{Inspiration} Kevin Clash

It's Friday... & being true to my 2012 self, I hunkered down with another good documentary tonight. Nothing like rounding out this week of "Muppet Love" with  Being Elmo. A friend on facebook recommended this documentary to me this week after seeing  my "Muppet or a Man" post. (Incidentally- we've been singing that song along with the whole Muppet Movie soundtrack non-stop for days.) I'm so glad she brought this film to my attention- as I'm not exactly sure how this one slipped by me.  Learning about Elmo creator, Kevin Clash's puppeteering journey, was exactly the kind of inspiration I needed to start the weekend. While it's true, I've always dreamed of working for Jim Henson, you don't need to be a puppeteer want-to-be, to love this movie. So, Being Elmo gets my "inspiration" pick of the week.  Happy Weekend!


photo credit: beingelmo.com

{Inspiration} Mr. Sgraffito has tea...

Chris has been super busy in the studio lately. With lots of new shows on the horizon & the big ceramic conference, NCECA, being held in Seattle- his studio has been buzzing. I wanted to give you a glimpse of a few of the new pieces that he just finished.  Do you ever wonder how someone like Mr. Sgraffito (formerly Cardboard man) would make himself a spot of tea? I picture it being brewed in this "radio flyer teapot" & sipped thoughtfully from this "staged kitchen cup & saucer".

Chris uses his surroundings as inspiration for his imagery & the teapot imagery comes directly comes from Sayer's wagon, chalk, & playing cards near his chalkboard in the hallway. Sayer noticed that right away & is quite taken with this piece. The tea cup & saucer imagery is taken from the interior spaces of hutch studio. These both are ceramic & show off Chris' love of the sgraffito technique. These pieces were just dropped off at the Matzke Fine Art Gallery & Sculpture Park for the upcoming show "Locally Grown: Thrown & Hand-Built Clay Show", opening on the 3rd of March. If you are local, you should drop by!

So, that's what is happening in the downstairs studio - when I'm in the upstairs studio... & Sayer is catching some ZZZZZs. 

{Fabric Friday} Ruth Adler Schnee...

I was flipping through my husbands RISD alumni magazine last night & stumbled on another  treasured textile designer that I was thrilled to learn about. Her name is Ruth Adler Schnee & there was solo show of her work last summer in conjunction with the 2011 Venice Biennale called, A Passion for Color - which was complimented by a documentary film of her life & career.  She attended Rhode Island School of Design in 1942 & was considered a leading textile designer with pioneering designs as an artist. She was also a mother of three. I was  very interested to learn about her circle of friends & fellow collaborators (because I really dig that sort of thing- & they are some of my favorites) : Ray & Charles Eames, Frank Lloyd Wright, Buckminster Fuller, & Minoru Yamasaki. She grew up in Germany & her mentor/ childhood friend was Paul Klee (one of my favorite Expressionist painters who was influenced by music). I'm not really sure how I didn't know about Ruth given she hung out with a lot of my artist/design idols, but I'm really glad I do now. If you are interested in learning more about Ruth, the RISD article below has a lot of links that could keep you busy for a long time. Happy Fabric Friday!  Hope you have a great weekend full of a lot of cool discoveries.

sources :: 

www.risd.edu/About/News/Design_Pioneer_in_Venice/

www.roniteisenbach.com

{Store Feature} Hutch Studio...

Through klt:works, I have met some wonderful people and learned about some pretty fantastic stores. I thought it would be fun to start writing features to introduce you to some of my discoveries. My first feature is particularly close to my heart. It is a place called, "hutch studio" that is located in a sweet little town by the water in La Conner, WA. This magical place was once the home of the Bunnies By the Bay store, a small company that my husband has worked for, for around 18 years. Krys Kirkpatrick, one of the founders of Bunnies By the Bay, had an idea to create a space that is a working studio that acts as a gallery and shop- where everything is made by hand (under the umbrella of Bunnies by the Bay). This space was dreamed up by Krys and presented to my husband, Chris, to make into a reality. This place is now called, hutch studio, and the space is truly magical and definitely worth a visit. Chris makes signature hutch studio items that never cease to amaze me. The first creations to catch your attention are the very cool whirly gigs in the front of the house/studio. Chris has been busy restoring old ones, and making new designs. He even held a whirly gig workshop. Recently, he used his stellar ceramics background to make a "mini spinny" out of clay. How amazing is that? It really spins!

I received one of the next hutch treasures for Mother's Day and boy was I tickled! They are called "Sweet Tweets" - and they are charming & sweet indeed! 

Chris makes the birdcages with wire, old lids, and newspaper or sheet music. He makes each bird with clay and individually glazes them. He also makes little clay bunnies called, "Rainy Day Bunnies" that hold little wire umbrellas. (These little ceramic & wire wonders are quickly snatched up and hard to keep in stock!)

My second blog post ever, was about the paper cutting technique called scherenschnitte that Chris has been experimenting with at hutch studio. He has been making beautiful window covering that he has packaged as a kit. Part of the hutch philosophy is to nurture creativity, so  kits and classes are natural things for them to offer. There is also an emphasis on making things with recycled materials and found objects/treasures. The newest item Chris made for hutch is, "My Vacation Home", night light using old family vacation slides and paint sample cards. This little vacation home is so unique - I can't wait to get one at our house. Chris plans on offering a "vacation home" workshop soon as well. 

All of these creations are just the tip of the iceberg of what you will find at hutch studio. Krys also makes things to fill the spaces, along with a rotating collection of artists. I have been lucky enough to be included as a participating artist at hutch. They carry my thread drawing items, including original thread drawings. I did a thread drawing demo once in their studio and so much fun, that I plan on doing more.  

