Friday 5 October 2012

Claire Lloyd + My Greek Island Home

 

Last night I had the joy of being transported to the Greek Island of Lesvos, when Claire Lloyd talked about her life and shared the inspirations for her new book, My Greek Island Home.

When I bought my house on Lesvos, I was led by instinct — over the years I have learned to follow it without question. People always ask me how I came to be here. 

Our first glimpse of Lesvos from the air was exciting:

the deep blue-green Aegean Seas and a huge landmass rising from it.

Dawn was breaking and warm colours streaked the horizon, a preview of the beautiful day ahead.

My Greek Island Home is a memoir of Claire’s daily life in a village on the island of Lesvos.

Feeling exhausted by her life’s hectic pace in London, Claire captures her journey to living a more simple life in the rugged beauty of a traditional Greek island village that has led to a sense of peace and the return of her creative drive.

… endless sun, calming white-washed walls, salt-sharp air,

the tinkle of goat bells and the musical chatter of buzzing, outdoor village life.

The Book

My Greek Island Home describes Claire’s journey to a small village in Greece – the ancient land of gods and poets, where the seasons govern a way of life that has barely changed over thousands of years. Accompanied by Claire’s stunning photographs filled with colour and light, this inspirational story of reconnecting with nature and community, and finding beauty in the smallest details, will make you see the world anew.

Artist, designer and photographer Claire Lloyd had a successful career in London, a beautiful apartment and a life filled with excitement and travel. However, she was beginning to feel exhausted by her life’s hectic pace. One day a chance conversation with a friend led her to the Greek island of Lesvos, where she finally found what she was looking for – a sense of peace and the return of her creative drive.

It draws on the importance of community living in a time when the world feels so disjointed. Frank, intimate and beautifully photographed, My Greek Island Home is about making a home in a strange land and discovering the joy of nature and creativity. It introduces us to the locals of Lesvos and their traditions, explores the intricate rituals of daily life. Armchair travelers will be transported by Claire’s evocative descriptions and photography of the food, people and places of Lesvos, while actual travelers will discover a wealth of new ideas for their next trip.

About Claire Lloyd

Claire Lloyd was born in Australia, and moved to London in her early twenties after two and a half years as an art director at Australian Vogue. In London she worked at The World of Interiors and then as an art director for the launch of the British edition of W magazine. From there she built a stellar career in magazines, film, video, books and property. Her first book, Sensual Living, showed readers how to create a home that stimulates all the senses. Claire lives in Greece with her partner and a large number of animals.

{Images & source: photography by Claire Lloyd. Visit Claire’s delightful blog, Claire Lloyd loves and her website. There is an extract from the book published in The Australian here.}

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Thursday 4 October 2012

Happy birthday 79 Ideas

 

Congratulations ~ 79 Ideas turns 3! Radostina at 79 Ideas has created a beautiful blog that is celebrating its third birthday. To celebrate 79 Ideas will have a new design inspired by the wonderful book - “Blog Inc” by Joy of “Oh Joy”.

You will be delighted when you visit her website. I often re-post some her discoveries and her photography is wonderful as you can see in these pics.

{Images: radostina via 79 Ideas}

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Wednesday 3 October 2012

I just can’t get enough of…

 

Alexander McQueen!

{Alexander McQueen Fall/Winter 2011/12 Collection}

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Wednesday 3 October 2012

An ode to “The Ice Queen and Her Court”

 

Ice queen inspiration :: Alexander McQueen Fall/Winter 2011/12 Collection ~ I’m coveting it all!

“I was thinking about an ice queen. Someone strong and noble and romantically powerful.”

Sarah Burton describing her Alexander McQueen’s Fall/Winter 2011 collection.

Inspired by ‘The Ice Queen and her Court’

the muse of the collection is strong yet beautiful, regal yet romantic – all beautifully translated into the collection.

And there was a Gothic Ice Queen along with bondage harnesses and exposed zippers that graced the catwalk.

{Alexander McQueen Fall/Winter 2011/12 Collection. Visit the official Alexander McQueen website, here.}

 

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Wednesday 3 October 2012

sculpture is fashion :: McQueen

 

Alexander McQueen creations are amazing paper-like sculptures draping the body.  Just divine!

