design for a living world at the chicago field museum

on our way to chicago

before we headed to the airport for our flight to england

we stopped at the chicago field museum

to see the exhibit

design for a living world

different artists and designers

exhibited pieces composed of natural

and renewable resources

that were mostly local to the artist

the entire exhibit was great

but the real reason we went

was because 

christien mienderstma's

giant cable knit wool rug

was there!

 (see previous post here)

each section is made from the organic wool of one individual sheep

that lives at lava lake ranch in idaho

christein is from the netherlands

but she travels to the farm in idaho to meet with the famers

and the sheep

i was so psyched about seeing this in person

it is truly inspiring

i was so excited that i forgot to take pictures of anything else

she also had a display of different papers made from the fibers

of native plants that grow in the chicago area

it was also beautiful

as were the pieces from the other artists

who also deserve mention

but apparently not pictures...

who inspires me...

tonight i sat and watched videos

of warren mackenzie

throwing on a wheel

i tend to question

every decisions

i've ever made

my mind is always running

when i am throwing

on the wheel

i am challenged to let go

of my thoughts

and to just let the clay

move between my fingers

i am choosing to live in a way

that doesn't come easily

for me

because it's a direction

in which

i've always wanted

to go

to share with you a piece

of what i strive to do,

here is a video of

warren mackenzie

master potter

and someone who

inspires me

inspirations...

marion bolognesi

new york artist

watercolors

so much expression

such accuracy

gabriel moreno

illustrator, engraver and painter

madrid

art in a commercial venue

...beautiful...

inspirations...

xia xiaowan

from Beijing

3-dimensional art

on multiple layers of glass

they are just wild

i cant imagine creating this

it's amazing

you can see the classical influence of da Vinci

the musculature

close detail to anatomy

visceral

you can almost hear them screaming

"human being humanity"

-Xia Xiaowan

read the article here on dont panic online magazine

a fenced in area in the adirondacks...

welcome...

...to a fenced in area in the adirondacks...

...i came home from class yesterday,

and my wonderful husband

had made this diorama.

he made the play dough,

used an old wooden wine box,

and found the moss,

evergreens and the fencing!

anyone who loves 30 rock will remember,

it's a safe place

for that special time...

i love it.

it is one of the most thoughtful things

and it just makes me smile.

inspirations...

frank helmut auerbach

[sources unknown]

[james jean liber novus]

[ytba au scarves]

[oat shoes biodegradable footwear via cool hunting]

[makr]

the world will admire me.

perhaps i will be despised and misunderstood,

but i'll be a great genius,

i am certain of that.

-salvador dali

inspirations...

i picked up an issue of

american craft

magazine today and found some new

inspirations to share

kay sekimachi

fiber & paper art

3 dimensional woven forms

kiff slemmons

studied near and dear to me

french & art

in iowa city

see more here

&

more info here

christien meindertsma

today i found myself trying to explain the brilliance that represents one amazing woman. it's as hard as pronouncing her name correctly. so here is my attempt to share something beautiful with you and a few of my favorites...



this is amazing

christien meindertsma is a dutch multi-media artist and designer. she has exhibitions all over the world and has won many awards in graphic design including best living product and sustainable product from sonoma woon. her work includes a book mapping the journey of a pig after its death. it's very interesting to see how many strange and unexpected applications the by-products of a slaughtered pig can be traced to. i love that she is interested in sustainability and the environment. this video explains the book and what it entails. it's a bit long, over ten minutes but well worth it if you are interested in where our products come from and what they are made of.

TEDxAmsterdam: Christien Meindertsma from TEDxAmsterdam on Vimeo.

i also admire her for her knitting. she takes the wool from an individual sheep and turns it into a one sheep sweater.

she knits these rugs that aren't like your usual rugs...





giant yarn + giant needles = gigantic cable knit rugs.





i want one of these floor poofs for my home...maybe some day...

this is a sustainable sheep ranch in idaho where the yarn for the one sheep sweaters and the giant rugs comes from. lava lake ranch is concerned with land conservation and habitat restoration. sounds fantastic.

designs for a living world is a project by the nature conservancy. christien meindertsma's created a patch-work rug where each section is made of an individual sheep's wool. thus creating a "flock" rug.

chris gregory

kinda strange....but awesome no?

Chris Gregory is a graphic designer and illustrator who does a number of things, one of which is illustrate for daytrotter (music blog out of Rock Island, IL.) On a quest for more information and illustrations by this silly man, I found some really neat stuff. His art ranges from websites, music posters, clay, wedding invites and album art. My favorite would be his art directed at children. (I have a soft spot for kids.)

His blog is worth giving a read. I have found a random assortment of brilliance. My hyperlink is not working so please go to this site cgregori.com/blog if you are interested.

Here is a taste of what appealed to my inner rat....