jon contino

When I grow up I want to be an artist like Jon. Check out his passion and craftsmanship so beautifully captured in this video. Then, browse through his portfolio here. Cheers, Mandy


Jon Contino from Kevin Steen on Vimeo.

a bit of whimsy at red cheeks factory

chewing gummmm

We could all use a little whimsy in our lives, right? Well, you'll certainly get your fix when you visit Red Cheeks Factory!

I recently came across the brilliant works of artist Nelleke Verhoeff and instantly fell in love with all the whimsy. I believe you'll agree. Go ahead, take a peek! Enjoy!

cooperation

vivienne's gifts

A sweet friend and fellow artist, Vivienne Strauss, recently sent me photos of a mural inside her local post office in Peterborough, NH. Knowing that my heart beats fast for art of this nature, Vivienne wanted to share her experience with me. Incredibly generous, right? Yes! Thank you Vivienne for these gifts!

 

The mural was completed in 1927 by Marguerite Zorach, an American fauvist painter, textile artist, and graphic designer who won the 1920 Logan Medal of the Arts. I encourage you to read more about her here. and here.  

Isn't the mural gorgeous?!

Speaking of gorgeous, if you aren't familiar with Vivienne's work, I highly recommend browsing her amazing body of work here, here and here. Additionally, the folks over at House of Fifty recently featured Vivienne's story on page 108. Check it out!

I'll leave you with one of my all-time favorite paintings of Vivienne's:

Candy Woods and the girls of the Peppermint Lounge, 1962 - Vivienne Strauss

muy bueno cookbook

I've sorely missed working in the studio...and blogging. I've been adjusting to our back-to-school routines, caring for my mom, and starting a part-time job handling social media for Full Slate appointment scheduling software (more on that development in a later post). But tonight, I have a free hour and I'm going to seize it to share some exciting news about a new cookbook, the Muy Bueno Cookbook. 

Muy Bueno
Nearly two years ago I discovered an amazing food blog chock full of authentic, mouth-watering Mexican recipes. Everything I was reading (and seeing) reminded me of my own childhood growing up in Denver in a Hispanic household. Weekends were spent at my grandmother's home devouring homemade tortillas, chili, and tamales (it was her cooking that inspired this painting and this painting).

 

I immediately reached out to Yvette to share my story and my admiration for the work she, her sister, and her mother were doing to preserve generations of treasured recipes. I've enjoyed watching their blog evolve and attract fans from all over, including none other than Michelle Obama. I'm thrilled to say they've just published their first cookbook and it's available for purchase on Amazon.com. (you'd better believe my copy will be here soon).  

Congratulations ladies!


Next up...
More details about Full Slate and the gifts from my friend, the über-talented artist Vivienne Strauss.

my woad weekend

Kathy Hattori, Sophie Boss, Denise Lambert, me 

I don't have much time to "chat" here but I couldn't wait to post these photos from the amazing woad workshop I attended on Saturday with Kathy Hattori of Seattle-based Botanical Colors along with master dyer Denise Lambert of Bleu de Lectoure of France and her charming assistant Sophie.

For those of you who missed it, I previously blogged about my obsession with woad here: "mad about woad". I find this "black blue" to be exquisite and cannot wait to use my freshly dyed fabrics (and woad oil paints I purchased from Bleu online) for some upcoming art projects.

According to Denise, woad is a very rare blue that is finicky and demands a lot of patience. It is earth-friendly (requires no mordant) and uses oxygen to complete the color transformation. To achieve a uniform dye color, one must slowly lower the item into the dye vat so as to avoid trapping any air (oxygen) bubbles underneath the surface. Each dip takes anywhere from 3-4 minutes and each item should get at least 2 dips. My biggest challenge will be making my own vat at home -- wish me luck!

Watching the color transformation of the garments as they were being pulled from the various vats in the amphitheater was purely magical. I will try to post the video I captured of one woman's sarong as it changed from yellow-green to vibrant woad.

Perhaps the most important takeaway from the day was something Denise said about working with woad: "You must accept what you receive". What an amazing way to approach life, don't you think?

Woad treasures from the morning session.

Dyed items were hung on makeshift clothes lines at the top of the garden amphitheater which made for a beautiful sight.

Sophie + Denise restocking the vats at lunch time

I experimented with dying my spool of 100% organic cotton thread. I knew the under layers wouldn't dye, but all the better. 

Yarn skeins and canvas shoes of woad blue.

In closing, the workshop was a dream! The weather couldn't have been better, I got to "play" alongside other artists, and I walked away with a hefty bundle of woad-dyed textiles, some for wearing and some for future art projects. One thing's for sure, it was the perfect way to kick start my Mother's Day weekend. Cheers!

shorpy finds: metropolitan museum of art

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (circa 1902)

Someday I swear I'll take my daughters to this place. For now, this photo will do the trick.

One of my goals for 2012 is to visit as many local art museums as I can -- thankfully there are plenty to choose from here in the Pacific NW.

Cheers + Happy New Years!
Mandy

inspiration: p.e. guerin

One of my favorite sources for inspiring artisans is the anthropologist via anthropologie.

They profiled P.E. Guerin, the nation's oldest decorative hardware firm. Today artisans craft intricate metalwork just as they did when the company was founded in 1857. I can definitely see myself working for this business -- oh to be lost in the process.

Enjoy.

inspiration: forever roam

I can't remember exactly how I came across this blog yesterday, but the title is apropos! FOREVER ROAM is curated by two designers "on a mission to inspire people through art, music, fashion and life." Enjoy!