SLIM AARONS: Summer's End

Labor Day always signifies that the summer is winding down – the kids start school next week, the last summer vacation is upon us. I’m already sentimental for the summer I dream about each year. So today, I thought I'd post some pictures of what summer looks like from one of our greatest social photographers.

Slim Aarons captured the summer of my mind’s eye better than I could ever express. For some reason, I always expect to be in one of his pictures. This is summer as is should be—as it probably never is, but as I think of it. Rich, technicolor, saturated, and lush. See more in his beautiful books at Amazon.

TALL COW Stationery

Tall cow is the brainchild of designer / artist Deanna Ebner, who responded to the clamor for her linoleum block cards by founding Tall Cow in 2004. All the cards are hand printed with silkscreen on premium recycled papers. Her designs are now in 80 stores and museums across the country! Wow. Great designs and simple technique—beautiful. The titles of the pieces above are (clockwise): Hola, Thanks a ton, Hang in There, and Fancy Pants. Check out the Tall Cow website.

ALEX KATZ Screenprints

One of my favorite printmakers. The top portrait is silkscreened and the buildings piece is an aquatint called New Year’s Eve. The boy with open mouth is Katz's son, Vincent, and is a painting. Alex’s prints are still affordable, even as he becomes more ensconced as a major contributor to the movement of the 70s and 80s. I’m always drawn to portraiture of any kind and love Katz’s scale and simplicity. His prints are impressions of his subjects --a glance, a motion -- just as a silhouette captures a brief look of a person, so Katz’s work strikes me as a sketch, but I love the colors and boldness of it. Alex's website.

LA FAMILIA GREEN

La Familia Green consists of the clever duo of Mollie Green and Andrew Miners, a couple who incorporate their love of handmade journals and cards with themes ranging from Mexican folk art to pop heroes like Tim Gunn. Their work is colorful, witty, and ultra sophisticated. From their site: "All paper goods are either graciously Gocco printed or crafted from hand- cut and collaged paper. We like to emphasize that all offerings from La Familia Green are produced in small quantities by hand... each piece a little work of art." This is high impact meets lo-tech but the result is perfect and beautifully executed. Take a look right here.

DEBORAH BOWNESS Hand-Printed Wallpaper

Deborah Bowness, where have I been? Deborah was the winner of the ICFF Editors Award this year for Best Wallcoverings, but I just stumbled across her name and happened to visit her site. I think her unconventional approach to wallpaper is exciting and unexpected. She uses photography heavily. To me, these are like little Warhols. Her papers are hand-printed, which usually means they are silkscreened. I’d love to see her process in person. Visit her website.

Our 50's Modern House

Thought I'd post some pictures of our house. We're still trying to move things around and generally make the 50s element cool instead of dated and old. Take a look!

Design House Stockholm

DHS is a fantastic group of designer and artists, creating beautiful and functional pieces with a Scandinavian flare. With a collection of clothes, tabletop, furniture, and housewares, the collective has won numerous awards and attention from museums and design stores worldwide. You can find their work the MoMA gift shop or stores like AERO, and also on line. I've wanted their small round table (above) ever since I saw it. They're opening a store in the US soon.

URBAN OUTFITTER'S Fall Furnishings

New from Urban Outfitter's FURNISHINGS line, silkscreened pillows with matchbook designs ($28). I bought very similar designs printed on tote bags when I was in India. Of course, I paid 80 cents. Should have bought ten. But I like screenprinting commercial labels or art onto household objects. Check out the furniture line as well at Urban Outfitters

LINDA & HARRIETT Handmade Cards

These notecards and invitations are all letterpressed with hand-stamped names-- a technique that creates a very handmade feel. Linda & Harriett is another example of a company born from an individual desire to create and design-- Liz Coulson Libre thought she could offer more than answering phones and photocopying, so she began designing and voila! A new company. Very inspiring. Don't we dream of this? My favorite pieces are the personalized kid cards. See more on the official website.

Working Class Studio at SCAD

Working Class Studio is a product development venture of the Savannah College of Art and Design. You've probably seen their products in stores like Anthropologie or catalogs like West Elm. The studio manufactures a line of modern home accessories and lifestyle products based on designs created by artists of the college. This is great way to introduce young artists to the commercial / retail world and give students business experience.

From their site: Each academic quarter students are selected as interns to form an interdisciplinary design team led by studio directors. This unique concept for an educational institution marries function and fine art to bring you a well-curated mix of cutting edge design. Our ever-expanding collection includes graphically striking journals, stationery, pillows and innovative housewares in a contemporary palette. See more at workingclassstudio.com

YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL

Thinking about Maira Kalman, I always think about her husband, Tibor, whose work I knew even before I’d heard of his lovely wife. I used to go look at his series of chairs in Times Square with the word EVERYBODY in huge letters above. It was arresting. His work was always innovative, unexpected, and touted a kind of remarkable “undesign.”

