"Give Me Whimsy!"
This is a long weekend for me because of "Family Day" here in Canada, and I'm trying to balance fun with productivity. Friday night I attended the opening of two new shows at Strand Fine Art - work by Bill Stelpstra, co-owner of the gallery, and by ceramic artist Susan Day. Stelptra's work was a collection of brightly coloured sculptures/furniture, meticulously painted with polka dots in contrasting colours.
It was suggested by someone who was also planning to attend the show that I should wear polka dots, because as every good gallery-goer knows, it's important to coordinate with the art. A trip to Forever 21 added the dinosaur print top and polka dot leggings ($6!) to my wardrobe, and paired with my polka dot mini skirt, it made the perfect eyeball-searing outfit. I liked the colour combination, patterned swirl of dots, and the serve-no-purpose balls on the side of this bench so I asked another guest to immortalize the dots on dots action. It's too bad the bench wouldn't work in my apartment, where every piece of furniture must also serve as a container in which to store/hide the magazines/books/papers/random stuff. I suggested that Stelpstra might want to incorporate drawers and shelves into future creations.
There was a large crowd at the show, which was also a birthday celebration for Stelpstra. His collection of work was called Stippeltjes, which roughly translated means "small dots". It was cool to see the gallery space filled with so much colour.
There were groupings of small painted squares on the walls, and I was rather inspired by some of the colour combinations for future outfits. The orange and wine/purple combination was one of my favourites.
The other artist whose work is on display is Susan Day. Her collection of ceramic plates and platters titled "Crazy Birds" echoed the whimsical, quirky vibe of Stelpstra's polka dots.
Andrew Smyth, co-owner of Strand Fine Art, looked very dapper in a custom-made jacket with contrasting lining.
There is always at least one person wearing cool footwear at every art exhibit (remember the embroidered boots from Turkey from Rosemary Sloot's show?). These strap-wrapped ones are a Portugese brand I was unfamiliar with.
I liked the polka dots so much that I incorporated them into my Saturday outfit. It was sunny, and not ridiculously cold, so I was able to swap out my down-filled coat for faux fur.
My ever-patient photographer, Heather, noted that my outfit deserved more "oomph" than I was conveying in my photos and promptly switching to Director mode, shouted "Give Me Whimsy!!" I think I'm giving more crazy than whimsy, but she seemed satisfied. faux fur - Lovesick skirt - thrifted dotty leggings - Forever 21 (a good deal at $6) Ray Ban sunglasses - courtesy of SmartBuyGlasses
We proceeded to have a few hours of fun that included yummy treats from the Western Fair Farmers' and Artisans' Market, Starbuck's beverages, and a visit to Sephora, where I gave myself a quick surreptitious manicure with the Marc Jacobs Enamored Hi-Shine Nail Lacquer that claims to be a "superior polish with an unprecedented finish and the shine of 30 coats of lacquer". I used "Desire" on my fingers and "Glinda" on my thumb. Given that I only used one coat, it gave amazing coverage, and dried pretty fast. I rarely wear nail polish because my nails split and peel, especially when I use them as tools (screwdrivers, etc.) so it was nice to have pretty nails for a few days.
I took an extra day off this week in order to have four days at home in a row and now that I've had the fun (that also included naps, The Walking Dead, and chocolate hazelnut brioche), I'm attempting to make good on the "productivity" part of the plan. Hope you are enjoying your long weekend, if you're lucky enough to have one.
I took an extra day off this week in order to have four days at home in a row and now that I've had the fun (that also included naps, The Walking Dead, and chocolate hazelnut brioche), I'm attempting to make good on the "productivity" part of the plan. Hope you are enjoying your long weekend, if you're lucky enough to have one.
More posts from
