the new CITY

A night of art

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The BIG night had finally arrived where Gardner was able to showcase his talent, creativity and love for art.

Back in August, I convinced him that it would be fun to submit a portfolio. It was for a competition called Artist v Architect. A panel of judges selected 12 artists and 12 architects for the battle of the best. Each person was to submit one piece of their own and then they were matched up with another to create a collaborative piece.

When I read the rules for submission, I realized we had no portfolio of Gardner’s work but it is showcased throughout our house. So the day before the deadline, I grabbed our tripod and moved around the house photographing every piece. You may wonder…well where was Gardner? Well…..as most people could guess, he was spending another weekend day at the office in his workstation, eyes glued to the computer.

That is were our teamwork and respect for each other comes in to play. We both fully understand the time that is needed to complete project deadlines so I knew I had to do the work if we were going to make the submission deadline while Gardner worked hard on his architectural deadlines in the office. So I rapidly photographed all the art around our house, sat at my computer for a few hours of photoshop editing and then compiled it all into a thoughtful, simple, but comprehensive portfolio that I had to email the next day.

Although Gardner has a degree in Architecture, he has had a lifetime of passion for art and started painting at a young age alongside of his father and uncle who both saw an abundant world filled with a creative foundation.

Gardner’s work incorporates a mix media of paint and collage. He was first inspired by Robert Diebenkorn, Franz Klein and Mark Rothko, all of which were masterful colorists and gifted contemporaries of composition form. Throughout his architectural studies in North Carolina and Italy, he became fascinated with objects and scales where his art style shifted to collage masters. While living in Charlotte, North Carolina during the 90’s, Gardner was able to watch the downtown infrastructure undergo change which in turn added alot of demolition. This led him upon an opportunity to repurpose a bit of history through the reuse of existing structural components such as aluminum, steel and concrete. The natural patina and the aged materials encouraged him to refocus his art palette.

The day had finally arrived……and it was SOOO exciting to finally install Gardner’s individual piece at One Arts Plaza for all to see.

Each piece is so different from the next as his found pieces are unique, while never having muliples of the same structural components or artifacts. Which is why Gardner was having a hard time parting with his piece the night of the event!

Below are both pieces that Gardner created…..the first being his individual piece which was a collage of work measuring 36″x48″ —                                                                               Grove Park No.22

The second is the collaboration piece which was done in conjuction with his artist partner, Riley Holloway. Gardner’s part was a mix of metal, steel, and KnollTextiles wallcovering memos.

For all the artwork shown was up for either a live or silent auction so there were opportunities to bid on various pieces of work and 100% of all the proceeds went to the organization, Family Compass. Last nights event brought in over $10000 from the auction bids on top of all the ticket sales.

It was such a great night to watch Gardner in his artist element surrounded by several great friends and colleagues who attended in support. So thankful for all those that were there and many others that we know couldn’t join us that night but I know are 100% behind the vision and artist talents of Gardner.

At the end of the evening, Gardner was selected as Favorite Architect while a Favorite Artist was also selected. Then they asked the crowd….who’s your favorite — Artist OR Architect?! Sure enough…Gardner won the event as Favorite Architect Artist. We don’t have all the details yet, but this win has given him the opportunity to create a full collection of work which will be on display in the OmniHotel next summer. The best part is it will all be FOR SALE. So to all our friends and family who want a Gardner Vass piece….stay tuned for more details.

Below is Gardner with his trophy….he was in shock but very excited at the same time. I have no doubt that his show this summer will be nothing short of phenomenal.

Below is the piece that Gardner hung in our family room. It was a test to see how it looked. Gardner loved what it added to our room and he decided he wanted to bid on his own art the night of the event. After several people made their bids the night of the event, Gardner swept in at the last minute to take the high bid. We will bring it home in a few days for a permanent installation for all our friends and family to see that weren’t able to be at the event.

I can’t say I disagreed….I was secretly hoping we could afford to bid on it as well. Plus we were more than excited to know our $$ would be going to the organization, Family Compass (www.family-compass.org). Family Compass works hard to build healthy families and a strong Dallas community by preventing child abuse and neglect. A mission we fill so strongly towards.

