Pattern Pulp

Illustrations, Note Cards & Mara-Mi




mara-mi-stationar

Abstract watercolors have been in the illustration spotlight since geometrics took a back seat. Proving their weight in gold in the female homegoods market, the notion of luxury, individuality and beautiful imperfection has been a refreshing turn from the preppy rigidness of gridded patterns. Mara-Mi is a line of stationary, table decor and desk accessories that gets this. Their surface patterns are made in-house and speak to the creative, high-spending, free-spirit (hello ABC Carpet, Rifle Paper Co, and Ampersand Design Studio). Their foil-stamped envelope inserts add an interesting accent of luxury to mirror the time investment of writing a note. We’re big fans.

 

Friday Quick Links!




pattern-wrapup_214

1. Jonathan Bréchignac draws elaborate carpets with a pen via Yatzer
2. Bill Gekas photographed his daughter like the Dutch masters via Yellowtrace
3. Lovely instruments of air vessels via The Artful Desperado
4. Digging these wooden “crystals” via Design Crush
5. Would you use wrapping paper as walloper? via Poppytalk
6. Raise a hand if you want a Colour Chaser via Plenty of Colour
7. And now I want some swan wallpaper via SF Girl By Bay
8. Interview with Cressida Campbell via The Design Files
9. Andre Levy paints coins collected from his travels via Honestly WTF
10. Creating DIY textiles with Sharpies and alcohol via Curbly
11. The 9000 fallen soldiers of Normandy etched into the sand via Colossal
12. Nike Savvas’s colorful string installations via Patternbank

Contributed by Emily Gup

Technology: I Share, Therefore I am




This video by Shimi Cohen‘s fascinating. He explains and dissects human loneliness, social order, the internet, and our personal fantasy worlds. The idea of live conversation and spontaneous reaction are the pillars behind real relationships…when you don’t have the opportunity to edit, the payoff’s much greater. Some food for thought for your Friday afternoon.

 

Artist Profile: Laura Callaghan




1lauracallaghanillustration2lauracallaghanillustration3lauracallaghanillustration4lauracallaghanillustration5lauracallaghanillustration6lauracallaghanillustrationLaura Callaghan5

Have you seen Laura Callaghan’s illustrations? They’re unique and interesting and filled with texture, gesture and attitude. I stumbled across her work by way of Gems, one of my favorite creative newsletters, and did an immediate deep dive into her site.

Check it out for yourself (and buy a print if you’re so inclined), as you’ll find intricate mixed media scenarios that test the limits of felt tip pens. Callaghan’s also the Illustration Editor of Oh Comely magazine and currently based in South East London. She’s a member of Illustrators Ireland and is currently taking on contract work both locally and abroad. Hit her up if you’ve got a good collaboration in mind!

 

Opposing Worlds in Social Media




1seanfromtexas 2Erica Domesek

These two are really the antithesis of each other- it’s almost comical to compare the stratospheres. Sean Williams, an exceptionally talented tattoo artist living in LA, recently posted his latest work to instagram. Take a deep dive into his reel, and while it’s rather dark, you’ll find beautiful illustrations and inticate body art.

Fast forward four minutes, and I’m looking at Facebook, then Refinery29’s piece on Erica Domesek of P.S I Made This. For those who are unaware, Erica is one of the internet queens of DIY replica fashion. My brain had a fission, but when you’re visual, you can’t deny the obvious comparison, and with social media, you also can’t control or avoid the stream coming at you. Alas, I’m sharing these military tassel themes.

Any odd but poignant compare/contrasts in your reels? Would love to see…

 

Tuesday's Gallery Picks




gallerypicks_patternpulp29

In this week’s gallery picks, it’s all about how you orient yourself.

*            *            *

1. Digital tools can both mimic material phenomena and become art historical reference points. Three artists trace image manipulation devices like paint-brush, gradient, and alpha-mask to produce works that translate emerging vocabularies of digital image production back into analog painting and sculpture at Suzanne Geiss
2. Ai Weiwei: According to What? examines how the artist spotlights the complexities of a changing world and probes such issues as freedom of expression, individual and human rights, the power of digital communication and the range of creative practice that characterizes contemporary art today both in China and globally at Art Gallery of Ontario
3. The group exhibition “Up in Smoke” is a reaction to the concept of a poem by Jack London at Greenpoint Terminal Gallery
4. Steven Hull continues to explore in the various ways that painting and sculpture overlawhere a flat image can appear to be dimensional, and a sculptural piece can feel image-based. By extension, we are led to consider the ways that our notions of these delineations are contingent, where received logic can be broken down by simple contextual shifts at Rosamund Felsen
5. Observed at a distance, each work presents a mesmerizing field of candy-colored pink, teal, lilac and sand, which appears to pulsate with energy. Only upon closer inspection does each burst of color transform from the abstract into figurative at Pace Gallery
6. Clive van den Berg looked to the diagrams and mapping techniques of archeologists and prospectors, and the resulting landscapes challenge our sense of perspective, and invite us to reconsider our orientation at Goodman Gallery

Tracking Repetitive + Awesome.
On Instagram.