Marrakech is calling. Maryam and I have been emailing. A return trip to Marrakech is in my near future-and maybe yours?? I will be taking a small group on a painting trip this December to continue the creative work that was begun last May at Peacock Pavilions. I thought you’d like a peek into some of the inspiration for the featured project….

Maryam’s master bedroom ceiling will be aglow with a decorative treatment inspired by this pillow I snapped while visiting ABC Carpet&Home in NYC…

as well as the gorgeous, shimmery Moroccan Wedding blankets that Maryam sells.

Let’s just say that our project will involve imitation silver leaf and tiny round mirrors. Can you see it?!

Some mod chairs snatched from La Mamounia may get some interesting calligraphy…

A concrete bedroom floor will be painted with an intriguing labyrinth pattern from our forthcoming new collection…

and the project that has me drooling….a feature wall with a two color metallic graphic based on this amazing screen. The animals you see will be joined by some friends, including an artful peacock, of course!

There are still a few spots open for this upcoming trip. If you’re up for an adventure that includes adding your artistic skills to the forthcoming premier boutique hotel in Marrakech , soaking in the sights, sounds, aromas and tastes of an exotic tourist destination, quading in the desert, enjoying the amazing hospitality of Maryam and the quaint Hotel du Tresor, AND doing your Christmas shopping in Marrakech’s famous souks, you might just want to click here…..

Oh, how I love to show the lovely work of our talented artist/customers. When I created Modello Designs as a business it was with the purpose of helping to expand the art of decorative and architectural finishing by offering artists an easy tool for creating patterns and finishes that are completely custom and unique. Beyond the cutting edge! We get many requests from artists who are participating in local designer showhouses, and we offer them a healthy discount so that they can let their talents shine while promoting their work as well as ours. With pride-

The work of Lesley Kinney of Warwick, Rhode Island

Michele Kelling of Catonsville, Maryland

and Debbie Pearl of Sykesville, Maryland

Aren’t they lovely?

As I am getting prepared this week for my upcoming Elegant Reflections class in two weeks, I think this is the perfect time to post some work from one of our friends and customers, Anna Sadler of Surface Refinements in Scottsdale, Arizona. Anna came to the last mirror patination class that we held here with Tim Poe, the inventor of Antique Patina Mirror Solutions and patterned mirror finishes have become an important part of their portfolio.

How cool is this custom mirror shape?!?

I’m excited for the opportunity to play around again with this product and try out some new techniques. My head is beginning to hurt from all the ideas and options bouncing around in it! It’s time to set them free……

Another artist featured in the Surface Design journal article on floors is Linda Florence. I have seen Linda’s wallpapers featured on blogs and in the book, The Cutting Edge of Wallpaper, but this article focused on her “Sugar” flloors.

Linda, a London-based, award-winning print designer uses stencils to create temporary, ephemeral patterned floors with sugar. SWEET!

She has even created on for a Victoria and Albert Museum exhitition, and part of the creative process involves couples dancing the waltz across the floor.

Wallpapers combine classic floral damasks with computer graphics.

She silkscreens on slate….

and designs extravagant window displays with elaborate vinyl patterns. I’m inspired….are you?

A couple of months ago I happened upon a magazine I’d never seen before in the bookstore. Surface Design is the official journal of the Surface Design Association, an organization that focuses mainly on textile arts. The main title on the cover said, “On the Floor” and I snatched it off the shelf to find a most amazing series of artist’s work inside. The article entitled “Dirty Beauty” features the work of 3 different artists who use dirt, dust and abrasion techniques to create ephemeral installation art. Sounds gross? It’s gorgeous!! For me, it just highlights the power of and beauty of pattern. First up, Catherine Bertola-

Catherine says

My work is about labor, investing time in a very ordinary material….the manual labor involved adds value to something that usually gets swept away. I use dust as a mechanism for storytelling-dust is often described as being the matter of history, a residue or fragment that enables you to reflect on the past.

You can read more about Catherine’s work here.