Saturday Inspirations- Art & Machines

I read a little tidbit in Selvedge magazine that mentioned Schiffli embroidery machines and that set me off on my mechanical art tangent this week. These days most of these Schiffli machines have been computerized, but they have an old fashioned one at the Manchester Metropolitan University in England. They had this neato video on their website that shows the machine in action. It replicates what the artist/operator does in embroidery.






I thought these machines were a fun idea: Artomats! They're refurbished old cigarette vending machines with art inside. According to their website they have them all over the place.

















Rebecca Horn uses simple motors to create movement in her elegant sculptures.












Jean Tingluey became well known for his drawing machines back in the 1950's.




You can find out about more artists who create mechanical artworks here

Inspirations- Guiseppe Arcimboldo

Several months ago I came across this artist Guiseppe Arcimboldo in a magazine and jotted his name down. I finally looked him up again. How awesome are these paintings?! I wonder if Jan Svankmajer was inspired by his work at all when he made his Dimensions of Dialogue shorts. Arcimboldo painted these way back in the 16th century. Read more about him and his work here.





















here's a clip of Svankmajer's Dimensions of Dialogue.

Interview with Artist Ren Weiner!

name; ren weiner

shop name. firefliz

site- laurenweiner.com

location- New york

me. (bio on the website) in 22, i dropped out of art school where i was a crafts major because i wasnt learning anything new.. unfortunatly ;( so now i do my own thing. i work mainly in ceramics and recycled materials i can pull outta the trash and put to another use.

apart from creating i work with the westchester coalition for the hungry and homeless and with a community gardens program i started with local high school kids growing veggies for local soup kitchens.

materials.... anything i can get my hands on! mostly clay and bike tubes at the current moment


my design process... function! i belive art should be useful and made just for you! everyone uses things differntly whether its a bag or a mug

what inspires me? dame... when i see something broken, or that could be done better, have a better personal function (which is why i prefer to make custom pieces for folks) though i want to bring everything down to its most natural form, i don't like to hide things in my work and i like to bring out the process in the finished product

how did i get into my craft.... i grew up in the woods with no internet, tv, or video games, so i had to DO something ;)
advice... stop doodling and just do it- you will learn more diving into a project then u ever will sitting in a classroom or racking your brain for the next big thing. lock yourself up with materials and no distractions. how can u improve the space around you?

do i have anything to add? get out in your community and make a difference! you'll feel better i promise.

on the horizion... right now im doing alot of custom bike bags and getting them in bike shops around my area, in the near future looking to open an eco organic cafe with my best freind. i cant wait till i can just make cupcakes and listen to punkrock all day.

Thank you! : )

I just wanted to say thank you to my etsy customers! Because of your support I was able to make my first donation to Just Food! : )

www.justfood.org

Inspiration Saturday- Pattern!

Pattern yay! I don't know about you but I'm constantly inspired by beautiful patterns in illustrations and textile design. I love that pattern has come back into style lately in such a big way, in clothing, wallpaper, upholstry and all kinds of other things. This guy commented in an issue of ID magazine awhile ago that he was upset that they were covering designs with so much pattern because he saw it as being "frivolous" in a time when we should be making things in more efficient and eco-friendly ways, sans extra embellishment. I whole-heartedly agree with the idea of making things using efficient and eco-friendly methods, but hey, no need to assume pattern and embellishment will always hinder that. Feel free to comment!

Anyway, here's some of the beautiful patterns that have been inspiring me lately.

The pic above is from Dries Van Noten's Spring /Summer line.





This one's from British illustrator Marta Munoz. Love it!















Check out what this company Life Is Suite is doing with old furniture, they refurbish and reupholster old pieces and give them a fun modern look! Just look at how awesome this loveseat came out once they got hold of it.....

















You can still catch this exhibit by Tara Donovan over at the Met. It's made of mylar, I love the organic shape. : ) Check out her website to see more great organic patterned sculptures. Some are made from recycled materials!

Interview with Rachael Patton of Jarac Rogovima!

Name: Rachael Patton

Shop Name: Jarac Rogovima

Shop Link: www.judithskiss.etsy.com

Location: Humboldt County, California


Tell us a bit about yourself: My partner and I moved to the west coast about two years ago from Asheville, NC. I loved the DIY scene there and have grown accustomed to the various styles of my new home. Three other designers and I recently produced a fashion show to showcase our work.

Apart from creating things, what do you do? In the fall, I'm going back to school to study ethnobotany. I love gardening, when I have the time. I'm obsessed with music as well. A friend of mine, and I, have plans to do a radio show later this year too.

What materials do you use? I find all kinds of wonderful fabrics from garage sales, old clothing, even bedsheets. Most of my clothing and accessories are made from these second-hand materials and made soley by me. The thought of people being exploited in other countries to make things cheap and convenient for us saddens me.


Tell us about your design process: It takes a lot of time to come up with and draft patterns. For my hodge-podge calico-looking pieces, I gather some scraps that go together. Once I have the pattern, I plug in pieces of my favorite scraps so they fit the pattern piece. Though very time consuming, the result is awesome. I've been told by past studio-mates and costumers that I seem to make really beautiful things from what they had considered to be hopelessly tragic fabrics or clothes. I'm attracted to really bizarre things.

What inspires you? As far as style, the folk costumes of Scadinavia and eastern Europe appeal to me. Having worked for other people my whole life, the drive to be a sole business woman is great. Also, knowing that my clothes are a closed circle operation (meaning no overseas construction, very few resources used) means a lot to me.


How did you get into your craft? Honestly, I have no idea. I've loved arts and crafts since I was a kid. Making clothing was probably one thing on a list of many to accomplish. When I realized that it's subtle finishing techniques were a dying art, I lept into it. I love a crafty challenge. Due to learning more about clothing construction and pattern drafting, making clothes becomes more challenges and interesting.

Do you have any advice for fellow artist/designer/crafters? Ha! People love giving advice, so take it into consideration but do what you truly feel is right for your art. And DON'T SELL OUT!!!!!!! That's my personal mantra. I can't say how many people have tried to convince me that I need to be bigger and have my clothes made overseas and market by obscene methods of commercialization. Unless you feel that that is worth doing, don't sell out.


What are your current projects and what is on the horizon? An avant garde show featuring some Louis IVX style costumes made from trash.

Anything else you would like to add? Because, I'm on the warpath: Be aware of where your materials come from and where they go when they're disposed of.

Thanks for sharing sharing the concepts and inspirations behind your awesome work Rachael!

Inspiration Sunday- Recycled Rubber!

I keep running into great stuff made from recycled rubber lately.


These coasters are pretty cute:














...and I love all the awesome bags and jewelry made by malinb
She makes them out of truck tires!
















Believe it or not, this jewelry by Christiane Diehl is made out of recycled rubber bands!












The Worn Again line by Terra Plana is full of awesome reuse, especially rubber. The soles of these shoes are made from recycled bike tubes.











Check out these tips on how to recycle extra foam rubber pieces: http://www.ehow.com/how_2145648_recycle-foam-rubber.html?ref=fuel&utm_source=yahoo&utm_medium=ssp&utm_campaign=yssp_art