I went to Artpad this weekend one of the three art fairs that happened here in the city. While a great time was had and the idea to have all the cities galleries in one place is genius not to mention convenient, I do wish more of the galleries had done what Guerrero Gallery had done which was show new work by an up and coming artist.
It seemed like most of the galleries were showing what they had left over in their back rooms. And while what was in their back rooms are surely pieces I would love hanging on my walls and adorning my space, it just seemed that for a special event such as this why not create a distinct experience, something that makes the visitor not just remember the art but the gallery as well. In all fairness though this was the first year it happened.
Erin Riley's work above was presented by the talented in her own right Aeschleah of Guerrero Gallery. Apparently all the tapestries were inspired by photos pasted on facebook. It makes for an interesting type of anonymous voyeurism. And it's just one more reason I am beyond lucky I didn't grow up in the facebook age. Whew!
p.s. I thought what Grace had to say about the ICFF this year was quite interesting. While I do know that there are waves of good years and bad years and then there are certainly the economy is still crap years.... I do think that the ICFF could do something to support up and coming designers. If Milan can have Satellite why can't the ICFF have something similar? And while I agree that there should be and I appreciate that there will always be up and comers on the sidelines of these big events (that's half the fun is finding out all the great offsite pop-ups, parties, and galleries) there should also be support by the big venue too. What do you think?
My friend Walkiria Barbosa is a film producer ( www.totalfilmes.com.br ) and one of my best friends. A friendship that blossomed in film sets where her passion for design was born and turned her into quite a collector. She is now my flea market buddy and together we scout everything from estate sales to street dumpsters. So much fun. This is just a sneak peak into her house where everything changes when a new arrival needs to find its right spot. And that happens almost every day.
All photos and content by Jorge Soares
Rian Cantilever Bench from Semigood Design on Vimeo.
This may be furniture overkill (Is there such a thing?) but Ashley shared with me so much goodness I just had to turn around and share it with you. Semigood put together this fantastic video/stop motion action of the making of their cantilever bench. What a fun way to have a peek into their studio.
I of course would love to feature more bay area peeps. Know of any? Send em my way.
Why is it you seem to be popping up everywhere? My dear friend Ashley just went to visit you. I'm working with a Dane on a new project at work. People write to me to tell me I have a Jørn Utson light fixture. Then Juli from Kitka (that adorable little shop/blog Mjölk in Toronto) wrote me (I was inquiring about her Japan trip) to tell me she would get back to me after she get's back from where? Oh yes, Copenhagen.
So Dear Copenhagen, I would like to say please please please stop teasing me as I have not the money nor the time to come visit you right now. I hope you understand. It's not that I don't love you dearly, love has nothing to do with it. It's just circumstance.
The photos above are Juli and John's of Cafe Dyrehaven in the neighborhood of Vesterbro. (One of my faves) Also head on over for part 2 of their trip for some furniture studio/workshop porn.
I've been having the shopping bug as of late. I think it has similar characteristics to being on a diet. You restrict yourself soooo long that your libel to binge. And I've been having those urges... Help! From wanting several pairs of new shoes, to some breezy new clothes, a new bicycle and these enormous rocks for you fingers (I'm partial to the blue ones) by Andy Lifschutz. I spotted them at Gravel and Gold around holiday and I haven't been able to push them out of mind since then. Say it with me now.
I will be good, I will be good, I will be good.
Sometimes I wonder how I miss things... this darling bike shelf has been floating around for a bit but why not share it again. It is kind of a problem, where you put the bike that is... if you don't have some kind of garage to store it in and most of us city dwellers do not. I do think it's beyond lovely but there are a couple of things, one, it doesn't really work with a step through model which is what I'm gunning for (I have a straight model now but would really want to sell it and get the new mixte from public, unless you all have other suggestions. I want steel, step through, several gears, commuter friendly (i.e. fenders and chain guard, you wouldn't believe how many pants Ive ripped) and a lovely color of course.) and I would be forever concerned that I would bash up the wood taking my bike in and out, in and out. Does anyone already have one? Is this a problem?
Aww well, I just look at it and swoon. If you are interested you can order one from Chris here.
p.s. Great name right?! Knife and Saw.
p.p.s As you may know blogger has been out from yesterday around noon to sometime this morning so sorry for the delay in posting
p.p.p.s Sometimes after I read what I just wrote it amazes me that English is my first language. I'm so obviously an image and diagram and drawing based individual. Sorry for all my miscommunications.
I'm pretty excited to share this with you. A dear friend and old school mate of mine from our year studying in Denmark started posting all her gorgeous furniture on facebook. Needless to say I was stopped in my tracks and had to know the story and asked her if she had time to chat about her process. Lucky for me (and you;) she complied.
Ashley like a lot of us in the architecture profession found herself out of a job with no new job in sight. It's still incredibly rough out there folks. We both discussed the program she went through and the possible option to go back to design school and what was the best route. I think both of us felt that while going back into a design program has it's merits and advantages will it really offer you much more than that architecture degree you already have? And seriously can we all talk about the alternatives out there because let's not beat around the bush design school ain't cheap people. Okay I'll let Ashley take it from here but I had mentioned something about isn't design, design, design... meaning once you have that skill and continue to practice it, it's not something you lose right? Her response...
And yes, design is design. Is design. That is maybe one of the most beneficial things about architecture school. It really does relate and translate to so many other aspects of design and just how we see the world. So no need to pay lots of money to go back to furniture design or art school at this point (although I contemplated it for years). However, I was very glad to have the opportunity to go back to school and learn a skill or "trade" if you will. Its a shame trade schools aren't as popular as they once were. There was some beautiful work that came out of school from people of all different backgrounds. However, I felt having an architectural background gave me a leg up when it came time to design our own furniture to then build it. An understanding of proportions, scale and materials that I learned in architecture school helped give me a base to design from as well as critique and futher understand furniture design.
