I met Olivia Cummings, the founder and designer of Cleopatra’s Bling, nearly by chance a few weeks ago. I had been following her blog Oh La La Livia for sometime and it was a pleasure to connect with the Australian expat whose insight on life in Paris is so enlightening. Over cappuccinos at La Caféothèque, I was captivated by the tales of her travels to India and Turkey where she befriended local artisans who inspire her bohemian designs.

Intrigued by her work, we got in touch over the weekend to chat about our dreams and expat lives. She introduced me to spiced coffee freshly brewed with dried orange peels, cardamon and grated ginger which was the perfect interlude to our brightly colored macarons from Ladurée. And then her beautiful jewelry came out from hiding and I was quickly swept away by more tales of Istanbul and Pondicherry.

Incorporating silver, gold and stones (hand-picked by Olivia), Cleopatra’s Bling captures the bohemian spirit of the gypsy. I especially love that Olivia’s custom designs are intricately connected with the countries that inspire her: Her pieces are hand-crafted by Indian and Turkish artisans, her designs inspired by the architecture, customs and culture of the faraway places she visits. Admiring her array of necklaces, bracelets, rings and earrings, I eventually narrowed my favorites down to two (the ring and earrings pictured above). Although I may be back for more with the release of her Summer 2013 “Take me to the river” collection. To satisfy the gypsy in you, much of her work is available on Etsy.

You can also follow Olivia and Cleopatra’s Bling on Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr.

This round of Guess the Artist featuring works of art from the Tate Modern in London has certainly proved to be the most challenging – just as I had hoped. I was encouraged by all of the comments on the MoMA edition to push it to the next level. I’m happy to have challenged you and, who knows, perhaps you’ll have discovered a few new artists in the process.

I should add that each of these artists are internationally acclaimed Modern and Contemporary masters. If some of the artists below are new to you, than I’m happy to have shared a snapshot of their work.

If you have yet to guess yourself, you can submit them by clicking over to Tate Modern: Guess the Artist, Part 1 before scrolling below. I would hate to spoil your fun!

Here are the paintings! How did you do?

Painting 1

Lee Krasner, Gothic Landscapes, 1961

Painting 2

Lee Ufan, From Line, 1978

Painting 3

Henri Laurens, Autumn, 1948

Painting 4

Rothko, Red on Marron, 1959

Painting 5

Gerhard Richter, Cage (1), 2006

Painting 6

Magda Cordell, Figure (Woman), 1956-57

Painting 7

Picasso, Nude, Green Leaves and Bust, 1932

Painting 8

Giacometti, Man Painting, 1947

Painting 9

Ibrahim El-Salahi, Reborn Sounds of Childhood Dreams, 1961-65

Painting 10

Francis Bacon, Seated Figure, 1961

Painting 11

Pollock, Yellow Islands, 1952

Painting 12

Max Ernst, The Entire City, 1934

So what do you think? How did you do?

Since I began my Guess the Artist series over a year ago, I’ve been anxious to add the Tate Modern to the mix. I introduced the challenge with the Pompidou, sharing mere inches of large paintings by some of the world’s greatest modern masters. Nearly everyone who participated was able to accurately name the artist. I thought my MoMA collection was a bit more challenging, patting myself on the back in the hopes that it wasn’t all too obvious. But art aficionados caught wind of my series and once again nearly everyone who participated guessed correctly. As happy as I was, it has challenged me to take this series even further.

Luckily, I kept this in mind as I toured the galleries of the Tate Modern while in London last week. I hope you find my images of the Tate the most challenging yet. Good luck!!

Here’s how to play: Below are 12 works of art currently on view at the Tate Modern. Leave your guesses in a comment below and next week I’ll share the work of art in full, revealing the answers. To be among the first to hear when the new post is up, you might want to subscribe by submitting your email on the right sidebar.

Can you guess which artist completed the following works of art? Share your answers below!

Painting 1

Painting 2

Painting 3

Painting 4

Painting 5

Painting 6

Painting 7

Painting 8

Painting 9

Painting 10

Painting 11

Painting 12

So what do you think? Any guesses?

A few weeks ago, I decided to start a new series, The Adored: Weekly Roundup where I share a list of links for books, articles, blog posts, upcoming events you won’t want to miss, etc.

Photo of the Week

Cage by Gerhard Richter, 2006 – at the Tate Modern

Links

Art

I recently came across Pictify which is the art world’s version of Pinterest. Despite the similarities, there are a number of additional benefits including the chance to connect directly with professionals in art. With curating transforming into a much broader practice no longer reserved for art galleries and museums, Pictify brings it back to art allowing users to put together their own thematic art expositions via “boards”. The most significant let down is that it doesn’t run very smoothly and can be very slow especially in comparison to the popular social media platform it copies. Here are some additional tips for content curation by Social Media Explorer.

