Design Patois

Timorous Beasties

2011-04-16T11:24:00.016-04:00

Indulge me. I know that this is at least the third time I've addressed the topic of toile (and insects for that matter) but I promise this will be different.

In this morning's Financial Times there is a wonderful how to spend it Special Interiors Section that had a sidebar on the Glasgow design firm Timorous Beasties. Founded in 1990 by Alistair McCauley and Paul Simmons who studied textile design at Glasgow School of Art, Timorous Beasties was once described as, "William Morris on acid." The name TB comes from the Robert Burns poem, "To a Mouse" (pronounced 'moose") and edgy in their creations. From their website:

At first glance it looks like one of the magnificent vistas portrayed on early 1800s Toile de Jouy wallpaper, but closer inspection reveals a nightmarish vision of contemporary Glasgow where crack addicts, prostitutes and the homeless are depicted against a forbidding backdrop of dilapidated tower blocks and scavenging seagulls.

The Glasgow Toile above and the London Toile below.

Which brings me to their insects. Insects have long been used in traditional design. Here are two from the TB line of fabrics: the Napoleon Bee and The Moth.

Check out Nice Legs, below. Wouldn't you love to have a duvet covered in this pattern? Maybe not a table cloth.

And finally Stripey Legs.

The image at top is Leaf.

Gleena -- Wedding Season is Upon Us . . . .

2011-03-21T17:21:00.014-04:00

Recently I stumbled upon this delicate looking line of hand-made porcelain called Gleena.

Gleena (which means clay in Russian) is the work of Asya Palatova a graphic designer turned ceramicist with an MFA from RISD. The graphic designer is present in certain types of pieces such as the wedding bowls below. You can also ask for similar set as baby gifts. There are also objects with great calligraphy. You can see more on her Etsy shop here. Palatova works out of her studio in Pawtucket, RI.

It's her nature motifs that I am most drawn to. I would love to see more insects.

While the porcelain looks and feels delicate, it's actually extremely durable. I love her palette. These are colors I could look at every day. Actually, I already do.

"The King's Speech" -- via The New Victorian Ruralist

2011-01-10T14:11:00.006-05:00

One blog I check at least once a week is The New Victorian Ruralist written by James Snowden of Lexington, KY.

He recently wrote about a post about the movie "The King's Speech" and it expresses my feelings exactly. Do check it out and tell him what you think. I will see it again just to savor the colors and textures.

Sol LeWitt still gives -- The Shul print

2010-12-02T12:23:00.004-05:00

December immediately brings to mind giving.

The late Sol LeWitt was an active member of the Chester community. He was extremely generous to so many people. When I visited the Chester Gallery recently (one day they will have a website) owner Sosse Baker showed me the "Shul print." The Chester Gallery is selling a limited edition (175) print framed or un-framed. Proceeds will benefit Congregation Beth Shalom the synagogue in Chester that Sol was instrument in designing. Please note that the photograph doesn't quite do it justice.

Dalton Ghetti -- Graphite Guy

2010-10-11T14:09:00.010-04:00

On a recent visit to the New Britain Museum of American Art I came upon three framed pieces of Dalton Ghetti's amazing carved pencils.

The focus of the visit was to see the Escher exhibit (which was fascinating) after which we decided to look at the contemporary art galleries. Poking around, I was surprised to see Ghetti's work. I ran to my friend all most yelling. "He's here, the pencil guy!" Fortunately good friends usually understand my distinctly ridiculous stringing together of words when I am excited. My friend Sosse Baker of the Chester Gallery loves all things pencil and in August she sent me a bunch of his images. They are literally mind-bending. You'll see what I mean when you get to the final image.

Brazilian born Dalton Ghetti is a Bridgeport (CT) artist who has spent years carving magnificent miniature masterpieces on graphite pencils. His tools consist of a razor blade, sewing needle and a sculpting knife. The process is extremely slow; pieces can take years to complete, but they can also break while being worked. In the event a piece must be scrapped Ghetti keeps it and places it in a sort of broken object cemetery. What struck me when viewing the life-size framed pieces -- having only seen images on the computer -- was that they are really small. The "Alphabet" below gives you a hint of the actual size.

They are not for sale. But . . .

He would love to do a gallery show in London if his travel expenses were included.

Love it.

This last one demands serious consideration.

Vittorio Constantini -- Glass Artista

2010-10-06T13:22:00.007-04:00

Departures Magazine most recent issue is devoted to the city of Venice and gives a shout out to one of the most amazing glass artists, Vittorio Constantini.

