Keira Ritter Design Company Blog

art and yoga adventures in Tuscany

keira — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 18:31:48 +0000

I had the great fortune of being able to take two trips to Tuscany in the past year – one to ride bikes through the countryside and one to be more still, spending the days painting and practicing yoga. Both trips had a very strong impact on me and helped re-focus my work in a way that I had not expected. It’s quite amazing what can happen when one is able to break free from the daily routine and breathe fresh air in a place rich with history, inspiration and pure, unequaled beauty.

I was invited to return to Tuscany in June to assist with the Toscana Creativa Art and Yoga Retreat. I’m still pinching myself! I will be preparing lessons that incorporate teachings on drawing, perspective and color theory, plus some art and architectural history, and musings on food and culture. All my favorite things! My dear friend, painter and yoga instructor Julia Ingersoll leads the retreat, which is presented by Women’s Quest. We have room for several more participants, so please share the idea of Toscana Creativa with the women in your life! I can say with absolute certainty that this is an adventure of a lifetime and an experience to treasure.

Celebrate the art of living while exploring the most beautiful region of Tuscany during our week-long art and yoga retreat! Ignite your creative spark through joyful art-making: outdoor landscape painting in oil and watercolor, sketching and journaling for all levels of experience (beginners welcome!). Revitalize your body and soothe your soul with heart-opening yoga. Explore Medieval villages and Renaissance masterpieces, experience Gregorian chant in an ancient abbey, delight in luscious Tuscan food and wine, take part in a spirited cooking class and indulge all of your senses while staying in a beautiful villa in this captivating land where art is a way of life…and life is a work of art. Return with a map of your imagination, a bundle of paintings, new insight into your heart’s desire and an experience to treasure. Retreat cost is $3,500 (airfare not included).

What’s included:

daily expert instruction in painting, sketching and journaling
daily morning yoga
art and architecture history, on site, everywhere we go
a guided tour of the magnificent town of Siena
a soak in the ancient Roman spa pool of Bagno Vignoni
a private cooking class featuring local specialties
7 nights accommodation at a beautiful, four-star villa-estate
daily breakfasts and all dinners, plus 3 lunches

Please contact me with questions or visit the Women’s Quest website for additional information.

Berkshire Kitchen

keira — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 02:14:32 +0000

The Berkshire Kitchen embraces the concept of the kitchen as the heart of the home, and was designed to accommodate multiple chefs and busy family life. An inefficient and dark kitchen was transformed into an open, modern, light-filled space with multiple cooking and work zones, various options for seating, energy-star appliances, custom cabinetry and unique finishes.

Lucky No. 13: site panoramas

keira — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 21:26:03 +0000

For the first month or so of walking the Lucky No. 13 site I was overwhelmed by the views. There is beauty in all directions, and sometimes that makes the siting of things challenging. Fortunately I’ve had a year to do a very thorough site analysis, and over time have come to understand the sun, the wind, the feeling of things, and how we want to live on this piece of earth. I’ll share that process as we go, but for now, please enjoy these photos and allow yourself to get acquainted with the lay of the land.

looking north to Lyons, CO

looking east over Foothills Reservoir

looking south over the ranch to the Flatirons

looking west up into the foothills (where we live now)

[I'm standing in the middle of the property while taking these panoramas, and our boundaries are defined by the jack fence you see in the distance.]

the naming of Lucky No. 13

keira — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 18:27:21 +0000

I like to name my projects. Like naming an animal, a car, a drawing or a painting, anything dear to you, there’s something about personalizing things at this level that creates a stronger connection and bond. I try to allow the things that resonate with me about a particular project to be the things that influence the naming. Sometimes it works, and sometimes, well…I stick with [insert last name here] Residence.

Lucky No. 13 as a name evolved naturally – I’m not even really sure when I decided that this would be the official name of our homestead project, but at some point I just started calling the land Lucky No. 13. And it stuck. I knew that I wanted a logo to accompany this project through its development, and invited my friend Allison Bozeman of BirdDog Press to visit the property with me so that we could talk ideas.

Fortunately Alli knows me well, and we’ve collaborated on lots of fun graphics projects, so when I told her I wanted something a little western, a little mod, something that spoke to the fusion of industrial and organic that I like to achieve in my work, and something unique, she didn’t look at me like I was asking for the moon. Thank you, Alli, for creating a fun and fabulous logo for Lucky No. 13!

hello, Lucky No. 13

keira — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 18:58:39 +0000

I’d like to introduce you to a little slice of heaven, my little slice of heaven, to be exact. One year ago my husband and I purchased six acres in Boulder County, and here today I’m starting a project journal that chronicles the design and construction of our homestead. It is my intention to share the process with you, a journey that includes the design and construction of a house, a barn, a studio, a landscape, many gardens, and most importantly, a place for all my dreams (and animals!) to live. No pressure, right?

