I don’t usually plug giveaways on blogs, but there is a first for everything–
This month the talented Cecilia, the Swedish artist behind Veja Cecilia, is holding a giveaway on her blog sponsored by Letraset. Up for grabs is a set of Letraset Tria markers and a few other goodies from Cecilia’s own collection of prints and products:
Leave a comment on her blog by January 30th for a chance to win!
This one reminds me a little of Swedish artist Alexandra Hedberg‘s recent Snow White drawings and explorations…
Checkout the latest “street market” over at Poppytalk Handmade. Running through July 10, this month’s theme is “here comes the sun.”
If you haven’t checked out the site before, Poppytalk curates a monthly online showcase of international design talent; beautiful handmade items are available in this fun and diverse arena. If you haven’t already taken a gander at all of this month’s goodies here’s a peek at some of the things that caught my eye:
Stockholm by Stephanie Levy.
What a fun collage! This piece reminds me only too well of my old apartment in Stockholm.
Pink Lemonade by Roll and Tumble Press
Custom Monogram Sign by Signs by Diane
Ever the sucker for random letterforms and typography, it’s no surprise that I’m drawn to Diane’s signs.
Simmer by Yellena
Yellena is another artist whose work I discovered on Etsy some time ago and have delighted in her work ever since; I love the density of her work.
Golden Plover print by Sarah Ahern
Recently, I visited the SF Museum of Modern Art to see the William Kentridge show, Five Themes before it closed. I discovered his work at the Carnegie International show in 1999 when his piece, Stereoscope caught my attention; I’ve been a fan ever since. The show beautifully represented the breadth of Mr. Kentridge’s work. I could’ve spent a weekend just in that exhibit alone:
Upon further exploration, this piece by Mario Merz caught my eye too:
The Lens of Rotterdam
What was so great about this piece wasn’t just its scale, but its elegant simplicity— glass plates clamped to a minimal steel frame, sheltering or focusing over rough hewn stones.
After a few weeks of creative stagnation, exploring the museum was just the spark I needed to shift my brain back into focus. After a wander among the exhibits, even the textures of the walls excited me:
The effect in the last two photos above was achieved by painting the pattern with varying levels of gloss and matte finish. A cool effect to remember once I’ve found a home to purchse…
The movie chronicling the 1000 journals project is finally about to be released at the AFI Film Festival in L.A. next month. The project has even been nominated for a People’s Design Award! Cool deal.
I was in a bookshop today and tripped over the new book about the 1000 journals project. With an almost magnetic draw, it caught my attention and found its way home with me. I was tickled to be reminded of the project – years ago I had the good fortune to trip over one of the journals (and the site) and added my own piece to the puzzle. I was living in Northern Europe at the time, and sent it off to Berlin when the time came.
Several weeks later, I was contacted to participate in the documentary about the project (apparently my story about journal #311 and its extended sojourn in my studio and my friend’s 18th century attic was interesting) but ultimately my lifelong shyness won out, and I declined. I suppose I’m a little curious what it would’ve been like to be associated as one of the faces behind this project, but not enough to regret my decision to maintain relative anonymity and personal privacy.
Here’s where I endorse the book – buy it – since you’ll have better luck finding the book in your local lefty bookshop, than one of the elusive 1000 journals….
And if a visual synopsis of a thousand journals-worth of collective art still leaves you unsatisfied, try signing up for the next chapter of the project – 1001 journals
Looks like Future Design Days is going nomadic… what are the chances of meetings outside of Sweden, I wonder.. Italy and Asia seem like likely possibilities, but we’ll just see i guess..
Have been spending a lot of time lately with Nick Bantock’s work – which has triggered two things in me – wanderlust and a desire to spend exorbitant amounts of time making art instead of my day job…
