Art and Design
International art styles, color palettes, patterns, textures, textiles, typography, and designs from around the world.
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Type+Place: Type Inspired by India
Like many designers, I have a font fetish! I just love type. In my studio, I have a bookcase full of books about type. There’s something so elegant, yet simple about fonts… it’s amazing what a few lines, brush strokes and curves can do to give characters personality. Because I have this font obsession, and, of course, I love travel– I thought I’d start a series of posts dedicated to exploring typefaces that are reminiscent about a location. Here’s the first to kick it off, type inspired by India. In looking for font inspiration that reminded me of India, I looked for types that had some ethnic flair as well…
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Pattern+Place: The Art of Andean Weaving, Peru
While traveling in the Sacred Valley of Peru, we were lucky to meet a group of local traditional weavers and have a demonstration of their talents. The demonstration was put on by an organization called The Center for Traditional Textiles. Their mission is to not only promote this traditional Incan art form to tourists and stimulate economy to local artists, but also to educate the local community to continue their weaving traditions and pass it on for generations to come. Their weaving is a beautiful art form — not to be missed. They demonstrated the process, from spinning the wool to thread and making their colorful looms, to actual weaving…
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Palette+Place: Springtime in Sonoma County Wine Country
Sonoma County is a must for any wine lover traveling to Northern California. Quaint towns and picturesque scenery is in abundance– as well as world class wine, of course. For over 10 years, I’ve headed up to Healdsburg in Spring with my husband and family for the annual Dry Creek Valley “Passport” weekend. Participating wineries open their doors with loads of wine to taste and food to eat. Although the wine is delicious, I must admit, I go for the scenery. Sonoma County in the Springtime is like a breath of fresh air. The rain and cold of winter are gone and everything is in bloom – the trees, the…
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Art on the Go: Typography Photoshoot in Your Town
There’s nothing like scouring the cities of Paris, London or Rome and stumbling across vintage signs and old stylized type to photograph– but sometimes, just looking around your own town, you’ll be surprised at what you might find! Although I wish I could travel full-time, the reality is I have kids in school, and a husband with a great job (in an office of all things)– so for now in our lives, we travel during the school breaks. Perhaps that will change soon, but in the meantime, while at home, how can I starve off my incredible wanderlust? Why not head out my own front door on a photo shoot,…
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Textures+Place: Old San Juan, Puerto Rico
It was a humid day, large, puffy white clouds dotted the sky signaling an impending rain shower at some point in our afternoon. We arrived in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico with a bus load of tourists, but quickly disappeared into the cobblestone streets to discover this colonial Caribbean city on our own. The streets seemed quite empty to our surprise (and delight) for our mid-morning visit. Except for a few shop keepers and locals, we had the sites almost to ourselves. Little did we know, that once the cruise ships arrived, this solitude would change drastically. We dutifully wandered in and out of a few churches, but mainly stayed…
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Palette+Place: Antelope Canyon, Arizona
When we pulled up to the dated strip mall to start our adventure of Antelope Canyon, I must admit I was a little turned off. The small office was packed. Tourists of all shapes and sizes milled around the Navajo souvenirs and trinkets, all waiting for the bus. A tour group is not always my first choice in exploring a natural wonder, but it actually is the only way to see this spectacular slot canyon. Antelope Canyon is one of the most photographed slot canyons in the world. It is on Navajo land, thus solo visits are prohibited. One can only tour the canyon with a group lead by a…
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Type+Place: Pike Place Market
I have yet to be at the Seattle Public Market when there wasn’t hoards of crowds. Last weekend, it wasn’t any different– in fact, I must say it was actually worse. My guess is it had to be because of the weather. Unlike most grey, drizzly days in the Northwest, the sun was out and couldn’t have been shining any brighter. Spring was in the air and everyone was enjoying it! Despite the crowds, there’s nothing like a visit to Pike Place Market when in Seattle. The fresh fish, flowers, veggies and more are a sight to see, but if you look beyond the vendors there is also fabulous typography.…
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Time+Place: Van Gogh’s Provence
While I was in art school, I had the chance to travel through Provence. As art history facts and art techniques swirled through my head, I peered out at the surrounding landscape and paused for a bit… This was Van Gogh territory, and it was easy to see. The colors, the landscapes, the sites, it looked exactly like his signature work towards the end of his life. I had such a fun time finding the exact spot, or close by, where Van Gogh possibly stood while he painted his famous paintings. Once home, I assembled them in an album side by side. It’s great to see the comparison, see how…
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Palette+Place: The Colors of La Boca, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Many times you hear people describe a location or place as being quite “colorful.” The first thought I have when this is said is that this place is full of a interests, excitement and potentially eccentric… Rarely do I interpret this to mean, literally, there is lots of color. Well, La Boca in Buenos Aires changed that for me. La Boca is truly a colorful neighborhood filled with bold bright hues everywhere you look. Located along the Riachuelo river, at the “mouth” (hence the name), this spot can’t be missed. The brightly painted doors, windows, trim, shutters, sidings and more playfully play with the everyday life of hanging laundry, light…
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Pattern+Place: Computer History Museum, Silicon Valley
It’s hard to believe some of the beginnings of computer technology as we know it today happened in my own “backyard.” I grew up just blocks away from the famous garage of Hewlett and Packard… and of course, Steve Jobs was not far away in Mountain View dreaming up a simple to use computer with his pal Steve Wozniak. Recently my family and I headed to the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California for an afternoon outing. This museum is a must see for any computer geek, of course… but for me, I couldn’t get over the great patterns of all the vintage hardware and circuit boards. Rows and…