What do you think of Twitter?

I thought I'd keep up with the social networking world, and recently joined Twitter. I'm slowly learning how to "Tweet," and all of the lingo that goes with it, such at RT's and Follow Fridays. I must say, it's a bit confusing at first, and there are so many tweets to read through. In fact, it's a bit annoying when there are so many tweets from one person that it takes over your Twitter page, and possibly, some posts you want to read, fall through the cracks. And then you can't "unfollow" a person without offending the person! What to do?

I'm wondering if any of you are on Twitter? If so, what do you think about it? Have you gained any useful info, or is it just too much information?

The jury's still out, but I think I prefer blogging and Facebook to Twitter. There are so many social networking sites that it's a bit overwhelming.

The Red Ball Project inside The JW Marriott

It's quite astonishing to see a giant 15 ft. red ball anywhere, but inside a hotel lobby definitely makes it a surreal experience. The JW Marriott hosted The Red Ball Project last Friday, September 25, as one of its pit stop in the inaugural year of ArtPrize. The brains behind the Red Ball Project, New York artist Kurt Perschke, was on hand to help introduce the giant Red Ball to the fans of ArtPrize. But it was equally entertaining to witness unsuspecting hotel guest's faces upon being greeted by the Red Ball after checking in. Thank you Kurt Perschke for adding another creative dimension to the JW. Next year, we will figure out a way to suspend it from the 23-story glass atrium.

JW's Artprize Vintage Poster designed by artist Matt Maniscalco

Mixology Lounge Party

Welcome to the JW!

The Red Bowl

Margaux Aquino, Ashley Chuba and

Francesca Aquino with Red Ball Creator,

Kurt Perschke

Shoe Love: Chie Mihara

Time for some new shoes??

I'm kind of coveting a pair of 1940's inspired shoes by Chie Mihara... Chie Mihara is of Japanese ancestry, but was born and raised in Brazil, and is most noted for her comfortable high heel.

I'm loving the layered bows on these shoes. Just wondering if I could walk in those heels?

Great color combo!

Now these boots look really comfy...

Chie Mihara shoes can be purchased directly from her website here, or other locations including Anthropologie. Warning...I didn't mention the price tag, did I?

First photo: 1950's LIFE magazine - photo Walter Sanders
Shoe photos: chiemihara.com

City Vignette: Grand Rapids ArtPrize Weekend

Top to bottom: Red Ball Project Case at UICA, vintage moped,

Red Ball and DJ in Mixology Lounge, Eames chair on Division St.,

jdek by day, jdek by night, Tommy Allen's Kissing Booth,

giant fish at San Chez, happening bar at the JW Marriott.

Top to bottom: Pearl and Monroe, biker on Division and Fulton,

ceiling art, flyer.

A Moment in Life Worth Stopping For

After experiencing the largest crowd ever gathered in downtown Grand Rapids for ArtPrize this afternoon, my wife and I noticed this small gathering of passerby's on Wealthy street just east of Diamond on our way home. I turned the car around because this is just one of those moments in life worth stopping for.

An African-American mother and her three children were walking on Wealthy street when they decided to take a seat for the outdoor concert. Several artsy-cafe types were also gathered for the free concert by Grand Rapids acoustic artist, Kate Pillsbury. A huge 7-Eleven sign and a free standing door with a mannequin peering through the opening served as the musician's backdrop. I couldn't help but laugh when I noticed the two old-school salon chairs included in this hodgepodge of seating pieces in the furniture city.

Now, this is what I call art at its purest form. A young artist singing in front of a small group of friends and strangers in a makeshift alleyway amphitheater, just steps from the center of the world's largest art prize competition. And you know what, Kate Pillsbury actually sounded pretty good.

Kate, you get my "thumbs up" vote!

Salt & Earth

I saw Young Kim's work when the Urban Institute of Contemporary Arts (UICA) of Grand Rapids featured works of Asian artists about a year ago. I thought it was just photographic portrait displayed on the museum floor for a different viewing perspective. As I got closer, I noticed smudges on some of the portraits; finally realizing that these portraits are actually made of granulated salt and powder earth!

Young Kim's entry to this year's ArtPrize is entitled Salt & Earth. He transformed the portraits of a diverse group of Grand Rapidians into a powerful on site installation definitely worth one's attention. Salt & Earth is a "meditation on time, memory and state of human condition." This buddhist-like inspiration will be swept off the floor at the conclusion of ArtPrize. 

This is truly one of my favorite works in this year's ArtPrize. 

Check out Brian Kelly's video post of Young Kim's Salt & Earth piece on his blog.

Curator, Please!

Want to see your loved ones on display in an art museum? Check out this fun site, Dumpr. Pick your favorite photos and download them in 'museum art.' Walla! Instant stardom. They also have a lot of other formats to play with.

Little Vito loves his new fame!

Pamper Yourself This Weekend!

How about a relaxing day at the Polished Beauty Lounge in Atlanta? I realize that most of you are scattered around the globe, and I'm in California, but wouldn't it be fun to all meet up here for a mani and pedi?

Their "Sugar Treat" manicure sounds yummy...it includes your choice of dipped strawberries or white chocolate sugar soak, a chocolate Grand Marnier souffle exfoliating scrub, followed by an incredible moisturizing massage with Bavarian cream whipped body frosting.

Sounds fun to me! Enjoy your weekend!!

photos from Polished Beauty Lounge

The Red Ball Project

Kurt Perschke's Red Ball Project is at the JW Marriott this evening. Come see it installed on the jdek while sipping on a martini.  It's another fun night at the JW during ArtPrize.

