A Ray of Light in Brooklyn: Anthony Hernandez

On a cold, gray, afternoon in January, I met with the architectural detail designer and sculptor of Architecture Sculpture and Restoration, Inc. (ASR), Anthony Hernandez.

After radiating a warm smile and hug to greet me, the very fit and chisel-faced 44-year-old, showed me the new project in plaster he was working on with eager eyes and the excitement of a little boy.

"I am feeling that I am doing what I love to do," he bursted.

Just three years ago, Hernandez became the owner of his own design company, Fancy Shelters, where he has done work for well-known New York City hot spots such as the Max Mara and Sportmax stores, the Socialista lounge at the Hotel Riverview in the Meatpacking District, the Oscar de La Renta boutique on Madison Avenue, and the Cipriani Hotel on Wall Street. Apart from this, he is contracted for his work at ASR where he has been a crucial foundation for the past 15 years.

Hernandez' innate creativity and artistic ability was born at a young age. His mother would often find him making little dolls out of clay all by himself in his native Caracas,Venezuela. Seeing his natural talent emerge, she immediately enrolled him in Cristobal Rojas Art School.

At 28, Hernandez had a brief stint in the Army where he found himself evangelicizing rather than fighting, as he used to be a Seventh Day Adventist. But a year later, Hernandez moved to San Antonio, Texas, where he went back to his roots and began making a living as a painter. His exhibit, "Recuerdos de mi Madre" ("Memories of My Mother") were displayed in a gallery there, but after two years, he felt he had reached his growth potential and was pulled to try his luck in New York. And so it was that he found himself in Manhattan.

"I didn't know any English," said Hernandez from the kitchen of ASR - the office and workshop of which is now located in Brooklyn. Dressed in his work clothes, smeared with white plaster dust, he reminisced how he would try to find people who could speak Spanish.

"When I was very lost, I would start walking and walking and walking," he said.

One day, he stumbled upon ASR when it was located on Lafayette Street in Manhattan.

He described it as one would have described meeting their other half - love at first sight.

The owner, Euclides Pagan, who usually spent his days working off location at the workshop, happened to be there that day, and also luckily spoke Spanish.

"I told him I was a painter from San Antonio, and Euclides told me he was looking for a mold maker," said Hernandez.

Hernandez took on the challenge, and that was the beginning of a lifelong career and friendship.

Today, Hernandez is no longer a Seventh Day Adventist, but more of a spiritual guru. He speaks enthusiastically about how each project brings a different journey and energy.

"Everything in existence has something to teach you," he said. "You can think, 'Can I do it?', but instead think, 'Wow! What a project!'"

Hernandez is an example of how following your heart can make your biggest dreams come true.

"The dream I had as a child was to be a successful artist and to share - to be bright enough," he said.

As of February, Hernandez is no longer working at ASR, but his mark will live on forever there. He plans on moving on to conquer his next challenge.

Jamaica Snowfall

10 Reflections for the New Year

1. Listen to everything around you - the leaves rustling, the rain falling, strangers talking - they are the beats to your life.
2. Dance with your heart, and feel music with your soul - even if it's not your type.
3. Think about what you would do if you could be doing anything, and do it.
4. Share your thoughts, feelings, and stories because you never know what might touch someone, but also pay attention to the response as you might also learn something.
5. Ask questions as if there was no google.
6. Give as if you didn't have but wish you had enough to give away.
7. Hug as if you were never coming back.
8. Feeling is real living and it makes you grow. So feel every moment instead of running by them.
9. Love like you would want to be loved.
10. Live in the present and revel in it.

ASR at the Weston Designer Show House

Architectural Sculpture & Restoration Inc. (ASR) was one of the 17 design teams chosen to design spaces in Franco Grimaldi’s 22nd Designer Show House. This year’s showcase took place from October 6^th to November 8^th, 2009 in a 9,000 sq. ft. Georgian and Tuscan mansion located on a three-acre estate in Weston, CT.

Past designer houses have been located in New York City, California, Florida, and Connecticut, but wherever they are, they are ultimately chosen by producer, Franco Grimaldi. Originally known for his grandiose opera singing and theatrical acting on Broadway, for the past 14 years, he has transformed his artistic repertoire to include the celebration of design.

In choosing a show house, being “big” is a requirement for Grimaldi.“I also like when they’re new so we don’t have to go through demolition,” said Grimaldi.

One of the reasons why he decided to get involved in producing show houses, besides having had his own home in Winter Park showcased, is that he wanted to help people. The proceeds of his show houses have helped victims of AIDS, cancer, child abuse, and Alzheimer’s disease, among other causes. This year, admission to the Weston Designer Show House cost $30 per person, and the proceeds went to the Connecticut Humane Society.

