It's amazing what a little paint can do. On the corner of Adams and State in the Chicago Loop, large blocks of color add some much needed fun to an otherwise uneventful corner (see the before HERE). The public art project called 'Color Jam' by Jessica Stockholder was installed in June and will go through September (so hurry up). Read more about it in the Chicago Tribune.
I love portraits and these are just beautiful. Mary Sauer paints mostly women on oil canvas. Here's what she says about her work, "These paintings depict women in cold, planned out environments and illustrate how different social institutions dictate our behaviors. They show idealized perfection and reference stale commissioned portraiture as well as the “ideal woman” from illustration of the 1950’s". They may be posed and perfect, but I love looking at all the layers and the expressions in their faces/bodies.
And speaking of portraits....anyone been to the National Portrait Gallery in DC. It's one of my favorite museums.
Marisa lives in Milwaukee and makes wonderful illustrations. Originally from Vancouver, Marisa attended MIAD and now works in Milwaukee as an illustrator. I originally fell in love with her collection of illustrated city maps that she sells in her Etsy store. Aren't the colors great?! She's a true joy! - I've been working with her over the past months on a very, VERY exciting project that I'll announce next week! Check out her website to see more. And her blog, too!
I love the idea behind the tumblr site, Dear Photograph . What they do is ask readers to send in photos of themselves holding up old family photos in the exact place the picture was taken years prior. In a world of furry kitten memes, someecards, and texts from Hillary, it's nice to find something heartwarming and meaningful. I would love to dig up my childhood photos and do this.
They just came out with a hardcover book with their best "Dear Photograph" submissions. I heard an interview with the author/creator on NPR last week. Wouldn't this be lovely for a coffee table or guest room?
The forecast here has been nothing but rain, rain, and rain. Usually, I'd complain, but a) my new sod is really loving it and b) shopping for a new umbrella can be so much fun! Who knew there were so many different colors and patterns out there. I'm especially fond of the the Marimekko patterns. And just Marimekko in general. But really, any bright, fun umbrella would do the job of both keeping you dry and giving a little boost to the rainy day blues. So take shelter, Milwaukee, the sun doesn't look like it's going to shine any time soon.
left photo via Michael Goelzer, right photo via Cassandra Smith
Art can be found in the most unusual places. Having grown up in northern Wisconsin and having gone to MIAD for sculpture design, Cassandra Smith merged the two. Part of Cassandra's work is doing large scale sculptures with taxidermy deer and fish, but where Cassandra is really leaving her mark is with the decorated mule deer antlers she finds and delicately handpaints. You can find them for sale in her Etsy store, MadebyCassandraSmith. I'm quite fascinated with her work for its beauty and simplicity. So, I contacted Cassandra to find out more with a mini interview for the blog.
Where does the inspiration for your art come from? I have been working with decorating found objects since I was at MIAD getting my degree in sculpture. I had mainly been doing these really large-scale installations and at a certain point I realized I was only making 1 - 2 pieces of art a year, because they took so long. I wanted to start making smaller, quicker works and that is where the antlers came from. Plus they are humanely sourced (deer shed their antlers naturally every year) which makes me feel okay about using as many as I can get my hands on. The patterns I use are inspired a lot by different ethnic patterns, mainly Native American and Eastern European styles.
How would you describe your personal style?As far as fashion, I usually feel pretty out of touch with what is fashionable. In general I buy new clothes about twice a year and then just wear the same look over and over. But I do try and get modern pieces of jewelry, mostly from Etsy sellers, to make my outfits more interesting. As far as decor, I am lucky to have a boyfriend who shares my love of ethnic folk art. Our house is decorated with a collection of masks, tapestries and wooden animals from places like Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras. We love to collect objects from our travels.
What are some of your favorite things or places in Milwaukee?Anyone who knows me knows that I love eating, and specifically going out to eat. So, just about any restaurant in the city would qualify as a place I love going, but in particular I love Royal India and the tofu sandwich at Banh Mi Nyu (both on 27th Street). Also, I can never say no to Classic Slice or GTO. In the summer I really love taking evening walks and wandering around the Bay View Community Garden critiquing/envying people's garden plots.
photos via Cassandra Smith
Cassandra is no stranger to the Milwaukee art scene. She also co-founded the art magazine, Fine Line. Which, by the way, Issue Five is coming out in a few short weeks. The release party for that issue will be March 31st at the Live Artist Studios on 1st and Oregon in the Fifth Ward.
