love forever

Raw Color

Pretty much everything that Dutch design team Raw Color does is genius but I am most drawn to their ongoing experiments with natural dyes and colors. These images of their work are as beautiful and thoughtful as the process itself. I've been wanting to try out vegetable dyes for years; this might be the nudge I need to get started!

Vegetable dye experiments.


A print made with specially made vegetable juice ink cartridges.


silk scarves dyed with vegetables.


More of the dyeing process.


Shelves full of georgeous liquid dyes

 

Loving {Forever}: Words of Wisdom

When I think of motivational words, I can’t help but picture that “hang in there” cat that graced the walls of every junior high guidance counselor office. As far as positive thinking, I tend to balance on the awkward precipice between jaded cynic and kool-aid drinker. Like Mulder, I guess you can say “I want to believe”, but it can be hard for me to swallow all the fluff.

Lately though I have noticed a much more artful approach to the ubiquitous affirmation poster (some aren’t even poster!). No more serenity prayers or cat posters, these speak to me for reals.


art by Katie Licht


photo by Max Wanger

art by Mark Johns


duvet by David Shrigley from Third Drawer Down


from the Imaginary Foundation


another piece from Mark Johns, this one a temporary tatoo!


print by Wasted Rita


papercut by Mr. Yen

 

 

 

 

 

Miami: Out and About

A bunch of random images from this year's Art Basel in Miami. It's difficult to categorize these images into one post but also impossible not to share.

the breathtaking first floor of the Delacruz Collection


The always amazing Swoon with a wheatpasted piece that made me, um, swoon.From the Underbelly Project show.


Concrete bunny by Ross Bonafanti at Aqua.


Asmall corner of Greg Haberny's installation at the Like the Spice gallery at Aqua. Wonder if anyone partook?


Achair that manages to be both modern and very traditional at Design Miami. From Priveekollektie Gallery.


A fashionable couple at Fountain Art Fair.


Love the kicks. At Fountain Art Fair.


Fashionistas. At Fountain Art Fair.


Some seriously good street art.


Some seriously funny street art.


And the obligatory, check-out-my-feet vacation photo. Thanks to the hammocks at Scope!

 

The Dumpster Project: Art Basel 2011

Last week I went to Art Basel in Miami and came home with enough inspiration to overwhelm even the most overzealous of bloggers. This week and next, I'll post some favorites.




When most people are faced with the challenge of moving to a smaller place, they drop dozens of bags off at goodwill or have a massive yard sale. But Brooklyn assemblage/collage artist Mac Premo decided to make his years of collections into one giant art installation. And so, The Dumpster Project was born, a visual catalogue of Premo’s belongings.

Here is Premo’s Mission Statement for The Dumpster Project:

1. I have archived much of my life through collected objects.

2. I have moved a smaller studio, making it necessary that I get rid of a lot of these objects.

3. I have done so by using them as the raw material for one enormous collage, created inside a 30-yard dumpster.

4. Oh, also, I have photographed over 450 of these objects. Every day I post one, accompanied by a brief history of the item, here: www.thedumpsterproject.com

 

I was in Miami last week scoping out Art Basel and it’s dozens of satellite art shows and the Dumpster Project was one of my favorite pieces. I love the idea that you can physically walk into a lifetime of another person’s memories. And the visual merchandiser in me totally dug the way the pieces were organized- attached to the walls with screws or tucked into boxes, the floors a mishmash parquet of found wood.

What do you think your Dumpster Project would look like? Would it be this visually arresting?

for more about The Dumpster Project and read the (totally hysterical) histories of each object, click here. For more on Mac Premo, click here.

All photos by me. The Dumpster Project was most recently shown at SCOPE Art Fair in Miami.

Masq-peration

Every year the company I work for has a big, knock-out, over-the-top holiday party and every year the visual team is out of town prototyping. But not this year- this Cinderella actually gets to go to the ball for once! The theme is Masquerade and I am making up for lost parties by going all out on my costume. It's a bit Alexander McQueen, a bit Isabella Blow, a lot Philip Treacy (who designed pretty much every one of these hat/masks) and a dash of Lady Gaga.

I promise I will post photos of the get-up when it's done but for now some inspiration...

