Tsilli

My friend Molly told me about this Portland artist who uses pigment, vintage office books and cotton thread on rice paper to create a series of works about money and the "constant parade of numbers in everyday life." The color palette is intentionally restricted to the "colors of accounting."

You should read Molly's blog to see all the other great things she knows.

Archer Farms

I will buy nearly anything if it has great packaging. This is a proposed campaign for Target, who wanted an upscale look for its premium line Archer Farm. Tomorrow Partners agency created this clean Euro leaf motif that allows for simple graphics and peekaboo windows showing the product. I don't think we'll see this in Target anytime soon, but I love the thought and creativity behind this. (Via ffffound)

Nate Williams

New Nate Williams pillows at Urban Outfitters. I like these graphic, slightly retro drawings-- and all for a reasonable price!

Field Notes

I'm always looking for notepads, small books, etc. and these are terrific. Staying true to their Midwestern roots, Draplin Design created these small notebooks reminiscent of a botanical or geological survey crew. They are equally stylish in the woods or the urban jungle and I like their portability-- only 48 pages. $8 here.

Brandi Strickland

I've liked her work for a while and now, she's having a sale on her etsy site. I think her collages are excellent and her drawings might make some spectacular textile designs (keeping with the theme of the week here). Wonderful to see these new things from her.

New IKEA Textiles

From the 2009 catalog and website preview, some new textiles from IKEA. I don't think you can do better than IKEA for the style/cost ratio. The leaf pattern especially could be a very high end designer-- it's very strong.

Vanderhurd

These new Paper Cut Out rugs from Vanderhurd Studios are made from hand knotted wool and metallic thread. Beautiful. They remind me somewhat of the textiles of Mexico's Otomi Indians. Bold and graphic. (via Elle Decor, September)

Svenskt Tenn

As weve been discussing them in the comments to various posts, I have to stop and talk about Svenskt Tenn. I spent a few hours in their Stockholm store and still think about what I saw. The company was founded in 1924 as a pewter studio but by 1934 had transformed into a furniture and home goods shop under Josef Frank that came to define Swedish Modern. The textile patterns from these years are as relevant today as they were when introduced-- Anthropologie featured these patterns on a line of furniture and wallpapers just last year. You owe it to yourself to look at the website and be inspired.

Paul Fusco

In this series of photographs taken by Paul Fusco as he rode on the train that carried Robert Kennedy's body back to Massachusetts, you can see the pain and sorrow of a country. To many, Kennedy's death represented the "end of hope." Riding the train, Fusco began taking pictures of the mourners-- people from all walks of life. From the press release: "The resulting images are one of the most powerful and affecting series of photographs ever taken. Shot on Kodachrome film – a film with a particularly vibrant palette favored at the time by photojournalists – Fusco's pictures blend the spontaneous look of snapshots with artistic precision of the decisive moment."

You can see RFK FUNERAL TRAIN REDISCOVERED at Danziger Projects, NYC.

Volksfaden

I continue to be really excited by cool textile design. I love these from German company Volksfaden. Linda Gaylord, the owner, imports these fabrics from Japan and the US from such innovative designers as Amy Butler and Jennifer Paganelli. She has great taste and many of the fabrics are printed on a linen / cotton blend that give them a stiffer and chunkier texture, which I like. As I imagine beginning my own textile venture, I think these are really an inspiration.

Bonjour Mon Coussin

My love of graphic design and collage is now perfectly matched with my love of textiles. Bonjour Mon Coussin is a company I wished I owned-- great design, great product, great fun. Plus it's in France, which ain't bad either. My interest in textiles is at an all time high. I just need some designs to produce! (If you have some, send me one!)

Signing off for a while . . .

I'm taking a week off-- I'll be back on line Monday August 11. Hope you're enjoying the summer!
(Image from the super talented Joe McLaren)

Marco Cibola

Marco Cibola is a designer and illustrator who mixes photography, drawings, and a keen sense of type to make interesting compositions.

Poolga

Who knew? Poolga is a great site with free wallpapers for your iPhone or iTouch from illustrators and designers around the world. You can customize your phone with these images in place of the "cheesy nature themes that are available everywhere." I've just been looking at iPhones-- this may cinch the deal. You can see Modern Craft "alumni" here including two cool new images from James Godman (top image), and more great work from Paolo Lim (second). Bottom images from Mariana Fossatti and Leidi Bionika.

