For the Birds: Luke Bartels & Jeff Canham

"Adorable" doesn't even come close to an accurate description of these handmade wooden birdhouses by San Francisco duo Luke Bartels & Jeff Canham. Admittedly, a bit pricey at $675 each at the Curiosity Shoppe, but if you don't mind shelling out the bucks, these little spaces have got to be the cutest avian nooks of the century. Unique design oozes from every clever quip painstakingly painted upon the collection; clean lines meet with tchotchke humor, and I can't imagine a more wonderful place to fly into and shake the dust of my wings every night!







How can I pick a favorite?! Whatever you do, please don't make me choose!!

Poketo! Alien mug

Like any creative professional, I have a serious caffeine addiction. I require massive amounts of stimulus in the early morning hours to get me going, and several pick-me-ups along the way. I don't have a very exciting mug collection, and mugs are one of the things that I don't really pay much attention to. Sure, I have my favorites, but it's one of the things that I actually DON'T collect. Still, whenever I see an especially cute one it makes me crazy with happiness! This one by Leah Chun at Poketo is amazing! What a great way to start the day- an alien attack! Just the kind of stimulus I need in the A.M.

Vinyl store in San Diego now!

The nearest Kidrobot store to me is in Los Angeles. Now, I'm sure LA is a great town. There's a ton of artsy stuff going on non-stop, it's a giant hub of the world, a really lovely place with lovely people... right. As much as I LOVE the 2 hour drive up there to buy overpriced (albeit cool) clothes and knick-knacks, I'd just as soon stay local and buy my vinyl wares in the neighborhood. Now, thanks to Gunnzo, I can do just that!

Gunnzo is located in Old Town San Diego at 2445 Juan Street. It doesn't look like much from the outside (the store is located in the left side of a house smack in the middle of an incredibly steep residental street), and the inside consists of a small front room which leads to a slightly larger and more angular back room. All of this is attached to a great back porch which opens into a small courtyard linking the other side of the house (I'm assuming). What it lacks in space it makes up for in cozy quality.

Chika Sasaki has opened the only designer toy store in San Diego as far as I'm aware, and I'm hoping it works out beautifully for her. I got to go to the "opening" party where every attendee got a free Mini Munny Mobile to decorate as they pleased! I got to talking with a guy there (Jesse? Maybe? Bad with names) and apparently this entire venture started from her own personal collection. From the sounds of things, it seems like she has more internet business than walk-ins, but I'm sure as the buzz continues she's going to find herself in a great spot to dominate the toy market in San Diego. Not only does she have a great collection of hard to find Dunnys, Gunnzo is the exclusive US retailer for MINDstyle Asia Exclusives.

The fact that this is a toy store by a toy collector means that some things are off-limits, but what is for sale isn't grossly inflated with outlandish retail upcharging. Yes, she's got to make a profit, and her collection is small but very thorough. Sasaki seems to have a good handle on what's available and what's coming, so I'm expecting great things from her.

new from Generate

Generate Design is a super-cool site with a ton of stuff for the design lover. Their prices range from the wallet-friendly to back-breaking, but I assure you whatever you pay for you get your money's worth. This lamp is my new personal favorite thing ever, and I for one will not rest until I have fooled everyone with this illusion of suspended animation. Personally, I think it's a little on the pricey side, but what it lacks in affordability it makes up for in style, and isn't that what's really important?

Available in wall or table versions. Red or white interior.
Product Specs

Materials: Iron PlateLiquid Lamp
Designer: Kouichi Okamoto
Price: US $199.00 (red interior add $28, table lamp option add $11)

Thomas Doyle

I feel like I might have seen and/or posted about Thomas Doyle's miniature worlds, but who cares. It's amazing enough for even TWO mentions. His site is home to his Distillation Series, Bearings Series, and Reclamation Series, all focusing on presenting a minute view with universal ideas. I've included only one picture from each of the series, because I want to tantalize you enough to go directly to the site without going batsh** insane and posting his entire portfolio.

Bearings:


Reclamation:


Distillation:

Souther Salazar and Megan Whitmarsh

First of all, I LOVE studio tours. It's such a great glimpse into the reality of the working artist. Fecal Face is really good about updating them on the reg, and the latest one was the LA studio of Souther Salazar and Megan Whitmarsh. I think collaborations or even shared spaces is an excellent idea, because even though the personal space is affected, the bouncing and sharing of ideas is a fabulous marriage. One day I would love to have a seperate studio from home; I kind of got a taste of that in the Honors Studio at VCU and it gave me the bug. I won't even bother posting images of their actual work (you can go to their websites for that) but I love the following things about their studio:
1) Exposed brick walls
2) Lots of weird nooks and corners
3) FLAT FILES. SO AMAZING.
4) Lots of light
5) Tons of books and other reference materials
6) An influx of neon. Superb.