In addition to producing show houses, Grimaldi also produces a television series entitled: The Room of Choice© for American Showcase Homes, a subdivision of Talent Resource Centre, LLC.
After receiving a call to participate from Grimaldi, ASR chose to design the rooms, La Salonetta, and Bath, in the Weston house along with partners Siegfried Kropf, from Leinritt Decorators, and Peter Jonas, from Installation Decorator, LLC.

Upon first walking into the room which is now La Salonetta, Euclides Pagan, owner of ASR, said it was nothing but a white room, and that he already knew ahead of time what he wanted to do.

After four weeks of work with a 12-person team, the once vacuous space is now a rich French Renaissance masterpiece painted in blueish-green, and yellow tones, Neo-Classical plaster elements, and a Georgian Roman Acanthus medallion crowning a crystal chandelier. Jonas was in charge of the blood red and gold-colored fabric lining the bottom portion of the walls with a pillow effect. The walls of the Bath room were painted a regal red in Venetian plaster, and a shiny black door was handsomely trimmed with gold. Kropf was responsible for the vibrant colors and various painting techniques.

Even though Jonas and Pagan have worked independently on the same projects for many years, this was the first time in which they personally worked together in conjunction with their teams.

Just as this event allowed many unique designers to work in harmonious unison towards a common good cause, Pagan said, “La Saloneta represents and expresses the richness, craftsmanship and harmony of the Renaissance style period where all the elements in interior decoration come together.”

A THANKSGIVING AFTER THOUGHT

A Thankful Thanksgiving

by Jim Rohn

You may be wondering why I would call this article a Thankful Thanksgiving. Aren’t all Thanksgivings Thankful? Unfortunately, no. As a person who has experienced over 75 Thanksgivings, I recognize that being thankful is something that we have to work at, even on Thanksgiving.

If your home is like most, your Thanksgiving Day will be very busy, with either traveling to where you want to go or preparing your home to have others over for the day. Either way, that can be very hectic and emotionally trying, which doesn’t lend itself to preparing your heart to be reflective and thankful. In fact, Thanksgiving weekend is the most traveled weekend in America. Airports are full, and don’t always provide much room for contemplation of your good fortune.

This means all the more that if we want to be the kind of people who are characterized by thankfulness, then we must make sure that we focus on it, and not just on Thanksgiving Day, but at all times during the year.

Here are a few key words as well as some thoughts that are simple and practical to apply—something you can use right away in your quest for becoming more thankful:

Time. Set aside time regularly to be quiet, to reflect. We live in the fastest-paced time ever. From the moment we awake to the moment we collapse into bed, we have the opportunity to go at full speed and never slow down. If we schedule time every day in which we can be quiet and reflect, we will free our hearts and minds from the tyranny of the urgent and rushed.

Thought. Give thought to the many blessings you have. Living in a consumer culture, most of us are fully aware of what we do not have and how we absolutely must have “it.” But how often do we reflect upon that which we already have? Take some time each day and think of one or two things that you have that you may typically take for granted, and then take a moment and give thanks for those. In fact, I make it a part of my reflection time to review a list of things that I’m thankful for.

Generosity. Be generous toward those with less and not envious of those with more. We tend to look at others who may be wealthier than ourselves and think, “I sure wish I had what he does.” That kind of thinking breeds envy and jealousy rather than contentment. What can we do to break that cycle? I would suggest being generous to those who are less fortunate than yourself. Go to work at a food bank. And not just during the holidays—everybody works there then—but on a regular basis during the year. That will remind you of how good you really have it.

Ask. Ask a friend what they are thankful for. The next time you are at lunch with a friend, ask him or her what they are most thankful for. You will be amazed at the answers you receive and you will create a meaningful bond with your friends as you focus on this powerful question.

Acknowledge. Lastly, tell those you love how thankful you are for having them in your life. So many times we neglect to take the time to craft the words to express to those closest to us what their presence in our lives means to us. Take the opportunity of Thanksgiving Day to write them a note, or sometime during the day put your hand on their shoulder, look them in the eyes and tell them. Let them know what they mean to you, and in return you’ll begin to create the possibility of deeper, richer, more fulfilling relationships with those you love.

Of course, we should do what we can to make the most of the day we call Thanksgiving, but wouldn’t it be a shame if the only time we reflected on our blessings was that one Thursday in November? And the answer is, of course! So let’s do our best to be aware of the many great gifts that we have each and every day of the year. As we do so we will see our hearts soar and our minds will experience more and more peace as we regularly remember and remain aware of our good fortune.

5 Dating Tips for Busy People

Whether you are a grad student, a busy executive or a divorced mom, it seems as each year goes by more responsibilities are piled on and the faster time flies. You are starting to wonder whether you will ever find love, and your mom doesn't seem to help matters by reminding you that your biological clock is tiiiiccking. Before you cringe at the thought of fitting in another item on your already over-booked schedule, here is a list that you might find handy when it comes to scheduling time for dating.

