Year End

January is a wonderful time to reflect on the past year and look forward to the adventure that awaits in the new. Thankfully, all the projects got out the door and we were able to leave for a week upstate in a lovely rental outside Rhinebeck. A great time to relax, rest and read. Some of the highlights of the trip were getting a chance to catch up on reading and running across Lara Tomlin's beautiful drawing of the late Robet Altman she did for The New Yorker--such grace of line, perfect likeness all tucked away in a neat little space, smaller but no less elegant than her usual larger work.

Reading mostly consisted of catching up on past New Yorkers, New York, GQ, Esquire, Vogue and the New York Times Magazine though I was finally able to read Maira Kalman's book The Principles of Uncertainty--a true treasure of sites and scenes that only Maira could bring us. Then I picked up R.O. Blechman's little book, Dear James: Letters to a Young Illustrator and fell in love with its simple but oh so true messages. I urge you if you haven't already, pick up a copy, it really speaks to the illustrator and creative person in all of us. Using his own personal experiences as well as quoting famous authors, scientists, teachers, artists and others about the common things we all encounter in our creative lives. A must-read.

Most of the time was spent on the couch in front of the fireplace but we did get a chance for a lovely lunch with Istvan Banyai and his charming wife at Gigi's in Rhinebeck. Lunch lasted all afternoon, from beers to whiskey-loaded tea, pizza to salmon--nice meal, great company and always a treat to get to spend some time with them both. We're used to seeing celebrities in Manhattan and Brooklyn but in walks Matt Frei the anchor from BBC World News America...in Rhinebeck, he looked like he was on vaca.

Looking forward to spending more time out of the city in the woods, it's a great way to recharge the batteries, to reflect and recount and plan for the future. What new exciting projects and promise await? Happy New Year to you All!

Maira Kalman: And the Pursuit of Happiness

Maira's art is always stimulating, I particularly enjoy her take on fashion and children and own every children's book she's done plus some more adult books that are a treat. Her work definitely come from a single source, today's feature in the online New York Times is another topic I have a passion for. Maira takes us on a trip to Monticello.

Thomas Jefferson has always been a favorite of mine, a true Renaissance man, and I've made many a pilgrimage to his home, outside Charlottesville, Virginia. My daughter went to school in Lynchburg so Monticello was just up the road; I'd always wanted to visit and with her being close by I made a couple of trips there and then a couple more later. Every visit is a treat, on my first visit we were able to go upstairs, but they had to stop doing that--the Fire Marshall and insurance prohibited it.

Sitting on top of a hill, the house is an elegant addition to the landscape. It was fun to see where he and his new bride stayed while the first of many incarnations of Monticello took place. A simple square box, two-stories tall but quite compact which now links by a boardwalk to one side of the house. There's an identical twin on the other side. Jefferson was intent on getting the house just right so he built up and tore down until he had the house he wanted and seems like I remember he only lived in the final form the last 12 years of his life.

Maira captures the man in pictures and words perfectly and has me salivating for a return trip.