I wanted to share an event coming up this Sunday – an artisan craft show and benefit for local women’s shelters. Please come by and see other Etsy artists/crafters. This will be STUDIO TULLIA’s first craft show. I have come up with a line of embroidered MOM pillows along with some wonderful gifts – sachets, herbal bath teas and handmade cards.
Here is the official poster for the event:
I wanted to share this story about a teenage artist living in L.A. who has been homeless all her life. Her work is full of life, color, joy. I heard this review on NPR yesterday of a documentary that was made about this amazing young girl.
STUDIO TULLIA is doing a GIVEAWAY along with blogger and enthusiastic OR HUMBLE ABODE Home Project DIY’ers – they are so inspiring! Got hubby to Home Depot to tackle basement storage solutions after sharing some of this dynamic duos home improvement projects with him over the weekend.
Here are the faces of Amanda and Ben behind the blog:
Check out their blog/website and like either of us on Facebook for a chance to win:
gimme-a-giveaway-studio-tullia-our-humble-abode
I made a B line across the street when I saw Yayoi Kusama’s polka dot window display at Louis Vuitton. You have to credit Marc Jacobs, LV’s creative director, who has worked with Kusama over the years to channel the incredible creativity of Kusama into a line of clothes and accessories… released earlier this Summer. An epoch splurge for me would be anything Kusama by Louis Vuitton! Any one of polka dotted accessories – green, red, white, yellow – would do.
Here are a few images of the window display posted by Jeff Kahn on Portlandart.net in August.
Check out this collection:
A retrospective of Kusama’s work has just finished up at the Whitney in New York, having originated at the Tate Gallery in London. The Whitney sums up Kusama as an artist:
Well known for her use of dense patterns of polka dots and nets, as well as her intense, large-scale environments, Yayoi Kusama works in a variety of media, including painting, drawing, sculpture, film, performance, and immersive installation. Born in Japan in 1929, Kusama came to the United States in 1957 and quickly found herself at the epicenter of the New York avant-garde. After achieving fame through groundbreaking exhibitions and art “happenings,” she returned to her native country in 1973 and is now one of Japan’s most prominent contemporary artists. This retrospective features works spanning Kusama’s career.
http://whitney.org/Exhibitions/YayoiKusama
This is a fantastic video, excerpts from Kusama: Princess of Polka Dots directed by Heather Lenz, artist Yayoi Kusama, gallerist Richard Castellone, and Tate curator Frances Morris. They discuss Kusama’s childhood in Japan, her move to New York, and the themes of infinity and accumulation in her work. Here is the link:
http://whitney.org/Exhibitions/YayoiKusama/Video
In my own small way, I have created some polka dot pillows available through Studio Tullia as homage to this extraordinarily inspiring woman. If you would like some Kusama polka dot energy in your home (the symbol of eternity and no soft edges), please visit my Etsy store. (Please click on either of the below pillows to go to my store).
How is this picture to get you into the spirit of Fall:
Ok, if I can’t get a bag, I’ll settle for the watch:
T this limited edition timepiece by Yayoi Kusama and Marc Jacobs is a tribute to the “iconic artwork of the Japanese artist and the expertise of Louis Vuitton. Red with white polka dots, and finished with a diamond-encrusted monogram bracelet, again in red and white. Limited to 188 pieces, the Louis Vuitton Tambour watch by Yayoi Kusama and Marc Jacobs can now be picked up from Louis Vuitton boutiques.
I have been doing a little research on Suzani textiles and have enjoyed the many modern applications out there of a traditional tribal textile technique made in Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and other Central Asian countries.
This wedding Suzani panel and many other Suzani textiles are available through 30 Meeting in Charleston, SC.
Per Wikipedia, Suzani is from the Persian سوزن Suzan which means needle. The art of making such textiles in Iran is called سوزنکاری Suzankāri (needlework). Popular design motifs include sun and moon disks, flowers (especially tulips, carnations, and irises), leaves and vines, fruits (especially pomegranates), and occasional fish and birds. The oldest surviving suzanis are from the late 18th and early 19th centuries, but it seems likely that they were in use long before that.