Did you guys see this article on Onmilwaukee.com today? Artist and illustrator Allison Beilke designed a Milwaukee-centered fabric which she submitted to Spoonflower, an online fabric design site where you can purchase the fabric for $18/yard. Isn't it great? I recognize almost all the buildings like the art museum, Wisconsin Gas building, Rochambo, The Hoan bridge, Summerfest grounds, The US bank building,etc., but I would love to get my hands on it to find even more familiar places.
I've been driving by this mural on South 1st Street almost everyday for months wondering what it is? who made it? are there more? As you see, these questions went to the bottom of my list and I'm just getting around to googling it now. The mural went up in July on the corner of South 1st street and Pittsburgh Ave thanks to the Couto Brothers, two globe-trotting Brazilian brothers with no first names. You can keep up with their projects on their blog or peruse their professional website to get a taste of their artistic ability.
The mural really brightens up that corner and I love its contribution to other smaller street art projects popping up around Milwaukee. Someday I'm going to go around and take some photos but in the meantime, look up Milwaukee street art on Flickr. There's some great stuff out there.
Watch the mural's creation from start to finish:
I love these other pieces of work from the Couto Brothers:
If you're planning to do any Christmas shopping in the next week, check out these three events to get some presents or some gift ideas. I'm all for Amazon.com and their free shipping, but if I can find something quality that's unique and/or handmade, I feel like I get extra points in the gift-giving department. So think outside the box this holiday season, give gifts that are special and personal (ie not a Target gift card) and support some local businesses, too.
Art vs. Craft The biggest and best shopping event in Milwaukee. If you have ever wasted away hours on Etsy, you'll love this event. Many Etsy sellers will be there, along with local and regional artists, vendors, and crafters. You can easily knock out half of your Christmas shopping in one day. WHEN: Saturday, November 26th 2011, 10am- 6pm WHERE: Milwaukee School of Engineering! Event entrance is on the corner of Highland & Broadway 1047 N. Broadway, Milwaukee, WI 53202 ADMISSION: $4
Made In Milwaukee Over 40 Milwaukee-based performers, musicians, artists, and creatives - a showcase of local talent. See what's being created in the city. WHEN: Wednesday, November 23 Doors open at 7pm WHERE: Turner Hall Ballroom, 1032 N. 4th street ADMISSION: $10
Hovercraft Milwaukee A Milwaukee showcase of artists, crafters, businesses, and musicians. Craft demonstrations and tutorials along with live performances and mini tours of Sweet Water aquaponics. WHEN: Saturday, December 3rd, 12pm to 6pm WHERE: Sweet Water Organics 2151 S. Robinson Ave. in Bay View ADMISSION: $2
Along the sidewalk in front of Northwestern Mutual on Wisconsin Avenue, you may notice the light poles look a little different. Five kiosks with three panels of moving flip art animation depict a "Pedestrian Drama" of sorts. Artist Janet Zweig created the project in collaboration with the City of Milwaukee and the Department of Transportation and numerous local artists/dancers/etc to create the images.
Over the weekend, my mother-in-law and Milwaukee Art Museum member pass holder, picked me up and let me tag along to the "Impressionism: Masterworks on Paper" and "Taryn Simon: Photographs and Texts". What better than Van Gogh, Seurat, Cezanne, french countrysides, swirling water colors, and some airport contraband. Wait, what?
It was a little mind boggling for me, too. One minute I was looking at beautiful, priceless, rare paintings and the next, a photo series called the "Innocents" by photographer Taryn Simon--complex, layered portraits of falsely accused men standing where the crime they were convicted for originally took place. In the dimly lit hotel room or the thick camouflage of a forest, their faces were obscured, their expressions conflicted and confused. All of the men were mistakingly identified as the perpetrator by a convinced eye witness. It was haunting. Taryn's next piece called "Contraband" catalogues 1,075 seized items from one JFK terminal over 5 days. Items include the bizarre, like a dead hawk, counterfeit medicine, homemade moonshine to the accidental like someone's lunch, sausage from germany, fake disney toys and even someone's immigration paperwork accidentally seized.
