PAPAYA! BLOG

Studio Dreaming: Abby Kasonic

I have never really had a studio.  I've had offices and work tables, but never a full blown place to call studio.  Which to be honest has worked just fine.  But lately I've been dreaming of a home of my own to whip into whatever I'm feeling or dripping on the floor! This lovely studio belongs to Abby Kasonik and is one of the most inspiring studio threads I've seen!  Spotted on Southern Living. Looks like she built this cottage in her back yard and moved out of the basement studio...
YEah!  Makes you want a studio too right!  It's so beautiful and exciting.  Plenty of light, warmth and refreshingly decluttered.  I live in a funny duality of loving romantic and modern things and never finding the right balance between the two.  But Abby has me thinking what the possibilities could be!

Sweet Vintage Sand Pails

For some reason I love everyday objects made out of simple materials especially metals.These sweet vintage pails give me a flashback… sitting in the cool wet sand, happily playing and digging for hours. A sunburned nose and shoulders were a small price to pay. 

My little collection gathers art supplies in my home studio and poses for a quick sketch now and then.

 

 

 

First Stop: Honolulu

We've just returned from a wonderful adventure to Oahu, Hawaii.  For some reason the people I've known have always said, "Nah you don't need to do Oahu".  Maybe because of the hyped up

touristy-vegas aspects of Waikiki, (umm like these reality-tv hipsters who infiltrated us poolside one day!) or maybe just the fast paced Honolulu?  But I have to say Oahu was magical for me.

It was treasure island full of suprises.  Honolulu felt like a sea of options.  Caribbean blue ocean, third world, meets new world buildings,

a confusing and wonderful array of people, accents and personalities.  In a city that smells like tempura and plumeria, I was enchanted.  

We went to  Spam Jam Festival (no joke), local artwalk, marveled at the olympiad-like workout freaks, spotted Fabio selling vitamins at Whole Foods (God I miss Whole Foods!). There's something just odd and wonderful about Honolulu that I can really appreciate.

Read this

If you have 15 or 20 minutes to spare, I highly recommend reading this little gem. It is a fantastic manifesto on art, creation, inspiration, just doing it (anyway), and an honest to goodness that's-just-what-I-was-thinking kind of verbal stream of consciousness. Loved it. And Happy Friday to you. xo

(And lots more about Texan writer/artist Austin Kleon here: www.austinkleon.com)

Peanuts make a happy elephant

Hi, I’m Ellen the newest member of the Papaya creative team and first time blogger.  I am delighted to have the opportunity to be inspired by and contribute to the Papaya blog.

I love indulging my many creative and often messy impulses, painting,  sculpture, cooking and eating  (current obsession, stuffed poblano chiles) home decorating, digging in the dirt (called gardening when successful) all forms of wit and whimsy.  

I offer a glimpse of “Padma” the elephant. She is my first sculpture project and a collaborative effort with a dear, wildly creative artist friend of mine, Jim Nichols. She is a 600 pound beauty of cement and glass tile mosaic, currently gracing my garden. Padma is born of pure creative curiosity and good old trial and error innovation.

An offering of peanuts was encased in her belly…. Peanuts make a happy elephant!   

I look forward to sharing this new creative chapter with Papaya fans and fellow artistic travelers!

Hand Lettering Loveliness

Just because. This is so lovely. Not sure if it's the white ink on black envelope I adore the most or the chalkboard in the garden or the letter M...it's all good. Hand lettering loveliness brought to you this Friday afternoon by San Francisco designer Maybelle Stumasa-Stukuls. Have a great weekend filled with creative inspiration and the time to relax into it. xo

Junk Gypsies

We want to give a big shout out to one of our customers, Junk Gypsy, for the premiere of their new show on HGTV starting May 5th! Way to go, ladies!

HGTV says this: Junk Gypsies features designers Amie Sikes and Jolie Sikes as they take their rebellious independent spirit and unusual design philosophy on a special mission to find junk and use it to transform homes. The Junk Gypsies, whose clientele includes country music stars and Hollywood actors, have a large and passionate social media fan base of fellow design rebels who first discovered them from Gypsyville.com. Finding beauty and value in items that would otherwise end up in the trash, these sisters are raucous and rowdy treasure hunters or whimsical and colorful designer/decorators, but they are definitely not antiquers or pickers.

Sounds great! We will watch for it this weekend! xo

Sabrina Ward Harrison's New Book

I've been a big fan of Sabrina's journals for many years and always look forward to a new collection of photography, calligraphic lists, collage and her unmistakable freestyle aesthetic that influenced so many of us years ago when visual journaling was a brand new art form. Now, over ten years later, her work is being appreciated by a new generation of artists and her style is as captivating as ever.

Here's a glimpse into her world in her new book And The Story is Happening.....

Geninne's Feathers

 

Just LOVE these images from Gennie Zlatkis whoom I had the pleasure of meeting last year in Mexico! Her world is stunning!

 

Wired

Wired sculptures by Gavin Worth. (found them here)