Isabella Blow in a Philip Treacy creation via

Philip Treacy for Valentino Haute Couture via / Alexander McQueen

Alexander McQueen Spring/Summer 2012 via

Lady Gaga mask by Philip Treacy via /Valentino Haute Couture photographed for Vogue Italia via

Wanderlust: Three Days in Providence, RI

I've talked about my intense wanderlust instinct before. It's definitely a bit of a grass-is-always-greener syndrome- I spend three days in a cute town, city or hamlet and I instantly want to move there. But I swear, I could actually live in Providence for reals. When Squam friends Elizabeth and Christine invited me to spend a few days in their adobable city, I jumped at the chance.

Providence rolled out the perfect fall weekend for me with crisp sunny days walking through leaf strewn sidewalks and lazy brunches nibbling on pastries and drinking tea. Elizabeth and Christine were perfect hosts- that just right combination of lots to do and see but no hurry to do it in.



On Friday I hopped the train (I love train rides don't you?) from NYC and got into Providence very late but luckily Christine's house has a separate entrance so I snuck in to find a gigantic king size bed piled with pillows just for me and note telling me that there were homemade muffins and butternut squash soup in the fridge. What is this magical place? My personal heaven?












Saturday we walked all over the city, stopping for a delicious, local and somehow still inexpensive lunch at the art collective space AS220. My favorite part of the day (and possibly the month) was a visit to the Edna Lawrence Nature Lab, part of RISD but open to the public. Artists of all kinds can peruse the thousands of specimens, rocks, shells, feathers and animals there and then sketch, sculpt and paint them at the giant tables there. I think I could go there every day. They also had a beautiful exhibit about the geometry of plant life and nature. Just the kind of nerdiness that I go for.







We had dinner at La Laiterie, another local type retaurant. I had steak with mushroom gnocci and sunchoke fondant. It made my head explode with happiness.











Sunday started off with the aforementioned lazy brunch at Elizabeth's beautiful light filled house (and her vey own mini- Nature Lab). Seriously Providence, why are you hogging all the sun? I like my house fine but let's be real, it is a dark South Philly cave. After that we took another walk, did some shopping, followed by dinner at Christine's (why didn't I take pics of here house too? Dang!) and dessert at Pastiche.

And Sunday I took a walk with Elizabeth then headed home. Even the adorably cute train station had good food: I got myself a grilled cheese on sourdough bread from the local bakery with avocado and bacon. Take that Penn Station.

Good eats and pretty scenery aside, the best part of the trip was the talking. You know when you are with people that just get you, regardless of how short or long they've known you and the conversation is just effortless? I came home inspired and happy, ready to start lots of new projects and dream lots of big things.

Layer Cake Necklace- Chen Chen and Kai Williams

Oh my goodness, this necklace is like a slice of pure amazing craziness. I hate to covet objects but could we just make one little exception here?

These necklaces are made from scraps in artist Chen Chen and Kai William's  studio, soaked in urethane and then wrapped around wood to make a big awesome log of colorful wonderfulness. Then they cut the log into slices and coat in resin. Available in the Sight Unseen shop.

Miep Jukkema: Photographer

This week I am loving the feminine frippery, the over-the-top sticky sweet girliness of these photos of these photos by Miep Jukkema.

Dominic Wilcox

I love good design with a sense of humor and a healthy dash of the absurd. David Wilcox totally fits that bill.

24k gold leaf skipping stones with their own handmade pouch. The fleeting experience of skipping a stone presents a challenge when you have a very valuable stone.

By a Thread, a simple cane hand-wrapped in colorful stripes of thread.


Watch sculptures capturing a moment in time.

Anti-Theft Bike/Car Device. Oh my lord, this is genius. These are just "rust" stickers that you can apply to your bike or car.

 

Susanna Bauer- Artist

 

While Susanna Bauer's full-time job is model-making for TV and movies (like the cheese in Wallace and Grommit- oh my!), her more personal work is much more quiet and introspective. Incorporating traditional craft techniques like crochet and weaving into small objects from nature, Bauers sculptural objects focus on the juxtaposition of material, "fragility versus strength" and the process of making itself.