The Biltmore, Coral Gables

While in Florida we ventured out to The Biltmore in Coral Gables for a look around. The pool there is amazing and all of the grounds were gorgeous. There is an interior courtyard that is surrounded by the most beautiful tiling, as you can see above. 

Feed the Tarpon

In all of the marinas in the Keys there are Tarpon - this crazy-huge dock fish that are described as being a bit like giant herring. We made a stop at Robbie's Marina which is basically the the Florida Key's version of Wall Drug (the iconic I-80 South Dakota tourist trap, best doughnut I've ever had) and fed the Tarpon.

Lucian Freud Portraits

Girl In Bed, 1952 Private Collection © The Lucian Freud Archive.

Photo: Courtesy Lucian Freud Archive

Today I had brunch with a friend at the huge Whole Foods on High Street Kensington (which, by the way, does not carry Kombucha, what's the point of whole foods without kombucha?), and then because it was a sunny-with-the-imminent-threat-of-thunderstorms type day I decided to boris bike trough Hyde Park where on the other end I was meeting a friend to go to the National Portrait Gallery.

There is a huge Lucian Freud retrospective on, with more than 100 of his portraits. I really enjoyed the exhibition, and we made it just before the rains. 

Reflection (Self-portrait), 1985 Private Collection, Ireland © The Lucian Freud Archive. 

Photo: Courtesy Lucian Freud Archive

Art Deco, South Beach

Conch Key

While in the Florida Keys we rented a house on Conch Key. It was a traditional Pine Key house that was built in the 1940s and had withstood numerous Hurricanes. The decoration was amazing. 

Adam Buick Ceramics

I just got back from two weeks in Miami and the Keys, which were amazing, and I took almost 900 pictures that I have to sort through. But I'm already back at school and a new project started today. We all get to pick what type of space we want to design, I've chosen to use a friend as inspiration and to design a live/work space. The living space will be for a single female ceramic artist. The studio portion will act as both a personal studio as well as a space to run workshops for up to 10 children or adults at a time. I've spent most of the day researching ceramic artists and came across Adam Buick, whose moon jars are beautiful.