Building a Collection: Papernstitch



I don’t know what you talked about during Thanksgiving dinner.  But once we had exhausted family news and neighborhood gossip, the conversation turned to Etsy.  Yes, much to the chagrin and confusion of the fellas present, we discussed Etsy.  More to the point: we discussed how to find decent stuff on Etsy.

Etsy has grown into the largest marketplace for crafty things.  A behemoth, really.  Not unlike Ebay or Mall of America in scope and variety.  And since Etsy embraces thousands of vendors, literally, all describing their own creations, it can be extremely difficult to navigate.  For example, yesterday, a search for “Christmas pug” unearthed 802 items.  “Butterfly mobile” brought up 1,194 examples.  And “photographs of Paris” discovered an overwhelming 3,933 options for sale.

Happiness is Homemade by Alyssa Nassner

Plus, the idea of homemade or handmade is really diverse.  And expectations of quality are highly personal.  The beauty or cleverness of an object may be easy to spot at your farmer’s market, but it’s a little trickier to judge via your computer monitor or smart phone.  So what to do?  If you already have a favorite artist on Etsy, you could constantly check out what he or she loves.  Just follow the hearts.

But most of us involved in the Thanksgiving discussion trust blogs – blogs of friends, designers, reviewers, and even Etsy’s own blog – to sift through the huge selection and find what we actually want and like.

Papernstitch is a blog I trust.

Papernstitch is both an online exhibition space for artists and makers of handmade goods, many culled from the best of Etsy, and a blog about design and DIY craft.  Founder Brittni Mehlhoff takes curating the site seriously.  Exhibitions change at least monthly.  Jeff, her partner in life and work, keeps the dual endeavors running smoothly, both technically and visually.  Papernstitch regularly receives accolades from media, such as, Country Living, The Huffington Post and other well-known blogs like Apartment Therapy.

Papernstitch has featured my sister’s prints and photographs by Irene Suchocki.  Plus it’s introduced me to the following artists:

Sally Harless;

Stacie Bloomfield;
Lisa Zador;
Alyssa Nassner;
Derek Sullivan;
and Melissa Lund.

Sally Harless, also known as Sadly Harmless, is based in Bloomington, Indiana, and attends major craft fairs throughout the Midwest.  On Papernstitch and Etsy, she offers prints of her original drawings and watercolors, plus these clever shadow boxes.

Snow Drifter by Sally Harless

I like the somewhat Eeyore-feel to her images.  Life is an adventure… a little tragic and humorous and perpetually in motion, whether we recognize it or not!

Sally Harless' A Crawling Garden

and In My Own Way

Stacie Bloomfield, aka Gingiber, grew up in the Midwest and currently lives in Arkansas with her young family.  She has always been obsessed with animals, and her illustrations manage to capture the individual and the archetype in a minimal but charming style.  Pattern plays a big part.  Gemma Giraffe looks like Kente cloth.

Gemma Giraffe by Stacie Bloomfield

The stripes on Leo Lion mimic handprinted Adrinka cotton.

Leo Lion, also by Stacie Bloomfield

In addition to prints, Stacie sells greeting cards, wall decals and pillows based on her original illustrations.

and her Black Sheep pillow

Lisa Zador is one of the most established artists featured on Papernstitch.  An animal lover and avid collector of retro kitsch, Lisa has been designing textiles and packaging for over twenty years now.  But she may be best known for her Curious Portraits: exquisite paintings and surprisingly poignant portrayals of antique toys;

Steiff Kitten by Lisa Zador

vintage knick knacks;

Salt and Pepper Still Life by Lisa Zador

and rather dapper fauna.

and her Goose Gentleman

Once again, Lisa offers affordable reproductions of her paintings through Etsy and Papernstitch and sells her original pieces, including custom pet portraits, through more traditional venues.

There is no doubt that Etsy empowers crafters around the world and provides artists with a genuinely huge audience – much larger than any single gallery, craft show or wholesale market could supply.  And despite its clunkiness, it broadens our “local” shopping experience by introducing us to new work and helping us connect to craftspeople we hope to support.

Alyssa Nassner is an illustrator who successfully uses Etsy as a storefront and marketing tool.  Alyssa spends her regular workday in design and also freelances as Small Talk Studio.  You may recognize her drawings from Real Simple and Gemma Correll’s blog: What I Wore Today.

Alyssa’s prints, often developed from these extra projects, exude a can-do attitude and pretty nostalgia.

