May 20

Epazote Restaurant – Santa Fe – Fine Cuisine & Fine ART!

Art and art…food and paintings…a very nice pairing. Tuesday night, at Las Companas in Santa Fe, the Country Club held one of a series of guest chef’s events – this time featuring celebrity chef Fernando Olea from his sensationally intimate Santa Fe restaurant Epazote. If you have not been there, you are missing an extraordinary culinary treat!
This night, a private seating offered the rare opportunity for 40 guess to experience a multi-course meal of beautifully artful presentations and startling flavor bursts of fine subtleties that tantalized the palette. Beginning with a very convivial cocktail hour where guests stood among the tables and shared familiar conversations and new introductions while well-coached wait staff pleasantly presented “hors unique d’ouvres”, the enchanting evening began.
At his restaurant, Epazote chef/owner Fernando Olea offers a relaxed environment where he creates “inspired world cuisine” influenced by the Aztecs. Bringing sensational combinations of flavors and specializing in the unique flavors of the mole sauces of Mexico, Olea continues to surprise.
Each taste is a lovely flavor experience. Each taste is savored for the incredibly imaginative and surprising and pleasing combination that it is. Even if you have experienced savory moles south of our border, the creations that Olea combines are deliciously exquisite. And with that in mind, he has created a very unique mole especially for New Mexico which includes indigenous ingredients including pine nuts, pecans, red chile, apricots, and from Mexico, rich, white chocolate. If you visit his restaurant – he will share this delectable and complex recipe with you!
This signature recipe is depicted in a grand fashion on the primary focal wall of Epazote in the manner of a great oil painting on canvas – by prominent Mexican artist Federico Leon de la Vega. This richly detailed mural – stretching the length of the main dining room, nearly 20 feet in length – re-creates the scene of these marvelous ingredients gathered in preparation for the making of Olea’s own New Mexican mole. As Olea states, “nothing evokes the mystery of fine Mexican cuisine more than mole, a regional dish from the heart of the country.” This “thick sauce of complex flavors” defies one’s understanding of the individual ingredients. The festive spices and remarkable combinations result in astonishing flavors beyond accustomed characterizations.
Paired with his artful cuisine, Olea partners with Michael, a very talented art curator whose last name escapes me (lo siento), to present a gallery of fine-art speaking volumes of various styles and media, from the white-washed plaster walls of this historic convent – now a prestigious exhibition space for well-known New Mexican artists.
It is a must-see to experience an evening of fine dining and fine art in this quiet little structure across from the historic Our lady of Guadalupe church on Agua Fria in Santa Fe. Tell chef Olea that “Patti Says” and you agree that this is an exceptional multi-sensory experience!

May 14

Watching the Art of Pressure Flaking Glass

By pattisays In art and interior design, art as gift ideas /

I learned about something new today – they say that will happen every day “if you pay attention.” And today I enjoyed the experience of meeting and watching artist Patrice Jaureguiberry work his magic with glass and the natural volcanic silica (glass) obsidian. The colors are luminous and what Pat creates with these many wonderful pieces is incredible.
In this instance – although new to me, this art is an ancient technique. Pat has fascinating tools of bone and copper that he works against the glass. The method is called pressure flaking or knapping. This is the art that crafted flints and arrowheads. Here on our Gold Avenue sidewalk today Pat demonstrated this ancient art form and made some exquisite pieces in addition to the ones that he had previously made. It is quite an impressive presentation of unique artwork.
From bolo ties made with the glass arrowheads and strung with colorful climbing rope and weighted with bullet casings adorned with semi-precious polished stone beads to necklace pendants, decorative knives and fanciful trees. His work is sculptural and fine.

Apr 21

The Cat In the Hat Brings Fond Memories and Interior Design Fun!