Wonder Thunder

And now I will sing the praises of Wonder Thunder! These AMAZING portraits are from a sewing / printing duo named Wonder Thunder (Meagan Claire Hall and Sasha Barr) that free-motion embroiders onto felt-- in this case, yearbook photos. I love line drawing-- and there is something interesting and cool about using yearbook photos and interpreting them via a sewing machine. Who's that toothy devil in the bottom pic, you ask? It's me in 11th grade. This is a new favorite of mine. I've already ordered a second batch!

Edward McGowan

UK artist and illustrator McGowan creates these amazing woodblock-like images. There is little information on his site, but I'm guessing these are probably screenprints. Still, the images and style are very strong and I like this work.

five and a half

Five and a Half is a Brooklyn-based design studio created by the wife-and-husband team, Judy Lee and Shawn Liu. Their signature collection of artist journals, each adorned with cover photography and filled with sugarcane paper are beautiful tools for all your thoughts and plans, if you can persuade yourself to actually write in them!

Cayce Zavaglia

One of the great things about having a blog is that you get to hear from people you might never have connected to otherwise. Such is the case with Cayce Zavaglia. Zavaglia creates beautiful embroidered portraits on linen. The background is painted, then sanded and distressed. Zavaglia then embroiders the portrait on top. They remind me of Chuck Close, one of my favorite artists-- their amazing detail and color.

Write It Up

In this season of summer road trips and getting out of the city, I'm always interested in the informal typography you find driving through small towns and back roads. Luckily Flickr (the Miracle Tool of Graphic Designers) is ready to take the wheel. Join the "Folk Typography" group for a tour of some interesting handmade signage. You won't want to come home.

Dan Bleier Studio

Dan Bleier makes beautiful glass tile and resin veneer artworks, but I'm most interested in his furniture and wall installations. The line consists of tables, 3- and 5-panel screens, and storage/seating cubes. You can also install his resin as large wall pieces (top two photos). Their color and high shine give any space a visual power punch. All pieces are numbered and signed by the artist.

Mark Mulhern

New paintings from Mark Mulhern will be featured in an upcoming exhibition at Tory Folliard Gallery. I like these simple impressions of people and situations-- like sketches of moods and moments.

Wishbone Chairs

If I were furnishing a dining room right now, I'd take a look at these knock-off Hans Wegner Wishbone Chairs (originals in top photo retail for $500 each) from Pottery Barn (bottom two photos). Finished in a similar Sandrift Gray color, these chairs and table would be a less expensive way to achieve a similar look. The PB version of this chair is around $250. I like them.

Lens Culture

I've been looking at a lot of photography lately. One of my favorite places is Lens Culture. Lens Culture is an online magazine celebrating international contemporary photography, art, media, and world cultures. They've recently begun selling limited-edition photographs at affordable prices. These are exclusive prints from both young, emerging artists and internationally-recognized photographers. See them here. (Above: Alexei Vassiliev, Ingar Krauss, Myoung Ho Lee.)

Holly Wales

These animals made from tape are from London illustrator and graphic designer Holly Wales, who is "always keen to learn new ways of making things look good." She experiments with materials and subjects and enjoys work that "has a story to tell." In addition to these fantastic tape creatures, she is a very fine illustrator. I love that blue typewriter.

Our Porch Makeover

Recently, my dad and I took the old brick front porch on our house and covered it with this new slat-wood wall. A great improvement and with the new house numbers it looks great. All for about $300-- the modern numbers are about half the cost. (And I'm also excited to see our new porch featured on design*sponge today! Thanks Grace.)

Luke Best

Luke Best is one of my favorite artists. I've featured him before, and his use of color is on of the things I love. But these charcoal and graphite illustrations of polar explorers now on his site, are really superb. He has a great style.

