les fleurs

"Can I pick a flower? Just one, please?"  Her big blue eyes dance with delight with each new bloom she passes.  The girl is obsessed with flowers.  A four-year-old who cared more about the pink and purple flowers at her birthday party than the cake or presents.

Every morning she wakes and lazily smiles at the bedside vase filled with her latest picked treasures.  Recent gatherings have included mustard grass, daffodils, tulips, and daisies.  Today, we planted poppies around the grand ol' walnut tree in the garden.  Our porch steps are an eclectic mix of pots filled with an array of brightly colored annuals.

Noting this extreme interest in pretty petals, we have started a pink field journal to document her lovely findings ~ the special day of discovery is captured with a brief phrase or story to describe the reason the particular petaled perfection was chosen.

I love that she takes time to stop and smell the roses {and pick a few} along the way.

[Claude Monet ~ Poppies, 1873]

Pure

Raw beauty.  It's what I like best.  

People, food, pigments.  The purity of these gifts from nature before they are altered by our hands, machines, chemicals, and more.  

Step back and behold these rare untouched moments. 

The unconditional love of a person's heart, a genuine smile from a stranger, the sound of your beloved's voice.  Pure goodness of people.

Juice from a fresh-squeezed orange, the crunch of a raw carrot, and a lip-pucker from a slice of lemon.  Pure tastes of real food.

Vibrant color, minerals that shine, stones that sparkle.  Pure pigments which color our world.

Purity is precious.  Seek it.

An Elegant Evening ~

...with my Prince Charming.  

It was a night of total splendor, festive glory, and fine art.  My handsome artist husband and I were invited guests to this exquisite holiday gala in the Court of Honor at the Legion of Honor Museum in San Francisco.

For two souls who love art, this was a dream come true.  An entire evening devoted to celebrating the artistic masters of our past as well as  present-day artists...the museum galleries were ours to peruse, linger and enjoy.  With cocktails in hand, we mingled among the elite, but mostly we giggled and gasped at our good fortune to be included in such a grand evening.  

A dinner fit for a king was served by candlelight, an orchestra enticed all to join on the dance floor, and memories to last a lifetime were made underneath a tent draped in sparkling decor...an elegant evening indeed.

Evening Strolls ~

One of the many things I love about Europe is how people go out for evening strolls before or after dinner.  It's so civilized {and healthy} don't you think?  

Even with the recent time change and darkness blanketing the sky so early in the evening, we still try to make an effort to get out and walk around our little town.  

It's a whole new take on your surroundings when the light begins to fade or the paths are lit by the light of the moon.  Somehow, I believe these nightly strolls add a sprinkle of peace and calm to the day ~ an ideal ending if you ask me.  

[Luxembourg Gardens by John Singer Sargent]

Inspiring Creativity ~

Imagination is the great spring of creative activity ~ the fountain of artistic fantasies which are the daydreams of children grown up.  Paradoxical as it may seem, the right way to conceive and practice art, regardless of the degree of efficiency, is with the viewpoint of a child.

 ~ Edgar Payne

A few weeks ago, we attended the Catalan Festival, and every single one of us within this family of three had the. best. time.  Incredible music, soul-touching dancing, bright sun shining day, endless flowing of bubbly, and memories being recorded through art.  Sean's idea to encourage our crumb's artistic interests ~ a journal, paintbrush, and watercolors are always at the ready for when she feels inspired to paint.  

A very fine chip off the old-papa tree, don't ya think?  

swimming in kisses ~

 

Our girl is swimming.  Her papa and I are quite stoked, and if you happen to walk past her swim lessons, you will know which one is Gaia Miette, or at least wish we were your biggest fans too.  We clap and cheer as if she won the Olympic gold medal.  In our eyes, she has conquered one of life's greatest freedoms ~ the ability to tread, float and glide without sinking {a foundation for survival in or out of water}.

An Aquarius, such as our crumb, flows with the seventy-plus percent of water that pumps through her veins.  She can't resist it, and we foster this ongoing tidal wave of energy.  We have set our sights high for waters beyond the community pool...you know, the Mediterranean Sea and so forth.  

