Nienke Sybrandy

We first noticed Dutch artist Nienke Sybrandy when we spotted her beautiful sheer curtains of trees composed in code that are now used at the James New York hotel. Her work is consistently interesting, innovative and playful and traverses mediums to explore her ideas.

“My work comes from observations of everyday life: small events in the house, the streets, actions and traditions: I walk around it and hold it upside down. My favorite material, and muse, are objects that are so obvious that they have to be overlooked. I lift them out of the shadows and put them in the light, so that their hidden meaning is visible. Each object is a carrier of stories and symbols. The smallest thing has a great theme. A nail is a sign of hope and desire and photocopied a bunch of flowers is about the same mortality as seventeenth-century painting. By using everyday objects can be small to the large unite and make a connection between today and earlier. This process of observing, analyzing and reinterpreting taking shape in images and objects by their “personal” story by no means obvious.”

January 24, 2012 | By: Shayna Kulik

Ana Montiel

Ana Montiel is quite the talent and a verifiable Pattern Pulp favorite. Her love of art and pattern has been a part of her world since her childhood, where she drew patterns and textures on any and every surface. After attending an art-based high school and college, Montiel settled into work as an art director.

In 2008, she created the pop-up design studio Alan The Gallant and Pattern Tales, a neo-ornamental brand of goods. Her patterns swept the web, catching eyes and impressing many. Since then, she’s been focusing on a solo career as “some sort of artist/designer hybrid,” and creating her own stunning pattern work in addition to some exciting commercial collaborations. It’s her keen eye for the colors, textures and patterns inherent in nature and life that make her style so abundantly unique, engaging and elegant. Browsing through her colorful portfolio is nothing short of inspiring and we loved getting to know her a little better in this charming video autobiography.

January 12, 2012 | By: Shayna Kulik

Alison Foshee

Alison Foshee sees the beauty in everyday objects. With meticulous attention to detail, she directs thumbtacks and pushpins to explode into extravagant floral arrangements, staples to trace the jagged contour of a leaf and office labels to spin out in hot, firecracker explosions. Over the past 15 years, she’s created her own distinct style in revealing something about each material’s original function in the shape and content of her creations.

To Alison, the entire process of creation is both art and adventure: “In search of my muse, I enjoy scouring our urban city centers, like an orchid thief in the Amazon, for weird and marvelous products like the next generation of folder dividers or the latest technology in bendable pencils. I find these readymade oddities ever fascinating because of their dual nature as consumable goods. They are simultaneously indispensable and without value; perhaps, a not-so-subtle metaphor for culture’s subjective/plastic definition of what is precious.”

January 11, 2012 | By: Shayna Kulik

Aimée Wilder

Aimée Wilder is a pattern designer to watch. Her prints can be found throughout the homegoods and fashion worlds, adorning pillows, walls, diaper bags and most recently, footwear. Each of Wilder’s repeats are beautifully sophisticated with commercial appeal that raises the mass market ante. Applying a refined color palette, Wilder veers away from sugary pastels that are category specific. As a native New Yorker, Wilder spent her school holidays exploring fashion showrooms where both of her parents worked, soaking in trends and textiles, laying a foundation that would later influence her budding career. Keep note of Wilder’s work, as we’re certain only good things will come from this Brooklyn wunderkind.

December 19, 2011 | By: Shayna Kulik

Lena Hautoniemi

Lena Hautoniemi‘s wallpapers first captured us with their beautifully organic, ethereal, homemade feel. What’s so wonderful about her pattern work is that most of them were indeed created lovingly by hand with paintbrushes and pens before being turned into wallpaper, textiles and other surface designs. Her first love has always been painting, a love which has followed and inspired her throughout her career. She studied industrial design with a specialization in glass and porcelain at College of Design and Applied Arts (HDK) in Göteborg and still happily dabbles in the medium in addition to her other work, frequently combining all of her passions. Living in the countryside of Sweden and the nature that surrounds her is a large inspiration to her pattern-work, but stresses that she finds inspiration everywhere. We love the story she told us about the story of Wingbud, her line of wallpaper:

“My son and I did once see a movie with incredible animations and unique characters, during this movie, I had a weird feeling of familiarity towards the animations. It struck me as the movie ended! The style is related to an English art book, an art book with mythical creatures which happens to be one of the first I ever got.
I find the book among the shelves and put it in Theo’s lap ‘you can have this’ I said. The look in his eyes was priceless. He rushed towards his drawing materials and reached for his sketchbook. Within only a moment ‘Here!’ he proudly cried in English ‘This is a Wingbud!’

Consequently, I ran for the dictionary, as Wingbud is a whole new word for me, however, it’s not there! I try the web, and the word appears in studies of insects’ wings.

The Wingbud drawing hangs on the wall for months and did frequently caught my eye as I sketched patterns for my wallpapers. When I tried to find a name for my collections, I looked up against the wall and glanced at the Wingbud drawing like so many times before, and it became clear, at that moment I knew what I wanted to name my collection; Wingbud Wallpapers!

I asked my son for his permission to use his drawing as my logo. ‘What?’ he said indignant, ‘do you mean to take my idea?’ But he approved, as long as it’s known the idea is truly his and always will be. It’s called copyright and we eternalize our agreement on papers. And as six year olds seldom apply for patent, I did it for him.”

December 19, 2011 | By: Shayna Kulik

Gastón Caba

Gastón Caba is an artist and collaborator extraordinaire. His company, We Patterns, produces cute, colorful repeats and illustrations. What you might not know though, is that Caba collaborates with his daughter Lara for a majority of their designs, converting her sketches and illustrations into polished repeats. The results are thoughtful, commercial and a refreshing combo of street meets junior. Check out our Q & A for a window into the world of this Buenos Aires family man.

December 13, 2011 | By: Shayna Kulik