By pattisays In art and interior design, art as gift ideas, design trends, furniture finds /

As I sat down to pen this blog, I was forced to race upstairs and extract my very own original copy of The Cat in the Hat from my childhood library. Yes, I maintain the luxury of a room entirely devoted to the things of my past (and ongoing for that matter), and it overflows with nostalgia, collectables, letters, photos, travel memorabilia, artwork, a vintage Schwinn excercycle and so much more! This edition says copyright 1957 without mention of a later date of issue…which means that if it is an original release (and I hate to admit how close to my birth year that actually was), I have a treasure in my hands. Original paper jacket and my own handwritten name penciled on the first inside page – well, I wanted to make sure everyone knew it was mine – so I wrote my name in pencil on the inside cover AND the first page…and two versions of my name to boot! The pages are perfect – a tad yellowed, maybe – but quite remarkable for the hours of enjoyment that this book provided over many years. “The sun did not shine, It was too wet to play. So we sat in the house All that cold, cold wet day.”
This past weekend we were treated to the first of our Third Annual Summer Saturday Art Series on the sidewalk in front of our shop. Outrageously talented artist Gene McClain presented an array of fantastic creatures, furniture, and fun!!! Gene carves, builds and creates incredible painted pieces of all manner of expression with humor, sarcasm, prose, promise, fun, frivolity, and thoughtful perspective.
For kids of all ages, I selected The Cat InThe Hat upon which to pose. This fabulous chair would be the PERFECT decorative, functional art piece for the child in all of us!!! So as you remember the cat tempting fate with all of the ridiculously daring stunts he demonstrated to Sally and her brother – open your hearts to the whimsy and genius that was Dr. Seuss and who’s genius now in Gene McClain brings one of our favorite all time characters into our interiors! Presenting The beloved Cat In the Hat – chair???!!! http://bit.ly/hbUV02

Perching to pose with The Cat in the Hat by Gene McClain

Apr 15

Where to Find It – the Fun, Adventure, Exploring and Buying

By pattisays In art and interior design, art as gift ideas, travel and design /

The world is so small – thanks to the internet and all of the advanced media channels that allow international exposure to design, culture, social activities and far-reaching trends. We see things before we experience them first-hand or we experience first-hand things that originate from afar – from places we might never visit. Yet we DO experience some of the sensory features like seeing the art, touching the textures, smelling the scents of products that end up in our world – from museums to retailers like IKEA, Pier One…the adventurous originals (who remember Dockside in Old Town Alexandria?) they who “shop the world so you don’t have to!” They have brought folk art, flavors, cultural influences, design and décor from all corners of the world to us everywhere for decades. Oh, we can go way back before that to the adventurous explorers, spice traders, and global swashbucklers who dared to dart across the open seas to trade between exotic ports.
When you actually travel to these distant places, you see many of these same things but, in context. Sometimes a disappointment of mass production or poor living/working conditions but, more often it’s a joyful exhilaration of realizing that you are actually at the place where these wondrous things originate – whatever they might be. To see the villages and regions, from where folk-art traditions have been continued for generations, is amazing.
It is great fun to have an outlet to actually “travel the world and shop to you don’t have to” as I explore the markets, meet the artists, and barter to bring small representations of these experiences home for my eclectic little shop. Customers delight in seeing what treasures they might find that are not available elsewhere – that perfect gift and where to find it. I had always thought it would be a great adventure to be a buyer for a big pocketbook – Horchow, Gumps, those marvelous retailers who intentionally scour the globe in search of new design offerings and make contacts for custom fabrication. Yet I am quite content to incorporate a small treasure hunting exercise into each of my travels to discover and convey a selection of bounty resulting from each exciting encounter. (Like thes tiny glass bluebirds and fabulous handpainted/glazed bowls brought back from Greece last week!)

Mar 06

Luminous Margolin Sculpture Dances Above Anatole Atrium

By pattisays In architecture, art and interior design, design, design trends, interior design, multi-media design /

Look…up in the sky, it’s a bird…it’s a plane, – no, it’s a magnificently suspended sculpture, the Nebula, by artist Reuben Margolin. Last week, on a recent trip to the Dallas Design District to research interior design elements with clients, we stayed at my favorite local environment, the Anatole. Oh, there are many options when visiting Market, but not only location, this magnificent facility has always been my favorite. A favorite because, after spending hours inside the showrooms, often without windows to the outside, the circadian rhythm of dedicated designers and their seemingly tireless clients is confused and way out of whack. Returning to the Anatole after a long day presents an interior environment that is open, spacious, interesting, airy, and at once welcoming. There are multiple venues in which to relax and review the work of the day. Large spaces with expansive atrium volume and other spaces more intimate and private – it’s all there under towering roofs, connecting passages with comfortable seating areas, shops, bars, cafes, and exquisite restaurants.
After decades of excellent and reliable service, the Anatole – under new management by Hilton – underwent extraordinary renovation. Yes, for years the Lowe’s Anatole and more recently the Wyhdham Anatole, is now a Hilton signature property. With this exciting series of improvements new water features and seating areas, bars and eateries appear – and above it all in the main atrium is Reuben Margolin’s startling aerial display – a dance of sorts – a wave-like motion of 4,500 amber crystals – are they petals, butterflies, or fragments…? Spectacularly suspended from a complex amalgamation of cables – 10 miles of them – and a staggering number of pulleys, this sensual motorized art piece undulates with luminous shimmering facets high above the scene.
Mobiles – art suspended – add magic to an interior. The penetrating of the space, the pleasant intrusion paired with beauty and grace, movement and fantasy – the perfect contribution, by design.