Suzanis were traditionally made by Central Asian brides as part of their dowry, and were presented to the groom on the wedding day. [3]
Here are some wonderful modern applications by Material Recovery available on Etsy:
And some lovely pillows also found on Etsy made by YASTK from vintage textiles:
I can’t help but throw a couple fabulous pillows into the mix from Studio Tullia:
Here’s a beautiful room by Mary McDonald found in her book, The Allure of Style.
A few more wonderful rooms found on Pinterest:
And lastly, these wonderful boots by designer Zeynep Yurderi:
As she explains on her website: The Zeyzani name is derived from my first name [Zeynep] and the fabric name suzani, hand-stitched silk by artisans in Uzbekistan, with vibrantly colored motifs of tulips, paisleys, pomegranates, grapevines and other designs from ancient Greece and the Ottoman Empire.
I can’t help noticing with my own love for the needle and textiles that my name Suzanne was well chosen. Thanks, Mom.
Designer
I can particularly relate to Item #1.
Here is the link to the 6th Street Design School blog:
http://6thstreetdesignschool.blogspot.com/2012/01/etsy-tangerine-roundup.html
I could not believe my eyes the other day while driving down Powell Blvd. Sometimes pictures speak louder than words:
So according to Wikipedia, Flocking is the process of depositing many small fiber particles (called flock) onto a surface. Flocking of an article can be performed for the purpose of increasing its value in terms of the tactile sensation, aesthetics, color and appearance. Hmm.
I ran across a tree at Silver Falls that was flocked by Mother Nature herself:
This truly is a lovely sight – a morning frost can be a beautiful thing.
Happy Holidays everyone!
I had a moment to myself late last June as I had dropped off the kids at the zoo with their grandparents. I had to stop at the Portland Rose Garden, despite the intermittent rain.
In retrospect I think it is best to go on a rainy day, with the fresh drops on the roses. Everything smells so sweet and fresh. I wanted to share these before Summer fully escapes us. Today was a grayish day and I am still really wanting Summer here in Portland. Have a look.
Some nice elements to the garden are the outdoor ampitheatre, Lee Kelly’s stainless steel sculpture provided by the Portland Art Museum, and the wonderful bench in honor of Jesse Curry, the first President of the Portland Rose Society.
For more information about this wonderful Portland treasure:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Rose_Test_Garden
I ran across some of the Denise Fiedler’s newspaper cutouts featured in Vogue and had held onto the images for inspiration. They were all fashion images: fabulous shoes, bags, etc.
Her work has inspired a few evenings of frenzied cutouts of my own. I bought a vintage dictionary, found a pair of scissors, ripped out some pages and before I knew it, I was creating cutouts.
Denise Fiedler is the woman behind paste. A new and creative take on the art of collage. A lover of books, Denise has taken vintage printed pages and incorporated them into representational images. She designs that which she connects with and moves her, which can be anything from traditional and iconic architecture to fashion to dogs to food to portraiture of people that have caught her eye and imagination. Each piece from paste is an original piece of art handmade by Denise. Check out more of her wonderful art at www.pastesf.com
Here are a few of my own:
Thanks Denise, for your inspiration and beautiful art.
I saw some unique trees this holiday season. I am realizing that I have the more predictable, traditional tree; the same ornaments every year, same lights. I even bought the cranberries to string along with popcorn. I take the easy way out, I guess.
Our neighbor had a garage sale a couple of months ago and my 3-year-old daughter wanted the small pink Christmas tree for sale. Well, we got it for her and when we were decorating our family tree, Charlotte was working on hers. She got it out, assembled it and the girl decorated that tree. Until every branch was laden, then wanted candy canes, and lights. It looked terrific.