{Alexander McQueen Fall/Winter 2011/12 Collection}

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Tuesday 2 October 2012

palm trees :: flowers

 

Aloha! Spring is here and summer is around the corner for the southern hemisphere.

{Images via lolita}

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Monday 1 October 2012

HERRIOTT GRACE

 

A delightful discovery ~ black wood panels and purple figs by herriott grace. What a treat to discover such a beautiful story.

And who is Herriott Grace? It’s a venture of father and daughter, Lance and Nikole Herriott.

They live 3400 kilometers apart, and don’t see each other very often. The father is a craftsman, and one day he began sending hand carved spoons to his daughter. His daughter loved the spoons and wanted to share them with the rest of the world. The father explained to his daughter that he only wanted to sell to people that would understand the time he had spend and the effort he had placed. And together, they opened the small online shop Herriott Grace.

And with a story like that, my heart just melts.

Many who know of Herriott Grace know of Nikole, but she wanted us to get to know her dad, too.

So Nikole flew to BC with filmmaker John Cullen where they spent 10 days with Nikole’s dad, making a documentary.

 Be inspired by the Herriott Grace story, and watch the film.

http://vimeo.com/39838446

And now I’m going down the rabbit hole! I’m always intrigued how the internet connects ~ one link, then another and whoosh… taken away to discover new inspirations. I’ll elaborate on this joyful discovery in the next post.

{Source: Lolita}

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Saturday 29 September 2012

more Alicia Buszczak :: autumn tones

 

I adore the eclectic unique style of prop stylist Alicia Buszczak. In the southern hemisphere, we are saying goodbye to autumn.

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There’s an art in styling food for magazines. 

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My previous post featured Alicia Buszczak‘s illustrations and food styling from the spring edition of the Sweet Paul magazine.

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Saturday 29 September 2012

spring + sweet blue skies

 

As the first month of spring passes, I thought these beautiful pictures from Sweet Paul captures the joy of this pretty season. The styling by Alicia Buszczak is artful and so delicate.

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Paul Lowe did a wonderful job putting together his Spring 2012 issue of Sweet Paul.

Food styling + recipes by Diana Perrin

Prop styling + illustrations by Alicia Buszczak

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Saturday 29 September 2012

the artistic beauty in blue and white porcelain

 

Shin Koyama ::  a Japanese born artist based in Australia, Japan and China.

Large scale urns and ceramics pillows are painted with characters from myths and everyday life.

Born in Japan, but now residing in Brisbane for most of the year, Shin Koyama is an artist influenced by both Eastern and Western cultures. Shin is practiced in various mediums, including printmaking, ceramics and acrylics, and depicts contemporary themes and issues using traditional Japanese iconography and methods.

I discovered the beautiful work  of Shin Koyama at Artisan’s Ivory Street window installation.  

Born 1947 in Isesaki, Japan, Shin began work as a textile designer in Ishihara Sangyo as the fifth generation of the family weaving business. After a long career as a freelance illustrator and printmaker in Tokyo, Shin moved to Australia in 1983, where he established a printmakers gallery in Sydney. He is now based in Brisbane, Queensland and Fukuoka, Japan.

Working across various media, including printmaking, ceramics and acrylics, Shin deals with contemporary themes while drawing on traditional Japanese iconography and methodologies. His latest work is a re-examination of the narratives of Ryunosuke Akutagawa, author of Rashomon, and the way in which he deals with archetypal notions of fate and damnation.

Before leaving Japan Shin won major illustration prizes in Tokyo including the 1974 Japan Printmakers Grand Pix, and the 1971 Kodansha Famous School Grand Prix.

In 2010 he established a ceramic painting studio in Jingdezhen, China at the invitation of Sanbao International Ceramic Institute. He has regular exhibitions at the Institute and is represented in the permanent collection of the Sanbao International Ceramic Museum.

Vogue Living features an article on Shin Koyama and his residency at the ancient Ming Dynasty pottery village in Sanbao, China. While there Shin made large scale Blue & White urns and ceramic pillows.

Shin Koyama is represented by  Jan Manton Art Gallery, Spring Hill QLD. Visit the website.

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