Saturday, April 3, 2010

Fabric Friday

It is a blustery and chilly day, so all fingers pointed to brightly colored wools and wool felts for Fabric Friday. I use various combinations of wool felts for my plush & mobiles at klt:works. The clean lines, rich colors and wonderful textures are what call to me, plus it is tremendously easy to work with. Because of this love of wools and wool felts, I am keenly aware of designers that are working with this fabric in stunning ways. 



Oh, La La shoes is just that... stunning! Daria is the designer/owner/maker of La La shoes. She has a varied background that keeps her creations really interesting, including: industrial designer, art director, set designer, children's art educator.. and the list just keeps on going. You can see the influence of all of these skills in her work. It is flawless, ergonomic, fun, and the design is clean and modern. 











Daria has chosen to work with fabrics that are natural and tactile, she puts a great deal of thought and attention to detail in each pair of shoes that she makes. Just looking at these shoes, makes me smile. The colors are vibrant and she does the wool proud! Unfortunately, I found her too late to get a pair of her wool baby shoes for Sayer (as he has outgrown the sizing because he is a full on little boy now). But she does have some pretty darn cute mini shoe keychains that are calling my name. Yep, La La Shoes is yet another one of my great Twitter / Facebook/ Flickr finds.

Well, I am feeling cheerful, warm, and inspired now, are you? Happy Fabric Friday!

Thursday, April 1, 2010

{Studio} Snapshots

The studio is one of my favorite spots in our house. I find it is almost like a "family room". We made this space in the attic of our 1927 craftsman bungalow and it certainly classifies as funky. I head to the studio the minute Sayer is down for a nap, or when he goes to bed at night. However, the older he gets, the more he likes to be in the studio with me. We have created sort of a nook for him to read or just hang out while I work (most of the time that is only a theory that isn't practiced). There are chalkboards for him to draw on, thread spools to count, prototypes for him to play with, an old sewing machine (minus the needle) for him to explore, and music to play.


We spent this morning in the studio with the hope that I could work on orders. But I found myself wrapped up in the joy of Sayer's exploration. I love seeing the studio through his eyes. It is such a wonderful experience to be a part of. 

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

{Inspiring Prints} What makes me smile...

Someone once asked me in an interview, if I ever bought other artist's work. I thought it was an odd question. But I suppose that in context, the interviewer was responding to photos of my son's nursery and so it seemed like a fair question. I created a line of prints to use in Sayer's  nursery, not because I didn't like other people's art, but as a project and something special for him.  As I have mentioned, both my husband and I are artists. We literally have crates of our own art along with friends work.  We also live on a tight budget so using our own art in our house seemed like a no brainer- and an opportunity to have a rotating gallery. However, with places like Etsy and many cool online stores. Buying art (at a reasonable price) is so accessible, it is hard to come up with an excuse not to. I thought I would share just a few of my favorite purchases. 



Studio Violet has become a favorite of mine. I purchased my first print after learning about Camilla Engman via Uppercase Magazine and after reading her book. Studio Violet is the great collaboration between Camilla and Elisabeth Dunker. I am hooked now and am continuously inspired by these ladies. (Mr. Mustache is soon to make his way into our mailbox.)


My introduction to Blanca Gomez was when her illustration graced the first cover of Uppercase Magazine. Do you see a trend? (I guess my next purchase will be Matte Stephens- if I can ever decide which one). I received my first print as a gift along with a calendar from Monsieur Minouchet. The Jazzman print just arrived in our mailbox today. Sayer helped me pick it out. We seem to be drawn to the same imagery lately. Can't wait see the two prints side by side on our wall.


Having other artist's work around makes me happy. I buy things that I have a strong reaction to, not things that I think will match anything. Sometimes I don't even know where I am going to put it and it hangs out unframed- where I can see it everyday until I figure out the perfect spot. I have the Cosas Minimas (Blanca Gomez) calendar hanging in my studio. I love the clean colors and design. The Studio Violet print is on my dresser, still unframed so my stack of books keeps it in place. 

Sunday, March 28, 2010

{Music Monday} Oh there will be snacks...



Music makes my world go 'round, there is no question about it. Music is an essential ingredient in my art making, studio time, and living. I view it a bit like food. It keeps me full and ready to participate in the day. I learned a long time ago that I can actually manipulate my palette and imagery (particularly relevant to my painting) by what I listen too. When I teach, I have painting assignments geared towards linking creativity to music. I also took lots of dance classes from the time I was a wee tot until late high school. All of my senses are somewhat fused. I am just wired to respond to music. If you were a bug on my studio wall, you would see me working, humming, and randomly getting up to do a little dance. And watching my 2 year old, it is very apparent that he has music in his heart too. 


With that said, I get serious chills when I hear certain songs. I have the ability to become both physically and emotionally moved. Every now and then, I stumble upon a something that triggers both my visual and audio responses. The song, "Lull" by Andrew Bird  played to the animation of Lisa Barcy makes me swoon. I love everything about it. Additionally, the video animation is part of Barcy's existing film called, Mermaid. The two worked together in the video for "anonanimal" as well.


Andrew Bird is one of my favorite studio mates. His music really gets my creative juices flowing. I found this video of him performing for Pitchfork TV's  Cemetery Gates in June 2009. It stopped me in dead in my tracks and I absolutely had to share it...


The last Andrew Bird video is,  "The Fitz and the Dizzyspells" with special appearance by Mucca Pazza, directed by Digitelio. This may appeal to my former HS marching band days (among other things).  Happy Music Monday!




Andrew Bird | MySpace Music Videos


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