I visited his studio a few years ago. It's tiny and not easy to find, but it is heaven. If you ask for direction from Piazza San Marco, you will be told to take a vaporetto, but don't. Look at Googlemaps; it's really a very short walk. And you probably will get lost. If your heart is set on seeing him, call ahead. He's busy, he travels. I think he visits the States at least once a year. Some of his work is at Harvard with their magnificent Blaschka glass flowers.

He had been represented by a gallery in Nantucket, but I do not recall its name. My love of bugs and fish brought me to him. Here is a link to a bunch of great videos.

Cocchinella

Bees and honey are glass.

Paper Artist -- Anna-Wili Highfield

2010-08-17T17:25:00.009-04:00

For the past few days I've been making repeat visits to the website of artist Anna-Wili Highfield.

Anna is a young Australian artist who, while pregnant with her first child, took paper, watercolors and thread and began making decorations for the nursery. She paints archival cotton paper, tears it and gets to work sewing. The piece above is "Budgerigar in a Bell Jar".

Love the shadow of the "Magpie" above. If you visit her website you can expand the images. When you do, you'll be able to see the actual stitching. "Turtle" really shows some large basting sort of stitches.

I wonder if the (presumably heavy) watercolor paper moves when there is a draft? It could be very dramatic if the owl's wings began to move!

Volkswagens new EBike -- Bik.e

2010-08-12T17:11:00.006-04:00

This went right under my radar early in the spring when it was announced in China. VW's new electronic EBike or more properly the Bik.e.

While only a concept now, it seems to me it would be a hit. Love the clean design. Not sure how it would be on hills, but for city exploring or flat areas, it looks like fun. With a speed of 12.5 mph you'd better like meandering. Its range of 12.5 miles also limits its functionality, but alas (!) it's meant as a car accessory. Volkswagen sells cars. The car, in fact, charges the bike and watch how it folds. Check it out in this video.

There are no plans to actually produce them, but one can dream. No word on cost either.

Bad Blogger

2010-08-10T10:17:00.002-04:00

My apologies for not showing up for a while. Bad blogger. I offer flowers to you and promise to be more diligent about posting.

Topics One Would Never Suppose I'd Write about: Home Depot and Martha

2010-04-11T18:12:00.002-04:00

Martha Stewart Living has hooked up with Home Depot.

Actually she is cross-branding with them. This partnering is truly inspired. I must admit, I am not a Home Depot kind of person. It's big; I like small. But the display was quite impressive.

Studying MSL's color palette makes me swoon. I find myself easily smitten by the color names.

Check out the names of these colors:

ballet slipper pink
corkboard
graham cracker crust
chopstick (?)
picnic basket
Pup Tent

Loving these:

cornichon
river mist
spring melt
SEA GLASS
muscari
faded ink

SHAME --There's an app for that

2010-04-10T19:29:00.010-04:00

I have neglected my blog for many months. Why? I've been way too enamored with the apps on my latest Iphone.

Bad Jil. An app a day is not a way to live. That said, I am addicted to some of them. One particularly fun one for color enthusiasts is ColorSnap for the Sherwin Williams paint company. It has one feature that integrates with the camera on your Iphone and allows you identify a color or family of colors. I took a photo of an Anichini throw, the colors of which move me.

I then tweaked it and the app analyzed my palette. An email function means you can then send yourself or your decorator or your painter an email listing those exact colors.

Other cool features include making customized palettes, a Sherwin Williams store locater, and a really time wasting by fun section called "explore color" where you can zoom your finger over a color then play with lightening it, adjusting the saturaton and on and on.

While it is doubtful anyone will have actually missed me, I feel as if I have provided a somewhat rational explanation as to my MIA status.

Marthe Armitage Hand Printed Wallpapers

2009-12-20T16:09:00.006-05:00

A recent article in the BBC's Gardens Illustrated featured the work of Marthe Armitage.

A British treasure, Armitage began making wallpaper after WWII and to this day, cuts the lino blocks and does the printing herself. Her papers are now carried by Hamilton Weston Wallpapers & Design. They render me -- nearly -- speechless. Apparently, if you place an order, you can ask for a color of your choice, but the artist is in charge of the final color she uses. I can imagine some of my pickier friends who love to control all decorating details freaking out at this.

