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Blogs, Books, Design, Design*Sponge, Portland Designers, Portland Events, West Elm
Blogs, Books, Design, Design*Sponge, Portland Designers, Portland Events, West Elm Entries in Blogs (5)
Design*Sponge at Home - Portland Book Signing Event at West Elm
Friday, September 16, 2011 at 9:10PM We're super excited that Grace Bonney is coming to the Pearl District West Elm on Monday, September 26th (6pm-8:30pm) to mingle and sign her new book Design*Sponge at Home. The event will also include a pop-up shop and the launch of Cloth Paper Clay a collaboration between local favorites Pigeon Toe Ceramics and Satsuma Press, as well as South African designer Heather Moore of SkinnylaMinx. A photobooth with backdrop by Portland artist Cori Kindred and ice cream treats by Salt & Straw are other fun features. We can't wait! {Make sure to RSVP for this fab event!}
Image courtesy of Design*Sponge & West Elm.
West Elm is located at 1201 NW Couch Street in Portland's Pearl District.
-Colleen
Q&A with Elizabeth Corkery
Tuesday, August 30, 2011 at 5:00PM We recently caught up with Australian-born (and now Brooklyn-based) printmaker Elizabeth Corkery whose beautiful work we're mad for. She graciously answered seven of our most pressing questions. We love her detailed replies (we're huge fans of Mary Katrantzou too!) and are excited to check out her favorite artists and, when next in Brooklyn, her favorite local haunts. Read on for the full interview, and make sure to visit Elizabeth Corkery's website and blog! You can also purchase her prints on her bigcartel site and her Pulsating Panels bigcartel site.
Squirrel & Starling: What's inspiring your work right now?
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| The artist Elizabeth Corkery and her installation Visual Notes on Synesthesia. |
Squirrel & Starling: What's inspiring your work right now?
Elizabeth Corkery: What I find most inspiring is the current growing focus on artisanal craftsmanship. There is certainly a burgeoning comunity of artists and designer and makers of all kinds who are interested in producing work that values the time spent making it and the quality of materials that are used to create it. Outlets such as "The Makers Project" are doing a fantastic job of showcasing these artists and artisans and I truly hope this kind of work develops. I'm inspired to keep my ideas and work authentic and to value that which is made by hand.
S&S: Where can our readers find your work online?
EC: www.elizabethcorkery.com
S&S: What other fine artists' work do you admire?
EC: Some current favorites:
I love the crisp aesthetic and inventive set design that photographer Lacey brings to every project.
Ludovica Gioscia prints his own wallpaper, then by layering and ripping back off the wall, turns something inherently flat into a sculptural form.
Daniel [Kukla] uses quite an emotionless, reportage style of photography to document empty animal enclosures. There is definitely a sadness to the faux scenery that covers the walls of these environments. I love how these scenes are depicted almost like painted theatre sets.
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| Elizabeth Corkery Gemstone Reflection I. |
S&S: Do you have any favorite fashion designers (clothing, jewelry, accessories, etc...)?
EC: I'm always drawn to inventive combinations of color and pattern. When done well, these outfits can look effortless, but sometimes it's a harder task than it appears. Australian label, Gorman had a wonderful Fall collection this year. APC makes me dream of a simple life where I only wear soft cottons and always have a fresh baguette under my arm.
Erdem had a collection recently that inclued some extraordinary textile design that included a pairing of two of my favorite things - florals and geometrics. While we're on the topic of extrardinary textiles, Mary Katrantzou's surreal worlds that exist on the surface of her designs are totally out of this world.
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| Elizabeth Corkery Floral Reflection I. |
S&S: What are your must-visit spots in Brooklyn (i.e., brick-and-mortar shops, galleries, and/or restaurants)?
EC: The afternoon before a dinner party will usually take me to the Bedford Cheese shop for an amazing selection and super-knowledgable service. Bread from the tiny pastry haven Bakeri. Inevitably I will be missing some pivotal kitchen utensil that will take me to Whisk on Bedford Ave.
Brooklyn is great for unique gifts, a couple of favorites are Future Perfect, where you can pretty much find any amazing object that you've seen on your favorite design blog. Brook Farm General store is the perfectly curated collection of beautiful, well-made items for the home. It makes me want to fill my house with French linen and delicate glassware!