Fortune Favors the Brave by Alyssa Nassner

Let Yourself Be Free by Alyssa Nassner

Even her Mushroom Identification Chart is bright and cheerful compared to the old-fashioned lithographs that inspired it.

Etsy shines as the realm of women, especially young women, in tune to nature, fantasy, wit and the joy of crafting lovely, slightly ephemeral things.  And fellas like Derek Sullivan are significantly outnumbered.  Based in Seattle, Derek is another professional designer who utilizes Etsy as a creative outlet.  I absolutely love his alphabet flashcard prints, which seem influenced by pulp fiction covers and product advertisements from the 40s and 50s.

F is for Film Noir,

U is for Upside Down

and N is for Narwhal... all by Derek Sullivan

Cuteness-overload is an ailment that strikes me from time to time when searching through Etsy.  I become immune to the pleasures of felt and pale pink and almost miss something great like Melissa Lund’s photographs.

Taffy Six by Melissa Lund

Melissa’s whimsical little scenes are beautiful and beautifully crafted.  Sugary treats for the eyes.  But more than that, they draw us in.  The encourage us to look closer.  To pay attention.  And I think that’s what we should expect from art, whether it costs $25 or $25,000.

Pins by Melissa Lund

Cupcake Love by Melissa Lund

I don’t think I’m overstating things when I say these six artists remind us that life is a noble quest…

Sally Harless' Sail Close to the Wind

colorful…

Stacie Bloomfield's Confetti Cat

meant to be cherished…

Lisa Zador's Steiff Bunny Sleeping

full of possibility…

Alyssa Nassner's Be in Love

wicked fun…

Derek Sullivan's Y is for Yeti

and transient.

Melissa Lund's Berry Baskets

So, this holiday season, I hope you will shop Etsy for some of your gift purchases.  And employ Papernstitch as your handy filter and guide.

Building Your Collection: Thumbtack Press

Thumbtack Press is an online community of illustrators and artists.  Based out of Chicago, Thumbtack’s organizers seek out creativity from, literally, all over of the world, and I appreciate that the artists they represent tend to be more experimental than those exhibiting at my hometown galleries.  The scope and diversity of Thumbtack’s collection makes them feel like a gallery, marketplace and art festival all rolled into one.

Like 20x200, Thumbtack Press keeps art affordable by offering giclee prints on archival paper or stretched canvas.  You can customize the size of your print, to a certain extent, and ask Thumbtack to frame it in-house.  Most prints are open edition, but it’s my understanding that they are produced at the time of each order.  Sometimes, an artist will collaborate with Thumbtack on signed, limited edition work, usually between 25 and 100 prints per piece.

Thumbtack’s goal is to support up-and-coming artists and to make art collecting a reality for “the rest of us”.  Artist profiles usually provide biographical information, creative statements and links to artist websites.  Over the years, Thumbtack has introduced me to several artists and motivated me to track their work on Thumbtack and other virtual shops, watch for new illustrations in magazines and books and seek out exhibitions of their art in “real-life”.  Thumbtack actually serves as a gallery and launch pad.

My Thumbtack favorites include Gianluca Foli, Kate Pugsley, Liza Ferneyhough and Marcela Cardenas.  In some ways, these artists have a lot in common.  They continually test new media and bring an element of assemblage or collage to even their smallest pieces.  And yet their work is distinctive and, I believe, highly personal.

Born and bred in Rome, Gianluca Foli is perhaps best known for his drawings and graphics for clients Alfa Romeo, Fendi and Mondadori, but he has also illustrated children’s books like The Bear with the Sword and Il Leone Mangiadisegni.  Gianluca’s ink and watercolor creations are at once delicate and humorous and are obviously influenced by Asian brush painting and calligraphy.

Gianluca Foli's charming Soya and Tofu

Me, Sushiii original watercolor is available as a print from Thumbtack Press.

Gianluca is available for freelance work.  So keep an eye out for his art in your monthly magazines and consider hiring him for your personal project or publication.

Kate Pugsley grew up in Ohio, trained at RISD and now lives in Chicago.  Her prints and paintings capture a familiar everydayness that is just a bit askew.  The relative physical and emotional flatness of each of these scenes is alleviated by pattern, either painted or drawn or applied with paper.  The outcome is quite unique with each image expressing a mood, a feeling… something very close to peace and pensiveness.  I can only liken it to viewing a vintage photograph where you recognize both the subject and his thoughts.

Poppy, Kate Pugsley's original oil painting.

