When I rounded the corner and saw the wall of red and cream damask patterns, I skipped both a breath and a heart beat. These are the textiles I came for. These are the fabrics I prowl and lurk for at the antique fairs.
“The Thread of Dreams – Il Filo dei Sogni” is a show at [...]

As a designer, I’m enchanted by the signage I see around Italy and France and love to stumble across old signs that haven’t been tampered with or “updated”. They have such flavor and style.

As a designer and artist, being here in Italy is a pilgrimage to the home of all the motifs, patterns and visual elements I’ve studied and heard of all my life. At times I’m overwhelmed, excited by the visually lush surroundings.
The storefronts and shop windows are delicious with their old-world signage and embellishments.

This is a [...]

Today I simply followed inspiration and ended up south instead of north. I had all sorts of wonderful encounters with people along my wanderings and saw beautiful, delicious arrays in front of me.
…But right now, it’s approaching one in the morning (again, same as last night) and I’m too tired to post much, so I’ll [...]

Milan is currently the host of 33 large-scale lighting installations. (6 December – 10 January.) In the evenings, I’ve wandered through town to see the pieces and love how it changes the night scene, the visual texture and energy of the city. These intriguing works of light encourage after-dark strolls.
Along Corso Vittorio Emanuele, Milano’s hot [...]

This sign stopped me. I grew up hearing the name “Rossignol” in connection with skiis. Here was a cool old bike shop and it had cool old-style bikes inside, plus some swanky, new ones. But no skiis.
I hope they never paint that sign.

It’s August in Milano. It’s hot and humid, and most people are part of the mass-exodus out of the city for the month. (The whole country takes the month off.) But some of us are left behind (or haven’t left yet). What’s the average relaxation passtime on a hot summer day? A day at the [...]

I had wondered what responses I would encounter after Obama’s recent election. What references would I find?
All over Italy, EVERY store in a given city launches a sale on the same day, cutting prices by 30-70%. I saw this sign, and immediately knew the reference…

And with the recent G8 Summit, I was seeing Obama’s face [...]

Posters of the G8 participants have been in all of the subway stations, during the time leading up to the G8 Summit that was held in L’Aquila this last week. These were on rotating displays, that changed every few seconds. At one moment, I caught a glimpse of Obama displayed next to Berlusconi, and it [...]

Here’s an imperative for all of us, created in tilework in the Metro subway here in Milano. (Darn, I didn’t note which subway stop… It might be Monte Napoleone.)

There’s just something about this huge Maybelline ad sky-high against the duomo that doesn’t quite fit.

Mount a poster and you’ve got public notice. Mount 2 or 4 together and it becomes art. The repetition of one image creates a pattern perhaps unintended by the original designer, but SO effective by the one with the glue! 

I have been dreaming… and I am! This poster had my name all over it… and the names of all my family and friends!