michele maule mixed media: miniview

i think i have mentioned before that my father in law has this awesome collection of old typewriters? they’re all black, which is perfect and fine of course, but just a tad heavy to be filling my eyes and mind, what with all the summery things that are pouring into my head at warp speed right now. the old brightly colored ones are perfect in a different way, a seasonal way, a now way, which is why i am sooo attracted to the most excellent artwork of michele maule. i love her free-spirited interpretation of these utilitarian objects, with their foxy colors and soft curves. there is some big love behind these pieces, you can just tell. and her other work, which includes original encaustic paintings, illustrations and screenprints, is a nice crusty contrast to those colorful jammy typewriters. that’s right, i said jammy. the point is, there’s all different kinds of plenty for people to enjoy in her prolific collection, and with all that said, wouldn’t you like to know just a little more about the brains behind the operation? me too!

q: where do you live and where do you make your collection?
a: i live in pontiac, michigan, a forgotten suburb of detroit. i mostly work in my house. i recently converted my living room into a work space, and there is also a small space in my bedroom where i work.

q: what inspires you to create?
a: i find inspiration in everyday objects. i love seeing the personalities that things like chairs, typewriters, spools of thread, and sewing machines take on. every time i draw one of these objects, it seems to take on a life of its own. each one has their own character, and i really enjoy seeing that.

i also find a lot of inspiration in nature, and in illustrated science books. things like the anatomy of flowers and our skeletal system really interest me.

q: what did you think you would grow up to be when you were a little kid?
a: well, i remember the first thing/person i wanted to be when i grew up was wonder woman. i thought she was rad. i even wore these blue rubber bands on my wrists for weeks and weeks. later, i knew that i wanted to do something that would let me be creative. i didn’t know what exactly, and i don’t think i really figured that out until my junior year of college!

q: can we go anywhere to see your work in person?
a: yes you can!! i currently have work in the following galleries and boutiques: fact and fancy in brooklyn, 323 east gallery in royal oak, mi and the ddp gallery in fayetteville, ar.

see more of michele’s terrific artwork on her website, check out her flickr stream, purchase these pieces at her etsy shop, and be sure to stop by and say hi on her blog too!

thank you michele!

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blulima prints

i think many of us have already seen the keep calm silkscreened poster, but i like all the different shades that sharon over at the blulima shop has of it. her other offerings are pretty swell too.

see the full complement of colors and prints at sharon’s etsy shop.

via design crush

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amy walsh silkscreens & sculpture - let’s chat!

philadelphia artist amy walsh could have easily been a scientist or an architect after having a look at her intriguing mixed media art. her gallery installations are a dreamy, intimate look into foundations, demolition and purpose. peering through little peepholes into other tiny worlds leaves debris floating in my head. it doesn’t seem necessarily determined to have a ending either; rather, it seems satisfied enough to saturate the viewer’s mind without a tidy conclusion like some romantic comedy you’d see at the cinema. it’s a private, contemplative place.

more intimacy can be found in amy’s gorgeous hand silkscreened specimen prints on vintage book pages, called the beastiarium. looking at these inspired animal combinations reminds me of thumbing through an old college biology textbook and coming upon a page covered with someone else’s notes, triumphantly bursting with rich color. it’s like some unfinished lesson from long ago, discovered serendipitously, that we were meant to find and keep in our minds. let’s have a chat with amy and find out more!

q: where do you live?
a: i live in west philadelphia with my hubby (an acupuncturist) and my cat izzy. my art studio is in fishtown in a warehouse.

q: what is your background, and did you study art formally?
a: i’ve been making things like crazy all my life. i majored in painting as an undergrad (university of massachusetts), and in sculpture in graduate school (pennsylvania academy of the fine arts). i took ten years off in between, and i am glad i did. i actually went to graduate school to continue painting, but switched to sculpture in my first semester in a moment of big transformation.

q: how are your pieces made? what types of media do you use and do you have a favorite?
a: in my 2D and 3D work i like to use found materials, decayed materials, stuff i just find around me. ever since i was a kid i have enjoyed making everyday materials like twigs and cardboard and paper and string transform into something otherworldly or totally convincing as its own little reality.

q: how large are these pieces and are they for sale? if so, what is their price range?
a: my sculptures are large, and they disappear when I am done exhibiting them. they are too fragile to move around from place to place, and they are made of materials that easily decay. so i build them in the exhibition space (after working on all the parts and fragments in my studio) and when the show is over, i deconstruct them, and often use many of the fragments in the next piece.

the specimen prints are all under 8″ x 10″ and are all $29 through my etsy shop. soon i am going to make some original gouache paintings based on the specimen designs, and those will be in the shop too.

q: what is your inspiration and message you want to send through these pieces?
a: the way i work now is similar to how i worked as a kid: my first “sculptures” were little villages made out of pine needles in the woods, when i was five or six years old. i don’t know if i am looking to send a message as much as just exploring as deeply as I can things that give me a sense of wonder, hope, sadness, etc. i think of these current sculptures as evidence of a world that is fragile, transient, and decaying, and at the same time is being rebuilt and reimagined. i am also really into the relationship of the inside and the outside, and playing with people’s expectations. i like the viewer to be surprised, to be let in on a little magic, a secret, something out of the ordinary. so, i keep a lot of dualities in my mind while i make the sculptures: order/chaos, collapse/rebuilding, interior/exterior, dark/light, delight/despair.

