Japan disaster & public service imagery
“STOP HOARDING!” This infographic speaks loud and clear to the needs of Japanese people affected by the earthquake and tsunami, even if you don’t know their language. It is an instance of image as public service. Scare tactics? By contrast, Tokyo photographer Rikki Kasso accuses American news networks of sensationalizing the crisis, to no one’s … Continue reading
Write in place
California dreamin’ I have the good fortune to be planning my first-ever trip to California, and the misfortune to wait till spring shades into summer to go. It was a tough winter. MID-JANUARY – LATE NIGHT BLACK: From the unsheltered aerie of Queensboro Plaza, P and I retreat down the stairwell to wait for the … Continue reading
Follow the thread: interesting textile links
From dachshunds on parade to the state of California, these novelty handkerchiefs are miniature works of art (Daisy Fairbanks Vintage) Gaze at a Stars and Diamonds silk patchwork quilt—The Charleston Museum’s new tumblr posts a piece from their collection every “Textile Tuesday” Before there was vintage—“Second Lives: The Age-Old Art of Recycling Textiles” shows off … Continue reading
Write in front of you
Mount Battie 1910, 1952, 2010. It’s uncanny. Were P and I the type to send Christmas cards, I would have appropriated this 1952 National Geographic image of a couple who could well be our doppelgangers. We took the same hike up Mount Battie in August and found the view of Camden Harbor unchanged. A greater … Continue reading
Drawing type: Schlafly Beer bottle designs
I shared eye-catching designs from Schlafly Bottleworks’ collection of St. Louis breweriana in my last post. Those were not the only display cases to exert a magnetic pull on me during my visit to the brewpub. Vellum tracings of bottle designs for Schlafly’s current series of Belgian beers demonstrated the creative process behind their packaging … Continue reading
St. Louis breweriana
Never has a restaurant wait been so welcome than during my visit to Schlafly Bottleworks. Leaving P to mind the bossy, flashing hockey puck that would signal our table’s readiness, I snapped pictures of their exhibit on St. Louis brewing history. It was an orgy of vintage type and packaging, by turns clumsy and ornate. … Continue reading
Steal this composition
These days I go to museums not to bathe in vague inspiration but to collect visual ideas and absorb technique. I still enjoy myself, but I notice I am picking out specific parts of a work that interest me, and that I could duplicate in my own images or design work. August, 2009. My feet … Continue reading
Boozy New Year: sexy liquor bottles
Blogging virtue doesn’t require avoiding vice—it only means you should document it well. On a recent trip to Astor Wines & Spirits, much like a greedy child wandering through the snack aisles of a supermarket, I got separated from P. I was seduced by the bottle. Exterior, not contents, that is. We are not vodka … Continue reading
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