The Nebula Undulates in Interior Space

Feb 27

Set Design – Oscars – Shabby Chic Gets the Nod!

By pattisays In art and interior design, context of interior design, design, interior design, multi-media design, nostalgia and design, theatrical design /

“And the Oscar goes to… The King’s Speech” and albeit the acting was superb, I was captivated by the details in the set design. Maybe not the pure magic that goes into such sets as Alice in Wonderland or the sci-fi thrillers that demand a creative fantasy where we are challenged and stimulated to participate in another world order – but from a historic perspective and reality-based imagination, we have seen, talked about, been there and done that with shabby chic – but nothing can compare with the environs of Lionel’s office when Bertie was invited to take a seat on the thread-bare, yet once elegant, gilded settee placed effectively in front of the layers/years of peeling paint and possibly paper being conveyed in the backdrop of depth of character that was the wall treatment. Surely in this case conveying years of previous use and current limited means and not an intentional design statement – except to the extent that the design statement from the standpoint of movie texture, sense of place and imagination was to create that sense of lesser means to that of a King – it is all about design!
When does design convey a sense of place and not an artifice? Well, the movies, of course -perhaps a museum re-creation of an event…The intent is to create a scene, transport the viewer and validate the expression through design. Here a commoner and royalty share a space that has stark contrast between the royals’ living environments and that of a middle class speech therapist. The set emphasizes the class distinction while still capturing a hold on refinements (well worn and decayed over time) rather than a distinction of style differences – Lionel’s office was not one of basic oak desk and chairs, conventional practical elements of the time…it spoke of refinements and elegance since worn.
By stark contrast, Lionel’s home is animated with Art Deco wall coverings – crisp and graphic, geometric, metallic, and colorful, one wonders why the shabby office is maintained as such compared to the seemingly small yet well adorned – exceptionally well adorned – wall covered walls of his home. IF the wall coverings were from a slightly earlier vintage from that of the times, it still begs questioning as to why they were celebrated in the movie as seemingly new and intentionally contrasting to the shabby, tired yet refined furnishings and finishes of his office. If this is striking you as “what did I miss, ?” David Kelps of L.A. Home suggests that if you get a copy of the film “you’ll be pausing your DVD players to get a better look.”
The royals’ environments had a timeless, historical validity of elegance while the home of the therapist had that of new rich expressions of the fashion of the times – or near past times nonetheless. This goes back to the question of when are trends, trends? See the blog… http://pattisays.wordpress.com/2010/11/09/the-magical-mystery-tour-between-trends-and-trendy-%e2%80%93-retail/ and prior blogs referencing trends’ distinctions.
So, “Hoo-ray for Hollywood” thank you tonight for another star-studded event of art, design, fine craft and recognition. Did your Picks win? Who do you think was over-looked or was better suited for an Oscar tonight?
Goodnight, and remember, Lionel asks…”Why should I waste my time listening to you (me)?
King George VI: “Because I have a voice!” Pattisays!!!

Feb 18

Window Treatments: Folk-artsy Fun With Painted Glass Panes

By pattisays In art and interior design, design, design trends, DIY design, interior design, travel and design /