I finished my AAS in Cabinetmaking and Fine Woodworking in March at the Wood Construction Center. 30 or so students start in the "core" class where we learn mostly tool safety, operation and some maintenance. I think the first 4 weeks were hand tools only. We slowly graduated into the table saw, jointer, planer, etc. The second quarter students moved into their area of concentration. Mine being the cabinetry and fine wood working because it involved furniture. Other students moved on to carpentry and wood boat construction. We made many jigs, several frames, a router table, two cabinets, a rectangular table, round table, a very outdated "telephone" table and then were free to do what ever we wanted, which is where my chair came in. Actually, there were two students in the time I was there that built Sam Maloof's Rocking Chair. I was very impressed (and a bit frightened) to take on the challenge of a chair. Which I soon learned was much more complicated than any table I had made or would probably ever make. The joinery, angles and curves were just one part of the new task I had assigned myself. Then you have to make it look good AND be comfortable.
I thought you all would really enjoy her insights and experience as I know it's always helpful to me to hear alternatives to the expected path. There's more than one way to get there folks. How about you? I'd love to hear from more people who have gotten where they are via the round about way or simply skipping the scholarly route all together. Also, if you are interested in commissioning a piece from Ashley please let me know and I'll put you in touch. Come on, I know you want to.
UPDATE: Ashley has begun work with Semigood. Congrats Ashley!
I've always wanted to paint on my walls... my Auntie did and growing up it was one of the most magical places to visit because no one else I knew had jazz musicians in their hallways and flappers in the bedroom.
left: Angela León via here
right: my favorite illustrator of course
So about a week ago, I told you I would let you in on those mystery process photos. The Mister and I finally have a new dining table designed by me with Ohio Design. It's been a long process mostly because of my obsessing over the details and making sure everything was just right, wood, finish, pattern no pattern... sometimes designing for yourself is the hardest thing. Don't ask me why that is. I guess if I had a wood shop studio to experiment in it wouldn't feel so out of my control. I could experiment harmlessly and then hand over the design knowing that I had worked out the quirks and figured it out. Or just build it myself. But in this case I had to hand over the experimental part to Ohio Design. Even though they offered to customize their Noi table to my specifications I knew I was pushing it a bit. I wasn't just asking for a different wood finish, or for their wood printing services or basically something they already do. I was asking for something else entirely.
It all started with the Japanese wood sculpture above. We picked it up at Zinc Details in the city years ago and I remember the owner explaining to me that there was a flaming process that brought out the grain in the wood. This was interesting to me since it was something I hadn't come across and I loved that the flame gave the wood a textural quality it hadn't had before. I began to research it a bit further and came across the Japanese tradition of fireproofing their homes by charring the exterior wood siding of their homes. Charred wood is much less likely to catch fire or be infested with insects than regular wood. The process is called shou sugi ban and lucky for me Ohio Design had already started experimenting with the process. That's what those previous photos were showing, some stools for a restaurant that had been designed and charred by Ohio Design.
This process spoke to me to me on a couple of levels. One I hadn't seen a finish that completely transformed the wood in such a natural way. It was something different and intriguing which was actually difficult for me to suss out as I had worked at Limn and had seen nearly every finish, type of wood, material there was possible to work with in furniture and I really wanted something I hadn't seen already. It also took the preciousness out of the table by allowing for the imperfections to show through. And two, growing up there was a joke in our house that dinner wasn't done until the fire alarm went off. Mom is a self professed loather of kitchen activities, and this surely came out in her dishes. (love you Mom;)
I really couldn't be happier with the results but I am curious what you all think as well.
I was desperately in need of a new helmet as mine had quite a few cracks in it. I wasn't in any accidents mind you it was just old and dropped a few too many times. This time I decided I would go for an equestrienne dress helmet as they were so much more stylish then any of the bicycle helmets I had come across except for maybe the Bern helmet. But I didn't want to make a decision and just order it online I wanted to see and feel how it fit. Unfortunately the new and improved equestrienne helmets are quite bulbous and not so flattering and yet I kind of hated the colors and finishes the women's helmets came in over at Bern. So I have a couple of suggestions to throw out there to the ether...
Bicycle helmet companies if you came out with a bike helmet that looked like an equestrienne dress helmet YOU WOULD MAKE A KILLING. It would have to be lower profile and not as bobbily, mind you. Kind of like the Bern helmet now but a little more rounded and with some nice velvet finish and classic detailing.
Also Bern, I realized I could purchase the men's matte gray helmet (which is what I did) instead of having to settle for the awful selections of 'girly' colors and finishes. This is pretty much a shout out to all companies that think we as women want pink and purple with little flowers all over our stuff. NO WE DO NOT.
Just saying... and you're welcome.
p.s. I bought my helmet at Public Bikes, which was VERY tempting as I do wish they were around when I was looking for a bike since they have everything I want in a bike. European style frame, steel frame, BUT with 8 gears so I can bike up and down these hills, Oh and they their pedals don't rip up my heels like my current bike does and they now come in a really lovely green. Pure torture I tell ya.
Some other things you might want to know
Unless otherwise noted, all work © Kelly Waters.
If you re-blog my photos or work, please do link back to me.
I try my best to always link back to designers, artists, photographers, chefs, architects, funny people, Misters, supermodels, textile dj industrialists or whomever catches my eye and I end up posting about here but if for some reason you aren't happy with the recognition please say so and I will banish you, um er, remove the post immediately.
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