folk art, art folks

 

at the Outsider Art Fair

a fury of feathers

to introduce the studio one eighty nine show.... 

studio one eighty nine...

Oh, the Oculus!

the oculus
https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/santiago-calatrava-explains-designed-oculus-for-future-generations

let it shine

The Royal Wedding was a journey and the haute couture dress told a story crafted to take all 53 countries of the Commonwealth along as Meghan Markle became the Duchess of Sussex at St. George's Chapel on Saturday:

Speaking about the design, Clare Waight Keller (the first female Artistic Director of the House of Givenchy) said: "We wanted to create a timeless piece that would emphasize the iconic codes of Givenchy throughout its history, as well as convey modernity through sleek lines and cuts.

"In contrast, the delicate floral beauty of the veil was a vision Meghan and I shared, a special gesture embracing the commonwealth flora, ascending the circumference of the silk tulle."  (UK Daily Mirror)

sketch of the veil, Givenchy Clare Waight Keller,
photo courtesy of Kensington Palace....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronation_gown_of_Queen_Elizabeth_II

calm, cool, collected

One of the season's highlights in class with design historian and tastemaker Daniella Ohad was our visit to the SOHO Studio of Miami born, New York based, artist and author Michele Oka Doner.

If you have traveled through the American Airlines terminal in Miami, you will be familiar with her large scale mosaic work A Walk on the Beach, or you may know Radiant Site in New York's own Herald Square or Celestial Objects at the Museum of Natural History.  

Perhaps you know of her recently published Intuitive Alphabet, or of her collaboration with Steuben Glass, or her furniture, sculpture or jewelry designs.  Her body of work is seamless and all encompassing.

A former educator and firm believer in embracing one's inherited knowledge and place in the universe, Michele spent time with us generously sharing the story of her life's journey to date. She invited us to explore her studio and library, explaining that from the beginning, she has made it her mission to craft her life, ceremoniously, making the things that she needed with the materials around her.  As it happened, she found that others wanted what she made, for enjoyment or for use in their own lives.... 

Raised at the beach, Michele possesses an innate reverence for the natural world and its primal wonders.  As a young student of design and art history in Michigan, she was influenced by Saarinen, Bauhaus and Cranbrook and acknowledged the "tools from masterful people," that helped her to discover a vocabulary and language with which she was comfortable and which defined her own way of life. 

In the light filled studio where she has resided since the early 1980's, work and life are integrated in a plan that she pointed out is not a grid but a series of circles and zones, "an open footprint" as she called it, like a piazza, in which space is differentiated by use, a space in which you are free to flow.

"Proceed as way opens," Michele quoted a Quaker saying at one point in the intimate narrative of her travels to other cultures and respect for her New York life, encouraging all of us to focus on and to foster a spirit of gratitude toward our surroundings and the possibilities revealed to us along our own paths.

Daniella's blog captures the essence of this magical studio visit and places it in the fuller context of New York and global design. I happily refer you to the link as it also exemplifies the passion, curiosity and sense of discovery she tirelessly shares throughout her program: http://www.daniellaondesign.com/blog/visiting-michele-oka-doner

Here's to a summer of infinite wonder! 

SOHO studio of Michele Oka Doner
www.micheleokadoner.com
www.daniellaondesign.com
(photos deborah bush) 

ABRAKADABRA, or Gardner and the global Gang...

On Saturday at Playtime New York show, a bold wall mural featuring pink sharks caught my eye.

Seconds later, I was lured as if by magic into the world of Kristin Nystrom and her cast of captivating characters from Gardner and the Gang collection!

Abrakadabra! Real magic, as I quickly learned!

Kristin is a graphic artist by trade, and a Swede living in Singapore!

Her first creation in 2012 was Love Skull (her current logo), with cool heart emblazoned shades, and his friend Helmut, a flamingo with a helmet!

They gained instant popularity but lightening struck!

Rather than repeat her designs based on the same characters, Kristin drew on her years in Pakistan and the Middle East to evolve her characters - a camel and a turbaned urbanite came next!  Then themes revolving on Punk and Hippie culture!

Now, Spring 2015!  Just see for yourself!!

Her successful evolution on line has led Kristin to New York to show her fall 2015 collection to the US audience and to join others in her global fashion gang.... As she puts it:

- I AM TAKING INSPIRATION FROM MY EXPERIENCES FROM LIVING AND TRAVELING ALL OVER THE WORLD AND WANT TO NORMALIZE ALL PEOPLE, ANIMALS AND CULTURES TO OUR CHILDREN. WE ALL LIVE TOGETHER IN THIS WORLD AND WE SHOULD ALL BE FRIENDS... REALLY... ~KRISTIN NYSTROM

We all know better than to feed the sharks but in this case, a little love, and magic, goes a long way....

www.gardnerandthegang.com 

Good luck to my new friend Kristin (and her gang), in New York and in the New Year, wherever their travels may take them!

with special credits to Renata Ferko @curated_by and the photographer Maya Vidulich @pics_missmaya

warm woolen mittens

happiness is... playtime new york fall 2015, a global mix in miniature!

favorite things, www.playtimenewyork.com