Art in my House- Featuring: Hallmarket Friends! (Part 2)

Hi-ya Pals!

Hallmarket is this weekend! I'm pretty excited to get me some sweet art :) My little Nuggies are all pretty much done, and now I'm just making the tags, and putting together a few other items to sell. I will report back with some pics next week!

But for this week, I want to show you the second half of my home Hallmarket collection! Won't you join me...



In the bathroom?? Yes, I believe art belongs in every room of the house-- and as a matter of fact, this is one of my favorite little vignettes. I love my little roller skating monster guy by Colin Walsh hanging out next to the TP and the mag rack (which I found dumpster diving).

 



He makes me quite happy whenever I see him.

 



Now this cute little postcard was created by Colin's wife, Sarah! I love Big Bad Wolf imagery, and I just think it was such a good Idea for Little Red to carry mace with her on her trip to Granny's.

 



I hung this piece next to my bookcase, with the hugging dino and penguin drawing that my genius friend Michael made, and the sheet of mint condition Treasure Troll stickers from '92 that my pal Vanessa thrifted for me!

Sarah and Colin have an Etsy Shop you can check out, and here's a link to Sarah's blog: Unicorn Poo

Alright, y'all- see you on the other side of Hallmarket!

Art in My House- Featuring: Hallmarket friends! (part 1)

Hi friends!

Well, I'm breaking tradition with the title up there... but that old format was boxing me in too much! I need to be free to title my blog posts however I want!!

Anyway, since the Hallmarket Art Fair is coming up next week, I wanted to write a couple of Hallmarket-themed posts here for you. Personally, I have only experienced one year of Hallmarket, but I came home with lots of great treasures last year and thought I would show them off!

This lovely little zombie-toast mosaic was made by Donna! It is hanging over my kitchen sink, and fits right in with my toast and tiki kitchen decor.

I'm pretty sure I got the little cookie cutter weenie from a rummage sale, and that little bird has been around for quite a while. I found him in Mexico as a teenager.

Donna will be selling more mosaics this year, and you can check out her flickr site for more pics, here!

This yarn-haired girl is hanging in my studio/library, and was made by Flora!

I found that little Figgjo Lotte Plaque, designed by Turi Oliver, at an antique shop here in Kansas City, and I made the block print of the cat last year.

Flora will be selling all kinds of cute prints, brooches, rings, and more this year- check out her blog to see more of her stuff, here!



See the little waving sasquatch there? No? Ok, hang on...

There he is! This little teeny guy was made by Mimi! He's hanging in this little nook in my studio/library, and he makes me happy whenever I see him waving at me :^)

He's nestled between a picture of me and my pals Sophie, Anne, and Kari, and that cute old Bambi puzzle from the 60's that I found at a thrift shop in Milwaukee.

Mimi will be selling more tini-mimis this year, and I wish I could point you to a blog with more of her work, but I got nuthin' for ya!

Stay tuned next week for more Hallmarket goodies!



The poster was designed by Maura! Look at her stuff here!

Allyson Likes: Night of the Exquisite Corpse

Hey Y'all!



So I was in the Twin Cities last weekend for a grand little wedding, and while I was there I got to visit my favorite Minneapolis gallery- the Light Grey Art Lab! Yahoo! They are very new, but they totally rock like they've been running this place for years. Friendly folks, awesome exhibits, cool workshops, and just a really fun vibe are just a few of the things that makes the Light Grey Art Lab one of my favs. I only wish it were closer to me, so I could be more involved in classes, and see more shows... le sigh...

Anyway, "The Night of the Exquisite Corpse" is what they are currently displaying. 52 artists were given a paper toy template to design from, and I gotta say, every single one of the finished toys are AWESOME!  The show looks really great as a whole body of work, and you could spend a ton of time just looking at each individual piece.

My buddy Allie Rotenberg  contributed this piece of solid gold:



They were all great, but here are a few of my favorites...



"The Siren" by Emma Trihart



"Little Smith" by Matt Hawkins



"Ash" by Lindsay Nohl

... now all you little kiddies hide your eyes for this one...

 



"Guts" by Kris Mukai

Check out the rest here, at the Light Grey Art Lab website.  You can even order prints if you likey for just 25 bucks, and if you're in the area- GO SEE THEM IN PERSON!! It's worth it! Enjoy!

Allyson Likes: Cain's Arcade

Hello friends!

Well, I'm sure many of you have already seen this little video- it's been out for quite a while (by internet standards), but I wanted to post it up here, BECAUSE I LOVE IT SO MUCH! I think it's great to see such a pro-creativity and pro-kindness story become this popular. If you haven't seen it already, take a look!

[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/40000072 w=400&h=225]

Caine's Arcade from Nirvan Mullick on Vimeo.

There are so many things I love about this story. Most of all, I love the example of a kid finding something he's excited about and going for it. On top of that, I love seeing adults encouraging, and allowing him to explore and be creative as he pursues what he's passionate about. It's so much fun to see!!! It makes me feel very happy!! I hope I can be that person for the kids in my life- and I hope this video will inspire other adults to feel that way too.

So, what do you like about this story? What did it make you think? Tell us in the comments! I know there are not a ton of people following this blog, but I'd love to get a little discussion going!

Allyson likes: House Industries

Hi friends!

Last week I went to a presentation given by Ken Barber, a type designer at House Industries. They make all sorts of awesome fonts and lettering (among other things). The presentation was totally exciting to me. I'll admit, I knew next to nothing about them before I heard Ken Talk, but I am now a raging fan. (Ok, maybe not 'raging' per se... just inspired- an inspired fan)



The designers at House, pull much of their inspiration from great design heros who came before them (like Alexander Girard, Ed Benguiat, and Ed Roth), and American cultural scenes (movies, hot rods, comics, hard-core music...). But I think the biggest factor in their success in being a straight-up gangbusters design group, was stated by Ken near the beginning of the presentation: "We just really love to make things" and as I listened to all his stories, that did seem to be the common thread.



When he spoke about their venture into the apparel industry, he mentioned that it was really just an excuse to design all kinds of stuff they don't normally do, or had never done before (embroidery, shoes, branding, advertising, and store design). "We love to overproduce everything" --and it's totally evident! All of their design work is just so juicy and oogally, and makes you want to just look and look and look.



Ken noted Ed Roth (among many others) as one of their design heroes, who's drive to "get things done" was a quality that they really admired about him. Ed wanted to make sweet hot rods, so he used whatever was within his reach to figure out how to build them. In the "Not So FAQ" section on the House website, they state, "...pens, brushes and pencils no more make an artist than an expensive computer or modern piece of software. The magic is in the execution, not the tool." Well put guys! I think that same Ed Roth ingenuity exists at House Industries, for sure.





Most of the designers at House, Ken mentioned, have no formal design training. They just design out of their love of designing, make out of their love of making. I think that love of designing and making is totally apparent in the fun and funky details in their "overproduced" work. That (almost obsessive) love, of whatever you're into, will go a long way in your work if you just do it (or make it, or sing it, or write it, etc....)  <------ moral of the story.

And that's why I like House Industries.

Seriously, they rule!



Go check out their website and look at all the delicious fruits of their labors (so much more than I have mentioned in this little blog post). I don't think you'll be disappointed!



(all of the lovely pictures come from the House Industries Blog)