As the summer sun sets outside my apartment before I turn the key to enter, I contemplate its warmth and am reminded of summers past....

Chinese Blue and White Porcelain Charger, Ming Dynasty, Jiajing Period, China, 1522 to 1566. The fact that cobalt’s bright and distinct...

Landscape at Citeaux, 1995. “Listen, my son, to your master’s precepts, and incline the ear of your heart.” – Prologue to Rule by...

Maxfield Parrish, ‘The Pool, Villa d’Este’, Tivoli, Circa 1904. Marc Appleton and I stumbled on to the pier at the Rio de S. Moise as...

Coalbrookdale by Night, Philippe Jacques de Loutherbourg, 1801. As technology advances, there is the subconscious habit of allowing it to...

Inevitably, I am asked by my children about the history and origins of holidays that we celebrate. They are relieved when I label a...

Slowly Shirley It’s been sometime since we’ve updated our Favorite Space & Places segment of our Journal, and rather than just list a few...

1891 battle of flowers parade, in Alamo Plaza All the pageantry of Fiesta–filling the streets and plazas of our 300 year old city with...

Cascarones. Washington Post photo by Julia Ewan Yesterday was the official kick off of Fiesta in San Antonio. As darkness fell, fireworks...

Is Architecture Still Considered an Art? *A version of Michael’s blog post below appeared this week as an article on Architectural...

Norman Rockwell’s Triple Self-Portrait “Be brave enough to start a conversation that matters.” – Dau Voire As an artist, I often times...

Hiroshige, two rabbits, pampas grass and full moon As I walk along the river the nearly full moon reflects in ripples on the water and...

The dreamlike architectural sculptures of Do Ho Suh re-create places he has lived, and in doing so explores the idea of home. Born in...

For the first time ever, I will be competing in a chili cook off but I have never attempted this before, and somehow always felt as if I...

With the upcoming holiday, I wanted to share a brief history surrounding the often boisterous St. Patrick’s Day and a sweet family treat...

More than a necessity, meals are a fundamental part of nourishment in our lives. I am reminded of the scene in the 1962 movie “That Touch...

Recently, there is conversation in our office about the importance of hand drawing, more specifically, the ability to understand the...

Sketch by Jim Lenahan We recently returned from our office retreat in Charleston, SC. An inspiring city, our assignment was to prepare a...

A light rain is falling in Charleston, South Carolina as we prepare for our Friday night office party. Our entire office is in Charleston...

A unique hybrid between a gryphon and a chimera. Fontaine Saint-Michel in Paris, France. “Here in your mind…there’s no difference between...