At a recent Sotheby’s art auction in London, L’Homme qui marche I (Walking Man I), an iconic Alberto Giacometti sculpture, sold for more than $104 million. At more than six foot, this imposing bronze certainly commands visual as well as substantial fiscal attention. It is not, however, the auction value that I’d like to comment on, although that record breaking bid is worthy of reflection. Rather, I’d like to mention my personal attraction to this artist’s bronze sculptures.

There is something disconcerting yet viscerally compelling about Giacometti’s pieces. They provoke such an immediate sense of the present; dynamically entering our here and now consciousness, but also presenting a cold, distant personality through shape and bronze material. That is an emotional reaction. What I really want, though, is to get my hands on every ridge, dimple, curve and protuberance. My overwhelming desire is to indulge in a physically palpable sensory experience, exploring every element of the artist’s molded expression.

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You don’t want to know about my romantic past. Indeed, it would be unseemly to discuss the time that my wife and I courted each other. But it is relevant to observe that it may have been during that time particular and long honeymoon period that I fell in love with Bauhaus. During our time living in Aspen we were surrounded by tangible environmental references to Herbert Bayer’s Bauhaus sensibilities. This included not only Bayer’s Aspen Meadows facility, but even the headstone of his Aspen benefactor, Walter Paepcke.

So I am thrilled to see that New York’s MoMa is presenting this significant Bauhaus exhibition from November 11 through January 25. Bauhaus represents a comprehensive conversation between artists, architects and designers, as well as cultural, social and philosophical thinkers. Its attention to the integration of art and form within life continues to be potent and relevant. An interesting feature appeared recently in the New York Times Style Magazine adding some context to the history of Bauhaus and the first MoMa exhibition in 1938.

We have had some creative enjoyment around our office either designing work for clients that has a Bauhaus flair, or otherwise, well, just sitting in Bauhaus derived furniture. Now all I have to do is organize my flights to NYC …

I am enamored of the experimental way some museums are re-examining the visitor experience, especially the launch yesterday* of a Vincent van Gogh iPhone application at the Van Gogh Museum Amsterdam. Viewing art is often a passive, spectator activity, which I why I am always captivated by creative explorations of art and artistic spaces. Museums often suffer, or perpetuate, the public’s perceptions of them as aloof and haughty. A modern audience is entitled to expect a greater degree of engagement using methods fit for the 21st century, in tandem with the traditional reflective personal perusal of the artwork. The advent of new technologies and creative collaboration between institutions, artists and the public has allowed a unique and refreshing rediscovery of museum attendance.

A few years ago, the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, the world’s largest museum of decorative arts and design, curated a sensory exploration of that venerable institution called “Shhh…” The museum commissioned 10 different musicians and artists to create sound-pieces in response to different rooms and spaces. The contributors were incredibly varied, from big art names like Gillian Wearing and Jeremy Deller, to musicians like Roots Manuva, David Byrne, Leila and Elizabeth Fraser. Infrared sensors triggered the applicable tracks on the your MP3 player as you toured the building. The whole experience was stunning.

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Several conversations over the last few months have left me pondering questions about genius and creativity. How do we get inspired? Where does that inspiration come from? What does genius look like? Can we manipulate our circumstances to encourage or, indeed, hinder our capacity for creativity? Can we anticipate the creativity of others from their circumstances?

Wordsworth inspired by Lake District Daffodils

To some extent, these questions are subjective existential reflections on my own sense of creative ability or lack thereof. Remedies I have considered include, for example, a dash back to either New York City or London for a shot of city vibrancy, where the gritty mass of quotidian lives is matched by the sheer power of millions of minds processing visible innovative concepts. I also have wondered about a road trip to some bucolic and cloistered retreat. Then again, pragmatism also produced the idea that perhaps I should just stay home, away from distractions, and let creative inspiration well up in the peace and quiet of familiar surroundings. The common thread through all of this, however, is the construct of environmental circumstance to facilitate creativity. (more…)

Color. It seems simple enough. Add it to anything and it changes the vibe instantly. Color creates a mood, evokes emotion and puts a visual dialogue in motion. Wait. That sounds more complicated. Can color really do all of that? Now, that’s intimidating.

I must admit, as a designer, I struggle with color. The choice of combinations is overwhelming. You can begin to narrow your choices by using basic color theory – primary, secondary, analogous, complimentary, monochromatic, achromatic…Wow, where to begin, indeed. Isn’t there an easier way? I want something unique. Something that isn’t just the latest trend but a color palette that makes my art sing. Where can I find that inspiration?

Above left to right: Van Gogh's 'Starry Night', Monet's 'Water Garden and the Japanese Footbridge' and Seurat's 'A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte'

As a long time admirer of the Impressionist art movement, I often look to those artists and their work for color inspiration. I feel that they interpreted nature and their surroundings with amazing compositions of light and emotion. It’s hard for me not to be drawn in to their work and immediately begin to feel the summer breeze on my face or the chill in the air after an early morning rain. It is because of this movement that I will never see a field of grass as just green or brown. I will always see the rich reds in the highlights of a wheat field or the cool blues and purples in a shadow under a tree. (more…)