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The secret to good Christmas DIY, is to buy in bulk! That’s right, from ribbons to colored balls, to butterflies and birds. Buy lots of it, and buy early, like in September for a larger selection. My favorite place to shop here in Los Angeles is GM Floral above the LA Flower Mart, and next door at Moskatels. I always shop early so I can beat the crowds and get the best selections of color. Buying in bulk also allows you to get so much more for your money. They charge about $6 for a medium sized spool of ribbon, like the aubergine ribbon seen above, and you’ll get about 25 yards. That goes a long ways. Their larger spools of ribbon cost about $17, and you get upwards of 50 yards. They also sell small boxes of the Christmas balls in matte or shiny colors for about $12. I buy a few boxes in multiple shades of the same color, and then mix and match them.
Another little secret is to buy on sale. The black wreath above was a Halloween ornament that I found on sale for about $10 in November. And since I’m one of those odd ducks that actually loves to use black for Christmas, even though my spouse thinks it’s a little to Morticia Adams, it provides a great contrast to whatever color is my theme color for the season.
Christmas DIY, Romi Cortier, 2018
To create a more restful ensemble, try using tone on tone color palettes like shades of taupe, white and chrome seen above. The acrylic chairs are miniatures from France and can be used to hold business cards, place cards, or even small cupcakes on a table setting. The Holiday candles are by Aquisse: Vanilla Smoke and Cinnamon Tabac. Once the candles have been burned, set them in the freezer, chill the wax, and then pop the wax out. Clean the containers and then reuse them for cotton balls or Q-Tips on your bathroom vanity. Or, refill them with disposable votives from IKEA.
I hope you’ve enjoyed these fun tips, and I hope your holiday is everything you’re looking for. We’ll see you in 2019!!
Peter Shire Studio, Echo Park, Ca., Photo Romi CortierPeter Shire Studio, Echo Park, Ca., Photo Romi CortierPeter Shire Studio, Echo Park, Ca., Photo Romi CortierPeter Shire Studio, Echo Park, Ca., Photo Romi CortierPeter Shire Studio, Echo Park, Ca., Photo Romi Cortier
Stepping inside the Peter Shire Studio in Echo Park, is like walking onto a playground for art geeks. It’s a kaleidoscope of color and texture everywhere you look. Shelves are lined with completed sculptures and pottery waiting for a new home. Other areas are work zones with active projects being completed for upcoming art exhibits in New York and Milan. And the most surprising element in the room…. Peter, actively working on a massive table sculpture, for a show opening in a few weeks.
Peter Shire, Peter Shire Studio, Echo Park, Ca., Photo Melanie Engle
Here’s his inspiration, compliments of Shire’s Studio…
Peter Shire Painting, Compliments Peter Shire Studio
This is an actual working studio, which is very different than a gallery setting. That’s what made this experience so special for me. In a gallery setting, works are placed on pedestals and are beautifully lit, having been curated with a specific point of view. As you can see by these photos, it’s about creating and storing the works of art, until they’re ready for their next exhibition. That’s why stepping into Peter’s Studio was so exciting, my eye could do the editing, jumping from piece to piece. I also felt like I was on sacred ground, invited to see the master at work. God knows I could never do a painting with someone standing over me, I need to be in a very comfy and quiet environment.
Peter Shire Studio, Echo Park, Ca., Photo Romi Cortier
If Peter’s work looks familiar to you, it’s because he’s been around since the 1980’s. He first burst onto the scene with The Memphis Group, an Italian design and architecture group founded in Milan, in 1982. He was the only American sculptor invited to be a part of this international group. And several of his pieces were included in the movie Ruthless People starring Bette Midler and Danny Devito. But his work hasn’t stopped there. He’s continued his iconic style, making chairs and other everyday items, into major works of art. And in case you haven’t been to one of Peter Shires exhibition’s, here’s a glimpse of a his recent show that closed on Saturday.
