Photography is an art form I use as a conduit for translating my garden into home décor. As a child I immersed myself in the great outdoors and was continuously absorbed with all kinds of tactile art media like paints, crayons,pastels, clay and paper mache. Technology for art purposes took hold much later through a desire to apply my art onto a product- like pillows!

As I shoot in the garden, I move quickly between subjects because natural lighting alters shape, color and texture in the blink of an eye. I like to work close to the ground, which sometimes feels like a jungle experience. I enjoy taking photos in early morning when the dew is still “dropleting” and mid-afternoon when the really dramatic light rakes over its subjects. I love the close-in drama that a Micro Nikkor lens affords but it can be challenging when you’re hopping around. You can’t use it without a tripod.

My dad, Alexander Giampietro was an Italian sculptor deeply influenced by the Bauhaus philosophy. He was a student at the New Bauhaus School in Chicago which had its origin in the German art school also called Bauhaus. It embraced the concept of a total work of art bringing together art, craft, and technology and is considered one of the most powerful influences in modern architecture and interior design.

An early morning encounter between Spirea blooms and  hosta

Creating truly unique decorative pillows allows me to do that -bring together nature, art, craft and technology. What’s equally important to me, is building awareness that we can take comfort every day by making our own beautiful spaces at home. Creating a sanctuary for day’s end.

The teamwork in this musical piece is obvious.   Jamming just for the fun of it. May 2004- Hot Five Jazzmakers doing the St Phillips Street Breakdown. http://youtu.be/vM9L_8bJRfg

See the pillow family here! https://paolaprints.com/paola-pillows/

My dad passed away in 2010. Here is a clip of him talking about his experience of the Bauhaus movement in Chicago. I’d never heard it before: http://bit.ly/1wMuqK2   Click on the mp3 player icon for an excerpt. You may find it a little hard to understand at times- although he came to the US at age 16, his accent persisted throughout his entire life.

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