Alexander Calder at Segre's Iron Works, 1960's

Cant tell you how much I love these photos. The top three are by Bill Hicks, a man who was lucky enough to drive by Segre's- the Waterbury, Ct. fabricator of Calder's Stabiles- one day in the 60's to see this amazing sight, and thankfully for us had his camera! (courtesy The Mobile Factory- do read the entire post here ). And how great is the "Only Love Beats Milk" billboard?
Bottom photo likely taken the same year,  from the book Calder's Universe, a must read.






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The Children's Bookshop at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, by Sir Thomas Lawrence

The Calmady Children, by Sir Thomas Lawrence,1825. His favorite painting, and to paraphrase, "if I'm remembered by only this painting I will die a happy man." 

The Met's Children's Bookshop Poster, in our shop

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How to Hang a Picture

Our friends Jay Sacher and Suzanne LaGasa have a new book out which nudges the record straight about the ancient conundrum of picture hanging. It features loads of Jay's Mark Hampton-esque interior watercolors which even include a couple of our rooms (above, filed under the catch-as-catch-can/wabi-sabi style.)

More about "How To Hang a Picture" here

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Street Murals

Wow!

from "Street Murals" by Volker Barthelmeh, 1982.

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Oui, No

Vintage iron-ons that might look funnier on the front and back of a t-shirt, but for now they're on our studio wall.






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We've Got A Lovely Bunch of Coconuts

...and Dandelions

Coconut and Dandelion watercolor studies are available in the shop. Not prints- these are originals.

 $75.00 each.

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( • )( • )

Linda trimming the edges of our Boobs print:
In The Shop!

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Book/Shop Read Instead Print

Read indeed!
Available at Erik Heywood's Book/Shop:
http://book---shop.com/read-instead-print/

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Michael English's "Bottle" Airbrush Poster, 1970

Down from the attic en route to the kitchen. 

We had his crushed V8 can hanging for a while but I'd forgotten we had this one.

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Far Out Isn't Far Enough- The Tomi Ungerer Story

Far Out Isn't Far Enough- The Tomi Ungerer Story from Handle Like Eggs on Vimeo.


The brilliant madman drowning in talent.  
and where does he get all those wonderful toys?
Cannot wait to see this.

Related: giant Tomi Ungerer posters in our son's room

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Michael Blackwood Art Monographs

If I had a few hundred extra dollars hanging around I'd order all these old Michael Blackwood artist films.
But at least there are fantastic previews on the website.
Favorite snippets include the Andy Warhol segment-basically all of it, but especially the still above; Robert Morris walking on steaming rocks outside the Guggenheim; I'd never known there was an actual photograph of Mr. and Mrs. Clark and Percy (which kind of ruins it for me- I'd almost rather look at the photo. Plus Hockney's "Celia is.. for a girl, terribly witty...) ugh. Lichtestein is always cool and I love the way the phone rings just as he gets to the top of the ladder with his coffee. The French kid's hair and sweater next to Sam Francis; the giant platform shoe in Larry Rivers' studio; and Jennifer Bartlett talking about Picasso: "Was he doing this and talking on the telephone or something? I don't know"

Check them out!

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Tea Time in Erin O'Connor's London Kitchen

Fantastic Minton watercolour teacup wallpaper in Erin O'Connor's beautiful South London home, 

via Refinery 29 (definitely click for the full tour)

related: a favorite issue of World of Interiors, 1989, featuring Minton's watercolour books:

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Jackson Pollock (esque): off the floor and onto the wall

This is a Pollock-inspired painting we made a few years ago for a Past/Present project Design Sponge asked us to do. In our mind it was an updated "painted-floorcloth"- based not on a geometric pattern but on the paint-splattered floor of Jackson Pollock's studio. However, it proved to be too wild and off the mark, and we were nixed, but happily left with a pretty close copy of a Pollock to hang on our wall (as the paint flew and it looked more and more like "Lavender Mist" I thought it would be so much better on the wall.)
But as I haven't gotten around to screwing 1x2s together for a stretcher, it's time for somebody else to enjoy it.

House paint, car paint, enamel, latex, acrylic, and oil on canvas.

The canvas is 4'6" x 6', unstretched and unframed.

In the shop


(and Happy 101st Birthday Jackson Pollock!)

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Charley Harper's Biology

From The Giant Golden Book of Biology (1961).
Other than if it were illustrated by Al Jaffee, this is the most fun you could have looking at a biology book.
And it's nice to see Charley Harper's illustrations in context, as they were published. I especially love the pregnancy timeline.

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Tim Gunn, 1986

From my parents' attic (wandering around after Christmas dinner) - the most interesting thing in my old Parsons portfolio was Tim Gunn's memo paper.
Far and away one of the nicest guys I've ever known.






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Georgia O'Keefe's house, New Mexico

"Neither an Indian house, nor a Spanish house- just my house"
From House & Garden, 1965

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There and Back Again

J.R.R. Tolkien's design and artwork for The Hobbit dust jacket, 1937

From the book J.R.R. Tolkien, Artist and Illustrator

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Emil Hermann's Midsummer Night's Wood Nymph

New in our shop

"Despite its condition this is a great painting of a wood nymph dancing around a twilight forest in a sheer, diaphanous cloth. Painted by midwest American artist Emil Hermann (1870-1966). The condition is shabby- it has about 10 chips of paint off the front (although you could almost imagine them as Forest Sprites), one hole, and probably layers of dirt (Antiques Roadshow protocol says I'll leave the cleaning to the experts.) But those flaws considered, it makes for a nice piece of shabby chic decor- the smile on the dancer's face transcends the condition. 

Signed "Emil Hermann 1910" in bottom left corner."

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Black Spines

related: White Spines

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Lore Leudesdorff Bauhaus weaving, 1923; New-Friends weavings, 2012

Placemat size. How great would an entire table look? (forget the plates of food)

From the book Bauhaus by Magdalena Droste

Related, the beautiful small weavings of Kelly and Alexandra of New Friends:

Also, Gunta Stolzl, 1928:
http://warymeyers.blogspot.com/2012/08/gunta-stolzl-bauhaus-weaving-1928.html

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