Peter Shire Installation, Kayne Griffin Corcoran Gallery, Photo courtesy Kayne Griffin Corcoran Gallery, Photo: Flying Studio, Los Angeles
As for L.A. experiences, this is on par with meeting famed photographer Julius Shulman in 2004. Artists shape the world in which we live, giving it life and meaning, and sometimes a whole lot of humor… which we can certainly use these days.
Thank you Peter for letting us spend a very special day in your studio.
Romi Cortier, Melanie Engle, Coco (aka MalibuPom) and Peter Shire, Photo courtesy Peter Shire Studio
Belle Air, Chair, MOCA, West Hollywood, Peter Shire, Photo Romi CortierChair, MOCA, West Hollywood, Peter Shire, Photo Romi CortierChair Installation, MOCA, West Hollywood, Peter Shire, Photo Romi CortierBelle Aire, Chair, 2010, MOCA, West Hollywood, Peter Shire, Photo Romi CortierChair, MOCA, West Hollywood, Peter Shire, Photo Romi CortierBel Air, Memphis, 1981, MOCA, West Hollywood, Peter Shire, Photo Romi CortierOlympic Lamp Installation & Romi Cortier, MOCA, West Hollywood, Peter Shire, Photo Recio Young
I never imagined that I’d have the distinct pleasure of meeting Peter Shire, the only American artist to serve as part of the Italian based Memphis Group…. but I did!! It happened on the last day of his recent exhibit at MOCA, West Hollywood, down to about the last hour of his show that closed on July 2, 2017.
I kept nudging my fiance that morning… lets go, it’s closes at 6. Him, you still have a few hours, why rush. Ugh. You know that feeling when you’re so excited like a kid who wants to go to the carnival? Well that’s me when it came to seeing this exciting show, because it held so much history for me. I’d been aware of the Memphis Group, since they burst on the scene in the early 1980’s. As a young guy who’d just moved to Seattle from the boonies, I was awestruck by the bold and colorful furniture that I’d seen in a few of the Italian based furniture stores. And then, there was that crazy fun movie ‘Ruthless People’ starring Better Midler and Danny DeVito in 1986 which solidified the outrageous design movement known as Post Modernism. To be honest, I think they were poking fun at the Memphis furniture style by stuffing the characters Bel-Air home on Belagio Drive with loads and loads of it. But it made an impact that stuck.
To be clear about this design movement, a lot of people hated it. But I’ve always believed in it. My professors at the UCLA interior design school taught us that it takes at least 20 years for the scholars to look back on a design movement and put it in perspective. Well… it’s been 30 years, and guys like Peter Shire and Ettore Sottsass, who founded the group, are getting museum shows all across the country. That’s a good sign. And auction sales for their work are also very strong, another good sign. I own a few pieces of furniture from this era, and I’ve used them daily with great pride. In the photo below you can see the First Chair by Michele de Lucchi (blue disc on the right), that I’ve owned forever. I use it as my painting chair in my art studio because it’s durable and resistant to paint.
Romi Cortier painting in his Art Studio, Laurel Canyon, Photo Sylvan Scott
So, back to the exhibit. When we walked into MOCA, the receptionist mentioned that Peter might still be upstairs. Whaaaat? Oh my god, really? I was so nervous as I climbed the stairs to the upper gallery. He was there. In the corner. Chatting away. Well…. I circled the gallery, enjoyed and photographed my favorite pieces… but I just couldn’t bring myself to say hello. I was chickening out, but my fiance pushed me: say hello, say hello. You would have thought I was trying to work up the nerve to say hello to Brad Pit or some Hollywood A Lister. The thing is, in my eyes, men like Peter Shire are way more important then Hollywood celebs. They’re artists. They create something from nothing and change the way we view and experience the world. I was just as giddy meeting the iconic photographer Julius Shulman and artist Francoise Gilot.
Mr. Shire was very kind and easy to talk to. He also thanked me for taking the work so seriously and for coming to his show. Please… I would have gotten down on my hands and knees and polished his shoes in that moment. I went downstairs, purchased a book from the show, and went back up for an autograph. He asked his famous architect friend to hold the book while I looked on: Too many famous people!!! In one room. To two very nice people!!!