Career

Recently I received a letter from an old fried who reminded me how I used to always see the sunshine and silver-lining in everything. The gentle wake up call was all I needed to begin breaking out from underneath this dark cloud that somehow creeped in. As I launch into my job search, the timing couldn’t be better! Turns out, happy people also get more job opportunities according to Career Realism and I couldn’t have found more support in this theory than with the time-honored job-hunter’s classic, What Color is Your Parachute by Richard N. Bolles. Forgetting how to be happy? How about these tips from the Happiness Project.

Books

One evening while in London last week, I spent hours lost in the black and white lines of English print at Waterstones. One of the books I brought back to Paris is Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain. All professionals, especially those with pre-conceived notions about extroverts vs. introverts, should read this! Not only am I coming to a better understanding of myself (a contented introvert), I’m fascinated by the various case and scientific studies that Cain includes. Can’t put it down!

Going on in Paris

Paris is hosting a massive barbecue – yes, Paris. The city of gourmandise has finally caved in and decided that yes, barbecues are amazing! The massive outdoor get-together will be Sunday, April 28 at noon outside Hôtel de Ville. And the best part? It’s free! It doesn’t get much better than that! Definetely curious to see how the Frenchies interpret this great American and Australian tradition!

ArtfullyAdored Update

• In the last month I’ve completed three market plans, a museum-focused social media strategy and the website for my mock-museum. It’s all under the umbrella of my MBA and I’m so excited to apply these experiences to my next job!
• I got back from London last week where I attended lectures at one of the leading universities for my field. During this amazing trip I was able to visit the Tate Modern and plan the next of my Guess the Artist series. Come back this week to play!
• I’m running for Boston! The news of the tragedy at the Boston Marathon hit me hard. I’m so proud of how American’s rose to the occasion and and I, too, felt instantly “compelled to continue my training” to show support just as this CNN Reporter writes. So this weekend I lace up to run my first 10k which is the first of three within the next month.

Everyone expects a foreigner to feel out of place in a foreign country. Yet it may come as a surprise that the more at home I feel in France, the more foreign I feel towards the US. And while I may always be “The American” to my French friends, the real challenge of living abroad is conveying to friends and family just how much France has influenced my ideas, views and lifestyle. I learned the hard way that sharing your adoptive culture is key to surviving the difficulties of re-emersion; when I moved back to the states after a year abroad, I kept most of my experiences to myself for fear of becoming a broken record and as a result began to feel isolated and estranged.

Keenly aware that my second séjour in France may not last forever, I’m always looking for ideas and techniques to keep France actively apart of my life. And learning traditional French cooking with La Cuisine Paris has been the most rewarding experience to date. I knew I was hooked after taking their macaron class last year, and after six classes at their beautiful cooking school au bord de la Seine I’m pretty sure they’re getting ready to make me an Honorary Graduate. I wish!

Here’s a look at some of what I’ve learned:

Croissants

Croissants are no joke! The entire process takes three days! However, that’s not to say they require your constant attention (you can still have a life and bake croissants at home) which is how La Cuisine can send you on your way with a box full at the end of the croissant class. I took advantage of my parent’s kitchen over the Holidays to re-attempt these, and while they didn’t turn out as good as my first batch at La Cuisine, I still ended up with delicious croissants and pain au chocolat to share with my family on Christmas morning. Once I have a real kitchen, I’ll work on perfecting these.

Macarons

I loved the macaron class so much I’ve taken it twice! While macarons are technically challenging, they aren’t that difficult. I remade a few batches over the Holidays and they turned out perfect (here’s the evidence) plus they were a great conversation starter about Paris. Once you’re back home, I would recommend getting Pierre Hermé’s cookbook, and reviewing the steps via Food Nouveau’s macaron guide and Not So Humble Pie who have extensive explanations and visuals on what you should or shouldn’t be seeing.

Baguettes

The baguette class was by far the easiest which came as somewhat of a relief! Unlike croissants and macarons, I finally have something I can bake even in my tiny Parisian kitchen. And better yet, with a dash of olive oil to the dough, you’ll end up with fresh homemade focaccia that is absolutely delicious. I will be baking this frequently come summer… served with rosé and green olives, it’s perfection!

