Fancy (top right) among the stars at Bar Centrale in New York
Fancy’s at SURTEX too! Come see Fancy and her brother and sister in booth 340!
Category Archives: Inspiration
Pattern Pico de Orizaba
I was almost ready to give up on figuring out a way to keep the Pico de Orizaba, a volcano in Mexico, in some new floral pattern designs without it looking too out of place… Took a break and went and sat in the Bell Jar café and spotted the volcanoes in the mural across the street.
Took some pictures:
BOOM! I like the pyramid-like steps up to the mouth of the volcano! I have always admired this mural, it’s titled “The Winds are Changing” and is by artist Andrew Schoultz.
What a difference a coffee-break can make!
After photographing the mural I went right back to my Pico de Orizaba patterns and decided to drop all the flowers and focus on the volcano itself. What eventually came out was a total surprise for me – I am very happy with these drawings.
Here’s a sneak preview. See the entire collection at SURTEX:
The patterns contain other emblems of Mexico like Day of The Dead skulls
The pyramids of Mexico
There are cacti on the Mexican flag
SURTEX runs Sunday the 19th through Tuesday, 9am to 6pm at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City. My agency, i2i art, is in booth 340!
You can see more of Andrew’s work here.
On the Surface of Things
Simple and nicely framed decoration under the rail lines that cross Bloor St. near Lansdowne
The mural designed and painted by Richard Mongiat in 2008 and 2009
The concrete surface appears to show through the mural mimicking the appearance of waterslide decals. The limited colour and graphic line work make these very easy to look at as you ride by on your bike. They further adapt to their environment over time.
I’ve walked past this many times over the last few years. I feel inspired every time, and finally on a rainy day I took the time to photograph some of the details. It’s one of my favourite pieces of public art in Toronto.
Closeup: Mongiat’s mural improves with time as it weathers
This mural inspired me to create some patterns based on the forest floor fauna found in the woods of Northwestern Ontario where I grew up. Here are some previews of my new Boreal collection:
Blue Bead Lily and Bunch Berry floral pattern detail
Fern detail
Pine cone pattern detail
I’ll be showing the entire collection at SURTEX, in booth 340!
Handwriting Analysis: A Collection
A country veterinarian’s journal
A sad tale
The journal of Douglas Young, 1898–99
Thomas Field’s scrapbook, Galt, Ontario
Found in a Calgary bookshop. Sprinkled with four-leaf clovers
The handwriting: H.R.H. Prince Arthur
Money Spent in 1931, by H. Wilbur Schwartz of Wayne County, New York
Pants + spenders + socks for $3.68! A bushed of turnips for 10 cents!
I picked up this book, attracted by the handwriting throughout in the margins:
The Hall of Hellingsley Volume III, by Sir Samuel Egerton Brydges, published in 1821
“This book is a mere parcel of balderdash”
Love Letters: Lawrence and Louise
Dearest Louise
Dearest Lawrence
Dearest Louise
Dearest Lawrence
Inspiration
Took some snapshots on the way home from THE DESIGN OF EVERYDAY LIFE at “the 8 fest” …
Seems appropriate that I spotted them. The film screening focused on home movies depicting fashions, interiors and household objects from the 1930’s to the 70’s. Great program!
I’m always drawn to hand-written signs.
Patterns are all I think about these days, getting ready for SURTEX 2013, May 19-21 in New York. Look for me in booth 340! These photos will keep me inspired!
Patterns & Process: SURTEX 2013!!!
It’s official. I am excited to announce that my agency i2i art will be at booth 340-342 at SURTEX: The surface design show in New York, May 19-21st 2013. Come visit!!!
Fellow i2i artist Alanna Cavanagh and I meet frequently to inspire and push each other and over the last year pattern design has become a regular part of my week. More on those meetings later, but for now I’d like to share my simple three-step process for pattern making:
1. Inspiration
2. Scribbling in my sketchbook
3. Designing the final pattern
Here’s an example:
1. Recently I came across my friend Benjamin Nemerofsky Ramsay’s series of photographs of flowers:
Mimosa on Lausitzerplatz
2. I like the variety of vases he’s found for his Berlin flat’s windowsill. I googled “vintage glass milk vase” and found additional images for reference while scribbling in my sketchbook:
This is always my first step, scribbling on paper
3. The results:
One of the final designs
One pattern leads to the next:
Something very different can come from a single element of the original design
Thanks for the inspiration, Benny!