The design above is Tansy. The two below are Hops. Both are courtesy of Hamilton Weston. There are 24 designs in all. The Hops on Gold, is something I never thought I would like, but it is lovely.

My daughter suggested that I go and apprentice with her. I would love to. Marthe is also a member of the Bloomsbury group Art Workers Guild.

NOLA on my mind -- Zeitoun, Hazelnut and Robert Tannen

2009-11-17T10:42:00.010-05:00

Sometimes things just come at you all at once. I've been meaning to write about some very cool jewelry designed by New Orleans artist and planner Robert Tannen.

I saw his work at the Lori Warner Gallery earlier this month. AND, he's the father of my friend Erica Tannen who carefully composes the e-list -- which encourages shopping and cultural visits along the CT shoreline. The shape is based on the traditional New Orleans shot gun house. Proceeds from the sale of the wooden shot gun house necklaces go to rebuilding the city. I like (love) the silver "block" necklaces (see below). Thanks to Kim Tyler for the photographs.

Then I heard that Tannen is collaborating with architect Frank Gehry on some new affordable housing for the city. Here is a model of the Modhouse.

Last night I finished reading Zeitoun Dave Eggers magnificent non-fiction account of the lives of Kathy and Abdulrahman Zeitoun during Katrina. Phew. This afternoon I see in T&C mag that Mad Men's Bryan Batt has a shop in NOLA called Hazelnut where he has a line of toile de Jouy based on the city's scenes. Check out this tray below.
NOLA, we're done for a while. Except I need something from Hazelnut. Anything.

Rebuilding Rawand - Brick (Itafari) by Brick (Itafari)

2009-09-25T11:56:00.006-04:00

Leave it to HARO founder Peter Shankman to be involved with a really wonderful foundation working to help Rawanda recover from years of genocide.

There will be an online fundraiser September 25-27 by the Itafari Foundation to help build the Kigali Parents Secondary School. You can sign up here to receive updates. You can buy a brick for $75 and help build the school. You can help others see that this isn't just Africa's problem. You can watch a moving video here.

Ok, no more fundraising for at least a whole week. Back to design stuff.

September means Charity Water reminder

2009-09-19T11:12:00.004-04:00

Last September I wrote about Charity Water here.

This year Scott is 33 and he's asking his friends to make a donation of
$33 in his honor. I continue to be amazed by the wonderful work of this organization. This year I am happy to say that the September Campaign is highlighting their work in Haiti, a place dear to me.

I have made a donation in honor of my friend Peter Olausson (21/9). Happy Birthday Peter!
And happy birthday Scott.

Carrie Gustafson -- Glass Artist

2009-08-31T13:11:00.006-04:00

I became acquainted (read: fell in love with) with the work of Carrie Gustafson at My friend Lori Warner's new Studio/Gallery in Chester, CT.

This Boston artist makes by far the most beautiful glass that I have seen anywhere. A graduate of RISD, Gustafson also studied in Murano. According to her website, her patterns are derived from nature. I find her finely textured is glass amazing and I think that I just talked myself into buying a piece. All of her work is at once delicate, yet substantive. She is a regular at the Smithsonian Craft Show. There is an excellent video describing the process here and it is clearly described on her website. Gustafson is also represented by the North Water Gallery on Martha's Vineyard.

International Garden Photograper of the Year -- Rachel Warne

2009-07-26T17:20:00.007-04:00

Well, not exactly. The latest issue of Gardens Illustrated has a short piece on Rachel Warne that caught my eye.

Ms. Warne won the 2nd place in Best Garden Photographer's Association Portfolio Award category for he Autumn Study, part of the IGPOTY -- click on winners, then click on portfolio. The aster, above looks almost hand colored. Here is her artist's statement:

"I wanted to make a study of plants outside their usual environment. The plants were all gathered from my neighbourhood – from the forest, the sides of roads and even someone's front garden. Although they are all dead, photographing them is a way of bringing them back to life."

The back story is that Warne was ill for a time and while she was recovering -- she's fine now -- she collected plant material from East London and brought them indoors and made these wonderful images with a light box. I love the beech, above. Do visit her website, it's quite lovely.
Do you love to put these on your nose in late spring? I do. There's an incredible likeness to a colored pencil botanical in the image above. Reminds me of mouse ears.

The Rambles -- Patrick Dougherty's Stick Art

2009-07-20T13:18:00.013-04:00

I recently had the privilege of working on a Patrick Dougherty installation at the Florence Griswold Museum.