1. Follow your bliss—no matter where you are. We know you have free time somewhere in your busy week—the best way to use it is to turn off the tube and get involved in a club or activity group. If you are traveling on business, don't get out of work till late or have to take care of your kids, try to do an activity that you love every day—even if it is for only 30 minutes. Go to a restaurant that makes your favorite cuisine, go to the gym, to the tennis courts or to the library. You never know who you are going to meet while doing your everyday things, and it's an even bigger plus if they're into the same things you are.

2. Go out! Every opportunity for free time that you do have, take advantage of it and get out there! Even if you're tired, go to your new co-worker's birthday party that's on the other side of town. Read at a café rather than in your living room. You never know who you might bump into and have a life-changing conversation with.

3. Consolidate. Choose events where people you might be interested in would also go. For example, let's say you are invited to two events the same night, but you don't have time to go to both. You know one will be rife with artists, and you like dating artists, so choose that one. If you like dating bankers, choose the happy hour in the financial district.

4. Try online dating. You might have tried online dating before and didn't like it, but keep in mind that it has worked for many people! Right timing, as in most cases, is usually the trick. Plus there are a lot more sites than there once were. You can now find one according to your lifestyle. For example, if you are tired of filling out profiles with the same time-consuming questions, there is now ge.la,to, which brings the life-streaming concept—like that of Facebook—into the world of online dating. Users are matched not by their typed responses, but through similar social networks.

5. Sign up with a matchmaker. You might be thinking "WHAT! In this century?" However, matchmakers are not just relics from the past, says Lisa Clampitt, author of Make Me a Match: The 21st Century Guide to Finding and Using a Matchmaker. She explains that in today's fast-paced world, we engage experts to help us complete our tax forms, find homes and to keep our bodies in shape. So why not seek professional guidance from someone with a broad range of experience when it comes to finding our life partners? Maybe she has a point.

Published in YourTango.com

3 Life and Love Lessons from "Modern Family"

We all remember growing up to Growing Pains and Family Ties, but so much has changed since the '80s and '90s. We were in need of a family sitcom that portrays life as we know it today. The new ABC series Modern Family does just that.

The mockumentary comedy (shot in a single-camera, Office style) explores the day-to-day stories of a same-sex couple, Mitchell and Cameron (Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet); a couple with three kids, Phil and Claire (Ty Burrell and Julie Bowen); and a multi-ethnic and generational-gap couple who are in both their second marriage, Jay and Gloria, played by Ed O'Neill (Married...With Children) and Sofia Vergara (Entourage).

How are they all connected? Rough, gruff Jay is father to sensitive Mitchell and multi-tasking mom Claire.

ABC picked up the show for a full season, so it's time to get to know the couples and the life and love lessons we can learn from them.

Lesson One: Trust your partner, even in sticky situations. He/she has your best interest at heart—no matter what.

Sensitive Mitchell and oft-dramatic Cameron complement each other perfectly. In one episode, Mitchell is scared stiff in anticipation of his family's response to adopting a baby girl (the same-sex relationship thing doesn't go over too well with Mitchell's traditional father), Cameron plans a get-together (unbeknownst to Mitchell), at which he presents the baby with arms stretched out above him to the Lion King song, "Circle of Life." (Did we mention he's dramatic?)

Point being, Cameron knew they needed to introduce their new family member and took the initiative to do so. Unsurprisingly, the families come together over the new addition. Problem solved.

Lesson Two: Be yourself. No matter whom you're trying to impress.

Traditional couple Phil and Claire try hard to stay connected to their kids. Phil is especially over-the-top as he tries desperately to talk in teenage lingo to his daughter's BF: "I surf the web, send texts, use LOL... I'm a cool dad. I know all the dances to High School Musical."

Instead of trying to be the cool or perfect parent, be yourself. Your kids will be less embarrassed and confused by your odd behavior, and your spouse will appreciate you more for it. Don't forget, they fell in love with the real you in the first place.

Lesson Three: Support your loved ones, even when it's a challenge.

Middle-aged Jay has a much younger, sexy wife, Gloria, from a small village in Colombia famous for "the murders." Her 11-year-old son, Manny, is a (slightly chunky) born-romantic in love with a 16-year-old girl he writes poetry for. Jay is thoroughly against this putting your-heart-on-your-sleeve mentality, and even offers Manny $50 not to go through with the delivery of his love poems, but Gloria reminds him about the importance of supporting your family no matter what.

Even though Jay isn't in favor of Manny's romantic gesture, in the end, he supports his decision. How does it go over? You won't be shocked to find out that he's denied by his older crush. Good thing he has his parents to lean on for support.

Each of these wildly differing couples brings something to the table, creating a rich, dynamic, supportive environment. Not only are they related, but as Manny says in the song he writes about them, love is what binds them.

Published in YourTango.com