What colors come to mind when you think of the ocean? Try it…right now. Take a minute to think of the ocean. Your ocean. Think of the colors and what it’s like for you to be standing there. It’s different than the first instinct of color, isn’t it? It’s richer…it’s your own. And it’s different than anything you see on the web, or in print, or in a photo. It is the real thing.

People often ask me “what inspires you?” Sometimes, it’s difficult to say, exactly. Looking closely at things. When I go out into the world, and remember to slow down and look, (as I just have…on a little trip to Florida) I always have new and original things to draw on in my mind’s eye. For example, who would have known I’d come away from the beach with burgundy, dark greys, browns, and the palest blue in combination.

So, what do you see when you think of the ocean? I’d love to know.

Photos: Via my instagram feed… (if you’d like to follow along, or share your photos with me…my handle there is @susyjack -same as on twitter

Actually, I have never really liked Art Deco. Something about it always seemed very forced to me. But lately, I can’t get enough of it. Over the weekend, I went looking for a few selections to post this Monday Mon.tage, and here they are. I suppose most of the Art Deco I’ve seen in the past has been so strictly in the style that I hadn’t noticed some of the more subtle pieces, such as this vase at the lower left, which I saw in an antique shop up on 2nd Ave a couple of weekends ago, and managed to find online. (Incidentally, this tumblr is probably the best collection of Deco I have found online.)

I’ve also been keeping an eye out for contemporary designers working with a deco style – and am particularly into the latest from Oscar de la Renta and Sass and Bide.

Additional Links: Parasol from the Met’s collection, and Pattern from E A Seguy (Someone I think we’ll be seeing tons of, trendwise, very soon) Prismes series.