tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18266826288897926512012-02-27T22:08:59.473-08:00Laura Clayton Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00054549949505184487noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1826682628889792651.post-52600976672236833022012-02-20T16:02:00.005-08:002012-02-22T21:14:59.828-08:00

Above: Photo by Masao Yamamoto Above: Ramon Masats, Tomelloso, Ciudad Real, 1960 Above: Contact sheet of Francesca Woodman's photos. She drew the lines on them to appear as part of the photos, as though she's interacting with the forms. There was a show of her work at SFMOMA last December, and they've published a comprehensive book about her, available at their store. Above: Last spring I

Laura Clayton Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00054549949505184487noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1826682628889792651.post-76500082345795144362012-01-15T10:27:00.000-08:002012-01-15T21:01:37.394-08:00

Above and below: Details of Shinji Ohmaki's installation "Liminal air-descend" 2006 Above: Pat Steir "Winter Group 9: Green, Silver, Payne's Grey, and White" 2009-2011 Above: Masao Yamamoto "Box of Ku #809" Above and below: Tara Donovan, Untitled 2003, Styrofoam Cups, Hot Glue Above: Tara Donovan, Untitled 2003, Paper Plates and Glue Above and below: Tara Donovan, "Nebulous" 2002,

Laura Clayton Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00054549949505184487noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1826682628889792651.post-517794835491298942011-12-12T22:25:00.000-08:002011-12-13T18:31:51.699-08:00

In the beginning of October I went with my friend Claudia Brown to see Nick Cave's work in two galleries in Chelsea...Jack Shainman and Mary Boone. These first photos are from the show titled "Ever-After" at the Shainman Gallery. Unlike his previous vibrantly colored work, here the tones are subtle...mostly white, off white, and silver. The exaggerated silhouettes and forms really stand out

Laura Clayton Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00054549949505184487noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1826682628889792651.post-88587441687254889812011-10-18T07:18:00.000-07:002011-12-12T22:55:34.613-08:00

For a long time I've wanted a chance to use design in a philanthropic way. This summer the opportunity came along in the form of a design show house for Good Shepherd Center for Homeless Women and Children. The project was organized by designer Vanessa De Vargas of Turquoise and publicist Vanessa Kogevinas. There were 30 rooms in all, and 30 designers, each designer supplying what was needed

Laura Clayton Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00054549949505184487noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1826682628889792651.post-72943560730474318882011-08-11T13:29:00.000-07:002011-08-14T15:28:25.848-07:00

Refreshing greens for a summer day... Above: Sonia Delaunay, watercolor on paper, 1924 Above: Henri Matisse "Trivaux Pond" 1916/1917, Collection of the Tate Museum Above: Henri Matisse "Seated Nude" 1925, Private collection, photograph by Marina Schinz Above: Richard Serra "Untitled" 1971, Private collection, photograph by Marina Schinz Above: by Lucio Fontana, Concept Spatiale. Above:

Laura Clayton Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00054549949505184487noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1826682628889792651.post-67258068314003203272011-07-22T09:59:00.000-07:002011-07-22T13:01:28.760-07:00

A few years ago I came across the Hatch House in Wellfleet. It's a modernist wood shack in the scrubby hills next to the bay beach on Cape Cod, designed in 1960 by Jack Hall for Robert and Ruth Hatch, as a summer beach home. Robert Hatch was a film critic and editor for The Nation magazine, and Ruth Hatch was an artist whose work was inspired by the landscape of the Cape. Above: In this photo

Laura Clayton Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00054549949505184487noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1826682628889792651.post-81794463388717182292011-05-22T00:24:00.000-07:002011-06-01T18:22:35.611-07:00

I've been thinking about circles a lot lately...they seem to be everywhere. I guess it just depends what you focus on, and once you start looking for something it's all you see. Circles evoke both mysterious, eternal ideas... the universe, motion, cycles without beginning or end, the sun and the moon, as well as silly and joyful things like polka dots, bubbles, and juggling balls. It's the shape

Laura Clayton Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00054549949505184487noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1826682628889792651.post-50925401964007883922011-02-28T21:33:00.000-08:002011-03-02T18:40:16.162-08:00

I love the mysterious sense of space in this room, as well as the underwater feeling. It has a modern character due to the simple use of large sheets of old mirror. It's from the Taschen book "Paris Interiors", in a room by photographer David Seidner. Above: Asymmetrical composition with mirrors at Galerie Half in L.A. Above: Antique mirrors over Swedish settee at Galerie Half. Above:

Laura Clayton Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00054549949505184487noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1826682628889792651.post-69367172059081542932011-01-03T23:41:00.000-08:002011-03-08T11:33:10.035-08:00

Although I live in Santa Monica, where the seasons are usually pretty subtle, we've had some stormy weather that's made me feel cut off from ordinary life. That this coincides with the winter holidays set the focus for this post... The idea of going through mist and fog to a place out of time, a place that changes you, is a compelling theme, familiar in movies  such as Brigadoon, Local Hero,

Laura Clayton Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00054549949505184487noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1826682628889792651.post-4968828315497683082010-11-21T21:46:00.000-08:002010-12-08T23:03:50.453-08:00

Above: Woman at Gonghe Horse Festival, Amdo, by Jean-Claude Louis. Above: Holi Festival in India. Bright pigments are tossed everywhere as part of the celebration. Wild and vibrant, pink can also be as subtle and ethereal as the inside of a shell... Above: Found on a quiet beach in Baja Mexico. Above: Christopher Wool, "Untitled", 2005. Wool is represented by Luhring Augustine Gallery.

Laura Clayton Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00054549949505184487noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1826682628889792651.post-13611646748207959562010-10-16T16:09:00.000-07:002010-10-16T16:19:16.099-07:00

This is a picture of E.B. White, best known for his books Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little, in his boathouse, Allen Cove, Maine. This room is honed down to just what is essential...the soulful character of the wood,  a surface on which to write, the inspiration of the view, and his typewriter. I'm not sure what the wooden barrel is for...maybe for trash. The picture was taken by Jill Krementz.

Laura Clayton Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00054549949505184487noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1826682628889792651.post-37932787173039842702010-10-09T22:53:00.000-07:002010-10-09T22:53:30.654-07:00

from "Bright Star" by Jane Campion There is something sublime about a good window. It's a meeting of the civilized protected world, and the wilder one on the other side of the glass. Many things make a window become poetry...the slight distortions of old glass, the proportions of both the whole opening and the mullions dividing the glass, a deep sill creating a three dimensional place, the

Laura Clayton Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00054549949505184487noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1826682628889792651.post-70301474046979647172010-08-30T09:22:00.000-07:002010-08-30T09:59:09.614-07:00

Having arrived at the Nice airport late at night, when we woke up in our friend's house in Antibes it was pretty thrilling to look out the window and see where we were.The first thing we did was walk along the water to the local farmers market. It's in the old part of town, and takes place every morning.We'd heard about something made there called "Socca", a chick pea flour pancake, and tried

Laura Clayton Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00054549949505184487noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1826682628889792651.post-12775176806925602412010-07-10T17:32:00.000-07:002010-08-29T18:53:56.870-07:00

This whole trip started forming itself in my head when I came across this photo on the front of the L.A. Times Travel section in November last year. There was something so magical about it. I've always wanted to go to Amsterdam, and though this is actually Leiden, I decided this was the time.Needless to say, I thought a quick detour to Leiden on the road to Amsterdam would be a good idea...so,

Laura Clayton Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00054549949505184487noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1826682628889792651.post-16467116250779206642010-07-06T09:22:00.000-07:002010-08-29T18:54:40.582-07:00

The day after our daughter's school ended for the summer we headed to Belgium. June is a great time to travel as it's a little cooler, with very few tourists. Unfortunately flight delays lost us the day I'd looked forward to in Brussels, going to the flea markets in the Marolles District, so we headed straight to Bruges when we arrived at 11:00 at night, instead of 8:00 in the morning as planned!

Laura Clayton Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00054549949505184487noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1826682628889792651.post-7174870859909286372010-06-07T15:35:00.000-07:002010-06-10T09:34:03.691-07:00

This photo, (and the drawing in it), is by Saul Steinberg.When I put a room together I like to include one odd chair...something with character that gives a room an individual quality, like inviting an interesting friend to visit. I search for chairs that have a sculptural silhouette, that look good from all angles.I prefer to find chairs that aren't known too well, though some of the

Laura Clayton Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00054549949505184487noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1826682628889792651.post-11874351834043267792010-05-13T07:12:00.000-07:002010-05-17T13:35:46.171-07:00

Summers almost here and making me think about stripes...cabanas and awnings and beach umbrellas, but other things come to mind as well...Photo by Massimo VitaliUnknownThese cabanas are on a beach in Dinard, France. A painting of the same beach from about 1907 with yellow striped cabanas, by Clarence Alphonse Gagnon (1881-1942), a Canadian artist.This is a picture from about 1926, showing Gerald