Art Deco Clock, Bullocks Wilshire, Los Angeles, Photo Romi CortierArt Deco Clock, Bullocks Wilshire, Los Angeles, Photo Romi CortierIndustrial Era Clock, Bullocks Wilshire, Los Angeles, Photo Romi CortierCubist Clock by Jock Peters, Bullocks Wilshire, Los Angeles, Photo Romi CortierArt Deco Clock, Bullocks Wilshire, Los Angeles, Photo Romi CortierArt Deco Clock, Cactus Room at Bullocks Wilshire, Los Angeles, Photo Romi Cortier
Clocks. They represent the many faces of time. And what could be more elegant than these Art Deco clocks seen throughout the interior of the former Bullocks Wilshire department store. While these six stood out for me, research indicates that at least 30 of them were custom made for the many nuanced theme rooms in this cutting edge modernist masterpiece built over 85 years ago.
Yes, 1929 was an entirely different world. A world that didn’t include iphones or apple watches. It was a time when the automobile was the newest and most remarkable invention, along with the idea of air travel. Everything had to be done with great style. It was a bold new world that celebrated the joyous movement of speed. Remember as a kid how the comic strips made cars look like they were moving fast by drawing a couple of parallel lines behind the bumper? That in essence is what inspired the graphics of this particular era. While the 50’s and 60’s had the boomerang shape to represent the atomic age and the art nouveau era had its sinewy lines of curling opium smoke to thank for it’s graphic inspirations, the deco era of the 20’s and 30’s was rich with parallel lines representing speed. It translated beautifully to graphics like the clocks above, as well as large scale design lines on building exteriors. I’m constantly spotting hidden gems around Los Angeles that go completely unnoticed, desperately in need of good period paint jobs and some TLC. Streamline modern is so easy on the eyes because it’s all about scale, balance and simplicity. A little one story building can look sleek and magnificent, while something much bigger and spacious can look clunky and heavy. There was nothing cookie cutter about this era. Everything was a ‘total work of art’ born out of pride of craftsmanship, with an emphasis on beauty.
When I look at these clocks, I become lost in time, quite literally. Studying the curve of each number and the thickness or thinness of each line, I wonder what the artisans sketches and drawings might have looked like with each incarnation. I’m so thrilled that these little masterpieces still exist, and I hope their artistry inspires future generations.
There’s so much to love at Bullock’s Wilshire, including the stunning Coco Chanel Room. Initially it housed ‘fine accessories’ and was known as La Chinoiserie, later becoming the famed Chanel Room guarded by her trademark bronze monkey’s. I was particularly smitten with the 4 delicate wall murals painted by George DeWinter. They’re so exquisite that I have to wonder if they’re ever been restored, or if they’re completely original.
Built in 1929, the Bullocks Wilshire Department Store was the premiere Art Deco shopping destination in Los Angeles until it was converted into the Southwestern Law School in 1994. The building is not open to the general public, however, once a year the building is open to the public for a special open house. And that, is when I made my entrance, scouring every corner of the building during the course of several hours. You’ll see several posts during the coming weeks from my tour. I regret that I couldn’t get this post published to celebrate Coco Chanel’s recent birthday on August 19th, but I’ve been in the throws of moving to a new residence… and we all know how daunting that can be.
This room is Stop #20 on the Self-Guided Tour, and is described as French Rococo Design. I have to take argument with that statement, as I think the room is actually French Neo-Classical Design. Everything about the room is so delicate, from the thin gold trimmed wall panels, to the very refined garlands above the mirrors. Rococo design is much heavier in overall appearance, with an emphasis on asymmetry and shell like curves. That said, Chinoiserie (Chinese-like) was popular during the Rococo era, so I can see why that association was made. Regardless, the Coco Chanel Room is what dreams are made of. Can you imagine your own walk-in closet with this sort of remarkable craftsmanship, it would be the epitome of refined elegance.