Anyway, here's the studio. Maybe the next time I'm in LA I'll be a creep and lurk outside.

Kill Pixie

Mondays are sometimes difficult for me, and today was no exception. Getting up early has never been an easy task, especially over a long period of time. Just ask Momma D- I assure you that even the mention of the phrase "morning person" around her will ignite her into such a frenzy of explanation about how I am simply NOT ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE that your ears will literally bleed at the montage. Still, somehow after our debaucherous weekend filled with cooking spaghetti and re-planting our herb garden I managed to ooze my way out of bed this morning to get to work by 7 sharp. It takes me longer than usual to get into my normal work mode on Mondays after actively atrophy-ing my brain into mush over the weekend, so I was perusing some of my personal emails and came across Fecal Face's Kill Pixie interview. I'm sure that at one time or another I've come across his work, but the vivid colors really struck a chord with my addled brain cells not quite functioning on 100%. Also I am very jealous of his LA pad. I would hate to live in LA for any other reason besides art, but I think I would thrive there as an artist. Then again, that's what everyone says.

Regardless, here's some of his drool-inspiring work.




These are all taken directly from Fecal Face. He's got a few shows coming up, one in LA and one currently in Australia. Some life, right?!?

Ryan McClennan

Ryan McClennan is an artist from Richmond who's making big strides in the art world today. The first exposure I had to his work was his cover of RVAMag a year or so ago when he was promoting an in-town show, but now he's moved on past lil' ol' RVA! He's been featured on Tiny Showcase a few times already, and who knows what else he's got his fingers in. His intricate illustrations of nature beautifies the violence and intensity in a world we can't fully immerse ourselves in.

Check out his site and tinyshowcase to see more of his work.

Alexander Girard

Folk art isn't one of my favorite genres, but add a contemporary twist to any sort of toy and of course my attention is grabbed. My sister actually sent me this link to Alexander Girard's work, and I was intrigued. His estate now handles the ongoing branding of his work, which includes dolls, fonts, puzzles, woodwork, and more. Here's a few from his doll collection:




It's like broccoli, cats, color and dolls all in one! FUN!


Apparently he also has a large collection of nativity scenes, with focus on color and simplicity in composition. I should send some to my mom to mix with her Fontanini nativity. A good mix, right?

Japanese Young Artists' Book Fair

Last year I was lucky enough to be at Printed Matter in NYC for the 2nd annual Japanese Young Artists' Book Fair, and let me just tell you there are some SHARP book artists coming out of there right now. I picked up a few gems, and I'm sure this year is going to be just as spectacular. I actually caught it at 2 locations, the second being Spoonbill and Sugartown in Brooklyn, and this year it'll be in a variety of locations across the city as well (Kinokuniya Bookstore and St. Marks Book Shop along with the two aforementioned). Over 100 artists are participating, and it's going on from February 15 – March 8, 2009.

If you plan on being in the NYC area during the show, be sure to stop by one of the four locations. Book art is underappreciated and overwhelmingly beautiful to anyone who hasn't really experienced anything like it. I took a class about Book Arts at VCU last year, and it really opened my eyes to the entire world of tangible art that can be held and appreciated physically. There's definitely something to be said about the ability to hold something created in your hands. It's a great feeling.

NOWHERE Skateboards

Barf is a Richmond art icon who has got his tentacles wrapped up in most aspects of Richmond life. His work includes Barf Comics, Nowhere Skateboards, Municipal Waste, and a plethora of other underground independent things. I'm happy to say that his print of a cat vomiting a stream of undesirable objects graces the wall in our kitchen next to the refrigerator. It pleases me to stumble in blindly before work, attempting to get some orange juice before facing the day to look up and constantly be startled by the intensity feline face.

Anyway, Barf's got some new jamz going on, with his new Nowhere "Stab Bat" decks, available here for $45.




My only encounter with Barf was at a Municipal Waste show at the Canal Club, where I proceeded to take shots of whiskey with him since I always forget Anica's inability to consume the deadly beverage and continued to buy unwanted shots. It was a good night.

