MEGAN AUMAN

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Vienna in black and white

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I couldn’t have loved Vienna more! The buildings were beautiful, the city was clean and easy to navigate, and the museums were incredible (and abundant)! But my favorite part was that, no matter where I went, I was greeted by incredible black and white decoration.

Oh, Vienna, you sure do know the way to a girl’s heart…

This incredible black and white building was across the street from the famous Secession building.

The lobby of the Upper Belvedere was so incredible, I had to sneak a few pictures.

The floor in the cafe at the Kunsthistorisches Museum.

The walls and ceiling of the cafe in the Lower Belvedere.

Part of the “Design Engaging the City” exhibition at the MAK.

Europe: traveling by train

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There is something about traveling Europe by train that is so romantic to me. I took a sleeper train from Milan to Vienna, and I was positively giddy!

I had plenty of opportunities for train travel on this trip: Milan to Vienna, Vienna to Salzburg, Salzburg to Munich, Munich to Pforzheim and back, and Munich to Prague.

It’s a little challenging to capture the scenery from a moving train, but here are some of my favorite shots from along the way:

Milan: the Duomo

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I can’t believe that it’s been almost a week since I arrived home from Europe. The trip was amazing and incredible and I am more than a little inspired to get into my studio and make beautiful things! But at the same time, I spent most of this last week feeling completely exhausted. The pace of the trip was insane, and when you add in jet lag and some family drama, this week hasn’t been super productive.

But now I’m easing my way back in and I’ve got so many amazing images to share from my trip.

Today I want to share a few of my (many) pictures of the Duomo in Milan. I spent my first two days of the trip in Milan, and Sunday morning was downright magical!

First, I had an early morning ticket to see DaVinci’s Last Supper. (Sadly, you weren’t allowed to take pictures inside.). I tried to prepare myself for potential disappoint (it can happen when you see a work of art in person that you’ve in print for years.) But the Last Supper was truly amazing! Words can’t even describe! Seeing this painting in person should be on everyone’s life list!

After seeing the Last Supper, I walked over to the Duomo, which is the main cathedral in Milan. This Gothic cathedral is pretty impressive both inside and out, but what really made me fall in love was my trip up to the roof.

After taking the elevator up, I walked along the sides of the cathedral before making my way to the uppermost roof. The detail of this building is incredible. The fact that all that stone was carved and every little detail considered by human hands just blows me away.

The layers of ornamentation means that every time you take a step or look a different way, you see something new and incredible. I’d round a corner and I couldn’t stop myself from saying “Are you kidding me, building!” over and over again.

I took about a million pictures, but here are a few of the highlights:

Greetings from Europe!

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The last few days have been a whirlwind of new experiences and very little sleep! (A red-eye flight, one brief night in a hotel, and a sleeper train makes me one exhausted girl!).

Flying over the Alps for the first was beautiful but slightly terrifying (the mountains are so close) and I can say the same about going to the roof of the Duomo (which was so incredible it’s getting its own, ok, several, posts)!

Yesterday morning in Milan (that’s Sunday morning, if you’re having trouble keeping track of the days like I am) was amazing. Before visiting the Dumo, I got to see DaVinci’s Last Supper (a painting I’ve been dreaming about seeing for years) and it did not disappoint! It was stunning and captivating and a little haunting and more than a little amazing that this incredible piece of art has survived that long!

If I had to pick a theme for this trip so far, it’s that human skill is astounding! The things people have made just blows me away. (And I love that, as someone who’s been a maker my whole life, I still feel that way.)

Last night I went to sleep on a train in Italy and woke up in Austria! I’m so happy to cross two countries off my list of 2013 goals (and I’ll hit the other two by the end of this trip) but I’m very disappointed that I didn’t have to go through customs leaving Milan or arriving in Vienna, so no Austria stamp for me. I guess you’ll just have to take my word for it that I’m actually here!

Matisse: In Search of True Painting

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While I was in New York for the Gift Fair last week, I snuck away to visit the Met and see the Matisse: In Search of True Painting exhibition. While I was very excited about the premise (the exhibition looks deeply into Matisse’s process) I had never considered myself a Matisse fan. But this exhibition changed all that.

I found myself drawn into so many of his paintings, but this one in particular, a painting from Matisse’s time in Nice, really pulled me in:

Looking at this painting, I really understood Matisse for the first time, and his pursuit of paintings designed to convey emotion rather than to communicate or document a scene.

