Forage Bow Ties

Let me just start by saying that I am so bummed I did not get it together to go to the Forage pop-up opening at the Curiosity Shoppe in San Francisco [stupid, stupid, kicks self]. The exclusive bow tie line was created by Shauna Alterio and Stephen Loidolt of Something's Hiding In Here. Each tie is handmade by the artists (with love, of course) and appears in 3 limited-edition styles: Arrowhead, Cricket, or Thistle.


The line was inspired by "the personal style of our favorite mid-century artists, designers and architects ... We're in love with three different silhouettes inspired by Louis Kahn, Charles Eames and le Corbusier. We spent weeks searching for the right collection of fabrics in classic patterns and sorbet colors — just right for summer! We're obsessed with the details ... well crafted with simple hardware, vintage french woven labels and the perfect box." It's true, the box is almost worth the price of admission, as are the postcards!


You can see some set-up pics at the Smarts & Crafts Flickr. And if you want to be looking dapper, best peruse your options (and quickly before they're gone!) here. To everyone involved in this project, you get on with your bad selves and keep up the good work!

Poppy(shop) June 4-6!

It is my distinct pleasure to (help) announce the upcoming, up and coming, pop up shop, Poppyshop! which boasts "a mix of vintage and handmade finds, new and mid-century furniture, art and home accessories". The first run will be in Oakland CA in less than 10 days, and will include paintings from Alison Kendall, furniture from Thomas Wold, works by Marina Luz, and felted housewares from Papaver Vert, among many others. Hello lover!

Come check it out Friday through Sunday, June 4-6, from 11am-6pm @ 3217 Lakeshore Ave in Oakland. In the meantime you can find them on Facebook. I believe this store will be a nice segue to Indie Mart on Sunday.

Raoul Ollman: Daily Shot

I've really been enjoying Bay Area artist Raoul Ollman's Daily Shot album on Facebook. With a gentle pinhole effect and moody pallet, Ollman captures a certain crepuscular character.

WE DREAM OF A RAIN that, in lieu of falling, moves parallel to the earth. Sheet after sheet of rain. Then an upward rain that originates a few feet off the ground. You can get under the rain and watch. With the disappearance of public space, we dream a rain that's moved indoors. A miniaturized rain restricted to one room, one wall, a box. Then we dream of snow.
—Ben Lerner, Angle of Yaw

Surprise Art Box: Strigiformes, Stage III

So the show was a success! SABP took over SOM bar in the Mission for 3 hours last Saturday afternoon and we had a really great time. There were fewer than expected artists, a tribute to the fact that everyone is so busy these days. But even so, we filled out the space quite nicely. To date I only have 2 of my 20 pieces left. The rest have found happy homes and I am thrilled.

I wanted to follow up on the painting process. Last post I wrote, only the 6 original watercolors and 20 transfers had been completed. All my small panels had been embellished with black and white owls. While these looked fairly cool, they did not feel complete to me and so I began adding color, something I was hesitant to do. At first I merely painted solid colors around the transfers. But then I began to do light washes over the owls and saw their features change and differentiate into truly individual personas. This was rewarding, creating new characters out of the same basic prints. Upon advice I started pairing up the owl prints and doing doubles on a single canvas. The more things I tried the freer I felt, and by the end I wished I had another 20 panels to paint.

For me, the greatest part of this process, start to finish, was having to let go of the outcome. That probably sounds trite, but as anyone undergoing a creative venture knows, where you start and where you end never match, and it's the challenges you're obliged to adapt to that make it great. I had starting this project wanted to do a new kind of image-making, and I think I achieved that. But I had also wanted to leave my controlled brush and penchant for color behind, creating spectral images that played lower notes. I could not accomplish this, and I can't say why. I hope in the future to better abandon instinct and explore new visual territory. That to me seems the mark of a growing artist. The ability to leave all past work behind and tackle something truly unknown. Regardless, I achieved my primary goal: fun. This was a great deal of FUN. And I got the paints out for the first time in a long time, and it felt great, and I think the series turned out wonderfully.

Surprise Art Box 03 will happen in September 2010. I have already started my next series. There is something so wonderful about the size and the price point — a winning combination for sure! Give me a large blank canvas and I panic. Give me 20 tiny canvases and I swoon. Next up, bugs!

Geographer Steals the Stage

Last night I had the substantial pleasure of attending Geographer's CD release party for their new EP, Animal Shapes, out now on iTunes and Tricycle Records. It's not just my involvement in the project that makes me love these guys. They're just really, decidedly, exceptionally good, and I feel very lucky to have been able to work with them and Tricycle. When they first went on, I was standing at the back of the Rickshaw chatting with friends. But as we pushed up toward the front, the full sound of the speakers hit and Mike Deni's voice just takes over.