But this community pool gig is rad.  Daily access, fun life-guards, and no maintenance on our part...I'm so down with this perk.  Mostly, we are enjoying meeting all the peeps in the town we consider new to us.  There's something about summer and pools, people don't really have anything to hide behind, so I believe it forces them to just be who they really are.  Cheers to swimsuits and petite swimmers!

Happy weekend lovelies!

 [A Kiss by Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema]

La Rose ~

Sean recently had the opportunity to show some of his ballerina paintings {First Ballet Slippers is one of my all-time favorites}at the premieres of Napa Valley Ballet's Jeux D'Enfants and Romanza.  

The evening inspired him to paint this recent work titled, La Rose.  I love how he captured the Principal Ballerina's repose so beautifully.

**La Rose, a 28 x 40 inches oil on linen painting is for sale.  If interested, please contact melissa@reverie-daydream.com

Anywhere and Somewhere ~

Wanderlust is brewing strongly within my soul.  I'm anxious and filling my mind with images of far away places.  Reveries of packing our luggage, boarding a plane, and immersing into another culture are clouding my reality.  

We pull the world maps out, close our eyes and point to anywhere and somewhere, and then construct a plan.  The list is growing, the need is burning, and our gypsies spirits are yearning.  

Soon.  It must be soon.

[John Singer Sargent]

Rehearsal

Do you ever have those days that feel like a dress rehearsal for something big?  Hours spent in earnest preparing for the 'show', moments of anxiety, sleepless nights, and a bevy of creative thoughts crashing into one another waiting for that moment of sheer brilliance to shine and allow the 'curtain' to rise for the first act of what will inevitably set the tone for one of your life's greatest plays.  

Lately, there has been an inspirational 'storm' brewing within, and I'm working through all the stuff that tends to block the flow of piecing all the  'characters' together.  Multiple pirouettes of ideas dancing in my mind will hopefully unite in synchronized beauty allowing for a star to be born.  

Perhaps our thoughts are always in the midst of a rehearsal ~ continuously warming up to keep our creative juices flowing, pushing us to be our very best, driving us beyond those set limits, and inspiring us to achieve standing ovation performances.   

Either way, I tend to enjoy dress rehearsals and live performances, don't you? 

[The Rehearsal by Edgar Degas viewed on display at the Tampa Museum of Art's Degas Exhibition]

An Inspiring Siesta

There's a very special birthday happening this weekend, and it involves my Perfect 10.  Several nights a week, we have these great discussions about art, life, when and where we should go next, and constantly plotting our next creative adventure. 

So it was no surprise when I asked McDreamy what will set the tone for his year ahead, he simply stated "A Siesta by Sargent".  As an artist, he finds inspiration in every moment of the day, each color hue that graces the sky, and the minutest strokes of a Master's brush.  Just knowing he chose a masterpiece with such fluidity and graceful beauty as the theme for his year makes my heart light up ~ I cannot wait to see what this piece inspires him to do. 

[A Siesta by John Singer Sargent]

Last Evening ~

During our last trip to London, McDreamy and I enjoyed roaming through the galleries of the St. James's district, and one night, we accepted a spontaneous invite to an artists reception in honor of Paul Hedley.  Of all the beautiful pieces, this particular one, Last Evening, captured my heart, and there isn't a week that goes by that I don't retrieve the image and just stare.  I'm not  exactly sure what I adore most ~ the obvious sultry warmth of a Riviera evening, a romantic candlelight dinner on a secluded balcony, or her blissful contentment of an extraordinary beautiful moment.  This is the wonderful gift of art ~ its magic constantly lingers within our minds and renews our spirits. 

Oh the power of a brushstroke....

[Last Evening by Paul Hedley]

The Art of Love ~

Love manifests in many forms ~ 

sculpting the heart, opening the mind, and embracing the soul.