My mother hasn’t had a tree for a few years and so I finally bought her a small fake one from Target with pearl lights. Stationed in a brass pot between linen curtains and fully decorated it adds a lot to her living room and looks festive from outside in her upstairs flat.
My friend Kitsie Countryman had us over and introduced me to a flocked Christmas tree. I found it to be odd up close, as every bit of green was completely covered with snow, but I have to say it was a breath of fresh air, retro, chic, and I loved it.She chose to decorate with pink ornaments, new and retro along with large gold angels ornaments. It really worked.
I went to my hairdresser Ivan Dollar’s holiday party at his studio in a historic building above Schoolhouse Electric. Huge windows, exposed brick, dark shiny wood floors, that he has decorated so understated and elegantly; yards and yards of natural cotton drapes on one side offset the traditional brick walls and he has chosen black leather Eames sofas and clean lined tables, simple tall mirrors. He did something so charming for his party. Ivan drove to Mt Hood National Forest and with his permit, cut down several different very natural looking evergreens. In their varying heights, many very tall, you felt you were walking through a forest as you entered the event. They were not decorated at all, left natural, only white Christmas lights adorned the room. He anchored the trees in large burlap bulk tea bags weighted with rocks. It was understated, bold, elegant and lovely. I wish I had a picture but it was too dark for a good shot with my iphone.
Lastly, I must mention a talented artist and visual display extraordinaire who I ran into dressing Anthropologie’s windows in the Pearl District a few weeks ago. Her indoor display of logs upright on a table inside sparked some decorating ideas at my children’s preschool Harvest Party, which became a Winter wonderland from gathered greenery several of us found at nearby parks.
Nicole Faivre, is this gal’s name and she along with some other talents at Anthropologie, have created one fabulous window display after the next. They take ingenuity and resourcefulness to astounding heights. Here is a shot of her posing next to a Christmas tree being created from torn green rags. She showed me her sketchbook and we talked briefly of her creative process. What a treat to meet her and watch her work. I was impressed with the level of crafty items in the store. It was so ETSY. I mean crocheted banding along the display shelves and appliqued felt pillows on the furniture. Craft is hot. Anyway, let’s hope next year I leave the same old in boxes in the basement and do something else.
Perhaps it is due to too many teenage hours spent reading the works of Jane Austen, but if I could choose any historical period in which to live it would be Georgian England. Doesn’t matter under which specific king’s reign—any of the Georges will do. The decoration of the time, ranging from chilly splendor to modest simplicity is just my cup of tea. But who knew it was such a dramatic moment in time too, decoratively speaking?
You can get some idea of this by watching PBS’s Masterpiece Classic series, whose new adaptations of Austen’s novels are set in some of England’s prettiest Georgian houses. But for a deeper understanding of how those houses looked, worked, and, more important, were decorated, settle down with historian Amanda Vickery’s recent book Behind Closed Doors: At Home in Georgian England (Yale University Press, 2009). Driven by colorful diaries of the time, as well as illuminating letters and other contemporary material such as household accounts, Vickery’s scholarly but amusing narrative brings the high and lows of Georgian housekeeping to brilliant life. Husbands and wives jostle over who is in charge of choosing wallpaper or planning an ornamental lake. A duchess separated from her philandering spouse insists her rented townhouse be furnished splendidly in order to save face, now that she has been discarded for a flashy mistress. Given the period’s passion for building and decorating, it comes as no surprise to learn that everyone, from country vicars to city hostesses, had issues with workmen. “Here my painters are all going away and leave the work half done, half undone,” the Countess of Kildare complained to her husband. “I am plagued to death with them and poisoned into the bargain.”
Especially surprising is Vickery’s examination of the interest in decoration taken by men of the time, notably bachelors desiring to impress young women on the marriage market by creating a pretty house with all the modern conveniences. A barrister, for instance, refurbishes a room with “a new white flower’d Dimity,” while another bride-hunting gentleman finds himself teased by lady friends at the seductive grandeur of his new bed. “Even virile soldiers had a weakness for Chinoiserie,” Vickery notes, pointing out a royal duke’s order for a flamboyant Chinese-style boat.
