Image: Bride and Bloom Fall 2008 issue
Bride and Bloom magazine contacted us a while back for a special project. This is the result.
This invitation suite is based on the concept of recipes. Beloved family recipes, passed on from generation to generation is a metaphor for sharing and enjoying. Recipes conjure images of sharing good food, good company, good conversation, good times ... much like a wedding... yes?
image source here.A few weeks ago, a friend from Indonesia (where I was born) introduced me to the current managing partner of Irwan Tirta Batik. Mr Tirta is one of the most revered batik designers in the world and often credited with introducing batik to the rest of the world. In short, he is a national treasure in our country.
Batik art is considered one of the "royal arts" in Indonesia, along with shadow plays of wayang purwa, the Javanese percussion orchestra of gamelan, poetry and other arts. Most of us know that the creation of batik involves drawing beautiful designs on cloth using wax. This is followed by the dyeing process where areas uncovered by the wax are colored. This is a tedious and painstaking process that takes months to complete.What many don't know is, beyond the enchanting aesthetics of batik art, its philosophy is rooted in spiritual discipline of control, etiquette and harmony.In creating batik art, breathing and total concentration (elements of meditation) are essential. Controlled breathing and a clear mind is a prerequisite to drawing fine, even lines with canting (wax).
Image source: here. Batik created for the Prime Minister of New Zealand, a pattern incorporating ferns and lilies was created according to the traditional lozenge geometric composition.
Mr. Tirta's work goes beyond textiles; his motifs have been realized in silverware, ceramics, fashion and other forms.
Image: the new orleans 100
Take a look at all the good that's happened in New Orleans since Katrina.
From all day buffet:
"The New Orleans 100" is a worldwide initiative that will highlight and encourage discussion among millions about 100 of the most innovative and world-changing ideas to take root in the city since Katrina."
Recently, we were tipped off that our work might have been featured in the current issue of Brides Washington D.C. and Chicago. Maria of Ritzy Bee, being from the D.C. area, was kind enough to confirm it and even picked up a copy of the magazine to send to us. What a sweetheart!
Photos: chewing the cud
As it turns out, not one but two of our pieces were featured in the article about innovative save-the-dates. These bookmark-the-date pieces received some blog love from Abby of Style Me Pretty recently. Thank you ladies!!
On a separate note, Abby just had a little girl. Congratulations mama + bebe!
Images from the Virtual Shoe Museum
When I first saw Michel Tcherevkoff's work, my jaw dropped. With no formal training, this Paris-born law school graduate became hooked on photography after visiting his sister, a model in New York. His images of technicolor palette with avant-garde design are just amazing. Chic, technical and artistic all at the same time. Check out his Shoe Fleur series. A shoe fantasy indeed!
Door plate. Edition Schellmann. Munich, Germany. April 2006. Source here.I chanced upon Santiago Sierra's work a while back and his pieces intrigued me to learn more about this artist. Sierra is a Spanish artist whose work reflects his views on capitalism, labor, and exploitation.
You can listen to a mexican citizen reciting the text from the door plate (above) here.
image from weekend stroll
I was literally taking a weekend stroll with my dear friend, Jo, when it occurred to me that one of the reasons I've been such an inconsistent blogger was that my brilliant idea of "A Word a Week" has been a mind block for me. Instead of focusing on a word and blogging about it, as was my origin intent, I keep thinking of subjects I want to blog about, and then make up a word that fits the context. Sorta like thinking backwards, no? So I decided from now on to simply blog about what inspires and excites me
That said, the work of Rica Takada under the title of "Weekend Stroll" seems like an appropriate one to introduce this new blogging chapter. I love the playful yet sophisticated drawings of this Japanese illustrator. His work are mostly little snippets of daily life captured in the most charming manner. According to him, the name "Weekend Stroll" is a call to explore; draw your own illustrations, like walks on a weekend.