all that said, while i am working, i am really playing. the words and descriptions come later.

with the specimen prints, i am not sure what drives them. i am drawn to the old book pages for the same reasons i am drawn to dirty cardboard and wood scraps - they already have a history and a use. the animals and plants and sea creatures that i cobble together are just really beautiful to me, and combining them makes them nicely strange and sometimes a little yucky, which is a good combo. i have so much fun finding the places where these creatures can merge and become hybrids. maybe it’s a way to appreciate how weird real animals are.

q: are you currently exhibiting in any shows or is there any other meaningful information you would like to mention?
a: i sell my specimen prints at vix, and at occasional trunk shows at the mew gallery, both in philadelphia (the next one is this friday night, february 8th!). my etsy shop is a good place to find the specimen prints online. i sell them inexpensively so everyone can have one! and i update my blog and flickr stream with new work all the time. i love getting comments and critiques about my work, so i invite anyone to visit and say hello.

see amy’s graphic design portfolio here, and check out her website to see more paintings and large scale sculpture works!

thank you amy!

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transportation friday: plane

n.b. this is the last day in a week long series on methods of transport and how we feel about them, created by a dear friend.

of course i have to start out by saying that all week long i felt like i was a day behind and had planned to catch up with my transportation post challenge. well that certainly did not happen, due to that taxing thing called life. too much work and too many obligations! so i’m a day late with this last one. i do need to say that i have enjoyed peppering this space with a little bit of personal anecdotal stuff, and i had a ton of fun dreaming up these posts. maybe someday i will make that a more permanent thing. the question is just how much personal voice is too much personal voice in the blogosphere? curious…

planes. well, i find traveling on them to be exciting and exhausting at the same time. i always try to slather a moisturizing mask on my face that doesn’t make me look like the hulk to the other passengers, because it is so drying up there in the sky. usually if i am flying somewhere it’s pretty far away and hence the excitement. but that frequently means that the flight is a long one and that is the exhausting part. i am brand loyal, and typically save my miles up from my shorter trips to purchase upgrades for longer flights. i don’t like the air quality. one time i was flying in a puddle jumper and for the ventilation they said to open the tiny little windows by the seats. that was so bizarre to me. but refreshing.

caudalie and fresh moisturizing masks

oil and mixed media paintings by rachel austin at her etsy shop

hand silkscreened pillows from charm school design’s etsy shop

flight home original photo from blair fethers‘ etsy shop

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blue thimble designs

what a treat it was to discover the talented local artist allison rose this past weekend. she creates wonderful hand silkscreened pieces, pillows and mixed media textile art for her company, blue thimble. allison is a graduate of the rhode island school of design. she has a self-described obsession with silkscreens and even teaches a beginner’s course over at the lill street gallery.

did you examine her fabrics in these photos? she uses a monoprint technique, which is very labor intensive. the fact that some of her designs have 50 prints on them is a real testament to her commitment and love of her craft.

what an inviting, vivid, thorough collection.

run to her etsy shop and see for yourself!

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best of the 2007 bucktown arts fest

the 22nd annual bucktown arts festival is being held this weekend, and it’s well known locally for having great talent in all media. here’s a small sampling of some of the best i saw today:

original photography by denise keim

sterling jewelry by anne vahcic for hop, skip jump

acrylic paintings by john stillmunks

hand pulled silkscreen art by hiroshi ariyama

soda-fired ceramics by julie rozman

original photography by yvette marie dostatni

copper, silver and enamel jewelry and accessories by mary laskey

there was plenty more than what you’ve just seen, so if you’re local, head over there sunday and see it all for yourself!

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sharp fashions by circular accessories

i wasn’t sure if i would showcase clothing in this space when i dreamed up this blog, but i really like this silkscreened tee shirt from louisiana artist alison albright. alison prints all her images herself on a tabletop four color press.

actually, i like more than just those scissors.

and i like her teeny pocket mirrors.

alison has a science background and is attracted to asian themes, and patterns found in nature. i am enjoying her bold style and contrasty colors.

check her blog out, or stop by her etsy shop and say hello.

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whimsical art and accessories by dora drimalas

california artist dora drimalas is a graphic designer and a principal of hybrid design, along with her husband, brian flynn. their clients include nike, vans and starwood hotels. she and brian saw a need for fun and stylish home accessories at reasonable prices, so hybrid home was created.

it started as a hobby for dora in portland, where she made small pillows for her apartment.

since that time, dora has combined her love of modern interiors and graphic sensibility, to create a line of friendly, modern accessories.

some of her newest work includes these very au courant silkscreened posters.

i love her color choices and the happy feeling her prints convey.

see more samplings of dora’s work and purchase it at design public.

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