For the Love of Jasperware

My obsession with Wedgwood Jasperware started a few years back when I saw these candlesticks in a client's apartment. While I had seen Jasperware many times before, I was now deeply in love.

On a trip to London last March, I attempted to find some of this red Jasperware to make my own, but quickly realized this was not to be. Upon asking a dealer if he had in his tiny, Wedgwood-packed stall, any red Jasperware, he replied, in his most proper British accent, "You MUST be joking!" He went on to chastise me for calling it "red" rather than "crimson" and told me that, due to the difficulty in manufacturing it, it is one of the rarest Jasperware colors. Other than the obvious disappointment of not finding what I came for, this ridiculous exchange was one of the highlights of the trip. Another highlight was the cameo above, which I purchased from an adorable couple who gave me a thorough lesson on the origins and manufacture of Jasperware. I turned it into a pendant with some findings from Metaliferous, and it is my favorite purchase ever!

Earlier this week, Architect Design posted his lovely collection of blue and white Wedgwood Jasperware, sending me, once again, on a Jasperware quest. I am determined to start a collection, so every few months I scour ebay and antiques dealers' sites searching for something to buy. I am drawn to the more unusual colors, putting the pieces I love well above my price range. Alas, I never actually go through with it, and my current "collection" remains the one cameo.

Yesterday on Charles Darwin's 200th birthday, I learned (from Diamond Geezer) that Darwin's legendary voyage may not have happened with out financial help from Josiah Wedgwood. Sadly, this historic company is in dire straits right now. If Wedgwood doesn't get bought out of bankruptcy soon, who knows how high prices would go for collectable pieces. I'd better get to work on that collection.

Posh Squat

Right now, in a part of London akin to New York's Park Avenue, about forty squatters, mostly artists and students, have moved into two abandoned mansions, each worth about 15 million pounds. They say that it's all very civilized, and not at all a crack house. The funny thing is that they are totally within the law unless they start trashing the place.

While the locals seem to have mixed feelings about the squatters (this article makes no bones about their disapproval), I'm sure that if this happened in New York, the neighbors would head over to Gracious Home to buy jewel-encrusted pitchforks and mahogany torches before heading over to drive them out.

It reminds me of punk houses, although I don't think any of those were ever located in multi-million dollar mansions.

Soane Love

Today Hollister Hovey led me to The Architecturalist, following the breadcrumbs back to Malplaquet house. The intrigue here lies not in the house's magnificent decor, which is a bit cluttered for my taste (I would have nightmares about the dust in that place), but in the owner's occupation. Tim Knox, who lives there with his partner Todd Longstaffe-Gowan, is the director of Sir John Soane's Museum!!!! While that may mean nothing to most people, it makes me freak out like a tween at a Jonas Brothers concert (I refuse to link to them for fear of even slightly inflating their perceived popularity). John Soane was a British architect, and an early interior designer. His house (now the museum) is a temple to his love of architecture, built to showcase his vast collection of architectural artifacts. It's a must see for anyone visiting London, and in my mind, being the director of it all sounds like the most fabulous job on the planet.

Upon seeing that the Architecturalist got the Malplaquet house pictures from "Barry Lewis" I freaked out again, thinking it was this Barry Lewis, when in fact it is this Barry Lewis, a British photographer. While British Barry Lewis appears to be very talented, he could never hold a candle in my heart to New York's Barry Lewis. You may recognize him from his Channel Thirteen shows, "A Walk Around Brooklyn", "A Walk Through Harlem", etc. His Modern Architecture and Design courses at The New York School of Interior Design were by far the most interesting classes I have ever taken at any school! I think you can take them without being a matriculated student, and if you are a NYC dweller, I highly recommend them. He's hilarious, and you will learn so much about this city that you never knew.

Striking 'Scapes

I love photography of all kinds, especially pictures of natural things that you can hardly believe are real and unaltered pictures. These are the winners of the Take A View Landscape Photographer of the Year competition in England. It is the "brainchild" of Charlie Waite, a landscape photographer. I think my favorite is "Autumn sunrise at Bamburgh Castle, Northumberland, England" by Adam Burton (I would post the pictures here if not for the site's warning about copyright infringement.)

I found this competition through one of my favorite blogs, Diamond Geezer. The "Diamond Geezer" is a Londoner, who frequently posts about things to see and life around London, and who cracks me up. Occasionally he'll post a random poem or rant about some aspect of everyday life. He's pretty nutty and hysterical in a desert-dry British way, and anyone going to London should definitely check him out for some real deal information about uncommon stops to make on their trip. He's way more interesting and truthful than even the most honest guidebook, and much funnier. I wish I knew what he looked like, but I don't think there are any pictures of him on his site.

I'd love to comment on a few other pictures in this competition, but they lead me to talk about other topics, and I'll just keep going on forever if I don't stop at some point, so I'll save them for tomorrow and perhaps Friday. My 8th grade English teacher is rolling over in her grave at my gratuitous and unabashed use of run-on sentences.