Café Gourmand

Three massive sugar highs miniature desserts in three hours. We covered a lot of techniques in only a short period of time, and it was great! The various desserts baked are always changing, but for our class we made Mont Blanc, Financier and Crème Brûlée au Chocolat. Want to hear a secret about the crème brûlée? It’s absolutely no fuss! Definitely a surprise I’ll be serving to my friends back in the states. Plus I’m always intrigued by recipes that require tools I’d find in a garage…

Cooking classes are a great souvenir and will last much longer than those tarnished Eiffel Tower keychains. How about surprising your friends with red, white and blue macarons at the Fourth of July picnic? Or serving homemade baguettes the next time family is over for dinner? And who doesn’t love freshly baked croissants on a Sunday morning? I even went so far as to apply what I’d learned La Cuisine Paris to host my own Macaron Christmas Party. With the mastering of each new pastry, I’m excited to be able to share a bit of France among friends and family no matter where the future takes me.

For more photos, check out my flickr.

La Cuisine Paris
80 Quai de l’Hôtel de Ville
75004 Paris
Tel.: 01 40 51 78 18

What recipes have you brought home from your travels?

Hello? Readers? Are you still there? I know, I’ve been terrible at posting! Recently I was going through my digital photos and found shots of my Galette de Roi, the traditional French cake with a hidden token or toy inside crowning the person who finds it King for the day (assuming they didn’t choke on it first). And by tradition, I mean a January tradition. Bows head in shame. Many other intended posts have been missed during the last four months, but you have been on my mind and there is so much I want to share!

Wrapping up my MBA and actively on the job hunt has been what’s keeping me away from ArtfullyAdored. But I miss connecting with my readers and I feel like I can carry ArtfullyAdored so far! While I’m hesitant to start a new series, knowing I might not be able to keep up until the summer, I decided it was worth the effort in order to stay engaged with you. So I’m introducing my new post series The Adored: Weekly Roundup. It’ll be posted (most) every Sunday assuming I haven’t drowned under a sea of deadlines.

So keep your eye out for my list of Adored links for books, articles, blog posts, upcoming events you won’t want to miss, etc as well as a roundup of what’s been going down in the life of yours truly. Hope you enjoy!

Photo of the Week

Street art in Paris from artist Sonke.

Links

Art

Remember the Google Art Project? It has only continued to grow since Google launched the project back in 2011. Lately it’s made a lot of headlines, but I thought FastCoDesign’s article on the unintended consequences of publishing art in high definition online stood out among the rest. I think the topic segues into the art market with the bumpy road towards the sale of fine art through the internet via online auctions and sites like artsy.

Personal Growth

Looking for a job is never easy, and I’m knee-deep in cover letters, resumes and a list of companies I would be honored to join. To keep my head up during this exciting, yet sometimes draining process, I’m encouraged by articles like practicing gratitude by Molly Mahar which reminds me to be thankful for all the opportunities I have had and for this journey I am on now. Which then reminds me that no matter what happens in the future, I’m on a great adventure! Suddenly it all seems less daunting.

Career

I’ve been doing a lot of networking, not merely to facilitate my job search or grow my number of contacts but rather to hear about other people’s professional journeys in the hopes of learning from their experience. It started with reading Jennifer Turliuk‘s advice on discovering your destined career path. And speaking of learning from other’s experiences, I love these insightful career tips by Kathy Caprino.

Books

My parents recently passed through town and very kindly unloaded some of my library overload (ie flew a ton of books back to the states). So what do I do? Make an order on Amazon for more books! It’s an illness, I swear. One book I can’t wait to read cover-to-cover is The Art of Strategy: A Game Theorist’s Guide to Success in Business and Life by Avinash K. Dixit. I’ve very analytical and strategic, so I’m looking forward to learning how to hone this ability to make it even more affective as applied to Game Theory. Fun stuff!

Going on in Paris

Drawing Week is this month (April 10-15 to be exact)! Check out the Salon du Dessin at La Bourse or for contemporary works on paper head to Drawing Now. Plus many of the museums have special expositions related to drawings. And even the auction houses host drawing-themed sales which are open to the public and great opportunities to check out amazing works of art from private collections.

ArtfullyAdored Update

• I’ve just about completed my first start-to-finish CSS website, wrote the code myself! It’s for a school project so I won’t be publishing it but I’m so proud! It looks great (if I may say so myself)!
• Two out three significant master’s projects will be complete by the end of this month! One was to create a cultural institution including developing a permanent collection, temporary expositions and organizing an auction after finding a debilitated building around Paris to “renovate”. The website I’m designing falls under this project as well though I’m also planning the marketing and social media campaigns. The other was the writing of an “Official” Business Plan – my mock company is a PR & Communications Agency specializing in the needs of cultural institutions and art-related businesses.
• For a much needed break, I’m headed to London next week! It’s not all fun and games, I’ll be attending courses at one of the universities. But of course there will be a little exploring, shopping and a few afternoon teas amid the lectures and projects.