[Pygmalion and Galatea, 1890, Jean-Léon Gérôme]

1+1 = Masterpiece

This is what happens when two perfect worlds collide ~ a mini-masterpiece!

McDreamy's incredible photography 

paired with 

karey's ingenious words of magic. 

{via the sweeterie}

{Georgia} High

No matter where we travel, McDreamy and I always check the local art museum schedules to see what exhibit is currently on display, so you can just paint your own image of how excited we both were when we discovered Salvador Dalí's late works would be on display at the High Museum of Art.  

It goes without question that this incredibly talented man was a pure genius!  My mind is still trying to process the surreal 'worlds' I gazed upon for as long as I possibly could, and actually, my brain hurts from just trying to fathom the overall brilliance of Dalí.  Yes, my friends, this 'brain pain' equates to a great exhibit of one of the world's brightest individuals.

Thank you High Museum for adding such a bonus to our Georgia visit ~

[image by Reverie-Daydream]

City of Light

Last week, we took an 'art break' and headed to the city for the Impressionist Paris: City of Light exhibit at the Legion of Honor which is concurrent with Birth of Impressionism at the de Young. 

Of the over 150 prints, drawings, photographs, paintings, and illustrations, this photograph above along with one of the most evocative passages in Emile Zola's novel L'oeuvre (The Masterpiece, 1886) really spoke to my heart the most ~

Claude was quivering with delight, "Ah! This Paris!" he cried.  It's ours!  All ours for the taking!  Each one of them was thrilled almost beyond words as they looked on the scene with eyes that shone with desire.  Did they not feel glory being wafted over the whole vast city from the top of that Avenue?  Paris was here, and they meant it to be theirs.

[photograph by Charles Marville]

Les Voyageuses

Whimsical, dreamy, fairy-tale worthy ... these are just a few words that come to mind when I look at the extraordinary illustrations by Maia of Verlicht Studio. She brings the magical essence of a child's imagination to life with her artistic flair!

A few months ago, I was the lucky giveaway winner of the Pirate's Daughter (on the left). You can only imagine my sheer delight to be a proud recipient of this incredible piece of art! I couldn't wait to get it framed and hung in the crumb's room. And then, I discovered Candace and the Clocks ... both of these smile-inducing, carry-me-away-to-another-world prints have become cherished works of art upon our walls. Shhhh....it's a secret, but I'm saving up for a custom heirloom portrait of the crumb because I just know Maia will capture her sweet, joyful, beautiful spirit in all its glory.

Maia's artistic soul shines through in everything she does. Her blogs, Les Voyageuses and Une Envie de Sel are filled with eloquent words, current works, and the delightful happenings of her adorable little Q! Bring a little bit of whimsical magic to your walls here.

Inspiration

“Let the beauty of what you love be what you do.”

~Rumi

[Photograph of Pino's Studio by Reverie-Daydream]

Hidden Treasures

During our last stay in Paris, we visited the Marché aux Puces, Paris's most famous flea market located in the 18th arrondissement. There are 2,500 to 3,000 open stalls and shops selling everything from antiques to junk. It is a complex labyrinth between the stalls which ultimately leads you to a new discovery at each twist and turn. We spent hours just enjoying every single object that caught our eye, but nothing prepared us for the hidden treasure we came across among a grouping of framed drawings in an art dealer's stall. A sanguine chalk drawing study by Jules-Élie Delaunay not only caught our eyes, but it captured our hearts as well.

Jules-Élie Delaunay (1828-1891) was a French painter who studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Some of his commissioned works include the three panels of Apollo, Orpheus, and Amphion at the Paris Opera House. He was a very accomplished and talented artist which is evident in this exquisite study we happened upon on that very cold Saturday morning in November 2007. Although she has left her beloved Paris origin behind, she is now part of our family, and we lovingly gaze upon her ethereal beauty morning, noon and night.

The Summer Dance

"Get up and dance, get up and smile, get up and drink

to the days that are gone in the shortest while."

~Simon Fowler

[Rosina-Capri by John Singer Sargent]