Window Treatments: Folk-artsy Fun With Painted Glass Panes
Scrape it off if you don’t like it. Sounds like mayo on a sandwich. If it’s not all about privacy… and if it is, use more paint…as shown here with a classic white French door with a few panes painted for fun! If you call in a window fashion consultant do you really think that there might be an occasion when they would say “you don’t need anything on these windows!?” I don’t think so.
I always ask, “Do you want window dressings for privacy, light control or decorative purposes?” And I usually ask each one independently waiting for an answer to each stage of that question. It makes people think. It gives me more information.
The La Fonda Hotel in Santa Fe presents an historic example of the decorative painting on French door glass panes. Folk-artsy and colorful they draw a lot of attention and spark a lot of creative juices. Often mimicked as we did here, this treatment is not intended for privacy and rather than light control, it plays off of the light passing through the translucence of the paints for a luminous effect. Not unlike stained glass.
But from those hideous vertical blinds to the myriad variations on mini and maxi blinds, wood or aluminum, pleated shades, up down and all around, open cell, honey-combed, plantation shutters, – there are many treatments that have come on the scene after conventional curtains or the more formal draperies.
I like perforated shades. They are less obtrusive and the degree of privacy can be achieved with percentages of “perf” and color used. Day versus night paired with color and perf offer different degrees of effectiveness too.
Formal draperies still rule and the lesser, shorter curtains have their place. Valances, cornice boards, swags and bishops sleeves…the treatments are many. Do you puddle or hold short? Wood or iron? Sheers or not?
Let the light in and consider this translucent paint on glass – it can be formal or whimsical – try it – you can always scrape it off!!!

Jan 31

Traditions of Yesterday in Today’s Interior Design

By pattisays In art and interior design, art as gift ideas, design, design trends, nostalgia and design, travel and design /

P-A-R-T-Y!!!! Still in Mexico and thrilled to discover new things! It’s about the allure of the tropics with the brilliant colors that are so vividly expressed in textiles, architecture, flora, tableware, and jewelry suggesting happy, carefree times. The festive colors evoke the mood of a party – a fiesta in this case. It’s a tradition of color in the southern climes that has been around for ages and is continued today in fabulous passed-down handcrafts and artwork. These exquisitely detailed table runners are woven with care and great historical symbolism and merit by the indigenous people of Chiapas.
While traveling, I enjoy the hunt – ferreting out treasures from various sources, meeting the vendors and in many cases the artisans themselves. The other day, I discovered these tightly woven textile table runners. The workmanship is quite fine, the patterns delightful and the colors bold and exhilarating!
When I weed through the myriad offerings to uncover what I regard as the treasures, I always picture the scene. Where will these beautiful art pieces end up?…From where they were made in the verdant lush hillsides of the jungles of Chiapas to someone’s distressed farm table in a kitchen or dining room in my world. By bringing these things to my shop and my clients, I feel a small connection to the people who fabricated them and a sense of travel – time travel and cultural travel – worlds apart but incredibly, not so far away.
We live in a fast world of commercialism and consumption. Yet, to handle one of these individually woven art pieces and actually take a moment to appreciate the origin and not the mass production that is apparent in so much of what we see and procure, is an awesome opportunity. It’s good to know that these traditions still exist and that they are so appreciated by those who value the art of it all.
So gather your friends and bring out your Fiesta-ware – hand blown glasses and party platters of fun and festivity and enjoy these wonderful focal points at your party! Or…merely place them on your table for everyday enjoyment as a reminder of artisans in the hills, living as they have for centuries with little change and at the least a continuation of these fantastic techniques, the not-yet-lost traditions of yesterday in today’s interior design!

Jan 29

Artists Gather Along the Malacon Fronting the Estudio Café

By pattisays In art and interior design, art as gift ideas, design, environmental design, exterior - outdoor design, interior design, landscape design, travel and design /

