Featured Artist: Susan Riddle

I had a moment to ask Susan Riddle, one of Modern Mural's contributing
artists (a brilliant abstract painter), some things about herself: check it out!

MM: Where do you live?
SR: In Aptos, CA, a very laid back, quiet town just a few blocks from
the beach. It can be really mysterious and foggy.

MM: Where do you go to think creatively?
SR: To my garden, where I find colors, textures and composition. I like
seeing it go through its stages during the year. It's death and regrowth.

MM: Who are your design influences?
SR: Gorky, Kandinsky, Rothko, Frankenthaler, Miró and all children's art.

MM: What's your favorite piece of art that you've produced?
SR: It changes all the time, but if I had to pick one it would be a piece I did
called "Imaginary Dreams" because it was totally unplanned. Usually, I
determine the colors I want or the layout I want, but this one was just flowing.



MM: What's one of your favorite leisure activities?
SR: Riding my bike by the beach and gardening.

MM: What is your favorite color to paint with?
SR: Red, because it goes great with yellow and orange (which are my 2nd and 3rd favorites. I've also been getting
into gray to offset the "happy". My college professor always used to say to me, "Your work is too happy -
get some gray in there!"

MM: What's your favorite dessert?
SR: Definitely strawberry shortcake.

MM: What message do you want to convey through your work?
SR: Joy and happiness.

BBQ weather - decorate outdoors!

Warmer weather = grilling & BBQ...what's a girl to do when she wants to invite friends over for a backyard feed? Decorations are covered here (thanks to Martha, you can find how-to tips here.) Have a fantastic weekend!

Elegant white balloons and lanterns prove themselves a hit; votives decorated with real leaves.

String of lights with glued seashells add ambience; makeshift canopy adds intimacy.

Dual vases with tinted water in between creates a dreamy ambiance; shaded string lights glow.

The coolest cake cutter - ever.

I've been eyeing this cake cutter/server for a number of months now. It makes cake cutting and serving a cinch by cutting straight down then squeezing the handle to lift the piece! When I first discovered it last year, it was not yet on the market, but now it's for sale on Amazon.com. Created by Finnish designer Maria Kivijärvi combines the perfect form & function with lovely clean lines.

Dwell on Design LA - we'll be there!

We recently reserved our spot for Dwell's design convention! We'll be Booth 924. Dates are June 25-27. If you're in or around the Los Angeles area, stop by - we'd love to meet our customers!

Halifax: abundant textures

We have several photographers from Halifax who exhibit beautiful textures and both brilliant and subdued colors. The simplicity of the context is extraordinarily captivating. The natural and man-made textures are captured expertly, and there is nothing more intriguing than that.


Because of its rich history, Halifax has bountiful texture all seeding from old naval yards natural formations on the coast. This texture is what caught our eye - peeling paint, rusty bolts and smooth ocean rocks. They make extraordinary modern wall art.


Halifax is known for its beautiful harbors. In 1749 Governor Edward Cornwallis and 2500 settlers created Canada's first town on the picturesque shores of the world's second largest harbor. Its geographical location on the Atlantic made it an entry point of immigration into Canada and Halifax later became the primary North Atlantic base for the Royal Navy.

All Natural Ginger Martini

Ahh, blissful summer. I've had my share of ginger martinis, and just recently started looking for an all natural recipe - the warm sun just makes me crave them!

Among my stipulations for martinis are: no sweet & sour mix, no Rose's lime juice, no weird sugary additions. (Ginger has many health benefits, check it out here.) Just pure and clean ingredients. I found a few, although I made some slight adjustments to my preferences:

All natural ginger martini

2 oz vodka

Juice of ½ lemon or lime

1/8 tsp fresh grated ginger

½ oz organic agave nectar

Splash of extra-dry vermouth (if you like it)

Shake all ingredients in cocktail shaker with crushed ice for 15 seconds. Serve Up in a martini glass. Garnish with lemon or lime twist.

Enjoy - and drink to your health!

Featured Material: Canvas

(6 months ago we changed the canvas we offered to one with a heavier weight that visually offers a richer and more substantial surface for displaying wall art.)

The canvas we use for your wall art is 100% natural cotton which gives an organic texture to your mural. The matte surface ensures fantastic image quality, and at 22 mil provides a substantial heavy weight canvas. Beautifully gallery wrapped edges are precision folded.

Because the canvas is 100% natural cotton you can see and feel the texture of the fabric with out detracting from the finished product. See photo.

It's made for long-lasting art reproductions - which means that you won't see edge cracking and gives undoubtedly superior print quality.