Art and Commerce in Palm Springs

Friday morning we piled everyone into the car and took off, not to the mall but rather to spend a couple of days at the family's desert hideaway. And by "hideaway," I mean...no internet!!! But once une femme got through a few hours of white-knuckled cyber-withdrawal, it was an enjoyable and relaxing getaway.

If you plan to be anywhere near Palm Springs before December 27, you MUST check out the Lino Tagliapietra retrospective at the PS Art Museum. This is an absolutely incomparable exhibit of Italian glass artwork, from an artisan/artist who is widely regarded as the world's best glassblower. The pieces (all 169!) are absolutely stunning, and don't miss the video presentation showing the artist at work. The precision and detail in these works of art is mind-blowing. Favorites were the sculpture below, based on the artist's interpretation of boats, and some of the goblets.

This was my very favorite piece, so serene.

The museum itself has quite an impressive permanent collection as well, including several modern works from well-known artists (Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Rauschenberg, Andy Warhol, and Henry Moore among them) an amazing display of Native American arts, American Western art, two sculpture gardens, a collection of contemporary glass studio art, and several other exhibits that we didn't have time to see.

Another Lino piece. The colors, depth, details and textures are jaw-dropping when seen up close.

I'd forgotten to bring my jacket (lulled into a false sense of security, I suppose, by our blast of warm weather on Thanksgiving) so late Saturday afternoon we drove over to El Paseo in Palm Desert to see if I could find something on sale to ward off the evening chill. Surprisingly, the streets were almost deserted in this posh shopping area, and some stores had even closed early, not the mad shopping crush I'd worried about.

Talbot's came up the winner; this lightweight quilted vest is a fabulous non-bulky layer, perfect for those times when a sweater alone isn't enough, but a jacket is too much. And a weekend 20% off special, not to mention earning double Appreciation Points, helped me rationalize the impulse purchase. I'd never imagined I'd used the words "quilted" and "flattering" in the same sentence, but this vest really is both! If it goes on sale again, I may pick up another color.
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