Snap Shots from Myanmar

This post is a bit eclectic and way overdue. My husband and I visited Singapore and Myanmar back in June and I have yet to really post any photos. Here are a few to start…

We travelled from Yangon to Bagan to Inle Lake. Along the way met with more crafts men and women than ever expected. The population is resoundingly kind and resourceful and every day lead to new creative findings. The woman above extracts fibers to be used for weaving.

The male puppet came home with me. I have a soft spot for handmade crafts and as a result had a full suitcase at customs. The woman, like mostly everyone else, was wearing Thanaka root- which is a sunscreen made from local tree bark.

One of the most remarkable man-made developments in and around Inle Lake are the floating vegetable gardens. They’re expansive and are anchored by bamboo. They’re moved around the lake throughout the season. Here’s a man picking tomatos.

Interestingly, textile design isn’t extremely popular in the area. Most women prefer to weave. The lead designer at this shop has assigned a design to the threads and sectioned them off to be dyed.

Once the threads have been dyed they’re wrapped around a spool. It’s important to keep them organized for loom threading (which is done by hand).

One of many looms, run by the women of the village.

Here I am atop one of the taller Pagodas in Bagan. The stairs felt like a 90 degree angle…was worth it though. The view was spectacular.

Inle Lake…

At first glance, this woman seems impressively tough. Then you look at what she’s selling: Tofu. Made me smile. It’s easy to be a vegetarian – it syncs with Buddhism.

I took so many photos of the children. They were sweet and upbeat and had the widest most beautiful smiles. If you’re thinking of visiting, feel free to get in touch, or check out this more in-depth report from Justin (my hubs).

July 30, 2012 | By: Shayna Kulik

Fluidity with Carolina Herrera

Off the heels of an evolution-from-watercolor post, it’s only appropriate to self-contradict, right? Kidding, but watercolors still feel luxurious and the application’s not going away anytime soon. It’s been interesting to observe the range in motif design across various home and fashion sectors. Carolina Herrera’s 2013 Resort Collection went live on Moda Operandi yesterday and in an attempt to peel my eyes off of this treasure of a gown, I fell for these whimsical prints: bleeding blocks and wild bunnies.

July 17, 2012 | By: Shayna Kulik

Textile Infused Homewear from Walter G.

Not long ago, I got an email from a good friend in living in Sydney, letting me know about a new home wear line that recently launched.

It took a quick perusal of Walter G‘s collection to know that the product was special. Made in India and Australia, with touches reminiscent of Paris and Japan, these simple, yet textural collages are beautifully applied to home wear.

Founded by longtime friends, Lauren Bennett and Genevieve Fennel, the collection is a reflection of their travels and a desire to infuse color into the Australian home.

The line includes pillows, ottomans, lamps shades and textiles. One of the most interesting parts of the site, second to the product, is the collection of artisan bios behind the craft. Have a look– you’ll learn how the process comes together.

All photos are from the Walter G’s site.

July 10, 2012 | By: Shayna Kulik

Textile Inspiration & Plate Illustrations

For those of you on holiday last week, welcome back! Today we’re featuring the after to this before post from May. Remember the plate face collection and Pebeo pens? They’re these amazing markers that let you draw and paint on ceramics and pottery. So…from the collection of thrift store plates, here’s what I came up with.

I find when I’m searching for inspiration for patterns or textiles I often start by looking at objects rather than the actual patterns on things. I love to find (or make) a collection of objects with a similar purpose or hand that I can group together to discover a new shape or texture. Here’s my most recent inspirational collection.

Coverage by Kimberly Hall

July 9, 2012 | By: Shayna Kulik

Textiles from Shenkar's Design Department

My mother-in-law recently sent me this link to the textile exhibition at Shenkar College of Engineering and Design in Ramat Gan, Israel. I’m sharing it with you! First we have Blue and White by Dikla Ben-Ari. Below are African and Maori motifs by Eldad Trka.

Ronnie Frankel has devised lighting fixtures made entirely from disposable cutlery (forks, spoons and knives), focusing on the nature of recycling, laser cutting the elements into leaf-like sculptures. Just below are works from Erez Grenade and Levi Moore. The hand knit pieces are made of mohair and silk thread.

Edelman Jasmine’s fine prints emulate intricate stone patterns, reminding us that they’d be beautifully applied within fashion where Nuphar’s leather designs push the boundaries of etched design and technique.

Eden Koren is a watercolorist and paints on cotton paper, investigating the world of ancient seals while Natalie Walker dips cotton to achieve leather looking effects.

(Photos by Tammy Dahan, Yael Maoz & Sasha Refugee)

June 26, 2012 | By: Shayna Kulik

Textiles: Watercolor Washings

When it comes to Pattern Pulp, I usually prefer to separate church and state, and by that I mean my personal artistic ventures from what we’re seeing around the web and the world. At times the reasons are proprietary, though I’ll admit there’s a fair amount of art that’s never seen the (internet) light of day, and I figured, why not share a bit more? Here’s a snippet of work-in-progress from the past week. It’s a watercolor wash. The final results will be much more muted and translated into a textile, though I love these florescent extremes. I could see this as a velour burnout, as cotton bedding or even applied to an accent wall.

June 13, 2012 | By: Shayna Kulik