"The Rambles" is site specific installation that was so much fun to participate in. There were two shifts per day led by Patrick a self-described "stick artist" from North Carolina and his assistant Mike. Mike had been a volunteer last summer on a piece Pat did in Virginia. I volunteered three days, once at the beginning of the project, in the middle and at the end. I figured that I would get the most out of knowing all of the steps. His website is beautiful and has breathtaking photographs from all over the world. Scotland is a must see.

The photo above is from Day 4, I think. The first day that I was worked, we stripped leaves and made piles while the holes were being dug for the heavier saplings. It was very team oriented at the beginning.

I was quite surprised that they had gotten this far one I worked the second time. Note how the columns are coming together nicely (above). Each day Pat reminds the teams to throw out ideas for a name. This morning googling around, I found a video, produced by the museum, where Pat announces the name of the piece.

I like this little fenestration detail. Toward the end, there is a great deal of neatening-up required.

With one day left, things were definitely coming together. I dropped by afterward and little kids
were running through it gleefully. Grownups react favorably, but sometimes have to ask "what it is". Toward the end of the building the museum was smart enough to ask Patrick to deliver a whoppingly super lecture, but they didn't make a video. I would have loved to have such a remembrance. He showed photographs of not only his art, but the home he built and his garden, where he has benches filled with stick people. Very funny. I'm hoping to obtain some photos of them and will post them. Speaking of photography, I'll be posting some better ones later. These are just Iphone shots.

I cannot wait to see it in snow. Actually I can, I lied. The work above is at the University of Southern Indiana New Harmony Gallery in 2003. (photo by Doyle Dean)

Urban River Arts -- Portraits of Obama Benefit

2009-07-09T10:51:00.004-04:00

My friend DD is on the board of Urban River Arts, a cool organization in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn.

Tonight the 5 month old community art center is holding a benefit from 5-8 pm at Danny Simmons' Corridor Gallery located at 334 Grand Ave between Greene Ave & Gates Ave. There will be music and food (generously donated by local businesses). It sounds like fun -- for kids and grown ups alike. As I poked around the website, successfully avoided getting back to real work, I found that URA has developed relationships with Brooklyn giants (no, not Giants old people) such as the Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Botanic Garden and the Brooklyn Children's Museum. BAM, what about you??

Urban River Arts is a community-based, non-profit organization devoted to the artistic, emotional and social development of children and adults, according to each person’s needs. Through individual and group activities that honor creative expression and through partnerships with educational organizations in the neighborhood, students build self-confidence, verbal and social skills, and the ability to express and communicate their deepening understanding of the world through the visual arts.

It looks like fun. Go! It's up through July 25th. Support your neighbors and aspiring artists.

Categorizing PIECES -- Atlanta

2009-06-28T12:56:00.006-04:00

I was admiring a very cool chandelier in the "what's hot" section of Elle Decor recently.

The store's url was listed and so I visited the Atlanta store Pieces. (Note: it is also a 1stdibs shop) Yes, the store has lots of cool stuff, but what I like about it is that it categorizes it's wares not just by function, but by color -- which is FUN! Am I obsessed? I'm rather like that with my collections, although I do shapes too. Time to get back to work!
Wonderful hand blown etched glass.
And a raincoat for my imaginary whippet Hermes.

Gotta Do This For Technorati

2009-06-28T12:47:00.001-04:00

7zatu2ih4m

That's it. We'll see what happens.

The High Line -- Things are Looking Up

2009-06-08T19:34:00.004-04:00

The High Line, a new raised park in New York's Meatpacking District opened today.

You know, meat, as in Diane von Furstenberg, Prada, Anya Hindmarch. Section 1 traverses 9 blocks. On the Fact Sheet, it says that this section is .5 miles, but I thought the pr person said that it was a mile. The 1930's raised rail structure, once scheduled for demolition, was rescued by the Friends of High line leaders Joshua David and Robert Hammond. Designed by James Corner of Field Operations with Diller Scofidio & Renfro.

First reaction, it's going to be hot up there in the summer. It wasn't too hot when I visited on June 8th and yet my mind sang "it's hoootttt" (in a high Jon Stewart voice) atop the new paved area.

I am concerned about this little primula. As a gardener, I would tell visitors not to worry about the plant material. It's young. We don't know how it will proceed. But it's designed by Netherlands-based Piet Oudlf who has an excellent reputation and a way with grasses.

There are a couple of different seating options. There's this bench that has an organic connection to the surface of path.

