Emilio Pucci – the Prince of Prints
When the swinging 60’s ushered in a world of psychedelic graphics, one artist’s images stood head and shoulders above the rest – Emilio Pucci. It’s not surprising, however, since Pucci’s dazzling originality predated the Summer of Love by two decades. His seminal ideas and epochal images were forever ahead of convention, and stand today as timeless classics. “Color directly influences the soul.” Wassily Kandinsky, Concerning the Spiritual in Art 1969 2015 worn by Kendall Jenner Born Marquis Emilio Pucci di Barsento to an aristocratic family in Florence, Italy,...
Read MoreTexas & The West
We’ve traveled through Kansas and Oklahoma in our sojourn west, and I’m sure a few Texans are wondering when we’re going to give a tip of the ten gallon to the Lone Star State where The Stars at Night are Big and Bright. (Sorry, couldn’t resist. Did you know there are 100++ songs devoted to Texas? from Abilene to Amarillo, Big D to Brownsville, Galveston to La Grange, Luckenbach to San Antonio…Texans love to sing about their state!). There’s just so much to see and do there. If ever you find yourself in Texas, I’d strongly recommend a road trip of this fantastic state. Some...
Read MoreKansas & Missouri – America’s Heartland
In this land of plenty we have extoled the beauty of the “fruited plain” and now turn our attention to the grandeur of the “amber waves of grain”. Note the golden wheat featured on the prairie in this souvenir hankie, along with pioneers traveling the Santa Fe Trail, a miniscule oil well (gushing, no less!) and domed state capitol. Also note the American Flag at 12 o’clock marking the geographic center of the U.S. We are indeed in the “heartland” of America. As discussed in our New York blog, these delicately embroidered hankies were never utilitarian, but strictly for collecting and were...
Read MoreInsects
Having lauded the glories of gardens and the virtues of vegetables, it’s time to acknowledge those who make it all possible…no, not gardeners….think smaller………..infinitely smaller………yep, insects. Those most beautiful pollinators – butterflies are frequently featured on handkerchiefs. “Butterflies are not insects… they are self propelled flowers.” Robert A. Heinlein, The Cat Who Walks Through Walls Their inspiring metamorphosis from crawling creature to winged wonder has led several cultures to imbue them with the symbolism of rebirth and new beginnings, which is why butterfly images are...
Read MoreFruits and Veggies
Is there anything better than fresh corn, asparagus or vine ripened tomatoes in summer? Fresh blueberry, cherry or strawberry rhubarb pie? Fresh peaches in August? We’re approaching the season that is truly “ripe” with pleasure. You can tout all the highfalutin’ flash freeze phenomena you want; nothing beats the real deal ripe off the vine. “The soil is the great connector of lives, the source and destination of all…Without proper care for it we can have no community, because without proper care for it we can have no life.” Wendell Berry, The Unsettling of America: Culture and...
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