Laura Clayton Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00054549949505184487noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1826682628889792651.post-13687566103846022542010-05-01T13:28:00.000-07:002010-05-16T17:36:37.624-07:00

I went to the opening of the L.A. Modernism show last night. My two favorite pieces shared a theme...the interplay of an elliptical surface with a rectilinear support. I think the relationship is a very dynamic and pleasing one.The first is a desk by French designer Jules Leleu (1883-1961), from 1958. The exhibitor is Alexander Ferucci. The second piece is a table by California designer Paul

Laura Clayton Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00054549949505184487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1826682628889792651.post-44721005285558091952010-04-18T18:36:00.000-07:002010-05-16T17:37:07.412-07:00

Before it's over, try to get to the Judy Ledgerwood show which is on through April 24th at the 1301PE Gallery, 6150 Wilshire, in L.A. Intense color, intense patterns, a cross between 60's day glow and something you might find in Marrakesh. You see the influence of Warhol and Matisse in her work, yet she makes it her own. I particularly like the way she paints the walls in all of her exhibits,

Laura Clayton Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00054549949505184487noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1826682628889792651.post-20645760268360487002010-04-11T08:01:00.000-07:002010-05-16T17:37:36.656-07:00

I came back from New York last week. The first couple of days it rained a lot, but we got outside anyway. This is my favorite wall in the city...it surrounds old St. Patrick's Cathedral on Prince St. in Nolita.At R Gallery a perfectly simple credenza...A very lovely and very comfortable sofa at Ochre, 462 Broome Street in Soho.On Tuesday the rain sent us running to the shelter of the Metropolitan

Laura Clayton Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00054549949505184487noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1826682628889792651.post-66347622640494298722010-03-20T16:22:00.000-07:002010-05-16T17:38:18.627-07:00

Galerie Half opened in Hollywood at the end of last summer. It's a beautiful setting for well lived aesthetically pleasing pieces of indeterminate age. The large and open space lets all the objects breathe, and there's a lovely silence that hangs in the air.

Laura Clayton Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00054549949505184487noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1826682628889792651.post-83145571759603502072010-03-14T18:14:00.001-07:002010-05-16T17:38:51.510-07:00

Giorgio Morandi Natura Morta, 1960Whenever I see a group of bottles together I think about Giorgio Morandi (1890-1964). He spent his life painting a variety of bottles and objects he had in his studio, located in the centuries old house in Bologna that he shared with his three sisters. They lived a comfortable and cosmopolitan life, entertained a good deal, and none of them ever married. He

Laura Clayton Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00054549949505184487noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1826682628889792651.post-85898133797496110682010-03-12T17:53:00.000-08:002010-05-16T17:39:35.485-07:00

My husband and I saw a preview of the J.B. Blunk show at the Blum & Poe gallery in Culver City last week. J.B. Blunk (1926-2002) made eccentric furniture and beautiful wood sculptures from local redwood and cypress trees at his studio in Inverness California. The show has been curated by our friend Gerard O'Brien who runs the Reform Gallery in Los Angeles. Gerard has been showing Blunk's works

Laura Clayton Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00054549949505184487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1826682628889792651.post-11663150543235950902010-02-27T19:28:00.000-08:002010-05-05T17:52:20.212-07:00

Mark Rothko, Untitled, 1951-5, Tate ModernYellow DoorKydd Dining Room, Venice, CaliforniaGraffiti in RomeUnknownLucio Fontana, Concetto Spaziale, La Fine di Dio, 1964Wall in PugliaManet, The Lemon, 1880Ellsworth Kelly, White Bands On Yellow, 1959Plain English Cabinets via RemodelistaPainted Wall in PugliaWinifred Nicholson, Recollect, 1973, Tate BritainMimosaE. Seguy Code Des CouleursCy Twombly,

Laura Clayton Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00054549949505184487noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1826682628889792651.post-60224047049456692772010-02-21T14:29:00.000-08:002010-02-21T14:59:51.214-08:00

Three years ago I came across Maira Kalman's blog for the N.Y.Times, The Principles of Uncertainty. I loved her work so much I was inspired to start a visual journal on paper for myself. Now I want to share some things I like, so I feel it's only right to start with her. It's wonderful to see this Cartier-Bresson photo through her eyes.

Laura Clayton Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00054549949505184487noreply@blogger.com4