Behind Closed Doors is a scholar’s detailed backward glance, but many of its stories are strictly up-to-date. Then, as now, homeowners chased status-symbol objets d’art, puzzled over fabric samples, updated interiors with fresh paint, and took pleasure in creating rooms bright with pattern and outfitted with comfortable chairs. The more things change, the more they remain the same.
This 1826 etching of an English dining room illustrates how homeowners laid canvas cloth under their tables to protect carpets from crumbs.
Robert Adam’s trendsetting dressing room for Sarah Child at her country house, Osterley Park, was considered one of the most elegant interiors of the 18th century.
Painted by Charlotte Augusta Sneyd, this cozily cluttered drawing room would have been familiar to almost any middle-class family across England in the 1830s.
Read about this artist in today’s Huffington Post. Love to find artists who appreciate the patina and history of old objects AND find a way to reinterpret them into a more contemporary context. That is my goal at Studio Tullia with objects that I collect and create. This a definitely an original approach. Reminds me of those old framed Christmas Trees that were made out of vintage jewelry that great aunts and uncles and grandparents have or had around the house at Christmas time. Did they make those? Must have.
Here is a copy of the article by A. Moray:
While myths are fostered in reality, they are constructs manufactured by our own design to grasp abstractions, assuage fears harbored in an unpredictable world, and offer glimmers of hope that something exists beyond the elasticity of mortality. J.T. Burke’s debut exhibition Beautiful Again: Perpetuating the Myth of Paradise features 26 artworks, specifically digital collages of jewelry or “bling,” as Burke calls them, that the artist collected at swap meets, antique stores and private collections. The second-hand jewels are delicate and handcrafted and appear in the guise of peacocks, hummingbirds, frogs, Faberge eggs, rabbits, flora, wide-eyed owls and even a demonic boy with wings. What were once jewels worn by owners long forgotten are given a new life not for their function as jewelry but for their form as art objects. Furthermore they are vehicles that “perpetuate the myth,” because they symbolize an earthly paradise and have been re-born in their re-appropriation in digital collages. Burke explains than when selecting pieces to include in his collages, he prefers to “use old, worn, second-hand pieces because [he] appreciates their interesting patina of wear but also for the notion that of these pieces lived with someone as a part of their life, their own façade of beauty.” Burke continues that he “frequently finds these pieces with a few strands of the former owner’s hair still on them.”
“Beautiful Tree I”
Although Burke considers himself a “rat pack collector of odd things,” he was never a jewelry collector, and never knew much about it. He first began using jewelry as a compositional element in his photographs and soon realized that “composing images made entirely of ‘bling’ offered a stunning visual opportunity.” This “opportunity” marked a new chapter in Burke’s artistic career. Beginning in 1984 he worked as a commercial photographer, cinematographer, and graphic designer and then adopted digital practices in his studio in 1990. After 20 years of working in the commercial realm, Burke admits that he “discovered a huge gap between personal vision and commercial viability… it’s very hard to make personal statements that have an advertising angle to them.” Having developed a fluency with cameras and computer software for his commercial practice, Burke has been able to use his sophisticated skill set to create elaborate compositions, and create works that are the opposite of what he created during his commercial years, and are in fact “rebellious actions to [his] past experience.” By 2005 Burke and his wife artist Lorraine Angela Triolo decided to sell their studio and stock photo agency and move into the next stage of their careers, re-opening BurkeTriolo Studio as a fine art studio and publishing house in 2006.
