Open Studios

Henry and I spent part of this weekend visiting the Somerville Open Studios in our neighborhood, and it made me wish the event happened every weekend, since it turned our usually aimless, baby-soothing walks into an exciting quest, hunting down the bunch of orange balloons that indicated each studio. For example, who would have guessed that the beautiful work of Seven Hills Bindery is produced within this rather ominous and abandoned-looking building next to Union Square?


With an afternoon nap looming yesterday we didn't make it very far, but we had a great time visiting the home of artist and crafter Egg-a-Go-Go, just down the road from our house.

It can be a little intimidating marching into a stranger's abode, even one that is adorned with orange balloons, but this cute sign made us feel welcome, and the carton of Dunkin Donuts munchkins upstairs didn't hurt, either.

We admired artist Sarah Coyne's paintings (and charming home decor), and left, full of good cheer, with this adorable "button collector" pillow, a textile collage of silkscreen, embroidery and colorful buttons.


Today I needed to return some books at the library up on the hill by Somerville City Hall, so we stopped by two artists' buildings in that area, Pearl Street and Mad Oyster Studios, where we stepped out on a roof deck in the drizzling rain to admire a nearby park.


And the best art of the day: a cloud of fragrant blooming trees in front of the Somerville Library.