Paul Urich - Gone But Not Forgotten

The last time I was in SF, I made it a point to go to Fecal Face Dot Gallery, traveling across town, up hills and down wind tunnels, to try and grasp the experience that seems so in touch the the contemporary art world today. Of course, when we finally reached our destination, over hill and dale, it was CLOSED! This major disappointment has not dampened my enthusiasm for all things Fecal, though. They still are coming up with some of the best shows in the country pretty consistently.

This show of Paul Ulrich's should be one of the more interesting ones, and a great kickoff for 2009. Contemporary, so relevant, yet hints towards the old drawing masters, with subtle lines, shades, and papers blended with washes and portraits. A stellar SF based artist who I had not personally heard of before. It's exciting to find new guys like this, and then to discover that they've actually been around for years!

He takes portraits of the dead and breathes color into them, taking their faces to a ghostly place that only a few brave viewers can venture to. Beyond the aesthetics of his work, there are many layers of meaning that are fascinating in their exploration of life and death and what happens after. He explores the decomposition of human existence both physically and mentally. This show seems to be a must-see for anyone in the area. Many a good conversation to be had. It's also nice to see someone "contemporary" explore meaning beyond the aesthetic. I confess, I've dabbled with the idea of "meaningless" art, or art for arts sake. It's another school of thought, and almost a requirement for any artist to experience at one stage or another. But it's when one moves beyond the obvious to the complex when the REAL conversation starts, and that's an exciting transition to make.





So go see the show.

sewing!

I've never sewed. I got shown how to use a sewing machine probably once when I was 8 years old. You might say mine was not a "crafty" family. Regardless, over the past few months I've taken an especial interest in all things craft, and have racked my brain for ways to infuse my ideas about 2D work into 3D. I feel like it's more immediately satisfying to finish a piece and have a tangible object instead of an object simply for art's sake. This is in no way a jab at painting or printmaking or any other flat work, but it's simply another path in the road of creativity, one that I have previously not explored. As of yesterday, this puppy is now mine:



A 1958 Singer sewing machine in perfect condition. The one pictured is a pretty exact replica of the one I got on Craigslist, except mine comes mounted on a table, which looks pretty classy. It's in great condition for being so old, and I got all the original manuals and equipment as well. I'm excited to start playing with it, and hopefully make an apron for our ever-exciting cooking adventures. Yay crafts!

RISD works

My sister emailed this to me, and I fell in love instantly. Seriously, tell me this isn't the freaking cutest thing ever. A totally whimsical touch that is sure to brighten even the gloomiest of mornings.

It's even better because it's part of RISD Works, the Rhode Island School of Design store created and run by RISD faculty and alumni. A great opportunity to get really cute stuff for good prices, and a guarantee that this isn't mass produced garbage. This is straight from the minds of innovators dedicated to passing along creativity and inspiration to continuous generations. "Calf & Half" is the brainchild of Liz Goulet Dubois, who declared that "toys are her true medium", which makes her a woman after my own heart. I'll sign off using RISD's tagline, "It's udderly irresistible!"

Loungefly and Vintage Religion

I've been introduced to Loungefly via Vintage Religion, a small independent store in North Park with a variety of religious goods and related items. Loungefly's Dia de los Muertos shirts, rockabilly-esque purses, and kitschy items are freakin' adorable. I love this bag (which for some reason is not listed on their website):


These accessories are pretty bangin' as well:



Nicely priced, about $60 for the large weekender purse and around $24 for the designer shirts. Not any more than you'd pay at Urban Outfitters for the seemingly "one of a kind" t-shirts that actually are mass produced by the thousands. Either way, they've got great stuff for all religions at Vintage Religion, and you should check out the Loungefly site as well for their sale items and wider selection.

hiroshige

AWESOME! I FINALLY have a few buckaroos to buy random things that I don't know I can't live without until I see them. Today we had a great day with our 2 visiting friends from Richmond, and the first thing we did was hit up a nearby bookstore whose name escapes me for the moment. I think it's 5th Street Books, considering it's on 5th street. Anyway, I snagged this gem and I couldn't be happier. I love Japanese prints more than anything. Except sushi. And Dunnys. Which brings me to my next point...

This baby was welcomed into my life as well today. I have had good luck with getting other mystery Dunnys, but this Huck Gee Dunny is now sitting comfortably in the front of my Dunny shelf. Also, I was able to snap up this Series 5 Dunny by Aya Kakeda as well:

After that it was just a blur of burritos and cat figurines in Chinese stores. All in all, a good day. This is a bit of a scattered short post, but I'm a little distracted with half listening to everyone in the room and also I'm pretty tired. I will re-iterate my excitement levels at a later time, for I feel this does not do justice to my true emotions.