We had lunch at the Cafe Calatrava, which by the way, you don't need to purchase admission to enter. The menu is all french inspired because of the impressionism exhibit. The menu rotates seasonally and takes inspiration from featured exhibits (Just glad Taryn Simon's mystery meat wasn't on the menu). I would recommend the tomato-basil bisque and a glass of the Nederberg from Lyric, South Africa. So good.
In the gift shop, I found a Sabre acrylic serving set! I've been looking for these fancy looking Paris made acrylic serving spoons and sets by Sabre for-ev-er. I saw them on a blog almost a year ago and realized they're sold out like everywhere. So, if you like, head to the museum gift shop, asap.
This beautiful woodwork comes from Milwaukeean, Todd Fillingham, a furniture designer and wood artist. The deck chair above was built from durable cedar and walnut and takes on a style common in boatmaking. Most of his work is custom-made, but he does have an Etsy shop where you can buy those salad tongs in the middle. They are so unique and I could see having those for a lifetime. Todd's work has been featured in design milk and designsponge, but it probably isn't long until his work gets quite popular.
Todd Fillingham website: http://www.fillingham.com/index.php Todd Fillingham on Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/people/fillingham
After watching Exit Through the Gift Shop last week, a documentary about artful graffiti and other unsanctioned art, my eyes have been on the lookout for street art in Milwaukee. The storefront wall of Sky High features a rotating mural every few months with the latest mural (shown above) by Makeal Flammini & Ella Dwyer. I really love this idea; creating something beautiful and poignant and accessible. And it's neat to see a part of the creative process. This type of creativity not only adds to the Bay View neighborhood's character but keeps it alive. The mural will be up facing Howell Ave. from May to July 2011 for everyone to see.
This chair looks amazing, right? Today it got some big recognition! Hop on over to Design*Sponge to see the whole post on Sara's chair. I can't believe this is the same chair.
It's all the work of Milwaukeean and amateur reupholsterer Sara Mulloy who reupholstered this shabby wingback as part of her Upholstery class at WCTC. Sara has a good eye when it comes to art and design. You can read about her local art scene picks on JSonline's Art City blog. I couldn't find when WCTC offers another class, but I've seen them offered regularly (I have contemplated taking it myself in the past). MATC also offers an upholstery class, too. Makes you wanna go out and learn right now, yes?
Maggie Michael is a painter originally from the Brookfield area whom is well known in the DC area from her work at American University, the Hirschhorn, and high end DC galleries. Her pieces can sell for $7,500. And they should; they are complex and contemplative, ebbing and flowing, harsh, but fitting. She's an amazing talent (read more about her here). Here are some of my favorites......
Last Friday, I popped into Studio Deep End for the Fine Line magazine launch party. I showed my support and picked up a print copy ($10) to take home. It has a sharp embossed cover and is filled with "gallery art" prints nice enough to frame. It's not only nice to see something this high-quality coming out of Milwaukee, but also to see that magazine print is not completely dead. I like that it's morphing into a niche product. 99 percent of the magazines I get, I could better use as digital copies, but 1 percent are artfully put together compositions and worthy enough to be placed on a bookshelf.
Read more about Fine Line: Journal Sentinel article. Milwaukee AV Club article. Third Coast Digest article. OnMilwaukee article.
I often pass up oil portraits at antique stores. They're usually hiding in a large box on the floor with dozens of cheap prints and plastic picture frames. I just can't get past that it's weird to have a painting of a stranger in my house. But I do like the idea of grouping them with similarly painted oil on canvas pieces. Many old paintings in corner antique stores or flea market booths are the scenic or still life paint-by-number paintings from the 50's and 60's or the work of an amateur, long-forgotten local artist. They should cost under $60 depending on their size and condition.
These images are from the new-ish print zine, At Your Leisure from J3 Productions. It looks great and it's so nice to have print creeping back into the fold.
This was posted on OnMilwaukee last week. It's a canvas print made by Little Friends of Printmaking, a Milwaukee duo, that is now proudly displayed in the Ace Hotel in New York. Can you believe I've never been to New York? Well, now I know where I want to stay when I do go.
Little Friends of Printmaking are usually hanging out at Art vs. Craft. I hope to see them this year and check out their booth.
Did you guys see 
.jpg)
