Seat assignment

Nina KatchadourianArtist Nina Katchadourian uses her in-flight time on Seat Assignment:  

While in the lavatory on a domestic flight in March 2010, I spontaneously put a tissue paper toilet cover seat cover over my head and took a picture in the mirror using my cellphone. The image evoked 15th-century Flemish portraiture. I decided to add more images made in this mode and planned to take advantage of a long-haul flight from San Francisco to Auckland, guessing that there were likely to be long periods of time when no one was using the lavatory on the 14-hour flight. I made several forays to the bathroom from my aisle seat, and by the time we landed I had a large group of new photographs entitled Lavatory Self-Portraits in the Flemish Style. I was wearing a thin black scarf that I sometimes hung up on the wall behind me to create the deep black ground that is typical of these portraits. There is no special illumination in use other than the lavatory's own lights and all the images are shot hand-held with the camera phone. At the Dunedin Public Art gallery, the photos were framed in faux-historical frames and hung on a deep red wall reminiscent of the painting galleries in museums like the Metropolitan Museum of Art. 

Brilliant! {via SwissMiss}

Collecting: Vintage by Degrees

Paper-mounted thermometers were popular advertising giveaways (back in the day when telephone digits were oh-so-simple). Pastoral scenes with sheep and mountains told the temperature courtesy of the local funeral parlour, while plump babies and fluffy puppies decorated those for dairies and grocers. This fancy number, above, with silver foil and embossing was the proud token of customer appreciation from the Carleton Bros. Watchmakers and Jewellers. ebay.com

I've created a Treasury on Etsy of vintage temperature devices. 


$18.00

$12.00

$65.00

$4.00

$8.00

$15.00

$12.00

$8.00

$6.90

$44.95

$50.00

$16.00

$65.00

$10.00

$50.00

$12.50

Treasury tool supported by the dog house

 

Weather vanes

From issue #13: No matter which way the wind blows, a weather vane (also known as a weathercock for its traditional cockerel motif) is usually more decorative than functional. A common motif in rustic kitchens and 60s kitsch, its arrowed silhouette adorns tea towels, plates, Pyrex and barkcloth curtains. 

We had a giveaway for this vintage tea towel and a vintage thermometer (you have to read the magazine for the details on how to win—there's a giveaway in each issue) and Dale P. in Calgary is our winner!

w.i.p.s wednesday: Eva Franco on the design process

In Issue #13, I shared my experience about visiting the Eva Franco studio in Los Angeles last summer. It was an amazing experience to meet with Eva and see the full scope of her fashion enterprise: from the inspirations and sketches to the samples, manufacture and warehousing. I'll be posting more about Eva throughout the day—let's start with her design process!

Shoegazing Notecards featured at Papyrus

This happy assortment are the Shoegazing Notecard designs from the set I curated and designed with Chronicle Books.Pretty shoes and confetti—a combination suitable for lots of occasions or even an everyday hello.The pretty box with a scallop motif.

Kate Woodrow, who was my editor at Chronicle Books on this project, emailed today to share that our Shoegazing Notecards are nicely featured on the Papyrus website. (Check them out in the banner!) Papyrus is also having a big sale: buy one stationery set, get one for 50% off. So, start with Shoegazing Notecards and perhaps the lovely Polaroid set as well?

UPPERCASE button-making fun tomorrow

hmm... I don't think this is how the library was promoted a century ago... a roadside sign tweeted via instagram...

UPPERCASE will be at the Louise Riley branch of the Calgary Public Library tomorrow as part of the city-wide celebrations of the library system's 100 birthday. There will be food trucks, music and activities such as button-making with yours truly (from noon-3pm) and a craft with children's book illustrator Carolyn Fisher.

I'll also have copies of the magazine for sale at a special in-person party price! And if you subscribe in person, you will receive a free back issue.

If you're not in Calgary and would like to subscribe, we have a $14 off coupon for the online shop: just enter the discount "I'veBeenUnderARock" which is valid on orders over $50.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Christopher Stott: new work of old stuff


"Deluxe Model 5" Oil on canvas 20" X 30""Rotary Phone, Off The Hook I" Oil on canvas 16" X 24""Clear Thinking" Oil on canvas 42" X 32""Back To Back" Oil on canvas 24" X 30"

We first featured Christopher Stott's oil paintings in issue #7, and you may have noticed his work in this Anthropologie campaign. Christopher has been hard at work on painting new works of some really nice-looking old stuff, available to view and purchase from the Elliott Fouts Gallery in Sacramento, California.

June 2 - July 5, 2012
4749 J Street Sacramento, CA 95819 

One more from Surtex: PRNT

Alanna Cavanagh met some new talent earlier this month at Surtex.

PRNT (which stands for PEOPLES' REPUBLIC OF NICE THINGS) is a brand-spanking-new studio founded by young designers Jenna Russelle and Halla Koudsi.

Young Designers Jenna Russelle and Halla Koudsi of PRNT studio at their SURTEX booth.

The two founders have backgrounds in the illustration and fashion worlds respectively and met while working in the apparel industry in Toronto. In January 2012 they formed PRNT and this past week they made their debut at SURTEX.


In addition to their own designs the studio carries patterns created by several different artists which results in an enormous variety of work available within one studio. Most of their patterns have a highly illustrative and often edgey vibe and would work wonderfully in the fashion, home + paper goods markets.


We wish Jenna and Halla the best of luck in their new venture!

Structube

When Chryssi Tsoupanarias emailed me this week I received a lovely surprise. "I've been an UPPERCASE subscriber since the very first issue, I love it! It's a really beautiful publication," she writes. A graphic designer for the Canadian furniture retailer Structube, Chryssi has made good use of her back issues: as attractive stacks of magazines in the photos for their latest catalogue. "We've used issues of UPPERCASE in some of the images for our Summer campaign—these will be on our website, in our catalogue (online and also printed in-store) as well as in ads featured in home decor magazines (such as House & Home, Style at Home)."

I love how edited the photos are and happy to see the magazine is appreciated in this way. I can see myself at this white desk, below, with my laptop...

 

Structube has stores in Quebec and Ontario and will be making their way into Western Canada later this year with a store in Edmonton.

(The cover of issue #14 would go really nicely with that grey couch and green accent pillow, too!)

Surtex: Magnet Reps

The Magnet Reps booth at Surtex

During the hustle and bustle of Surtex, Shelley Brown did a quick-fire Q and A with Chrystal Falcioni, the Founder/Director at Los Angeles-based Magnet Reps.

Shelley: How long have you been pursuing the art licensing business?
Chrystal: 8 years

Shelley: How have you found it to change from then to now?

Chrystal: The art is much better. It used to be very old fashioned. Not contemporary at all. More and more illustrators are trying it. Much more competition.

Shelley: What do you think are the most significant new opportunities that you see for your artists in the future?

Chrystal: Paperless applications. 

Shelley: What should artists do who want to make the shift from illustrating to surface design or licensing?

Eleanor Grosch

Chrystal: Get out there and understand that art is about collections. Decide if you want to be single image or patterns and research. Do lots of research.  

Shelley: What shows do you feel are essential to the art licensing business?

Chrystal: Surtex and The Licensing Show in Vegas. Also, if anyone is planning on exhibiting in a show, they should first attend at least one or two years in a row prior to exhibiting in it. 

Nate Williams, represented by Magnet Reps