A visit to Brooklyn shouldn't be without a trip to the Brooklyn Farmacy and Soda Fountain. It makes me wish I grew up in the 1950s and would race to a shop like this after school for a Root Beer float.
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| Elizabeth Corkery print from her Pulsating Panels series. |
S&S: Are there any online galleries or shops that you're a fan of?
EC: There is such an array of well-curated online stores, some of my current favorites:
Etsy stores:
S&S: Do you have particular blogs/magazines that are must-reads?
A fantastic showcase of emerging - largely British - art and design talent.
www.itsnicethat.comTalented Aussie lady:
Nothing beats being able to look into other people's houses. Particularly when their owner is cooler than you and their home is full of such amazing stuff. www.theselby.com
500 Photographers. A new photographer each day. Ranging from incredibly well-known to just emerging. A lovely compendium of currently working shooters. I look forward to their pick every day!
-Colleen
Photos courtesy of Pistol PR.
PS. Many thanks to Elizabeth Corkery & Kate Williams of Pistol PR for their time and general loveliness.
spacepdx
Monday, March 28, 2011 at 10:17PM Do you ever have those moments when you stumble upon something so awesome, that you are in shock that you didn't already know that it existed? I had such a reaction when I came across the site spacepdx.com. The site features the beautiful work of local photographer Leah Verwey. She takes intimate photos of the workshops and boutiques of local Portland designers and craftspeople. It's like a Portland version of the recently launched The Makers Project, but spacepdx has been at it since 2009.
The current featured studios/shops include Squirrel & Starling favorites the English Dept, Pinkham Millinery, and Esque Studio (among other wonderful PDX locales). Check out a few of Leah's photos below!
Pinkham Millinery.
The English Dept.
Esque Studio.
View all of Leah's portraits of these fabulous Portland spaces on spacepdx.com. You must also check out the archive (going back to October 2009). Past months have included visits to Quince & Studio Olivine's former space, Pigeon Toe Ceramics, and Jill Bliss among many more.
{Photo Credits: All photos by Leah Verwey for Spacepdx.com. Thanks to Leah for the use of her images!}
New Blog Love! Samantha Hahn
Thursday, March 10, 2011 at 9:48PM I was googling for Chanel Spring 2011 nail lacquer and happened upon the lovely blog Maquette by the amazing artist Samantha Hahn. It occurred to me that I've seen her work here (like this Chanel nail lacquer print) and there but hadn't paused to take proper note. So. I. paused. for a moment and am now completely in love with her blog and vibrant illustrations. Bonus: she also shares beautiful art by other artists on her blog. Thank you fortuitous Chanel googling!
I like Samantha Hahn's work featuring fashion subjects and bright colors the most! This print is particularly gorgeous: Waiting for the Parade (14"x11"), $50 for sale at Gallery Hanahou's online shop.
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| Samantha Hahn "Waiting for the Parade." Image via www.galleryhanahou.com/shop. |
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| Detail of above. Image via Gallery Hanahou. |
Samantha Hahn's site also features a shop! Check out all of her fashionable prints on both sites.
-Colleen
Every Body, Every Wear
Thursday, January 20, 2011 at 9:21PM Linda of the Auspicious Life, my friend and fellow blogger (and a very busy and talented lady), just launched a new website www.everybodyeverywear.com. In basic concept, it's a site where personal style bloggers can share photos of their outfits. But, it's much more than that: each week there is a new challenge where Linda and Liz (of www.twosixandcounting.blogspot.com) ask bloggers to wear a particular item of clothing (that most people own) on the same day and photograph themselves styling it. The bloggers then upload the photo to "Every Body, Every Wear." The last clothing item Linda and Liz challenged bloggers to don was a gingham checked shirt. The current gauntlet thrown down prompts bloggers to take photos of themselves in their breton stripe shirts. Images for this challenge should be uploaded to Every Body, Every Wear on January 25th. Who doesn't love theme day dressing? For a while at work, we had "Fancy Friday" at my normally rather casual workplace. It was super fun! Can't wait to see what they come up with next!
An image of the lovely Linda in her gingham check shirt:
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| Image via www.theauspiciouslife.com. |
Well done Linda & Liz and Congrats on your new site!! I'm very much inspired to try my hand at some future outfit posts. We'll see!
-Colleen