Ikea's "Lack" gets a makeover!

In honor of Ikea's 1 year anniversary in Red Hook, Ikea challenged several New York artists to revamp several iconic Ikea staples. Abby Clawson Low, a former senior art director for Kate Spade and Jack Spade, created this beautiful side table/display case using Ikea's signature "Lack" side table.

Instead of putting books on a shelf, where the covers and bright vintage colors are hidden, turning them face up under glass allows them to be displayed as a striking living room centerpiece.

More:

http://newyork.timeout.com/articles/apartments/76111/ikea-remix

Display

With all of the prints, maps, photos, books, and souveniers I have collected over the past few years, I am always struggling with how to display them. The majority of these finds are stored away under my bed or in my closet. This beatiful display from 2ndFloorLiving is a great solution for all of your collected items. These simple white shelves are available online from West Elm .

Grey Gardens

I was watching YouTube clips today from Grey Gardens, the 1975 documentary about Edith Bouvier Beale and her daughter, Edie. Aunt and first cousin to Jackie Onassis, the two reclusive socialites lived in their decrepid East Hampton mansion with raccoons, stray cats, and piles of trash.

I particulary love this documentary for Edie, and her bizarre stories, rants, and fashions.

"But you see in dealing with me, the relatives didn't know that they were dealing with a staunch character and I tell you if there's anything worse than dealing with a staunch woman... S-T-A-U-N-C-H. There's nothing worse, I'm telling you. They don't weaken, no matter what."

-Edie

Art Noveau/Art Deco Patterns

These amazing patterns are from the New York Public Library's online Digital Gallery collection. This selection of decorative designs was created by E. A. Seguy, a Parisian designer working in the early 1900s. I love these patterns due to their bold use of insects and color. I have always been attracted to the drawings by Audobon and other naturalists for their clean lines and vivid details--and these patterns draw on a similar aesthetic. It is almost as if Seguy has smashed together a whole book full of these deliberate drawings to create his vivid naturalist patterns.

More at http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/index.cfm

Natural Gas Commercial

This awesome commercial for Natural Gas uses stop motion and a whole lot of knitting/crocheting! I particularly love the radiator sequence!

Notebook!

I created this simple notebook last night using a brown paper bag, embroidery thread, and a variety of ruled laboratory paper. I have always been attracted to the simple, clean aestheic of office supplies created especially for scientific laboratories. I had originally made the cover bright purple, but found that to clash with the precise nature of the paper within. I love the subdued nature of this notebook.

To make it, I simply cut the paper to size, folded it, and stacked the paper on top of each other. I then drilled a series of small holes down the folded spine, and sewed them together using embroidery thread... voila!

More to come soon....

Maps and Invitations

From Mr. Boddington. More:
http://www.mrboddington.com/blog/#

Artist Amanda Ross-Ho

Vertical Plot (Dark Matter Community Garden with Backwards Purpose), Amanda Ross-Ho 2009

This installation is by one of my favorite artists, Amanda Ross-Ho. Much of her work deals with detritus, and the relationship between craft and fine art. This piece was shown at San Francisco's Yerba Buena Art Center.

Her materials list for this piece: "9 canvas dropcloths, aluminum pushpins, graphite, black gesso, spraybottles, rags, embroidery scissors, yogurt containers, buckets, graduated containers, nitrile gloves, plastic cutlery, bobby pin, economy bristle brushes." Fantastic...

I particularly love how she turns drop cloths--typically used to catch all unintentional spills and mishaps--into the art object itself. They take on an almost lace-like quality as they are cut up, and stained with graphite.

Photo from Cherry and Martin. More:
http://www.cherryandmartin.com/artistDetail.php?id=11

Bodie, CA

Taken on a disposable camera after visiting the ghost town, Bodie, CA.

Artist Ana Serrano

Cartonlandia, by LA-based sculptor Ana Serrano. This towering sculpture is made of collaged cardboard, paper, and a variety of other materials. She draws inspiration for her assembled metropolis from vibrant townships in Mexico and the urban sprawl of Southern California.

Her sculpture is something of a modern doll house, reflecting the stylized reality of urban living.

More:

http://www.anaserrano.com/

New Blog!

I am extremely excited to have started this blog!

I have planned on blogging about several topics/categories. I will try my best to keep the posts lively and relevant. Here are the topics I am planning on blogging about:

1. Inspiration: images, photos, artists, or projects that inspire me and hopefully will inspire you too!

2. Current Projects: Updates on what I am working on--whether craft or art.

3. Adventures: Experiences, explorations, and adventures that I found inspiring or intriguing.

4. Random: Everything else that doesn't fit into any of these categories!

Well that's it for now. More to come soon!

Nick