Little gocco print entitled Snorkeler

Kate’s original oil or gouache paintings are incredibly affordable.  But she also creates tiny silkscreen and gocco prints you can own for next to nothing!  And you can commission her to paint a portrait of your beloved pet.

Liza Ferneyhough currently lives in San Francisco but spent her younger days in Asia, England and… maybe not what you were expecting… Texas.  Liza is an illustrator and works in a variety of media: ink, watercolor, pencil, screenprint and acrylic.  I especially enjoy her paintings on tea-stained paper.

This original painting on tea-stained paper celebrates the flora, fauna and food of Malaysia.
It is available in print form at Thumbtack Press.

Gerber Daisy Trike postcards were developed from one of Liza's paintings.

Liza really has a thing for insects and moths, birds and the night sky, and bicycles and flowers.  And her work is fanciful and fun.  Liza also designs custom stationery, logos and signage.

Marcela Cardenas’ creations are absolutely exquisite.  Based in Medellin, Colombia, she takes inspiration from nature in every form, even when it has been reduced to household ephemera.   It is amazing how Marcela juxtaposes the traditional with the trivial and explores our perpetual, if often overlooked, interconnectedness with plants and animals: seemingly antique etchings of elephantine pitchers and teddy bear accessories and, most recently, simple, conventional objects in porcelain… entwined with animal hair.

Marcela’s work is also so very striking because of its fineness and skill, no matter what the medium: pencil and watercolor, oil paint, ceramic or cut and perforated paper.  Her Domestic Landscapes, in sugary palettes of acrylic paint, elevate kitchen tins, collectibles and toys to almost heroic status.  The scenes are both still-lifes and allegorical landscapes, with the figurines and packaging logos populating the story.

Domestic Landscape 2

Domestic Landscape 1

Marcela Cardenas' still-lifes actually remind me of landscapes like
Winslow Homer's Dad's Coming! from the National Gallery of Art.

So check out Thumbtack Press soon.  It might inspire you to start a new collection!

Building Your Collection: Art Star Philly

In addition to 20x200, there are several online galleries I regularly visit on the hunt for interesting artists.

Art Star is a relatively young, brick-and-mortar gallery devoted to craft and innovative art.  They are open every day, but Mondays, in the Northern Liberties (NoLibs) neighborhood of downtown Philadelphia… just north of Center City.  Art Star often collaborates with other institutions, such as the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and their Craft Bazaar, held each spring, has grown into a regional event and influenced similar markets throughout the nation.  Art Star also maintains a great website where you can peruse their curated collections of housewares, jewelry, clothing, stationery, and of course, original art.

I discovered Eleanor Grosch and Julianna Swaney, several years ago, through Art Star.

Eleanor Grosch is an artist and illustrator based in Philadelphia.  She has designed everything from concert posters, exhibition materials and book covers to messenger bags, bed linens and Keds.  You can ask her to develop an identity for your new business or a “save-the-date” invite for your special day.

Eleanor worked with the American Museum of Natural History
to create materials for their current Creatures of Light exhibit.

But Eleanor is perhaps best known for her images of animals and birds.  And her work is often compared with bird illustrations by American modernist Charley Harper.

Eleanor's Owl Birches notecard

I’m a big fan of her series from Aesop’s Fables.  These are hand-pulled silkscreens on heavy-duty rag paper.  And while the images may look rather slick here, they definitely have a hand-crafted feel.  The colors are thick but slightly muted and remind me of traditional textiles like Hawaiian sleeping kapa and quilts.  I especially like the intricate, retro-Regency or -Chinoiserie silhouettes she adds to create depth and a sense of movement, transparency and whimsy.

The Crow and Vase

The Fox and Stork

Are the polka dot patterns in her new Australian prints inspired by Aboriginal bark and rock paintings?

Uluru

Eleanor’s silkscreens are signed and numbered and amazingly affordable.  I own two myself and have given two as gifts.

Eleanor's work in my friend's son's nursery.

You can order Eleanor’s greeting cards and mugs from Art Star or shop for original prints, t-shirts and accessories directly from Eleanor.

Gingko Green notecard

Julianna Swaney now lives in Portland, Oregon.  But she grew up in the woods of the Upper Midwest and her art and illustrations seem drawn, literally, from these memories and her own early imaginings of folk stories and fairy tales.

Night Migrations

Wendigo

Delicate, nostalgic and slightly surreal, Julianna’s pen drawings with watercolor are reminiscent of faded, antique embroidery and pressed flowers.  They are like grown-up versions of the pictures of my childhood, especially Garth Williams’ illustrations for the Little House books, Stuart Little and Charlotte’s Web.