[this photo is of an historic structure that stands on the ranch immediately adjacent to our property]

Why the Lucky No. 13 reference in the title of this post? The legal description of our property is Lot 13, and boy oh boy is it lucky. So I’ve named the entire project Lucky No. 13. It took years of looking, researching, and riding bikes along the back roads of Boulder County before we stumbled across this property. I look forward to sharing our adventure with you, and welcome questions and feedback as we go. In the meantime, happy 2012 and best wishes for a *lucky* new year!

kr design co BLOG: new inspiration

keira — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 19:02:10 +0000

I have taken a long and fruitful hiatus from blogging and all things social media over the past months. Why? I needed to regroup, reorganize, reenergize and get some inspired fire back into my creative work. I went to Italy to paint and look at landscapes with a dear friend. I have been drawing a lot by hand. I convinced my husband that the best use for our garage is to house my sample library which had previously been stashed in various places. I have learned to love and appreciate the early morning outings with my dog as a time for awakening and preparing for the day ahead. I have been pouring through books and magazines looking at images that make my heart sing. And (more on this soon) I have been making daily pilgrimages to the 6-acre plot of land my husband and I bought north of Boulder to daydream about the new house we will soon build. Now I’m ready to come back, to start blogging again, and to share lots of new work.

I’ve been wondering where to start for weeks, so rather than trying to find the perfect thing to reemerge with, I’m just going to begin by sharing what’s on my mind today, right now. I got my hands on a beautiful new book, called Private Paradise: Contemporary American Gardens by Charlotte M. Frieze.

It’s full of gorgeous imagery and interesting projects, but most significant for me was an introduction to the work of Ten Eyck Landscape Architects. I had loosely heard of their work in the past, but never really looked at it. This morning I took some time to admire their portfolio. And on the subject on making one’s heart sing, Ten Eyck’s West TX Ranch imagery sure does it for me.

Don’t you just want to be there?

handmade inspiration: mini quilts on the Purl Bee

keira — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 20:00:03 +0000

I love these mini quilt ideas that are featured monthly on one of my favorite blogs, The Purl Bee. Somehow the idea of making a full-size quilt seems quite intimidating, especially without a proper sewing space (not to mention the time involved), but these small sample-size pieces feel very inviting and doable. I appreciate that they’re inspired by vintage quilts, and the fabrics, patterns and colors are just lovely. On this snowy day in Colorado, making something that evokes *spring* feels just right.

CIRCULAR APPLIQUE

featuring Liberty of London Tana Lawn

COURTHOUSE STEPS

a traditional quilt block that takes its name from the stepped pattern it makes

Vintage Cafeteria Table

keira — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 18:02:45 +0000

I love this cafeteria table, recently featured on Three Potato Four. I want one for my studio!

Exquisitely executed re-fabrication of an original vintage industrial cafeteria table. Constructed of heavy cast iron (cast from original forms), table features reclaimed wood tabletop and round swivel-out stools made of mixed hardwoods (wood is unfinished, allowing you to stain in any finish you wish). Available as both 12-seater, as shown and 8-seater.

Firefly Promotional Pieces

keira — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 17:11:54 +0000

This weekend marks the first Firefly Handmade Holiday Market to be held in Boulder. I’ve been fortunate enough to volunteer my time to help with various elements of the event, including display booth design for BirdDog Press, compilation of burlap swag bags stuffed with goodies for all the participating vendors, and will be assigned wine-pouring duty during Friday night’s opening party (not a bad gig!). Saturday and Sunday you will find me helping The Makerie with the Community Table they are sponsoring for the duration of the market. In exchange I’ve been offered the opportunity to display some promotional pieces during the event, for both vendors and visitors.

I had a good supply of letterpress “tags” available from a previous project, so designed my promotional piece for the vendors around the tags. The tags are made of three layers of paper: gray on the front with my logo pressed in silver, orange (sandwiched in the middle) and brown kraft on the back. I found a printer who offers 100% recycled kraft board in their paper selection, and worked with them to produce 5×7 cards featuring a digital version of wood block type from BirdDog Press. Tucked inside are informational postcards, and the package is wrapped with orange and white cotton string from The Twinery.

The postcards will be available on the Community Table, displayed in a vintage hardware drawer (it is orange and gray – how perfect) found on Three Potato Four. Please come visit Firefly this weekend!

Handmade for the Holidays

keira — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 17:22:29 +0000

This year my recommendation for handmade holiday gifts is very simple: go to the Firefly Handmade Holiday Market! Less than two weeks away, this three-day market will be host to over 60 indie makers and the variety is spectacular. Stop by and enjoy some festive holiday shopping December 10th [5pm-9pm], 11th [10am-5pm] or 12th [10am-3pm] at 1904 Pearl Street in Boulder. I will be volunteering at the Community Table, hosted by The Makerie – hope to see you there!

My five Firefly favorites (though it’s nearly impossible to choose):

custom vintage wood type stationery by BirdDog Press

repurposed tumblers from Bottlehood

hand-crocheted flapper-style hat by Fringe Outerwear

mixed media assemblage on old wood by Studio 22

the Beyond Bling collection by Amy J. Metals