So I’m reminded too of my friends at YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL, an artist collective? An art movement? I’m not sure how to describe it, but it’s basically a campaign of positive messages by artists all over the world. They have perpetuated this simple message all over the world through stickers, public art projects, and circulating books. You can see their far-flung influence for yourself at their website. I’m amazed at the community of this project and its simple appeal.

Patrick Caulfield (1936-2005)

Caulfield was an English painter and printmaker known for these bold pop art canvases. Often portraying interiors or simple objects, he used big fields of flat color usually outlined in black. Of course he appeals to me too because of the way he incorporated the ultra-realistic with a flat pop painting style: see the blue painting above called After Lunch (1975). I like the graphic style, but also the elevation of the everyday, which he promotes simply by choosing his subject matter. More at Patrick Caulfield on Artnet.com.

Maira Kalman: The Principles of Uncertainty

What can I say about Maira Kalman? The first thing I ever saw was in 1991 when I was at Radcliffe. It was a cover for a magazine called WigWag. Two acrobats. I still have the cover. And I still look at Maira Kalman everyday. I bought a print of hers for my wife on our first anniversary. That was 10 years ago. And now, Kalman’s blog for the NYTimes will be published in a book called, The Prinicples of Uncertainty. You must get it in October or I will get it for you. (Don't worry, I'll remind you.) She is one of the greats.

the small stakes

The Small Stakes is a design studio in Oakland run by Jason Munn. His love of music and design found an outlet first as a hobby, and now as a full-fledged design studio that creates award-winning album covers, posters, packaging, and book covers. These simple screen prints remind me of the graphic movie posters of the 50s and 60s-- often two color, bold graphics instantly convey the message. Very nice work. thesmallstakes.com

RYAN MCGINLEY

Sometimes I play the game of "how would I spend $100,000" and buying a Ryan McGinley photo would be one of my top priorities. At 24, he was the youngest photographer to be given a solo show at the Whitney, and was awarded the Young Photographer Infinity award by the International Center for Photography.

His works are somewhat similar to certain confessional photographers like Nan Goldin and Wolfgang Tillmans. His subjects include mostly friends and lovers, as well as youth on the 'fringes' of society. One series shows fans at a 2004 Morrissey concert (top photo). His apartment, at one point, had its walls covered with Polaroid pictures of everyone who had ever visited him. See Ryan's portfolio.

I think I might want two.

PATAPRI

OK-- with the Renegade Craft Fair opening this weekend here in Chicago, I thought I'd highlight a local craftsperson. [OOPS-- CORRECTION: Renegade is in September-- I need a new calendar] Recently, Patapri has received a little press via TimeOut Chicago and the blog, Daily Candy. I think in PataPri, I've found someone who loves screenprinting as much as I do. Her designs are clean, modern, and wonderfully affordable. Look what you can do in your kitchen or your basement or anywhere! Visit her shop on etsy.

The World of MIKE PERRY

Mike Perry has been featured in dozens of magazines and websites—and for good reason. His hand-lettered typography is outstanding. His work has appeared in Dwell, ReadyMade, and the NYTimes Magazine, as well as numerous retail outlets like Urban Outfitters. He just published his first book, called HAND JOB, and is working on a second volume with Princeton Architectural Press. His designs are endlessly fascinating and artful. Do yourself a favor and look at his work on his website.

Silkscreening

Silkscreening has really captured my attention lately, and as a process, I'm amazed at how hands-on it remains. Even in factory enviroments where mass production is the norm, much silkscreening (especially in China, where I often travel) involves a man, a screen, a surface. There are machines of course (see top picture), but most silkscreening is taking place on long tables, with the goods spread out, with an individual moving slowly from one to the next. I love the democracy of this technique. So inexpensive and accessible.

marimekko 2007 catalog

This is great design. I got Marimekko's catalog yesterday and it's amazing how simple and powerful their designs are. I'm forever attracted to the bold, and their patterns convey energy, playfulness, and instant pop to me. Since 1951, this Finnish company has been an innovator and leader in textile design. It surprised me that many of their best sellers were originally created in the 1950s and 60s. They still look comtemporary. A few favorites above and online.

LUKE BEST

Best is a London freelance artist and illustrator creating “work that celebrates the unseen and find magic in the everyday.” His style reminds me of Hockney’s early drawings, which I find remarkable, and his combination of complete and incomplete images is really a visual pop for me. From his website:
“By avoiding a specific way of working Luke’s output takes on a diverse range of formats including video animation, self published books, designing t-shirts and making home-made spacesuits. Since Graduating from the RCA Luke has worked in a Music video directing patnership known as Rosco & Best, a freelance Illustrator represented in London and New York by Heart Agency and is part of the Illustration Collective Peepshow.”