Urban Birding

'A Dream World Glimmers In The Background Of The Soul' (detail) by Carrie Marrill

Wonderful new group show at Jen Bekman - Ornithology: Photographs, Paintings + Mixed Media, on view through August 2nd. The nesting instinct is well-represented, too.

Bird's Nest (archival print based on photogravure) by Keith Taylor

Dreaming in Rococo

above images from 'Rococo: Continuing Curve' at the Cooper Hewitt Design Museum

What might it mean to dream in rococo?  The term 'rococo' is a confectionary fusion of the French, rocaille, or shell, and the Italian barocco, or Baroque style. Curves and candy, you say? Frivolity and fleeting fashion? Posted are images of rococo style as dreamy examples of exquisite (feminine) design.

'Stream of Light' by Olivia Lee + Alienor de Chambrier (furniture wrapped and bound in silk, wool and horse hair)

Utopic Convergence

'Better Home Mandala' (collage, 2005) by Austin Thomas

Four examples of artwork created by artists working in random locales. None of these women know about the other's work per se, but I find some of the similarities to be uncanny. Interestingly, several have independently met each other online, and in the case of Austin Thomas, Eve Mosher, and myself,  just met in person this spring after a year or more of e-mail exchanges. Patricia Chauncey is an extreme textile artist, creator of social (fiber) spaces, and a cancer survivor who lives and works in Vancouver, Canada. The power of the Internet and female intuition is utopic.

'Barnacle I Made' (mixed media, 2008) by  Patricia Chauncey

'Soma 1'  (detail, ink and graphite on trace with gel medium, 2006) by Eve Mosher 

The Oikos Project 6.19 (recycled materials and textiles, 2008) by Abigail Doan

Micro Macro Wave

I love the idea of organicism overtaking our lives and surroundings like the growth of barnacles and  lichen on the most unyielding of surfaces. These window installations at Anthropologie in midtown Manhattan seem to suggest that something is brewing under the surface of the city as we know it. A new wave of surreal activity - all in the spirit of the micro gone macro.

Mixd Media Designs

Spiegel by Kaat Pype/Blauwhout

Some clever and crafty work by Mixd designers & artisans. Makes me want to turn my apartment inside out and innovate. 

I currently have sheets of  hand-printed paper stashed under my bed, just waiting to be utilized in some manner. These one-of-a-kind papers by Jill Malek reminded me of this.

I also spied this groovy striped dresser from the Horchow Collection on Style.com. Not sure if I am brave enough to candy-stripe my own antique furniture. Perhaps the twins will do it for me without even being asked?

Ephemeral HortiCouture

These handmade floral and leafy couture creations by Vancouver-based artist Nicole Dextras are pretty darn phenomenal. Known also as 'Weedrobes', the artist actually categorizes them on her website as 'ephemeral art' . They are crafted to be impermanent with only a photographic record to document their moment of green splendor.  

The Oikos Project Branches Out

The Oikos Project (June 6, 2008) Abigail Doan

Early June installments to my year long 'Oikos Project' (domestic ecology and fiber recycling experiments). The polka-dot paper piece below is from the weekly Science Section of The New York Times. Peeled branches were whitewashed as ghost-like arboreal support.

The Oikos Project (June 6, 2008)  Abigail Doan

The Oikos Project (June 6, 2008)  Abigail Doan

No Idle Hands at Light Industry

Canoa De Luz, Cecilia Vicuna (2000)

No Idle Hands film showings and video documentaries on fiber art and DIY (textile) handicraft curated by Sabrina Gschwandtner of Knit Knit on Tuesday, June 10th at Light Industry. Includes work by Yayoi Kasuma, Elaine Reichek, Cecilia Vicuna, Alee Peoples, and Faythe Levine. Presentations begin at 8pm.