{favourite five: artist michelle armas}

Beauty without colour seems somehow to belong to another world."

~ Lady Murasaki

Colour affects emotions, design, art, and trends; it dictates our fashion, changes our mood and it epitomizes so many, many things without the need for words. Ruby red lipstick can be worn to signify ardent love and desire; pink blush conjures romantic rendezvous, and a bouquet of yellow daffodils can be given to symbolize friendship . . .



. . . lavender candles in a powder room can symbolize femininity, grace and elegance; a black evening gown that flows in the moonlight can represent sophistication and style, and the colour of a string of heirloom pearls worn on a wedding day is said to represent marriage.

Colour has its own language and painters are its masters.



Michelle Armas, an Atlanta-based artist, doesn’t simply paint with colours, she fuses colours with thoughts, blending magic to canvas -- each whimsical brushstroke takes your mind away to almost a heightened state of being and awareness, as you follow the light she creates through colour in paintings that have the power to light up a room.



By profession a graphic designer & illustrator, Michelle began painting to break away from the structure of work, but she says that ”the longer I paint, the more structured and narrative my work becomes.” Like many artists, Michelle’s design education began before she entered the classroom, making arts and crafts with her father at home, everything from clothes for her dolls to oil portraits.





Through her blog, Michelle offers a glimpse into the mind of an artist, and the motivations behind some of her loveliest works. This week, we sat down with her to talk about:

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{the top five things that inspire her work:}

1. Day dreaming.
I pretty much fantasize about beautiful things all day long, and then I think oh wow, wouldn't a lavender and dark green something be the best . . . off to paint!

2. Fashion.
The prints! The proportions! The drama! I am recently drawn to spare, modern clothes in the perfect shade of black, blue or grey, and it is making me want to do paintings with less color, and softer compositions and lots of nice clean space.

3. Travel.
I love to see what other people are wearing, how stores in different cities do window displays, the light and the sky and the ocean in places that are not land-locked Atlanta . . . even the trees, the colors of leaves. I am going to California soon, and I am super excited to look at some cool new plants!

4. Food.
I just made an almond yogurt cake with blue berries and peaches on the top, and when I took the layer of parchment off, the colors were so stunning! I love the color of cooked blueberries, and that purple blue next to the soft orange of the peach was super cool.

5. The Ottoman Empire.
Yup, those people knew how to do a mosaic, and how to use color. Wow, one, maybe two colors, in the most amazing, stunning, geometric splendor you have ever seen. I am researching right now to start painting a bunch of portraits, and I can't stop adding details that I have seen in mosaics.

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p r e v i o u s f a v o u r i t e f i v e s :

* jewelry designers: megan & moira flynn
* actress & writer: shiva rose
* jeweler: camille eddera
* artist: kimia kline
* actress & fashion muse: chloë sevigny
* floral stylist, part 1: denise porcaro
* floral stylist, part 2: denise porcaro
* fashion photographer & illustrator: garance doré
* interior designer & architect: nina freudenberger
* entrepreneurs: rent the runway
* designer: rachel ashwell
* interior designer: tricia foley
* photographer: romina shama
* food editor & author: donna hay

~ laily


{images: paintings by michelle armas, all other images from once wed: one & two}

{décor inspiration: bedside tables & bouquets}

. . . would, perhaps, change the paisley to crisp, white linens, but adore the charming plaid floor and can hardly tear away from the vibrantly painted bedside table and perfect bouquet of roses . . .

{p.s.} wouldn't this room be lovely in a quaint countryside cottage?


{image: family circle via brabourne farm & tumblr}

{bright mornings & busy days . . .}

. . . the day began as a whirlwind and happily slowed down {just a little} with an early morning stop at the farmers' market for apples, honey comb, pecan butter tarts & two of the most enormous, and romantically fragrant bouquets of pink peonies {if you're on twitter, you may have already heard} and somehow we have arrived at wednesday already and there is still much to catch up on, and so many wonderful things to do . . . and of course, a little behind on a million blog posts, and hopefully can complete a few today, including this week's favourite five, and there are so many other beautiful things to tell you . . .


{image: pretty shiny sparkly via la dolce vita}

{hello & tuesday musings}

. . . all of this sunny, summery weather lately and it may be a little difficult to concentrate on work no matter how much fun, or stay in the office for too long -- there have been frequent ice cream trips for mango sorbet and decadent scoops of ferrero rocher glelato, along with very long lunches and isn't this the loveliest time of year?

{p.s.} recipe here & what's your favourite ice cream flavour?


[martha stewart via solovely {décoration...} via pinterest]

{style inspiration: color theory}

. . . stripes and bows and bits of gold, pearls and florals and little white dresses and it's nearly summertime . . .


{images: photography by wilkosz & way; model, samantha ypma from mode models; makeup by alicja wilkosz; styling by leah van loon; via i like nice things}

{style inspiration: carefree colour}

. . . perhaps it is the thought of april showers, but lately have been adoring bold stripes and bright florals, rich greens and royal blues, saffron-hued lips and perfect bands of colour . . .

{p.s.} fuchsia lips & sexy brights

{images: zara april 2011 lookbook via fgr}

{style inspiration: spring's sexy brights}

. . . absurdly in love with spring's vibrant hues -- lips in shades of coral & cerise and belted dresses in riotous purple, frolicsome jumpsuits in shimmery turquoise and flirtatious dresses in peach and long skirts paired with tangerine -- such a wildly welcome change from winter's grey days and suddenly, the air feels electric . . .



{images: karl lagerfeld and silvia venturini for fendi spring 2011 rtw, photography by marcio madeira via vogue}