Last week, I mysteriously received 3 black pens and 2 blank notebooks in the mail with instructions to get creative* on these pages with the ink. Carte blanche. The pressure was on (paralyzing fear): what should I draw/write? Sunglasses of course. I decided to paint plain water over the pen marks to give it a watercolor look. The black ink had a warm purplish chromatic cast.

Sunglasses drawn with a DBA Pen which is 98% biodegradable. Drawing Kate Schelter.

I am honored to submit my artwork for the silent auction during the launch of the new DBA 98 PEN*.  We’ll see how the auction goes this Friday at the Boom Boom Room hosted by André Balazs, Salman Rushdie, Matthew Modine, Alex Matthiessen, Donna D’Cruz, and Brooke Geahan. Click here to place a bid.

* 98 artists, writers, designers, and notables will be participating in THINK BEFORE YOU WRITE including works by André Aciman, Yigal Azrouel, André Balazs, Lorraine Bracco, Dan Colen, Georgina Chapman, Grace Coddington, Costello Tagliapietra, Keren Craig, Simon Critchley, James Frey, Colin Firth, Walton Ford, Amanda Hearst, Jenny Holzer, Tom Hooper, Derek Jacobi, Mick Jagger, Lewis Lapham, Rogan Gregory, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Terence Koh, Hanna Liden, George Lois, Matthew Modine, Clancy Martin, Colum McCann, John McEnroe, Enrique Norten, Richard Phillips, Molly Ringwald, Cynthia Rowley, Salman Rushdie, David Schwimmer, Spencer Sweeney, Ruben & Isabel Toledo, Aaron Young, MGMT…. I mean, wow, wow, wow!!!!

** A new pen that is 98% biodegradable.

Sunglasses are something I love to wear and love to collect. For some reason, I also love to do watercolor paintings of them. I don’t know why but I can paint the same frame over and over again. Particularly Ray Bans (maybe because they’re so iconic and their design is so refined and attractive.) I have a lot of trouble painting at home in NYC but I always bring my paints with me when I travel and – voila! – inspiration hits!

Some of my shades. I'm a sucker for Ray Ban classics. Photo Kate Schelter.

Painting Wayfarers in Mexico. Behind me are several sketches. Photo Peggy Weymouth.

My mustard-yellow mirror aviators. Watercolor by Kate Schelter.

My black Wayfarers with palm tree reflection. Watercolor by Kate Schelter.

Three of my watercolor paintings hanging in my apartment. I frame them in antique frames I find at estate sales. Watercolors and photo by Kate Schelter.

I also collect art with sunglasses. Hanging on the right is Hugo Guinness's "Elliot with Sunglasses". Photo Kate Schelter.

The Caravan shades by Ray Ban might just be the perfect fall sunglasses. Why? Because they’re not overplayed and they go perfectly with a denim jacket a nice scarf thrown just so around one’s neck. Can’t you just see how perfect they are for a Saturday stroll in the city (windy, sunny, crisp) or for a walk in the country (big Aran sweater, jeans). Chris recently bought them as slightly less common alternative to the Persols, and Rayban aviators and wayfarers we see so often on the street. They work for girls and guys alike. I think certain sunglasses go with certain seasons and places. Most importantly one must find the right frame to fit one’s face, and after that: as the ad says below, “you need more than one kind of sunglass” for different places and purposes.