From a more technical standpoint, I was incredibly drawn to Matisse’s use of pure black in many of his paintings. Black plays an important role in a lot of my new paintings, but using pure black is frowned upon in traditional painting. Matisse used black to “simplify the construction.” To put it bluntly, “black is a force,” that Matisse used in many of his paintings, and that I’ll now freely use in mine.

The exhibition is up until March 17th, and definitely worth seeing if you’re in New York. If you can’t make the exhibition, or want to read more, check out these two articles:

6 Things I Learned About Painting from the Met’s Blockbuster Matisse Show

Evolving Towards Ecstasy

{images via The Metropolitan Museum of Art}

NYC bound

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So bound isn’t exactly true, because technically I’ve been in New York since Friday for the gift fair. New York is one of my favorite cities, and I love that I’m only a short bus ride away. Not only does it make getting to the show easier, but it means I can run into the city for a day if I need a fix.

There’s always something about seeing that skyline on the way in that makes me feel so calm and happy. Even though I’ve never lived in New York (though if you add up all the time I’ve spent here for shows, it’s easy to pretend I do) whenever I arrive in this city, it feels like home.

Europe!

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{image via fab.com}

Yesterday, I booked my flight to Europe in March! (One of my 2013 goals is to visit four new countries this year.)

I’ll be flying into Milan and home from Prague, so that’s two countries right there. And the real reason for the trip is that in the middle I’m headed to Munich for Schmuck (a contemporary jewelry festival). I’m not exhibiting in any of the shows there, just going to check it out. Every year I say I’m going to go, and when I learned that my undergrad professor was taking a group, I new this had to be the year.

I haven’t booked my travel for around Europe yet, but right now, the plan is Milan to Vienna (by air), Vienna to Salzburg (by train), Salzburg to Munich (by train), and Munich to Prague (by train). Is it just me, or is there something romantic about traveling by train in Europe?

(And for the record, I have traveled by train before – London to Paris and back last year, and around Russia when I was a teenager – and I still think it’s romantic!)

I’ve already got my ticket to see the Last Supper in Milan (I bought that before I had my flight, because I heard it sells out far in advance) and I’ll be doing lots of Schmuck stuff in Munich, but other than that, I don’t have a lot of plans yet.

Have you been to any of the cities on my list? Any recommendations for things I MUST do?

Side note: All week long, I’ve been thinking that today was Saturday. Apparently, now that I’m not teaching anymore, and have zero regular commitments, I’ve lost all sense of time!

images from new york

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My month of August is almost entirely focused on trade shows. Last week, it was ENK Accessorie Circuit in New York.

Happily, I was able to sneak away from set up for a few hours to visit the Guggenheim. I’m a little ashamed to admit it was my first time in this iconic museum. (I seem to always end up at one of New York’s other amazing museums – there are just so many good ones!)

Not surprisingly, I liked the black and white painting!

pleasure gardens

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Yesterday I arrived in London, and today we went to the Museum of London. This gem of a museum tells the history of the city (starting from pre-history and heading up to the present day) through artifacts. While there, I became OBSESSED with the Pleasure Gardens, a room featuring fashion from the 18th century. I love seeing 18th century fashion in person (you can’t beat that kind of opulence) but what pushed this exhibition over the top was when I realized that the hair on all the mannequins was made of WIRE! 18th century fashion + beautiful forms in wire – I could have stayed there all day!

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share your London + Paris recommendations (and enter to win a pair of Gabrielle earrings)

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In a few weeks, I’ll be headed across the pond for my first trip to London and Paris, and I’d love your suggestions of things to do and see while I’m there!

As a thank you, I’ll selecting one commenter at random and sending you a pair of my Gabrielle earrings (in your choice of steel, silver, or 14-kt gold filled) as a thank you! I almost never do give aways, so this is a great opportunity to snag my favorite pair of earrings!

To enter the contest, please leave a comment with your favorite things to do or places to visit in London or Paris. (Or both!) (If you’ve never been, you can share one place that you’re hoping to visit when you do make the trip.) You must post a comment by Friday, February 17th at 11:59 PM Eastern Time. I will choose one winter at random from the comments.

{Part of the Video a Day Challenge}

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