by Alexis on February 26, 2013
Did you happen to catch the chalk mural that provided the backdrop for the dinner party in the ”Group Participation” story in Issue No. 10? It was created by a friend of the hosts, Dana Tanamachi. Dana is a graphic designer who launched her own design and lettering boutique. Her chalk murals have been widely featured, and for good reason.
While I was browsing Dana’s portfolio, I was especially impressed with the series of time lapse videos she’s captured of her work taking shape. I would have thought Dana put the completed work up in one step, but she actually starts with a chalk sketch that she erases and refines until the mural is perfected. It’s fascinating to watch!
{Images via Dana Tanamachi}
by Alexis on February 21, 2013
One of the many things I love so much about the Bay Area is the abundance of terrific food. Be it at grocery stores and farmers’ markets, or from food trucks to Michelin-starred dining rooms, we know we’re lucky to have such a wealth of options. When I saw painter Kelly Waters was celebrating the Bay Area food scene in an upcoming show, my curiosity got the better of me, and I asked her if we could share a preview here.
Kelly, who obviously also has a love affair with San Francisco food, wanted to get out from behind her computer more and decided the project to get her going would be to paint Bloody Mary’s from many of her favorite spots around the city. The range of subjects grew from there, and now the collection includes fresh ingredients and iconic dishes from her favorite spots. The resulting watercolors are beautiful and delicious! Kelly’s put together a show which opens tonight (6-9pm) at Pot + Pantry, and will run through March 21st.
{All images from Kelly Waters}
by Alexis on February 19, 2013
When we were looking for an illustrator for “Making the Magazine” and “Screen Play” in Issue No. 10, it didn’t take us long to decide to work with Andrea Kalfas. Pulling together stills to illustrate for the films in “Screen Play,” I always try to imagine how the final piece of art will turn out. Andrea’s portfolio is full of quirky and playful images, and we thought she’d capture the feel we wanted perfectly. When the piece was done, I loved seeing how she interpreted each film and brought them together into a cohesive collage with a simplified color palette. (If you haven’t had a chance to see it yet, check out page 18 of The Americana Issue.) You can also see more of Andrea’s work on her tumblr, Leaping Buffalo.
{Images via Andrea Kalfas}
Based on our posts this week, Alexis, Joanna, and I clearly have tableware on our brains! I recently learned that one of my favorite local ceramicists, Lisa Neimeth, has new pieces available through Anthropologie. Since we’re already thinking ahead to spring—the Anthology staff is hard at work on the spring issue!—I’m especially drawn to her latest designs, with their organic shapes and nature-inspired motifs.
We included Lisa’s San Francisco home in Issue No. 8/Summer 2012, and a standout feature of her place is her studio: It’s a converted chicken coop in her backyard. How awesome is that? In case you missed the story on her, below are a couple of outtakes from that shoot (taken by Caren Alpert)—just to give you an idea of why we’re so envious of her workspace!
P.S. Issue No. 8 is still available through some of our stockists who carry back issues of Anthology—including The Curiosity Shoppe in San Francisco and Clementine in Vermont.
This weekend we’ve got a shoot planned up for an upcoming issue and I’ve been busy hunting for props. I’ve been looking for a variety of vintage white containers and tableware, which led me to the beautiful work of Caroline Swift.
Caroline, a student of textiles and a knitwear designer, started her ceramics line out of a necessity; she couldn’t find plates for a book project she was working on. Her underlying design philsophy, which she applies to both textiles and ceramics is “to create products that are pure and natural with beauty and integrity.” She chose bone china for its beauty and strength, and wanted to leave it unglazed to highlight the character of the material. Through a tedious process of hand-sanding the delicate, unfired pieces, Caroline was able to achieve almost unbelievable thinness. Once fired, the pieces become durable and surprisingly strong.
{Images via Caroline Swift}
