I just love it when artists translate their work into functional design! So I was super excited to see New Orleans artist Amanda Stone Talley roll out a line of fabric based on her patterned paintings.
Aren’t they delicious? I just want to eat one up. Or more practically, reupholster a chair. 😉 Tell me some of your favorite art-turned-design finds!
All fabrics are linen/cotton/canvas blend. All images via the artist’s website.
For today’s edition of Design Foraging, I’m excited to introduce you to online retailer, Erie Drive! Erie Drive offers hand-picked unique gift and home items and I was happy to be asked to curate for them a few of my favorite ED pieces. Now that spring is in full swing, it is time to get out and enjoy all the art and music festivals coming our way. Check out a few of my favorite pieces perfect for an outdoor and artsy day below, plus more soon on the Erie Drive blog, The Niche!
Don’t these make you want to spend a day picnicking?! Have a wonderful weekend, Artsies! Mr. Forager & I are leaving Joshua Tree tomorrow, will spend a few days with friends in San Diego and then make our way up the Coast to SEATTLE!! We are so excited we can’t stand it. PLUS, I’ve got some fantastic Guest Foragers coming in next week. I’ll be in and out around these parts for the next few weeks, but can’t wait to start sharing Artsy finds directly from my favorite city!
Peace & Artsiness,
Lesley
All image sources linked above.
Mr. Forager & I like to browse through thrift stores occasionally. He’s always hoping to score something or other needed for beer making and I love finding great deals on vintage and designer clothes. Every once in awhile, in our perusing, I spy a crocheted wall hanging, usually a bit worse for the wear, but it immediately takes me back to my aunt and uncle’s 1970s apartment! There are artists & artisans who are embracing the homespun weaving craft and giving it a decidedly artsy and modern edge. Here are a few contemporary woven tapestries I’ve spied recently–
I just love how these weavings do warm and folksy in a way that is completely current! Have a wonderful weekend, Artsies!
All image sources linked above.
The limited palette and tight scope of the work of this month’s Featured Artist, Peri Schwartz is what continues to keep me enthralled with her paintings. An artist whose work shares these same characteristics is Lily Stockman, whose work I’ve featured twice here on the blog.
Lily and her sister, Hopie, have teamed up to create Block Shop, a textiles company creating hand block printed, naturally dyed scarves crafted in India by the Chhipa family of master printers ( more about the process here ). Doesn’t it seem fitting that if you love Peri’s focus on her place of inspiration, creation, and process that you would wear an artist designed, hand crafted and created scarf? Of course it does!
art | Studio III by Peri Schwartz
scarf | Mosaic [ marigold + black ]
Because they are hand crafted, only a limited number of Block Shop textiles are created at one time. The entire inventory sold out in less than a week when Block Shop launched back in December! So Lily & Hopie have restocked and are taking pre-orders for April 1st shipping. And if you love these as much as I do, you’d better get your order in now before they’re gone!
See more from Peri Schwartz and Block Shop on their websites, linked here and here.
Image sources linked above.
Sometimes there is nothing more inviting than curling up in one of Mr. Forager’s shirts. He has his favorites and most of the time, the others hang in the closet, just calling out for me to put them on! They’re so roomy and comfy and wearing them physically connects us. Pullman, Washington artist Michelle Forsyth has created an entire series centered around the plaid patterns her own husband’s shirts, lovingly titled Letters for Kevin.
The series consists of paintings of the initial plaid patterns, the weaving of the actual material in her Pullman studio, and often the eventual painting of the finished textile crumpled against a stark background. I’ve often made mention of the importance and influence of the materials we clothe ourselves in. And, as evidenced in Forsyth’s series, the tale being woven by our choices isn’t one just for our own ears, but a story we are telling to others, as well.
These plaid patterns, with their beginnings in Scottish highlands, were also once the domain of preppy yuppies in the 80s and grunge fashion in the 90s. So with such a diverse background, what can we infer from these plaids? Perhaps, due to the grid-like repeating pattern that the person who wears them is stable and the rock for all who know him. Or maybe the intersecting lines tell us he enjoys connecting with others and for others. The artist, in the variety of patterns, may be telling us how many very different sides she sees to the person with whom she has chosen to spend her life.
All of my inferences may be true or they may just be what I’m construing on my own. But this series is obviously a labor of love. Take it from another wife of a plaid-wearing husband. To see more of Michelle Forsyth’s work, please visit her website.
All images are via the artist’s website. Artist found via Two Coats of Paint.
I am absolutely hopeless when it comes to sewing. Pretty sure I got a “C” on my big sewing project in junior high Home Ec ( a C was pretty unheard of for this nerd ) and my attempts as an adult haven’t been much better. But I have a great love for textiles of all colors and textures. Not only do I completely love contemporary artists who work in fabric, but I am completely envious of their abilities. You know what they say, those who can, do.. those who can’t, well share with others! Check out these beautiful examples of textile art!
Lisa Call | Kathryn Clark | Meg Callahan | Sue Benner
Be sure to check out these artists’ websites, linked above for more of their amazing work. Happy weekend!
All images are via the artists’ websites, linked above.
As with many right-brained folks, math is not my strong suit. But one thing I loved about taking geometry was the analysis of shape and how each is formed using different angles. It seems that many creatives are finding geometrics inspiring these days. Check out my artsy geometric finds for this week!
Filzfelt via Apartment Therapy | Marco Cibola | No Milk Today | Lindsey Lang | Lisa Call
Happy weekend, Artsies! Will you be doing some artsy geometric foraging of your own this weekend? 😉
PS– You may have noticed that I’ve switched up the Friday’s title from Friday Faves to Friday Finds. I’ll be using the Friday round-up to not only explore what’s trending in the art world, but to also share my inspiring finds throughout the world of design!
Featured image is Hare by Marco Cibola ( detail ). All images are via the artists’/designers’ websites, linked above.