And there are lounge chairs. How will NY'ers stake out this wee bit of real estate?

The Spencer Finch site specific piece, The River That Flows Both Ways, is made up of 700 individual panes of glass, each hued to represent a color of light reflected off the Hudson River. It is one of the highlights of the High Line.

Smartest of all is a water feature that will cool the toes of tourists and residents alike.

See that river beyond? It's celebrating it's discovery by Henry Hudson. Things didn't turn out too well for him, but I think that there are many events related to the 400th anniversary of European discovery of this majestic river.

Whimsical Textile Design -- Coral and Tusk

2009-06-01T10:36:00.018-04:00

A friend told me about the wonderful textile designer Stephanie Housley of Coral and Tusk.

Brooklyn-based Housley mostly confines herself to tee shirts and onesies for babies and little children, but she has a couple of pillows that are really fun. She is a RISD grad who spends part of the year in India; in fact she is there right now, so I had to lift images from her Etsy store. She uses organic cotton almost exclusively. Check out this humorous Hungry Whale pillow. $120.00.

The Baby Goat shirt, below, best exemplifies her talent with thread. Amazing. Cute kid. $46.00.

The whimsical detail in this shirt called Crab Claw Crusher is a story in itself. Note the jellyfish and the charming little crabs. $70.00.

A Circus Tent onesie would be a fabulous baby gift. A cool summer outfit for any wiggley baby. $46.00

Pinchy Whale. Great name. I think I love her sensibility as much as her designs. $46.00.

Finally -- and I would love to have this one in an adult size shirt -- my favorite design (if pressed) is called Leaf Cutter Ants. $46.00.

Prices are a little high for every day, but perfect for a special gift. Coral and Tusk products can also be found at Acorn Toy Shop and Sweet William in Brooklyn as well as John Derian in Manhattan.

Frank Lloyd Wright: From Within Outward -- culture, technology and the environment

2009-05-14T13:05:00.006-04:00

May 15, a new exhibit Frank Lloyd Wright: From Within Outward opens at the Guggenheim in New York.

To celebrate it's 50th anniversary, the Guggenheim is hosting an exhibition co-organized by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation and the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation. The exhibit opens tomorrow and you have until August 23 to see it. Wright, (1867–1959) who died six months before the opening of this landmark building, was certainly one of the most influential architects of the 20th century and I dare say his legacy lives on. I know I appreciate his "eye" more as I get older. Included in the exhibition will be his civic buildings, religious and performance spaces, as well as unrealized urban mega-structures. And there will be additional tech creations based on un-realized projects. I look forward to walking the spiral of the museum and seeing more than 200 original FLW drawings, many of which are available to the public for the first time. Here's an explanation of the title of the exhibition:

“Rather than a retrospective, this exhibition focuses on the diversity of Wright’s vision and the ways he sought to realize it, conveying fresh perspectives on how the buildings themselves celebrate that vision through spaces that enrich our lives with their transformational power,” said Phil Allsopp, President and CEO of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation . . . “The concept of the exhibition also reflects a growing recognition of the enormous relevance today of Frank Lloyd Wright’s design philosophies, which embrace culture, technology and environment."

Although that quote doesn't quite give me a better sense of the title, perhaps I am more drawn to his work now because of the commingling of ". . . culture, technology and the environment." My kind of stuff.

Say it with Animoto

2009-05-08T14:10:00.003-04:00

Animoto is a new, totally affordable service that allows regular non-nerds make videos easily.

Animoto, winner of a prestigious Webby Award this year, has zillions of applications. As the Guys at Animoto (that's really what they like to be called) put it:

The heart of Animoto is its newly developed Cinematic Artificial Intelligence technology that thinks like an actual director and editor. It analyzes and combines user-selected images and music with the same sophisticated post-production skills and techniques that are used in television & film.

Imagine. You're opening a luxury hotel outside of Florence and you want to impress the press. Create an Animoto video. I heard a great story about an Animoto guy proposing to his girlfriend via an Animoto video. Non-profits are encouraged to contact Animoto to make videos and there is a section on the site for making videos for educational purposes.

I'm not too smitten by these guys am I? I created a farewell video with pictures of our local Twitter group for friends moving to Austin. Speaking of Austin, Animoto won an award at SXSW. How to do it? Upload photos and choose a song. Could it be easier than that? While the video is being created, look to the right and there is a list of things to do called "distractions". A little something to busy yourself with while you wait.