Geographer may only have 3 members, but their sound is full-blooded, with lots of synth and polyrhythmic layering. In part, this is why I've decided to show a more intimate look at Mike making acoustic music while harmonizing with Kacey Johansing. He's one of the few musicians I've seen recently who understands his voice is an instrument. Though, don't get me wrong, GEO wouldn't be GEO without the swoon-worthy celloliciousness of Nathan Blaz and raging technical mastery of drummer Brian Ostreicher. Seriously, if you haven't already listened, do.

Geographer: Animal Shapes

I recently had the pleasure of designing local San Franciscan 3-top Geographer's new EP, Animal Shapes, aka 6 tracks of total bliss, to be released March 9, 2010. This image, along with the one for their Kites LP, was created with the help of buddy Drew. Be sure to check him out at i am drew bennett. And don't miss the CD release party, Friday March 11 at the Rickshaw Stop! Yeehaw!

The Lesters Store Wrap-Up

Congratulations to Ali, Megan, Morgana, Clare, Jessica, Amber, and Ray! Be sure to keep up with The Lesters Store folks in the new year.

I Forgot the Film

Introducing a great new photo blog from Raun Harris, I Forgot the Film. Luscious SF scapes, artful angles, and rich color abound. Three cheers.

SallyTV Project: Every Pillow Pattern in the Book!

The perennially-crafty, ever-stylish Miss Sally Kuchar is officially, wonderfully insane. After coming across Knitgrrl Shannon Okey's Pillow Book, Sally is going to create and document every pattern before her next birthday (March 18, 2010). "I'm going to make two versions of the same pillow for each project. One that follows the directions completely, and another one that is my variation (this will probably just be a different type of fabric)." Keep up with the project on her blog, SallyTV — to the best of my knowledge she's made 3 already! Three cheers for the studious goddess of craft!

NEW from Roam and Click

Speaking of roaming and clicking, Bones does it again (and again, and again). Roam and Click is making my Wednesday juicy!

The Lesters Store

I am super excited and pleased to announce the first in a series of ephemeral pop-up store openings: come meet The Lesters. "THE LESTERS STORE is a project from friends Alison Kendall and Megan Mansell Williams, based on their scientific expeditions to San Miguel Island in the early 2000s and the stories of the Lester family ... The project embraces design, decor, branding, marketing, and more ... with items we admire that harken back to another time and remind us, if not solely of the Lesters and of San Miguel Island, of Herbie's love for collecting and his love for the landscape around him."

Rugged, vintage, survivalist decor & accessories! Artworks from Alison Kendall, Clare Judith Bowers, and Jessica Martin. Jewelry trunk show by M.E.Moore. Clothing designs from Amber McInnis. Select "rustica" from Ray Degischer, Country Industrial.

December 18-20, 2009, at 110 North Street Street (upstairs), aka "The Loft" in downtown Healdsburg, CA. Showroom open 10am–4pm. Evening film screenings, refreshments & music — 6pm 'til closing. See you there!

Travis Meinolf: Action Weaver

If you attended the Open Source Embroidery show at the Museum of Craft and Folk Art in downtown San Francisco a couple weeks ago, you would have had the distinct pleasure of meeting weaver and craftsman Travis Meinolf, and even trying out a little weaving yourself on one of his portable looms. Good thing you can join him again this Thursday, October 15 from 6–8pm, at MoCFA! Currently in self-imposed exile in Berlin, Travis stays busy building unique looms, weaving gorgeous textiles, and keeping us posted on Action Weaver! Look for Travis in CRAFT #8, the weaving issue.

Color Coded Cancer

I have a friend who's a ridiculously talented fashion designer with her own line (Sweet Marie), who is currently attending a coveted private art school in San Francisco, who's 6ft tall with legs to her ears and mad personal style and a dry wit to match. Oh, and she has a rare form of bone cancer at 24. Yeah. Life is not fair, not one little bit.

Freshly declared cancer-free, my friend poses a great question: what kind of cancer-related fashion product would you like to see out there that would promote cancer awareness? "I want to design a piece ... that escapes the whole corny pink ribbon thing. Something chic and fresh that you would be excited to wear." Thoughts? What would you buy, design, or don? "A dress with paisley cancer cells printed on it? A t-shirt with a rad cartoon? A silk headscarf with a funny hair pattern?" Please write if you have ideas! Check back to see what develops. And read the comments for the extra bonus of learning about cancer colors. I was not, until recently, aware that each kind of cancer has its own color. Really? Color coded cancer? Have I been duped by the ubiquitous Breast Cancer Pink this whole time? What sort of terrifying rainbow is lurking out there, rife with symbolism. Fuck Cancer.


Check out Kaylin's blogs: Spanish Moss Vintage, Cancer Is Hilarious ... and the web site hellosweetmarie.com should be back up and running asap.