Grizwallda for ArtPrize

Here's another one of my favorite ArtPrize entries displayed at the JW Marriott. It's an 8-foot tall steel sculpture entitled Grizwallda by Grand Rapids artist, Bob Wardlow. You're just going to have to ask Bob about Grizwallda at the JW Meet the Artist reception on Thursday, September 24, from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm at the JW Marriott.

Up Vote for Grizwallda is # 34871.

The American Barn by Jennifer O'Meara

Here's a must see ArtPrize entry inside the JW Marriott by Colorado artist Jennifer O'Meara.  She meticulously transformed this photograph of an old barn in Kansas using a combination of digital photography and painting. A very stunning piece and definitely one of my favorites so far.

Join Jennifer and the other eight artists at the JW on Thursday evening from 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM for a Meet the Artist Reception.

Up Vote for Jennifer O'Meara's work is #26001.

What Happened to the Gift Center?

Today I thought I'd take a drive to the San Francisco Gift Center & Jewelry Mart. Since 1912, the Gift Center has been San Francisco's wholesale gift & jewelry destination, with floors of showrooms to peruse. It has been the cornerstone of the San Francisco Design District. They used to have a lovely center court where tuxedoed waiters would serve you. A nice Caesar salad, some sourdough bread, and a glass of iced tea -- then off to the showrooms -- a great way to spend an afternoon!

Well, today the place was like a ghost town. I went up to the 5th floor that used to have some of the finest showrooms with top candle lines, books and accessories. Gone. Only about 3 of them are left. Thank heavens Mary Hada still is. The other floors were mostly empty showrooms with renovation signs, and only a couple of showrooms filled. Showrooms were actually being emptied out while I was there. And I thought the recession was winding down. You know things are bad when I can find free parking in front of the Gift Center.

I asked a woman passing by what was happening. She answered, "they're trying to run us out." I didn't know what that meant, so I came home and starting Googling about the Gift Center. Apparently it was purchased by a private equity firm for 94 million, and they are trying to reposition the property with 275,000 square feet of new office space and ground-floor retail.

Where does that leave the showrooms? Where did they go? Where do retail shop owners go to, say, smell a line of new candles or perfumes? Seeing the Gift Center today really saddened me. Times are a changin' for sure.

photo credit from here

Looking for Writers...

photo from here

My friend Martin Codina (Fine Estate Liquidation), is looking for regular contributors to his blog that have expertise in the "vintage world." Martin is an antiques aficionado & estate liquidator, based in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Some of the subjects he is looking to cover are; costume or fine jewelry, vintage clothing, Mid Century, Taxco, sterling silver, Arts and Crafts, art pottery, vintage watches, antique furniture, Shabby Chic, old posters, fine art, outsider art, "Mantiques," Cottage Antiques, and you Paris aficionados.

photo from here

SO, if you're interested in contributing, here is a chance to drive traffic to your site, and above all, share your wonderful knowledge with others!

You'll need:

• Some writing experience.

• Have some sort of vintage, antiques, or collectibles expertise.

• Want to inform or educate others.

If interested, please contact Martin at martin@finesf.com, or visit his blog here.

Did I mention that Martin is one of my favorite people?

Artprize Has Finally Arrived in Grand Rapids

The inaugural ArtPrize is finally here and the energy in GR is electrifying. The creators of the Nessie Project (an 80 ft. floating Loch Ness monster on the river) hosted a wall-to-wall preview reception on the jdek last evening which set the tone for today's opening day. With over 1,200 artists representing 44 states and 24 countries - this ArtPrize has already surpassed everyone's expectations.

Above is the beautiful "vintage" travel poster GR artist, Matt Maniscalco, created for the JW Marriott. Stop by the JW and view the works of the ten artists the hotel is hosting during ArtPrize. Have a glass of champagne and admire the other art entries on the Grand River from our jdek. Enjoy dinner at six.one.six restaurant and savor the produce grown from local farmers and our very own chef's garden (which happens to have Vote with your Fork campaign's ArtPrize 18 ft. steel fork perched above its plot).

Look! They're Dancing!

WATCH IT SPIN!

Another fun find from Hollister Hovey's blog. Sorry Hollister, you just keep posting great stuff! This phenakistoscope gif animation was found at Morbid Anatomy.

What is a phenakistoscope? It was an early animation device, the predecessor of the zoetrope, invented in 1832 by by Joseph Plateau of Belgium. Plateau devoted his life to the study of optics, the science of light and vision.

Images on a disc when spun gives the illusion of couples dancing. I love this!!

Here is an antique style phenakistoscope found here.

How about these boxers?

Animated images from Hollister Hovey, Morbid Anatomy & Wikipedia

Seasonal SALE at Paris Hotel Boutique!

We're making room for our Fall/Winter inventory, and offering several selected items that have been reduced, from accessories to furniture. You'll have to browse around a bit to see the selected markdowns. Click here to visit the site...

The Black and White Party

Grand Rapids' Social Dragon, Jimmy Le, hosted quite a 30th birthday bash last evening. Jimmy chose three of the coolest places in GR for his venues. A private dinner and reception started at Activesite complete with a deejay, Thai food, a Vodka Bar and interactive art. The group of about hundred fifty guests then walked to the swanky Mixology Lounge at the JW for the public party where another fifty or so guests joined the entourage. Todd Ernst entertained the party with his ultra lounge music in Mixology. At midnight, the party continued at Eve Lounge at the B.O.B. for dancing and more libations.

It was a show of force for GR's young social set (I was probably the oldest guy in the group!). Jimmy Le  showed up in his white dinner jacket while the ladies strutted in their sexy black and white cocktail dresses. Grand Rapids Social Diary, Rapid Growth Media and other online media covered the event.

Be on the lookout for more of these social gatherings in the JW in the very near future. Happy Birthday, Jimmy!