Archive for February, 2009
Mary and a Log and Twisting in the Wind
I am adoring the work of Brian Novatny right now. I found him on the Marcia Wood Gallery site a couple of weeks ago. And although I may never be able to afford one of his pieces, I will continue drooling and dreaming. The textural, patterned layers and muted (yet somehow colorful) color scheme draw me in, and the unusual way that figures are incorporated keep me interested. His work also reminds me a little bit of James Rosenquist (especially the image below), which can’t be a bad thing. Right?
The titles of Novatny’s mixed media paintings lead the viewer to suggest they are seeing a captured moment in time: a fleeting moment, perhaps mundane or perhaps not. And the disconnect between each figure and its surroundings is intriguing to me.
So, now that you know who I am fascinated with this week, I am curious to know what artist you are currently digging. Leave a comment here with the artist’s website (even if its your own). I would love to check em out!
Vadjutka just had an etsyversary and is celebrating with a pretty neat giveaway. What’s up for grabs? A $20 USD gift certificate, which will expire three months from the date issued.
How do you win? That’s the cool part- I thought this was a really neat idea… This year will be the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Iron Curtain throught Eastern-Europe, which includes Hungary. In the autumn of 1989, Hungary officially became a Republic, leaving its People’s Republic form behind, and entered into the difficult life of democracies. In remembering this part of history, Vadjuka is interested in learning about your personal history, by finding out what you did in the Autumn of 1989. Click here to leave your memory of this time on the Vadjuka blog for your chance to win. But you better hurry. Today is the last day to enter!
This week Room by Room with FormFire Glassworks takes you out of the fun zone of the Family Room and into relaxation central – the Modern Bedroom. 
The modern bedroom is a place of sanctuary, a place of privacy. We do spend a good portion of our lives here, and the quality of our sleep can be affected by our bedroom surroundings, so I prefer to shift from a retro palette to one that is a bit more restful to the eye. My favorite combination is a large array of neutrals in whites and beiges to browns accented by lilac, which gives a splash of color, yet still retains a modern edge. Again, lines here are clean and simple – harsh edges take away from the tranquil qualities you want to achieve. Light blues also work well in a similar fashion. To tie this room in with the other rooms of your Modern Home, try picking a neutral palette that moves from room to room, and change up the color accents to suit the space and your mood.
You walk into the bedroom after a long day. After kicking off your shoes and getting ready for some quiet reading before you doze off, you dig your toes into a soft yet textured rug. You can smell the scent of flowers floating in a stunning glass bowl with a deep-toned rim that offsets the beautiful white blossoms. As you walk around to the side of the bed, you pick up a carved stone that is at once a combination of modern graphic and natural form, touching the indentations. You slide in, prop your pillow up against the decorated headboard, and flip quickly through a magazine left on the nightstand. You look up at the artwork on the wall that is both dynamic in its overlapping forms, yet peaceful in its coloration. You slip your magazine into the leather holder by the side of the bed as you begin to drift off.
Next week we will explore the flip side of this area – the Modern Kids’ Room.
For more from Blue Tricycle, click here.
The papernstitch site has been steadily making improvements over the last couple of months, and I am very excited to announce that we have just released our newest addition: an Etsy importer! Woohoo. Here’s a sneak peak…
We wanted to make things as easy as possible for our exhibitors, and since the site is intended to work with your other online shop (and almost all of our exhibitors use Etsy), it makes perfect sense for us to have a tool that makes the process even more fluid.
The new feature is just in time for the next exhibition, which goes up this Monday coming up. There is still time to submit your shop if you are interested (deadline for submissions is this Friday).
Over the extended weekend, I went out of town and made an effort not to go on my computer at all. I had all my posts scheduled in advance for yesterday, so no one would even notice. It was nice, but of course, when I came back last night, I had tons of things to do.
Anyway, I was catching up on my emails last night and I discovered that a totally awesome site/service had just launched called Bakery. It was started by Jaime Derringer and Erin Loechner (Design Milk and Design for Mankind).
Here’s what the site says…”BAKERY offers a wide variety of assistance to small businesses and independent shoppes worldwide. Whether you’re struggling with a start-up, self-promotion or navigating the waters of social media, BAKERY has the experience and knowledge to advance your work.”
The site seems like a great, new resource for anyone looking to get themselves noticed, and for those that are seeking help with promoting themselves. You can check out Bakery right here and see for yourself.
