Five days and 1000 pictures later…

Recently we have been working on a project for a brand new office tower lobby in Thousand Oaks, California.  The client needs gigantic contemporary paintings to attract new tenants. We commissioned 3 of our top artists to paint these works of art that size up to a measurement of 60″x170″ (that’s a whole lot of paint!). There are 7 huge paintings and about 10 smaller works on paper.
The project has taken about 6 weeks to complete and the artists have had their hands full, to say the least. A lot of work has had to happen to scale up the original images that were picked to fit the needs of the client. Taking a 22″x30″ piece and making it 5′x14′ requires a skilled professional who has the ability to scale a piece to the specific size needed without losing the integrity of the piece and why it was selected in the first place. One production challenge we faced was how we could stretch such large canvases, so our operations department built custom stretcher bars that were durable and would not warp or bend.
Everybody who contributed to this project, from the artists to the installers, came through and it looks out of sight!

If you follow my posts you know when I began pawing this column I truly believed my life’s calling was to simply look adorable and get beauty sleep whenever possible. But, after completing “Squirrel Rehab” at a famous detox facility in Malibu, I now realize I was born to be a professional squirreler. While in Rehab I discovered the ancient spiritual secrets of squirreling. It’s an 8 fold progression (like Buddhism, but with more fur involved). The best part is I get to attend meetings every day! Squirreling is the “practice” of maintaining laser-like focus and discipline. It starts with having inner squirrel peace. Not simply attacking, but visualizing, then finding a quite place in my mind, hypnosis, and lots of Cheetos. With the support of my mom, who understands my addiction to squirrels is hereditary, we can work together to turn my disability into a positive action. One of the best parts of squirreling is that I get to go on daily walks to practice the “8 Fold Squirrel Path“.

The key to a successful practice is to first find a squirrel. Slowly and calmly approach the squirrel in a non-threatening manner. Stare into his eyes, hold his gaze, and have mom yank the Cheetos out of her pocket! At this critical point, you and the squirrel are in what the Zen Squirrel Masters call “The Spell Zone”. You have, in essence, become “one” with the squirrel.

As long as you maintain your inner calm, the squirrel will approach you. Just be sure you have all of your tetanus shots and that your mom hands over the Cheetos. Don’t try to withhold the Cheetos at this stage, its quite dangerous as we have learned. Squirrels do not like to be teased. -T.T.F.N.

We’ll be at the High Point market to launch our spring 09 collection soon, debuting more than 400 new pieces of art, including a new collection by one of our design favorites, Suzanne Kasler. Known for her continental look and striking use of color, these pieces reflect her taste for classic motifs and clean lines.

We took antique garden architecturals, zoomed in on the plans, and have reproduced them in an oversize scale that has a great graphic quality. I love the way the gradation of the color has a shagreen look to it.

These antique maps have a beautiful pastel-like quality to them:

The bird prints from Suzanne’s collection were a huge success, we decided to expand the collection with a few more of her favorite pieces-these have such a strong, saturated use of color.

More maps, these showing the course of travel. I think the blue matte and silver frame make them a little more sleek and modern-a nice contrast to the antique maps.

And of course, with her love of dressage we wanted to expand the horse bit collection. Alone, paired or as a trio, these pieces are so refined and nostalgic.

Suzanne used her collection of horse bit prints as the inspiration and back drop for her Housing Works Design on a Dime vignette in New York last year-I love the way these look all together.

Come see the new Suzanne Kasler collection at the Soicher-Marin showroom, High Point / IHFC-G265, or view the entire collection at www.soicher-marin.com.

The L’Auberge Del Mar Hotel and Spa is located in Del Mar, California (North County San Diego) just a few steps from the blue Pacific Ocean. Soicher Marin collaborating with Destination Resorts & Hotels along with Design 5280 out of Denver, Colorado create a modern day “Beach Spa” retreat for L’Auberge guests. The Spa was phase II of the larger project of the lobby, guestrooms and other public areas which opened mid summer 2008. Destination Resorts’ Shirli Sensenbrenner’s vision for the Spa was a relaxing, hip beach-vibe spa with a modern feel. She wanted the art to be reminiscent of the hotels mid-century roots, yet be contemporary in it’s framing. We worked with the Buller Design Studio in Beverly Hills California on the TTV photography prints for the Spa Treatment rooms. Our design team gave the vintage photography in the hallways a modern twist by applying watercolor tints selectively to parts of the images. The Vintage inspired Surf Boards really pulled the look together and gave the project its modern, eclectic twist.

For more project photos check out our portfolio at  www.soicher-marin.com