Alex MacLean

MacLean is a trained architect whose sense of space informs his aerial photography. I love how life in particular becomes life in the abstract when seen from overhead. MacLean has spent years documenting our lifestyle from above, including the "difference between the natural and the constructed aspects of the environment and most recently took photos of aspects of climate change." He has published numerous collections of photos and keeps a studio in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Now at Lumas.com

Refer + Staer

I rarely feature lighting on this site, but I was really taken with this chandelier from Danish designers Refer and Staer at ICFF this year. It is made from strands of fiber optics. The transparent fibers create a sparkling and airy feeling. Called "Black Fiber," it's available with or without a downlight in the center of the lamp shade. The chandelier Kari and I bought for our dining room (bottom photo) is made of 20+ small halogen lights, and we love the effect so many bulbs can make. Very elegant.

Dominic Wilcox

At ICFF this year, I saw Wilcox's War Bowl, a bowl made entirely of partially melted toy soldiers. There are two versions: the blue Battle of Waterloo (half British Artillery, half French Infantry) and the white English Civil War. From his site: "My aim was to make a material that had a voice of it's own, not just a passive lifeless thing. I started with the idea of combining small objects in order to create something larger. I arrived at the idea of using toy soldiers as my ingredients. As found objects, they seemed to represent something of a paradox. On one hand they were a fun childhood toy that brought back happy memories and on the other, they were a representation of war with it's associated horrors. This is a contrast that I find slightly uneasy." And that's why it's an interesting piece.

Stitching Postcards

A fun idea during these summer months of vacations and traveling-- via PointClickHome-- and available through Uncommon Goods. Keep track of your travels by stitching your path, state to state, country to country. Includes needle and thread.

David Hockney

Last night, I was so happy to hear David Hockney talk at the Museum of Contemporary Art here in Chicago. I've wanted to meet him for years, actually I want him to sketch me, but I was happy just to listen to him for an hour or so. (I did manage to get him to sign my book.) Beforehand, I went to see his 6 large canvases of Woldgate Woods. Beautiful, complex, and moving. What can I say-- I think he is one of the most important painters alive and I love his work. He has spent a large part of his career working out the problem of perspective-- exploring ways to represent the world without being bound to the rigid perspective of a photograph. He has managed to be a relevant painter for 50+ years-- fueled by his intellectual curiosity and his refusal to limit his explorations.

A few things he said last night about this recent work, what he referred to as landscapes of "the marvelous three-dimensional world:"
--"I became very aware that you see terrific things out of the corner of your eye."
--"these landscapes are my figure paintings...where is the figure you ask? You are-- the viewer is the figure."
--"you can't really see a tree unless you look at it for a year."
--"in winter, these trees became like faces."
--"there is a randomness in nature...maybe we don't like the randomness, but limbs grow here and there as they want."

(Thank you to my friend Renee for telling me about this event.)

Jonathan Davies

I know it's already July, but I had to show this clever calendar from UK designer Jonathan Davies. Very beautifully thought out and executed. 12 words-- 12 colors-- 12 months.

Jason Miller

Celebrated for his cool take on everyday objects, these ceramic tiles from Miller's collection last year are inspired by the container yards of China, New Jersy, and other shipping ports. I like these tiles because I've seen the stacks of thousands of containers in China (I took the bottom photo on a trip to Yantian Port in January), and there is a strange beauty in all that colored steel. Containers are the "packaging" of the world's goods-- most things in your house probably once shipped in a container like these. Great idea Jason Miller.

Naked Line

I really like these new storage cabinets from mio culture. The Naked Line of formaldehyde-free particle board furniture reveals its sustainable materials via unfinished edges--it's made completely from pre-consumer waste wood. Sliding doors of powder-coated steel can be mixed and matched. Very simple and elegant.

Stephen Crowhurst

These gloppy drippy spinny works are from artist Crowhurst. I like his mix of illustration and photography. A new kind of fireworks.

Marimekko Summer Sale

To me, Marimekko is perfect design-- a play of pattern and color. All with a Nordic touch. Now, you can choose from these sale items. Happy Summer.

Jeff Canham

San Francisco artist Jeff Canham has a California-cool design aesthetic -- part surfer, part Tijuana, part mustache. It's bright, it's fun, it's very appealing. So summer.

Sara Fanelli

Sara Fanelli is artist living and working in Britain. I like her drawings and the collage approach to her work.