So, if you are in the area, I highly recommend that you stop by for a visit. Chris (a guy that looks like that scratchboard self-portrait above) will show you around the lovingly decorated spaces. I guarantee you will leave with a renewed creative spirit! This is not that last you will hear from me about hutch studio. Stay tuned for a studio tour sometime this summer....

{New Book} Coffee Break Companion...

It has been cold and rainy here in the Northwest lately. Kind of the perfect weather to grab a cup of coffee and kick back with a good book during studio breaks. I recently purchased, "The Selby is in your place", which was released in May.  I have been slowly thumbing through the many pages of eclectic interiors and enjoying the major eye candy! 

I became familiar with, The Selby, a few months back and became enamored with the concept. Todd Selby started the project, The Selby, by taking photos of the interiors of his friend's houses and then posting them. His website gained popularity quickly, along with attracting tons of interior submissions. The Selby then became an opportunity to, "offer an insider's view of creative individuals in their personal spaces with an artist's eye for detail," the website explains. 

All I know, is that I am a voyeur at heart. I love being able to take a peek into peoples' living spaces. So, a book like, The Selby is in your house, is right up my alley. It is the kind of book that you notice something different every time you browse through it.  What is your favorite rainy day book?

{Music Monday} The Name Game...

"Did you name your son Sayer, after Leo Sayer?", inquiring minds frequently ask me. Let me go on the record (so to speak) by saying no, no we did not. However, that is not to say that we didn't put some Leo S. songs on Sayer's playlists when he was a baby. The more I have become familiar with Leo Sayer, the more I realize that it isn't such a far fetched question. There is one song in particular that I remembered from my childhood and it still makes me smile. It also makes me think of the early baby Sayer days when we played it often and boogied around the house to entertain him. 

While the energy and charisma that Leo Sayer projects is infectious, the man that we named Sayer after is even cooler. Richard Sayer would be that guy. Chris and Dick became friends in a high school art class back in 1983 and they are still really great friends today. 

It is pretty awesome that both of them are practicing artists and can still bounce creative ideas off of each other. They have done their art teacher proud. She actually sent Chris & Dick those two top pictures about a year ago (the other picture is a self-portrait of Dick). Oddly, I have never met Dick in person. We live on different sides of the US and all of us seem to work everyday, every minute. But I feel like I know him and consider him a friend as well. I can't think of a better person to name Sayer after. 

So there you have it. Sayer was not named after a famous musician, but an artist and music lover nonetheless. However, we still enjoy some Leo Sayer tunes now and then. For those it applies to, hope you are enjoying your long weekend! Happy Music Monday! 

{Inspiring Artist} For the love of stop-motion...

{still images via here}

While reading, It's Nice That a while back, I stumbled on an article about Joseph Mann. The article was about the stop motion representation of William Goldsmith's, The Chimney Sweep that Joseph Mann painstakingly created by hand. I loved the image of the two clay figures sitting on the rooftop and immediately looked him up. Mann, finished his last year of school at Glasgow School of Art and has some pretty wonderful work to show. I am particularly taken with, Taller Than Trees, and Me and My Toes. This guy is pretty darn inspiring. Enjoy! 

Getting to know me and my toes from Joseph Mann on Vimeo.

Taller Than Trees from Joseph Mann on Vimeo.

The Chimney Sweep from Joseph Mann on Vimeo.

{Music Monday} Spectacular Collaborations...

I finally had a chance to read through my issue #2 of, It's Nice That, the other night & I stumbled on an interview with photographer, Peter Funch. It gave me a chance to re-visit a video that I have always really enjoyed & it happened to work quite nicely for this Music Monday post. As you have probably picked up already, I absolutely love making artistic connections and this is another good one! It is all about color & music that makes you feel good today.

Peter Funch worked with Sony Bravia to create an advertising video that used colorful, bouncing balls throughout the streets of San Francisco. The music featured, was "heartbeats" by another klt:studio fav, Jose Gonzalez.  This collaborative video is an amazing fit ! It gives me chills everytime I watch it.

Admittedly, it is the Sony Bravia video that introduced me to Jose Gonzalez's music back in 2006 and ever since then, it has been a studio staple. "The Nest" & "Sensing Owls" are two of my favorite songs that seem to get a lot of air time while I work. I am a believer that music can affect imagery. I tend to listen to songs about birds particularly when I am drawing them in thread. {And a side note: Jose Gonzalez radio on Pandora is excellent too!}

Bouncing back to the balls, I was able to find the making of the Sony Bravia video to share with those of you that enjoy process like I do. I find innovative thinkers so inspiring, don't you? So, happy Music Monday! Hope these videos helped "put you in a nice place". What is your favorite music/video collaboration?

Celebrating "scherenschnitte" at hutch studio

Inspiration is something that comes in all forms. I am really lucky that Chris and I are both artists.  We both like to push ourselves creatively and I find that quite inspiring. There are always evening conversations about new ideas, inspirations, and techniques. Our house seems to continuously buzz with the sounds of many hands making and music for dancing. Through hutch studio, Chris is able to explore avenues that he may not normally explore through his "fine art" however, there is a definite common thread. I truly enjoy seeing what he comes up with on a daily basis and thought that you may enjoy a peek. 

Scherenschnitte is the german art of scissor snipping and a favorite technique at hutch studio right now. From window cut outs that play with light and shadow, to birdhouse light boxes depicting nature scenes, Chris has created some beautiful things to look at while showcasing the scherenschnitte technique. To truly appreciate the scherenschnitte technique at it's most unique form, you should drive down Morris Street in La Conner, WA when it is dark out. The windows of hutch studio are all backlit and the window coverings are stunning!