OJAI VACATION

Found this sack dress on a day trip to Ojai (a quaint destination about an hour north of LA).  Sort of an impulse buy, but the print seemed fitting for our vacation.  The print comprises everything I like: palm trees, ranch bungalows, cacti, mountains, pots, and gardens. I do love the colours and, of course, I love a full length sack.  I wore it to the beach the next day, with camera in hand, and really went for the tourist look.

GETTY CENTER

The J. Paul Getty Museum comprises two locations : the Getty Center in LA and the Getty Villa in Malibu.  The Museum collection began in 1938 when J Paul Getty acquired his first piece at auction in London.  As his oil empire and wealth grew he moved his collection, which he housed in his ranch- style home during the 1950-60s, to the Malibu Villa constructed in the 1970s.  Getty died in 1974, but his museum continued to grow when, in 1982, it inherited a $1.2 billion endowment, making it the richest in the world.  A new location was built, the Getty Center, and the Villa underwent renovations until 2006.  

The wealth of this institution is made very apparent by the building and the grounds.  Architect Richard Meier designed this amazing modernist complex which sits on the hill top of the Santa Monica  Mountains (isolated and elevated from the city).  He decided on beige coloured, cleft cut, textured, fossilized travertine stone to cover the entire exterior of the building, steps and walkways.  The centre also features natural light as one of the main architectural elements.  "A computer-assisted system of louvers and shades adjusts the light indoors. The painting galleries on the museum's upper level are all naturally lit, with special filters to prevent damage to the artworks." Unbelievable.  The Getty Center is definitely an LA destination.

The art collection is modest, leaving me feeling a bit disappointed that the inheritance hasn't been spent more rigorously on acquisition.   However, the art industry is complex and the Getty is one of  a few wealthy collectors vying for a limited number of masterpieces. The museum is young and there is lots of room for it to grow.  The Getty Center houses European paintings, drawings, sculpture, illuminated manuscripts, decorative arts, and European and American photographs.  I found the exhibition of illuminated texts titled  The Art and Devotion in the Middle Ages to be a highlight.

 

 

 

 

MELINDA JOSIE

Melinda Josie is an illustrator and fine artist working in traditional mediums.  Her delicate and exact watercolour painting have a tactile tangibility and a delicious beauty.  Josie works in editorial for such  clients as the New York Times Magazine, Walrus Magazine, and Air Canada's enRoute Magazine. With versatility, she portrays subjects ranging from Obama's campaign contributors to hairless cats to historic street scenes.  Josie was a finalist for the Governor General’s Literary Award for Children’s Literature, and Laureate for the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award for her illustrations in Le Géranium.  

Melinda lives her life with the same beauty, attention to detail, and reverie that is translated in her paintings.  An incredible baker, in-tune with what is new and now, and adept at creating a relaxing, inviting and aesthetic home, you can take a peak into her life here on her blog.

HOLLYWOOD COTTAGE

During our stay in LA we rented this charming 2 storey carriage house from AirBnB.  Tucked away behind a gated apartment complex, the accommodations are cozy and private. We relished in the tangerine tree in our backyard and were entertained daily by a squirrel begging for nuts outside our patio door.  The rental description claims the silent film star Pola Negri once resided here.  

The value of having a hidden away home can't compare to cost and the environment of staying in a hotel (though I do love staying in hotels).  Our arrival was greeted with a hospitable welcome note from our host and a bottle of champagne.  Nice carpets, a beautiful stove, and a stack of World of Interiors and Architectural Digest for me to paw through made our stay a wonderful first experience in LA.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LA FLOWER DISTRICT

laflowerdistrict.com describes "the sweet moisture of evening and morning coastal fog intermingled with daily rations of sunlight" of Southern California as an ideal climate for  "nurturing year-round semi-tropical...plants and flowers".  One of my favourite floral designers, Studio Choo, is located on the American West Coast and, with great excitement, I asked Yelp about a "flower market" in LA.  I was hoping to find unusual and novel cuts (at wholesale prices) unavailable to me in Canada.

The LA Flower Market comprises 2 large buildings, establishing the core of the downtown flower district.  Surrounded by numerous independent vendors and shops, the district claims to be America's largest wholesale flower centre.  The area began its development in the late 1800s when a small number of Japanese Americans began to cultivate the land around Santa Monica and south of the rapidly expanding LA (population 50,000 by 1892) for a commercial flower industry.  The Southern California Flower Market was founded by these farmers in 1913 and established a venue up the street from their current location which they moved to in 1923.  The American Floral Exchange was incorporated in 1921 by a small community of European immigrants who settled in across the street.

The Flower Market website sources Sending Flowers to America: Stories of the Los Angeles Flower Market and the People Who Built an American Floral Industry and,  A Scent of Flowers for further historical background.

 

 

It costs $1-$2 admission, $4-$6 for parking and I can confirm the reviews stating extremely cheap items.  It is definitely the place if you are in need of a serious volume for a large event such as a wedding.  I can't say the flowers are super fresh, understandable considering the prices, and I was also disappointed in the limited diversity (no ranunculus or other exotic species).  There were a lot of roses, hydrangeas, gerberas, mums, and other typical blooms found in and out of season in Canada.  There are a lot of inappropriate dyed blooms in unnatural colours of which, for aesthetic reasons, I strongly disapprove.

In tomorrow's interior feature you will see the arrangement I made for $30 (including admission and parking fees). The dahlia's lasted 2 days and the lithianthus started to look a bit sad after 5 days (this cut can last up to 2 weeks).  The filler foliage was from a local tree that I am unfamiliar with and quite excited by.   Even with the market's downfalls, it is an interesting experience and comes recommended as such, though it's hard to say if I would go each week for the deals or, instead, if I would splurge at a florist in Silver Lake and get something local, in-season and guaranteed fresh... combination of both?