Thanks again to all our friends and family who continue to support our passion for design, architecture + art. We feel so blessed.

the PATIO

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We recently made a big move from Charlotte NC to Dallas TX. In our first year in Dallas, we decided to rent a condo and learn about the city for a year before buying a house. So that is where we are at. Since the weather has turned spring in a hurry, we are moving our living + dining to our balcony. We enjoy being outdoors so we are soaking in the beautiful weather before it gets too hot.

So the big question when we came to the condo was, “How much of our patio furniture, chaise lounges, flowers, planters, etc will fit on our small rectangular balcony?” And here you have it…..we brought our 4 chairs, round dining table, a side table, and a few planters. However that furniture sitting on the concrete balcony was a bit bleak and lifeless. So we went to our storage unit over the weekend and dug through the columns of boxes to find our colorful planters and accent cushions/pillows. Ah…now we were getting somewhere. Although we needed something to cover the concrete balcony that was stained and blackened. After I researched the great designer products in my office library and received a few quotes, I decided to spend my money where it counts. Therefore, I decided to check out Target for a rug and after trips to 2 stores, we found 2 matching outdoor textural rugs in gray. That was the best deal – (1) 6’x8′ rug for $19. That savings allowed me to buy 2 to cover a majority of the bleak concrete.

A few more simple steps to jazzing up your outdoors:

1. Arrange your furniture to fit the space.
2. Add splashes of color through the use of accessories and/or furniture.
3. Have fun with the table decor. One photo shows a casual placesetting for two + some candles in the center, while another photo shows the idea of a simple polished metal tray that can contain your summer pitchers, drinks and glassware.
4. If your furniture is basic like ours, add a throw pillow OR seat cushion OR both. It can add softness, comfort, and alot of personalization.
5. Add flowers or plants to bring life to your space

All of this was done by shopping around and looking for deals. I personally like to change the accents and the table decor so I tend to look for good deals so I can buy a variety of styles and settings vs. spending alot of money on just one look.

Get your space ready for summer and enjoy the beautiful weather! I am certainly going to enjoy our time in our little condo this year as we are located in a great Dallas neighborhood. Now I am off to enjoy the sun + margaritas!

first day of WORK

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Today was the start of my new job in Dallas. It was a new office but it was still with the same company. Yes…I was lucky enough in today’s state to get a transfer with the great company I worked for in Charlotte.

Last week at this time I was nervous about leaving my office in Charlotte. As it was a week filled with good-bye’s to all my coworkers and many vendors that I enjoyed working with on all the projects, as well as the office workplace I helped design. But after I made it through all the good-byes last Wednesday, we were going full steam ahead. I left work to host a fun Stella&Dot trunk show, picked up Gardner from the airport, and we headed up for several more hours of packing. Then on Thursday after packing the car with fine precision, we hit the road for Dallas. 

As the hours passed by, I was progressively more excited about the challenge and adventures of a new city but I was sad to leave what I knew. It’s hard leaving familiar people + places.  But the great part is you know you will have great people to visit and return back to see.

 Today I started my day with a beautiful, new route to work. It took me 20 minutes and 5 turns before I turned into the garage connected to the the new office tower I would be workign at. I walked with excitement. I was off to meet 110 new people and the opportunities to work on new projects. I arrived 15 minutes early to find a comfy seat in the lobby. During those few minutes I had the chance to catch up on emails and a little facebook. Meet me and my new office…..

 

My day was filled with orientation…..meetings with HR, IT, materials library. Then it was time for lunch. A lunch I was able to enjoy with my friend and new coworker, Amie Keener. Amie and I became friends during our studio days at Kansas State. So it is fun to be united again as coworkers. We enjoyed a delicious sushi lunch+caught up on life.

 

 

After lunch I had more orientation meetings set up with my new studio coordinator, project orientation, then the day ended with a monthly studio meeting. A few minutes before the meeting, I was asked to speak about a project I worked on for over 4 years in Charlotte. I was to speak 10-15 minutes. Ah….a room full of people staring back at me + the great project images. Then BAM….the first DAY in the office was over and it was time to go to our new little home!