Like a groupie at rock concert I stood in front of this towering man of a man as I was being introduced to the artist who made the whales!!! Trying to be cool, I shook his hand and marveled at the reality of this moment. As I previously wrote, this magical scene of a waterfront art exhibit every Saturday at the marina in Nuevo Vallarta in front of the Estudio Café, the setting was already not to be believed. Then, to realize that the very first person to whom we were being introduced was that of Octavio Gonzales the sculptor of magnificent mega-scaled masterpieces, I was star struck. Yes, I’m one of those who have ogled and continue to marvel at the stupendous scale of the elegant hump-backed whales that gracefully swim through the sky at the entrance of the marina in Puerto Vallarta. This encounter was a pleasant surprise!
Anyone visiting Vallarta has seen Octavio’s whales, dolphin, musical mermaids, orcas and other incredible renditions magnificently presented in bronze many of which are located on the main malacon downtown. Highland Park outside Chicago even has one of his incredible whale sculptures -shown unlikely but proudly in Octavio’s portfolio in a snowy scene as winter descends on the humpbacks. Arnold Schwarzenegger owns a desk-top miniature of the whales that he references with fond memories of time spent in Vallarta as evidenced in a personal letter in the artist’s portfolio.
And this was just the beginning…several other fine talents were present exhibiting their work and meeting the people who had come to see the art, have breakfast or just were fortunate enough to happen upon this wonderful waterfront scene. Estella Herrera’s work, with her lively glass mobiles, fanciful hearts, jewelry and architectural panels, was elegant, translucent, colorful and creative.
Gonzalo Espinosa crafts whimsical hearts, fish, clouds and other images from found wood that he shapes, colors with dyes and colored wax pencils posting them on iron stands that suspend them in the air above their surface. We enjoyed an interesting conversation as he told me about his techniques and also about exhibiting his work in Tucson – where I hope to discover his work on our next trip.
Meg Munro paints incredible watercolors with the eye of a camera and the soul of an artist. She captures the details but dilutes with shapes and differing levels of clarity for both perspective and emphasis of composition. Her colors are crisp and bold, real and softened to a pleasing interpretation of the reality that she sees.
I didn’t meet all of them – that is left for another visit. But I encourage anyone interested in beautiful Saturday mornings, magical marina settings, quiet music and delightful fresh food to visit this enchanting art exhibit along the malacon in Nuevo Vallarta. www.estudiocafe.net

Jan 26

A Little Painting Caught My Eye

By pattisays In art and interior design, art as gift ideas, design, design trends, interior design, travel and design /

At the art show, in front of the Estudio Café on the malecon in Nuevo Vallarta, a little painting with blue blue sky and dancing white leaves falling from a graceful tree gathering in layers upon the ground, caught my eye. It was a happy piece. It conveyed such dimension and texture that the fallen leaves looked like you could remove each one from the painting with the care of a delicate touch. Almost as though tiny translucent grains of rice, these little white leaves, so deliberately rendered, that each individual one had a specific place nestled among the others blanketing the ground
Small things with great impact, it is nice to have the time to savor these details. It’s a luxury to “stop and smell the roses” as they say. Here in Puerto Vallarta, there are many scenes, many different pockets and places, limitless details to examine and enjoy.
After many years of discovering and exploring these myriad nooks and crannies of this fun and fascinating town, we saw things this time through the eyes of our young cousin and niece – both 26 years old and both experiencing Mexico for their very first time. Their wonderment was palpable. There was no pretense to conceal their enthusiasm through cool veils of studied “hip – seen it and done it” placidity. Quite the contrary, these girls were beaming with sparkling eyes and bubbly exclamations for the 10 days that they participated with us in this adventure.
Both are well-traveled. Coincidentally though, neither had been to Mexico. We were thrilled to be the ones to introduce them and share one of our favorite areas. The details that they perceived and about which they enthused were many…from the delicious aroma and tantalizing sizzle of the carne asada cooking on the small grills which circled the plaza in Bucerillas amidst the carnival-like atmosphere of the night’s festivities – to the soft glow of the candlelight dancing on the tablecloths to the sensual beat of jazz in the gentle breeze of the beachside tables at La Palapa – they were amazed.
We tasted tequilas, savored the nuances, and marveled at the smooth warming effects without typical telltale hangovers of the over-indulgent…in fact, they both now swear by the mysterious medicinal qualities of the great blue agaves and their magical distillation! Imagine that! Each tasting experience brought with it a new vessel from which to enjoy the drinks – so exclaiming about the glassware – tall short, green, clear, each had its own unique character that delighted the girls.
The colors and textures of the architecture intrigued them. Those surfer boys on the beach…cute waiters, nothing escaped their observation. Water aerobics in the sapphire blue water of an infinity pool over-looking the sea with thrilling black whales’ tails flipping in the glitter of the sunlight on the water. Surreal…could this be staged? Cameras were constantly clicking off the shots – what did we do before the multi-gigs of our digital camera cards? Hundreds of images were documented for later examination and re-living of the memories gathered in such a short time. An introductory time, we’re sure as each expressed their absolute desire to return again to continue the adventure.
We’ll change gears now and miss their energetic enthusiasm but maybe have more time now to reflect and enjoy before heading back to “reality.” But at home, we’ll see the little white leaves falling through the blue blue sky from the delicate tree branches of the little painting that caught my eye. Thank you Jesus, it’s a treasure.