Light in the Woods

Like Eleanor, Julianna does a lot of commission work.  And you can request that she create a logo, sign or specialty announcement for your personal endeavor.  She also reproduces some of her original pieces as giclee prints and postcards.  Original or replicated, her work is reasonably priced to give as presents to others or yourself!

Set of Julianna's "Winter" Postcards

You can purchase Julianna’s card sets, prints and jewelry from Art Star or the same, plus original drawings and wonderfully Victorian brooches, from Julianna’s online shop Oh My Cavalier!

Two Rabbits Necklace from Art Star

Chickadee Brooch with brown, velvet ribbon

Art Star also represents popular artists Kurt Halsey Frederiksen, who usually just goes by Kurt Halsey, Jen Corace and Laura “George” Berger.  If you’re in Philadelphia sometime soon, definitely check out their gallery in person.  But you can visit them electronically any time, any day.

Building Your Collection: 20x200

Chateau

The photograph in Franky and Meridith’s foyer was taken by Jeremy Kohm at the historic Fairmont Chateau Laurier in Ottawa.  Jeremy’s work often includes images of water, including this iridescent Quarry…

and the monolithic Star Princess gliding out to sea.

But we really loved the slightly cropped, serene image of the old, luxurious swimming pool, which Jeremy admitted he snapped on his wedding day, when he probably should have been focused on other things!  We discovered Jeremy and his work through the online gallery 20x200.

Now, I’m a big believer in supporting creative friends and local artists.  But if you are just initiating your art collection or interested in expanding the scope of your collection, 20x200 is a good place to start.

Jen Bekman, who also runs her own gallery on Spring Street in NYC, established 20x200 just five years ago.  I suppose Jen’s idea was three-fold:

to introduce young, lesser-known artists to a global audience;
to make original art, by both established and up-and-coming artists, affordable enough for all collectors;
and to rethink art as something everyone can enjoy every day in their own homes… instead of art as a commodity or possession of the elite.

20x200 “releases” new work each week, usually one photograph and one print.  Prices run from $24 to $5000, with a huge selection for less than $250.  I should explain that 20x200 is able to keep costs low by only offering prints… museum quality, limited-edition, artist supervised and signed prints, with archival inks on cotton rag paper.  But still they are prints, essentially copies or renditions, as opposed to original prints, such as woodblocks and aquatints, directly created and manipulated by the artist.

Beating the Rug by Ann Toebbe
is a wonderful print based on her original oil painting.

Vogue JUL07:pg 145 (Ripeness is All) by Lauren DiCiocco
is mesmerizing.  Lauren normally works in paint and mixed media.

I think of 20x200 as part of the great tradition of lithographs and printed artistic portfolios that for centuries brought exotic locales, maps and masterpieces to “the masses” before travel and live media were commonplace.  Yes, I am one of the masses!  One of the masses who is interested in learning more about the world, and how creative people think and see things, and of course, how they convey humor and beauty.  Aren’t you?

Photography is one of those fields I am trying to better understand, so it’s great that 20x200 devotes so much energy to photographers at every stage of their careers.  (Plus, without 20x200, most fine art photography would be priced well beyond my means.)

We considered using Dorthe Alstrup's otherworldly
Untitled, Swamp #2 in the foyer.

If you are also interested in photography and will be visiting Central Virginia this week, check out LOOK3: Festival of the Photograph.  The Festival includes workshops, lectures and book signings with internationally-known artists and exhibits at Charlottesville galleries and public spaces.

Several photographers from 20x200 and the Jen Bekman Gallery will be shown during the SHOTS and WORKS events, including
Beth Dow, from her In the Garden series;

Trees, Hidcote

Todd Hido;

#4124, from the series House Hunting

Rachel Hulin;

Globe

Paul Octavious;

Kite Hill

and Cristina de Middel, from her Afronauts series.

Hakuna

Festival workshops start this evening and run through Saturday night.  Most artist talks require a paid ticket or pass, but exhibits are free.  SHOTS and WORKS are projected on a huge outdoor screen at the nTelos Wireless Pavilion in downtown Charlottesville, 9 pm until 11 pm on Friday and Saturday nights, respectively.  Admission to SHOTS is free, but for some reason, admission to WORKS is $10 a person.

Under Exposed is an exhibition of underwater photographs by David Doubilet,
hanging from trees along Charlottesville's downtown pedestrian mall.

Don't worry.  Even if you miss the events this weekend, Festival exhibits will be on display through the month of June.