My Story is Art – Monet and A Field of Poppies

Last week I introduced a new blogging series not so much out of planning but of necessity.  Read the post here to learn more about what I will now call the My Story is Art series!

My inbox was very happy this week.  Whenever an email comes from Daniel Lanton I am sure to be a happy girl.  Daniel recently came out to the studio for a  last minute shoot for a very special project you will hear more about at the end of this year.  I had this grand idea to re-create on of my favorite Monet paintings, A Field of Poppies.  The translation of this epic work of art was not meant to be literal but instead pay homage to the more fun and playful elements of the artist’s vision.

We painted nearly 15 canvases with bold, splashy flowers and filled my favorite vases with loads of red blooms.  Of course poppies are not in season so gladiolas and snapdragons were the perfect replacement.  Daniel scattered us and the flowers about in the field behind our studio and the rest came to life organically.  We all had a blast and let Daniel bring the idea home; the result were imags I will treasure forever.

Monet

Inspired Creations Contest – The concept

You may remember my entry for the Inspired Creations competition that I shared last month.  Ami from Elizabeth Anne Designs and Cyd from The Sweetest Occasion visioned the contest as a way to draw out some creative love from talent throughout the wedding industry and boy did they ever….The winners were recently announced and although my team didn’t make the cut I am honored just the same to have been part and challenged to create my Alchemy at the Barn tablescape.

So this week I will be diving deeper into the experience of visioning this shoot from concept to stationery and execution.  There is nothing quite like the feeling of making pretty from old, worn and seemingly useless items and this idea was at the heart of the Alchemy at the Barn tabletop concept.  I decided to raid our family barn nestled amongst 100 acres of land that is shared between several families on my husband’s side.  The 10,000 square foot barn has amassed a collection of junk that rivals most flea markets and is literally bursting at the seams.  I was curious to dive into the space and uncover items but my first goal was to determine a color palette for the team.  Let’s just say uncovering several several patina/dirty items didn’t take very long.

From left:  An abandoned truck whose weather worn paint job and rusting parts inspired our aqua and grey palette, a scuffed and dirty door was to become our dining table, a vintage 7-up cooler was just too fun and seemed perfect for a seating card display and lastly an old oil can was cut open and acted as an edgy vase for our centerpiece.

Next was the task of assembling a team.  I immediately thought of Daniel Lanton, to capture the moody look I was envisioning along with Central Park Flowers, who always dive in and create literal sculptures with flowers.  I then called on my friends at La Tavola Linen and a new find right in my back yard; Brandee from Metro Gypsy for some feathery details.  Brandee was also kind enough to assist with setup that day and I couldn’t have done it without her!

Below are two of my favorite shots.  I enlisted the help of my hubby and his Father to create the extra wide tree swing.  I keep telling myself I need to reset this table and actually invite my family for an early evening meal in this setting.

The look was meant to be somewhat creepy, I must admit but with a romantic and beautiful edge.  An early comment on Daniel’s blog said the tablescape had a “sweet True Blood opening scene feel” – love that…

This shot was taken from the bucket of my Father in Law’s tractor.

…and speaking of my Father in Law, how about these adorable shots Daniel grabbed during the flurry of events at the shoot.  I almost cried when I saw these in my inbox the next day.  What a photogenic guy!

So that is all for now but stop by later this week for a look at the flowers, feathers and stationery!

Inspirations – A Sailboat E-Session

You all know how much I respect my photographer friends, right?  There is something so pure and magical about the ability to stop time, essentially crystallize an emotion and that is what I feel is at the heart of a powerful photograph.  I found this image here and simply could not stop looking.

I want to be on that boat, with the wind whipping around me, just with my hubby of course.  We’ll let Christine keep Tim all to herself!

Thank you to Daniel Lanton for always surprising me!

Have an artful image you would like me to share here?  Photographers, get in touch kristyrice@momentaldesigns.com

Inspired Creations Contest – Vote for us!

I am so thrilled to finally be able to share some images from my Alchemy at the Barn shoot with Daniel Lanton, Metro Gypsy and Central Park Flowers and La Tavola Linen!  This shoot was a contest submission for the Inspired Creations contest sponsored by Elizabeth Anne Designs and The Sweetest Occasion.  Here are a few teaser shots but head over to EAD to see more.  Hint, hint…if you want us to win, comment like crazy on this post! Thanks everyone!

Real Brides – Engagement shoot with DarkerShadesofBrown Photography

I thought it would be fun to start a new style of post here at RiceInk, so here goes!  You already have a chance to see all the fun ideas my clients’ have over at the Muddy Brushes Gallery so why not take a peek into some of the other planning details these bride’s have planned?

I have been working with Tara for over a year designing first her gorgeous Contrast Painted orchid wedding invitations and now a full suite of stationery for the day-of.  Her style and approach is decisive; this gal knows what she wants and her bold color palette speaks volumes to that fact!

I had a look at her Engagement session with my favorite guy, Daniel and just had to share.  The dreary day for the shoot actually worked in their favor – such personality in this sky.

The guardrail, the dress, the pose…all perfect!  My favorite detail in this shot?…the drops of water Daniel captured.    Head over to Daniel’s blog to dive into more of the shoot…so worth the trip.

Sneak Peek: Sculpted Blooms with Perfect Bound & Daniel Lanton

A few weeks ago I had this idea.  Ideas tend to get me in trouble since they usually require a lot of work and come to me so last minute that I am scrambling to make them happen quickly.  That being said though, these last minute ideas usually elicit really exciting results and lead to dream collaborations with my favorite people!

Recently Anne-Marie (editor of Perfect Bound) visioned a fun collaboration for the two of us.  Now I couldn’t stop at just one project for a Saturday afternoon…I went on to plan a photoshoot of my Sculpted Bloom invitations and bouquets and of course asked Anne-Marie to style the whole shoot.  Her eye for fashion and mine for color were the perfect combination.

Daniel Lanton, my friend and fab photographer is always up for my crazy ideas and jumped on board for what turned out to be a crazy Saturday filled with national-park-police-dodging, cars-as dressing room adventures and paint splattered hands!

Each bloom is crafted from watercolor painted papers,  feather thin rice papers, vintage hankies and broaches.

Here I  love the bold red bloom contrasted by the sleek black  silk box.  The woody vines were a great find in Scranton, PA, where we found an old brick building practically cocooned in these vines.  Just gorgeous.

There are so many more images to come but I need to keep them secret for now!