12 days 12 deals day 1!

Kidrobot is having an AWESOME promotion going on: 12 DAYS 12 DEALS!!! Everyday from now until December 21, they will unveil a new special offered for one day only. Today's deal is a TOTALLY RIGHTEOUS 8" DUNNY by NIGHTMARE IN JEREMYVILLE for 20% off! Normally already a steal at $50, this irresistible creature can be yours for the amazing price of only $40. How can you resist a face like this?

n

This special comes with a carrot accessory and a 14" x 17" poster. So if anyone is wondering what to get me for being such an awesome human being, feel free! Although if I'm this excited about Day 1... imagine what glorious treats are in store for the next 11 days!!!! I can't wait!

SD Punks for Presents

Punks for Presents is a great Richmond based organization that is creepin' into San Diego via my very own cupcake Ashton! It's basically the newbie of the San Diego scene, and here's the site to check for updates. The Tower Bar in City Heights is the first participant, and mas events and flyers coming soon, so collect your pop tabs and stay tuned!

Robert Walz

As some of you know, I used to work at Quirk Gallery in Richmond, VA for about a year and a half starting as an intern and working up to an associate. Their niche is art jewelry, the major show being the annual Sparkle Plenty show every November/December. Anyway, before I left a year ago, they had started the Shop Show, focusing on flat works from mostly local and young up-and-coming artists.

(image taken from lorenholyoke.com)
The Shop Shows always caught my eye more than a lot of the crafty things that were in the main gallery, the difference being that the main exhibitions were chosen by Kathy (the Gallery Director) and the Shop Shows were chosen by Katie & Diana, the shop director and manager duo. Diana has a great eye for hip stuff, and has snagged some awesome shows.
Even though the Quirk site is down right now for maintenance, the Quirk Myspace page informed me that their current Shop Show is Robert Walz, a Richmond artist working with color.

(image taken from robertwalz.com)
I really miss being in this type of creative atmosphere, and being exposed to great art from all areas and levels of experience. I didn't have to even try to find out about new things or cool sites, they were just thrust on me every day. A lot of the business end of things were mildly lame, but I think I would appreciate it more now that I actually depend on a job for money (unlike the school years where I was only too happy to work for free!).
Anyway, the point is that I like what I see so far from this Robert Walz character. His site says it will be up Spring 2008, so hopefully that means by Spring 2009? If you are in the Richmond area, I'd recommend hitting up First Friday, which is today now that I think about it. It's the last First Friday with Sparkle Plenty 4 up, and since the Shop Show rotates monthly it's the last chance to see Robert Walz. So stop by and say hi to the ladies at Quirk for me. I miss 'em.

The Handmade Holiday

What: A New Juried Indie Craft Show in Richmond, Virginia that will exclusively feature the work of local crafters & designers.

Why: Buy Handmade & Buy Local this Holiday Season!

Who: The Richmond Craft Mafia, The Visual Arts Center of Richmond and some of Richmond's most talented indie crafters and designers.

Where: The Visual Arts Center of Richmond (formerly the Hand Workshop) at 1812 Main Street

When:
Preview Party - Friday
December 12th from 7 - 10 pm
Ticket Info

Open to the Public - Saturday
December 13th from 10 - 5
Free & Open to the Public

How: Come on out and support local carfters and designers this Holiday Season!
Vendors:
Amy Weiks Jewelry
April Scott Kids
Avant-gourde
Avenue Handmade
Bee's Knees Studio
Claire McDermott Designs
Crystal J Silks
Erin Taylor Designs
Ernst & Thistle
Essential E Paper
Face Metal Design
Gabriel Craig Metalsmith
Gwen's Garden
Hearts & Needles
Hershey Is My Baby
Jackson Sage
Jude Glass
Keen Designs
Lark Studio
Lorcom Lane
Maslodesigns
Miss Pickles Press
Modern Atelier
Modern June
Moneky & Me
My Precious Studio
Nicole Lee Designs
oelle m.
Phil Barbato
Popidiot
Pretty Silly Things
Serious Whimsy
Sew * Ono Apparel
Shannon by Hand
Silver Tree Art
Solos Glass
Tasha McKelvey
Team 8 Press
The Cupcakery
Twist Style

LINK TO HANDMADE HOLIDAY WEBSITE LINK LINK LINK LINK!!!!!