CON AMORE I

I could not possibly be asked to choose between a hardware store and a haberdashery, throw in a pawn shop and I would be rendered paralytic with indecisiveness. The joy of these kind of stores especially the vintage kind is that they often overlap. I can spend hours in a trance surrounded by jars of nails, tacks and many strange shaped small metal things which I have absolutely no idea the purpose of.

Over the next 2 weeks I will be documenting the installation that I am curating for the CON AMORE La Lucia store Haberdashery. This is the sequel to the World Map wall in the entrance to their flagship Kramerville store. Much of the work has already been done and I have been sourcing elements for months, I am going to do a few step-by-step posts similar to the BOARD LOVE series I did in November 2011. Which will be interspersed with some sneak peeks of some of the collectables and a few mood boards as well as my colour palette.

The collecting part has a certain frisson which is amplified when I find a piece that is exactly the perfect colour or exactly the perfect fit for the story that is unwinding in my head. The best part though of all is letting that story tell itself when all the elements direct my hands until they are each in exactly the place they want to be. Stick close I have a whole trunk of treasures that are whispering and jostling each other, waiting, just waiting to be seen.

WONDER FULL

This is the first in my FULL series, of which there will be 4 eventually. Whisper whisper the next one may be a Panda. These are large scale prints which will also be translated onto fabric at a later stage. Wolves are Wonder Full is a follow on from my SCANDI NAUTI NORDIC series but embraces my love of New Geometry and showcases the inking technique that I have been developing through the earlier prints. A poster for the wild in our hearts. They're big.

Limited Edition archival print on Fujirag. An edition of 10.

R900 unframed (excl. postage and packaging) 670 x 450 mm

LITTLE GOLDEN LOVE

This year will be the 70th Anniversary of Little Golden Books. For those of you who are my age, cough cough, you probably had a few growing up. What's so awesome about these little gems is that they have kept many of the early editions as is and have introduced modern stories through the decades. A timeline of the most incredible illustrators! First published by Simon and Schuster in cooperation with the Artists and Writers Guild, Inc - printed by Western Printing. Random House acquired Golden Books in 2001.

FEODOR LOVE

Gaaah I have to be quickish with today's post and so of course I decide to do one that then grows faster than a mountain lion. So I am doing a fast post on an amazing illustrator Feodor Rojankovsky (Rojan), 1891 - 1970, a Russian émigré artist known for his children's illustrations. Which brings me to Little Golden Books which I will do a post on tomorrow and then my favourite which is Mister Dog: The dog who belonged to himself.

"Two great events determined the course of my childhood. I was taken to the zoo and saw the most marvelous creatures on earth: bears, tigers, monkeys and reindeer, and, while my admiration was running high, I was given a set of color crayons. Naturally, I began immediately to depict the animals which captured my imagination. Also when my elder brothers, who were in schools in the capital, came home for vacation, I tried to copy their drawings and to imitate their paintings." Feodor Rojankovsky

BIRTHDAY LOVE

Thank you to all my lovelies for the presents, parcels, skype chats, e-mails, phone calls and thoughts. I had a smashing birthday and as usual have decided to extend it until further notice. One day is just not enough, no sirree!!

NEEDLE CARD COLOUR

I love the colour combo, kittens and slightly offset printing of this vintage needle card. I am working on an installation for the Con Amore La Lucia store, will keep you posted further down the line. So excited when a plan comes together!

SPA LOVE

Going to the OYSTER BOX SPA today for a pre-birthday treat. Hope I stay awake this time, treatments so dreamy I normally pass out. Can't wait to be surrounded by the absolute cocoon of luxe and inhale their elusive signature smell, it's a magical experience. Their banana cake is sublime too.