“Portal to a Beautiful Place”
The compositions in “Beautiful Again” are large format digital images influenced by ancient Rome, Renaissance manuscripts, Muslim arabesques and Hindu Tibetan mandalas. The ambitious exhibition travels to three different cities, Santa Barbara, California, Barcelona, Spain and Bristol, England. All the works were created using a digital catalog of 2,000 images of “bling” and counting. Once Burke hunts down pieces, he photographs each piece individually on a white background in his studio and enter the piece into a digital catalog. Then the trial and error process of creating a new composition begins, where many attempts are often abandoned while others endure hours of study and scrutiny. The compositions are then printed in the studio and vary in size and number. His largest and newest piece “A Beautiful Day at the Beach” is 107 x 40” while many are 36 x 24” in an edition of eight. With an art practice so deeply connected to technological advancements, Burke explains that he has recently discovered printable latex wallpaper that can be fed through his printed. Experimenting with printing and installing on a 10 x 35′ wall image in a building entryway has allowed Burke to display his images in a grander scale and has inspired him to pursue the possibilities of his medium.
Through a digital process that is as complex and magical as the notion of paradise itself, Burke enlivens static objects into characters like the little demonic boy in “Evil Boy and His Minions” (2009), a sterling silver figure who assumes the role of a young Satan in a hell comparable to Bosch’s “Garden of Earthly Delight.” Surrounded by a whirlwind of serpents, hawks, grasshoppers and a swarm of ferocious bees, the piece references the Bosch’s panel of a grueling hell after the fall of Adam and Eve.
A mad hatter rabbit acts as the central figure in “Big Opening Number” (2009) is another one of Burke’s favorites. Surrounded in a kaleidoscopic flurry of lavish magenta jeweled exotic birds and glittering flora, the single gaping tooth and wild emerald eyes of the rabbit as he confronts makes evident Burke’s ability to transform static objects into multifaceted characters.
Through digital collage J.T. Burke enlivens second-hand jewelry from the past with a new life, while injecting a mesmerizing sparkle that makes for an optical wonderland.
“Beautiful Mask”
To view more works by J.T. Burke visit www.JTBurke.com
Brooks Institute Gallery 27: www.brooks.edu/aboutus/cota.asp
The Grant Bradley Gallery: www.grantbradleygallery.co.uk/
The Hotel Estela Barcelona: www.hotelestela.com
Coral Cluster Ring
I was reading a Storque article on ETSY that featured this fabulous artist/painter/crochet master and I have become totally intrigued. Surely if she can teach herself to crochet with that much detail I can learn to crochet as well. I give myself until the end of the Summer to get a handle on this traditional craft. With the amount of crocheted crafts (doilies, embellished linens, coasters, blankets) I see at just about every estate sale in Portland, I ask myself how hard can it be? I hereby challenge myself to learn this craft and will report back to you on my progress in a few months. Elin, thanks for the inspiration! And, here is an excerpt from the Storque article and a few wonderful images of her work. Who would have thought one could ever want a pin cushion so badly.
Lichen Pin Cushion
Artist: elinart
I am a visual artist from the UK and have a BA and MA in Fine Art. I specialise in painting but also love to make textile based jewellery and objects under my designer-maker name, “ELINtm.” I consider myself to have a wonderful life — I love spending every day creating, trying out new ideas and playing with beautiful materials.
When I saw the Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef at the Hayward Gallery in London, it completely seized my imagination. I then took up practicing crochet seriously and have drawn inspiration from the many amazing works made by other artists exploring this specific genre of crochet. The coral reef has developed into an extremely potent symbol for me, representing the abundance of nature and creativity, how its infinite beauty and diversity can only be marvelled at. It also reminds me how vital it is to view nature holistically and help to ensure that its treasures are valued and protected.
As an artist, it is important to me to remain connected with the wonder of nature through the childhood pleasures of close observation and making collections. Researching and creating coral inspired work offers endless visual delight and numerous technical challenges — I have learned an enormous amount from attempting to imitate nature.
Inspiration photos by mattk1979 and richard ling, Coral bracelet and Coral soft sculpture by elinart
As part of poetry month, NY’S Botanical Garden is having a wonderful exhibit of her work. They have recreated her Flower Garden that inspired her poetry. I love that she associated certain flowers with certain people. She was a daisy: innocence. Here’s the article: