New York: Fossilized Art

We admired Greg Hopkins’ work a few summers ago, when the artist created intricate pieces that resembled layers of peeling wallpaper. His new collection of work maintains his obsession with color, process and pattern with an evolved look. Through a series of layered stencils that he’s painted, peeled, and painted over again, Hopkin’s reinvented his creative wheel. He compares this distinctive process to fossil creation, “It reminds me of the way fossils aren’t old bones from dead animals, but stone that has replaced the bone as minerals migrate through layers of sediment. My paintings begin as temporary ink drawings that are, layer by layer, replaced by a permanent material as the final image is revealed.”

The lines and patterns in this collection of work are influenced by the likes of Navajo rugs, Amish quilts, video games, wallpaper, comic books and illuminated manuscripts. While clearly work intensive and thoroughly composed, his work retains preserved drips of paint to reflect an element of decay, entropy and time.

Sloan Fine Art
128 Rivington Street
New York, NY 10002

February 9, 2011 | By: Shayna Kulik

Trend: Tribal Textures

What can we say about tribal that hasn’t been said before? Not much, and to be honest, that’s the beauty of today’s post. Tribal patterns transcend time and reemerge every season on new cuts, fabrics and applications. This category has become a reliable staple in home, fashion, web and graphic design. Keeping within a monotone palette, these plates from the recent gift show don’t overwhelm the eye with their textures and are easily translatable onto pillows or bedding.

Showing similar styles, Ken Carbone, a branding and identity expert recently shared his personal pistachio project with Canon. “For a couple of years I’ve been recycling the shells to create hundreds of tiny primitive looking paintings. The combination of the raw, wood-like shell and burnt umber paint results in an oddly tribal effect. I enjoy the ‘variations on a theme’ drill. It’s good for the mental muscles and is similar to the process I might use when designing a logo.”

For those of you headed to Austin next month, consider stopping by Uncommon Objects on S. Congress Ave. A personal favorite, the entire story is like a living breathing mood board. Inspiration lies in every corner and it’ll be a welcome retreat from the daily grind.

February 8, 2011 | By: Shayna Kulik

Budget Buy: Patterned Tights

We’re finally catching up to our Parisian counterparts (at least by way of Berlin)! These fabulously textured tights are on sale at Creatures of Comfort for$65 & $72. Part of Annitian line, these patterns will jazz of up your legs, bringing a bit of joy to these endless winter months.

February 4, 2011 | By: Shayna Kulik

Book Review: Pattern Magic

If you’re interested in fashion design, at some point you’ve probably pulled apart clothing from a fancy department store trying to figure out how it was made. Once you start to understand the fascinating process of pattern making, all the separate pieces required to create a garment start to make sense.

You can look at a piece of clothing and mentally visualize how it was created. Sometimes, though, even the best pattern makers are stumped by fantastical avant-garde manipulations. This is where Pattern Magic can give you a hand. Created by Tomoko Nakamichi, a professor at Japan’s Bunka Fashion College, the book has gained a cult following with its detailed instructions on how to create extremely intimidating designs.

Whether you’re interested in the technical processes or simply getting a glimpse at the “magic” behind some mind-bending designs, this book is sure to be a treasured piece for any fashion devotee, especially now that its being produced in English.

February 2, 2011 | By: Shayna Kulik

Repetition Elsewhere: Mixed Media Graffiti

As many of you know, we’re art lovers here at Pattern Pulp- from the unexpected street marking to the most extensive gallery exhibition, everything inspires us. In an ongoing effort to stay abreast of everything at once (a daunting task!) we’re continually reading, interviewing and trekking. One curated source that never fails to inspire is The Jealous Curator, who I had the pleasure of meeting this past week at the Alt Summit Conference in Salt Lake City, UT. Danielle’s eye for fresh + witty innovation is impalpable and her piece on Ludovica Gioscia is a significant part of today’s feature.

Pattern-blocked mixed media is continually being reinvented and Gioscia’s take is a storyteller’s dream. The torn shapes and unraveled wallpaper parallel wall art from the streets of Darlinghurst in New South Wales, a piece I snapped while on my travels in Australia last month. Each layout applies color, line and vibrant patterns to keep the eye bouncing round the space.

January 26, 2011 | By: Shayna Kulik

Artist Profile: deJoode Design

Vector contrasts have played a significant role in fashion photography over past year, aligning soft textures with sharp boundaries. Interestingly, deJoode Design, a commercial sart of the fine art studio of Rachel de Joode, encompasses this with a freshness that pushes the style forward. Combining people, objects and performance, she achieves otherworldly realities with momentary still lifes. Check out her portfolio to have your mind blown.

January 6, 2011 | By: Shayna Kulik