independent designer events, seattle and toronto

are you in seattle?

check out design shoppe, the one night only pop up show of JOIN:Design Seattle, which features work by local designers, and benefits join and nest seattle.

or perhaps you are in toronto?
bookhou will be at the one of a kind show which runs from nov. 26th through dec. 6th, along with many many other designers.

city stimulus event in seattle

the talented folks at piano nobile are hosting a studio sale next weekend (july 17th and 18th), and i wish i was in seattle and could go! they've invited a wonderful group of local artists and designers to participate; you can see all the details and information about the guest artists here.

and, it's part of seattle's city stimulus event:
this week and this coming weekend in seattle, you can save money and support local businesses by taking part in city stimulus. all you have to do is go to the city stimulus website, sign up (it's free), they will email you a membership card (also free) and then you show the card to get discounts at local independent stores and businesses in seattle. see, it's easy!
another fabulous local shop that is participating (20% off in store purchases) is bluebottle art gallery, which is already dedicated to supporting local artists and designers.

dana robson of aquarabbit

dana robson of aquarabbit makes beautiful mixed media creations, with a winning combination of vintage maps, gocco printing, and embroidery.

she has a showcase here on the website the beholder (that i just discovered). you can see more of her available work on flickr, and she has an etsy shop too.

if you're in seattle, you can see her works right now at the fabulous bluebottle gallery.

(thanks justin!)

the semaphore collection at piano nobile

this post is a bit overdue, as i just realized that i didn't share the launch of the semaphore collection at piano nobile last month!

here's the lovely description from their website:

Semaphore is an alphabet native to the sea, composed of striking angles and decisive movements. Each piece is constructed in the Piano Nobile workshop from locally sourced, environmentally responsible, and, above all, beautiful materials.

Abstracted from the vocabulary of ship design, pipes, plates, and exposed welds recall the ferry fleet of the Puget Sound. A low Coffee Table and trim End Table balance on folded planes of recycled steel. Their wood tops (in oiled Oregon walnut or milk-painted poplar) display a turbulent grain, polished smooth.

The twisting Stick Lamp inspires divergent images of taut rope and whirling jellyfish tentacles, executed in the most simple steel rod composition. The Belle Lamp tilts its elegant head toward the floor; its base creates a counterpoint of jostling steel plates. Both lamps and tables are available in oiled or powder-coated steel.

A broken net drapes across linen Semaphore Textiles, faded white. Available as made to order shades from Seattle-based Lit Shades, or by the yard as a special order.

The Semaphore Collection, with its’ maritime economy of materials and sharp, decisive silhouettes, presents a modern group of furniture that is more than minimalist, yet remains free of embellishment.

weekend breakfast

banana's foster french toast, at the new portage bay cafe in south lake union. yummy.

william kentridge: part 2

the show last night was great! and today i visited the exhibit at the henry (runs until may 3), which i highly recommend. there are prints, drawings, stereoscopes (very cool!) and multiple video installations.

his work is also on display at the greg kucera gallery until march 28th (image from the gallery website).
and what looks to be the most amazing, kentridge is also directing 'the return of ulysses', the first opera for the brand new pacific operaworks company, which includes life size puppetry by the south african handspring puppet company. wow. the first show is tomorrow night (march 11) at the moore theater in seattle, and there are also shows on march 13, 14, 20, and 21st.

william kentridge in seattle

william kentridge is one of my absolute most favorite artists of all times. from south africa, many of his artworks deal with issues of apartheid and capitalism.

he works in a variety of media, but what i find most striking is his video art, which he makes by drawing large charcoal sketches and altertering them by smudging out, erasing, redrawing, and layering. he then creates animation by photographing these drawing as he alters them. the results are stunning. he also make lovely shadow puppets.

the image above is from the henry art gallery, where an exhibit of his work is on display until may 3rd, 2009.

tonight i am going to see his performance, "I am not me, the horse is not mine:"

This performance, first presented by exhibiting artist William Kentridge at the Sydney Biennale in 2008, combines live performance, animation, narration, and a vocal and instrumental soundtrack. The work continues Kentridge’s investigation of the roots and trajectory of modernism, drawing on instances of censorship and brutal artistic repression from the Stalinist era of Russian history.

from the henry

i'm pretty sure it's going to be awesome!!

shopping local in the pacific northwest

i'd like to share a few of my favorite finds from the urban craft uprising in seattle last weekend. the pear print moleskin cover with the pencil pocket is from the genius that is chikabird, in collaboration with slow loris (whose shirts i love), now located on guemes island washington. that's an image of their gasworks park design below.
be sure to check out the slow loris shirts, i am pretty sure you will love them.also spotted: these wonderful ormanents made from vintage wallpaper available from ladies and gentlemen, a new vintage store by jane from chikabird.


from portland, the beautiful ceramic work of leah nobilette. the colors are wonderful,
and the texture is stunning.


and more pretty portland art from twosarahs, printmaker.

and finally a bit more from some neighbors to the north, bellingham that is. spincycle yarns spins and dyes all their own yarns, and if you get a chance to see them in person, their yarns are spectacular.

heather and kaoru

today i want to introduce 2 talented local jewelry designers that i met at the farmers market.

bird on a wire necklace by heather davidson. heather draws each image by hand, so every piece is truly one of a kind.
ripe raspberry necklace by kaoru werk of happy squirrel creations. kaoru's shop is full of cute beaded, wire wrapped, and original plastic jewelry.

the silvering path

tonight i saw an amazing performance, entitled the silvering path. it had dance, film, ninjas, a slug princess, and jaw-droppingly awesome fiber creations by mandy greer.

the film was by ian lucero and the star was dancer/choreographer/director and slug princess haruko nishimura, who is trained in butoh and co-founder of the degenerate art ensemble. it was dreamy and clever and fun.

and did i mention the wonderful fiber pieces, costumes and props? seriously good.

at free sheep foundation this weekend, fridays tickets are sold out, and they've added another show on sunday the 19th. get your tickets here.