The other day I was driving around Montreal’s Mile End and noticed something on the corner of Rue Saint  Urbain and Avenue Van Horne, that never caught my eye before.  It was an open, abandoned looking lot filled with whimsical sculptures, creating a mysterious garden of metal and overgrown plants.  After a bit of research I found out that local artist Glen LeMesurier is behind this beautiful and somewhat ghostly place.  The pieces are large in scale, mostly twelve or so feet high, and made of reclaimed and recycled objects, discards, and salvaged materials, mostly wood and metal.  It was incredibly inspiring to see these sculptures as transformation of often useless waste into a form of art that not only creates a public space, but also addresses most current ecological concerns.

I will be coming by Glen LeMesurier’s vernissage at The Maison de la Culture Cote-des-Neiges this Saturday, June 12^th and maybe I will see you there!

http://sculpturegarden.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/vanhorne3.jpg

Inder

Azalea boutique in San Francisco who is supporting our 21 water bottle campaign!

I recently went to California for business, more specifically San Fran (what a beautiful city) and came across something quite impressive—Ecstasy.

Now, get your mind out of the gutter! I am referring to the sculpture of Dan Das Mann and Karen Cusolito which is situated at Patricia’s Green in the Hayes Valley Neighborhood. It is one of eight figures in their masterpiece called “Crude Awakenings”. This particular sculpture weighs about 6 tons, is over 30 feet tall and is made entirely from recycled metals ranging from steel to old machine and car parts, and even old lifting chains for her hair.

It’s definitely an inspiring piece as it not only carries an environmental message by being constructed from recycled content but it also has its own story away from the other 7 figures. According to Black Rock Arts, “Ecstasy embarks on a hopeful journey. Instead of throwing her head back in reverie to the oil derrick, she gazes wistfully into the open sky as she steps forward into the future. Her name expresses a sudden change of attitude and belief in hope; a moment of being overcome by passionate optimism in a future beyond our culture’s dependency on fossil fuel.” Now, how ‘bout that for some food for thought?

If you are in the area, I definitely recommend that you stop by and check it out; Ecstasy will be on display until June 18^th, 2010.

For more info on the artists or the sculpture please visit: http://www.blackrockarts.org/projects/ecstasy

PREVIEW THE SPRING 2010 COLLECTION BELOW WHICH WILL BE AVAILABLE SHORTLY ON WWW.MATTANDNAT.COM–BE SURE TO STAY TUNED!

Not to worry if you weren’t able to watch MATT & NAT featured on ETALK on January 5th! Click here or the image above to watch the one-on-one interview with Founder and Creative Director Inder Bedi.

ETALK features a report on MATT & NAT’s 21 water bottle campaign as well as a sneak peek of our Spring 2010 collection!

I recently came across an article that was published in the Men’s Journal by Patrick Jordan (a British/American writer, consultant and professional speaker) and found it a painful pleasure to read. The article revolves around the idea and the realizations of getting old.

This article makes you think about the materialistic things you once had or hoped for, and makes you realize that by getting older, these things become so trivial. Whether it’s the expensive clothing or sports car that have been traded for something more “comfortable” like flip flops and a Hawaiian shirt, or a sedan with 4 doors, you begin not to care. You take time and pleasure with the smaller things in life, like talking to the mail man, or stopping and petting your neighbor’s dog as they walk by.

It’s kind of sad that it takes an article like this or even the thought/ fact of getting old to make someone cherish and appreciate the smaller things in life. Especially with the Holidays upon us, our society gets so wrapped up in a whirlwind of materialistic possessions.

Patrick finished off the article leaving me with some food for thought (hopefully it will leave you some too):

“You get old, you cry more. Not over your lost dreams, your sins, your old age, your impending death. You cry for others.” “…you cry for everyone but yourself because you lived a wonderful life, and you wish that every person, every pet, could live such a life too. When you were young, you cried only for yourself.”

Be grateful for the small stuff in life, what you have, and the people surrounding you. Maybe for some, it won’t take the realization of getting old to make you appreciative.

Wishing you all the best for the year to come, Happy Holidays!

Click here to view the full article.

Founded in 2004 by Barlas Baylar, Hudson Furniture Inc has quickly garnered an A-list following; Featured regularly in renowned publications such as Metropolitan Home, Surface and ID magazine (just to name a few) and by having a celebrity clientele anywhere from Gwyneth Paltrow, Lenny Kravitz and Tom Ford, Baylar has struck a high note with his sleek, minimalist designs.

To give you an idea, Baylar’s designs are comprised of wood slabs that have either been salvaged or are wind/storm damaged with a lifespan of about 300 years. Another great thing about his designs is that nothing is ever wasted—any leftovers/scraps are certain to be worked into the next masterpiece.

Alongside his 20-odd craftsmen, Baylar enhances these one of a kind raw items into beautiful works of art and modernizes each piece with industrialized features. Examples of materials used are claro walnut, acacia, pine, jasmine, molded steel, silver and bronze—not to mention petrified wood from all over the world (which has the look of wood but the feel of stone).

Hudson Furniture’s contemporary works have become a staple in modern design in recent years. For me, it’s a gratification I get by knowing these trees were going to be left for doom and decay and have been transformed into utilitarian furnishings that will be around for another generation.

Items such as handcrafted tables, consoles, bed frames, headboards, side-tables, mirrors, sofas, and elegant nickel/chain chandeliers can be found only at their workshop/showroom located in NYC.

For info visit: http://www.hudsonfurnitureinc.com/

I saw these Sci-Fi type dogs a couple of weeks ago and it was love at first sight. Robert Bradford (the artist) and I have been emailing each other back and forth over the last week—I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to meeting him at his next exhibition in Toronto. Here’s a little info…

Seems ol’ Rob has a cynical side as he describes his youth and growing up in a “fairly bland South London suburb”. What fascinates me most is that he practiced psychotherapy to pay the bills but his true desire was to be an artist from a very young age…très cool.

The pic you see above is the result of him staring at his son’s abandoned toys and wondering how they could be put to better use. Today, London native and retired psychotherapist Robert Bradford, has become renowned world wide for creating contemporary life-size sculptures from discarded children’s toys; he uses mainly plastic but also includes other pieces from wooden toys, metal and rubber.

Works from this series have been shown in London, Bristol and New York. They can also be seen in Paris, Amsterdam, Flanders and Bangkok over the next coming months.

Seeing himself as a mad scientist and being trained in both painting and film making, Bradford constantly likes to see movement and change in his work and therefore recreates life in each and every one of his sculptures.

Recently he started venturing on a new path that features darker pieces, not just in their physical attributes, but also symbolically made from metal materials such as pot scourers.

Bradford doesn’t necessarily have a message to send or a meaning behind each piece, nor does he have the direct intention to recycle, re-use or reduce, however he is doing our environment a favor by giving these lost and forgotten toys another life and saving them from the endless abyss of a landfill.

Visit http://www.robertbradford.co.uk/ for more info.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

The MATT & NAT sample sale is back! We know you’ve all been waiting for it….

Don’t miss out on styles from 50% to 70% off!

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 17TH: 10AM-7PM

WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 18TH: 10AM-7PM

THURSDAY NOVEMBER 19TH: 10AM-7PM

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 20TH: 10AM-7PM

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 21ST: 9AM - 3PM

**CASH ONLY**

**NEW STOCK DAILY**