't) involves many barrettes, clips, and bobby pins. my pet peeve is having hair hanging in my face while i'm working, especially when my hands are covered in clay or glaze. but luckily, there is a multitude of cute hair accessories out there, and i am never without a pocket full of them.

friday field trip (from the sketchbook).

2010

berkeley, california

i love containers, especially glass jars with a lid. i save every jar that enters our home. pickle jars, juice jars, jam jars, mustard jars, . . . i often buy something that i would never even use or eat only because i want the jar that it comes in. my husband doesn't fully understand why i need so many jars, but he is pretty good about saving them for me, and maybe one day he WILL get it.

friday field trip (from the sketchbook).

2010

berkeley, california

i used to love the sound of my aunties playing mahjong. i can still hear the clanking of the bone tiles and the chitter chatter of the women. it brings back such fond memories. later, when i learned how to play mahjong myself, i realized what a fun game it was and could completely understand why they would stay up all night playing. i even inherited my family's old set. mahjong, anyone ?