Here are the last spreads from the illustrated book I worked on for Leafcutter Designs through Chronicle Books that was published last fall. It’s a Tandem Activity Book – a journal you complete with other people – with drawing, writing, storytelling, and games that you can complete as friends, strangers or somewhere in between. News is that sales are strong, so join in the fun by ordering the Tandem Activity Book…
Here are some more spreads from the illustrated book I worked on for Leafcutter Designs through Chronicle Books that was published last fall. It’s a Tandem Activity Book – a journal you complete with other people – with drawing, writing, storytelling, and games that you can complete as friends, strangers or somewhere in between.
The book is available for sale on Amazon, as well as in many bookstores.
While spending time in Denmark for the holidays I tried to hit up as many art museums as possible while having a 20-month-old in tow and Christmas traditions to uphold. Here is a run down of some of the inspiration and impressions I managed to pack in.
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Louisiana Museum, Copenhagen DK
An exhibit on Yayoi Kusama was trippy in many respects – her art, her process, and her personal life. Moving by herself to America in 1957, she obsessively pursued her minimalist and conceptual style focusing on infinity and self-obliteration. Or, in layperson’s terms: DOTS! DOTS EVERYWHERE! In her later years she moved home to live in an asylum so she could focus on her art. So, yeah, dedication…to dots.
A visually oriented and comprehensive source of information on Yayoi Kusama, current exhibits, reviews & articles and much more can be found on Artsy.com. David Zwirner also has curated info on Yayoi and her shows/dates/info here.
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Konsthall, Malmo SE
A very abstract collection of video work from Joan Jonas titled Light Time Tales required in-depth reading of the exhibit pamphlet (read for yourself), but also had a few gems that required minimal head scratching. My favorite was a projector shining through hung crystals on a video of crystals being moved around.
Even an interview with artist commentary doesn’t provide that much explanation, but maybe that’s what it’s all about.
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Castle Museum + Technical and Seafaring Museum, Malmo SE
A combination of a castle with historical content, a modern art museum, and a kid-friendly hands-on museum of industry and transportation, this was a trifecta of learning. Most of the castles in Denmark are more fulfilling in the fairytale way, but there was a lot to see and do here – including an exhibit on religion and faith (read pamphlet for Rainbow in the Dark: On the Joy and Torment of Faith), immigration to Sweden then and now, and going inside a submarine. And this BMW Isetta.
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Form Design Center, Malmo SE
Architects Mårten Claesson, Eero Koivisto & Ola Rune (with an easy to remember url of claessonkoivistorune.se) had a cross section of work spanning from small scale custom architecture, space design, furniture and product design. Definitively new Scandinavian.
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Another small excerpt I enjoyed from the Louisiana trip was a part of a series by Dutch artist Marcel van Eden comprised of charcoal drawings based on historical fact but telling its own narrative, all occurring before his birth in 1965. In an interview he claims his work is “just like life, it makes no sense”. So there you have it!
At the start of the year resolutions are in full effect, and if your goal is to go vegan then here is the plan for you! Long-time client Well Vegan and I teamed up again to create a simple promo postcard to be included in the first box of goodies in 2016 from Vegan Cuts.
While the service might seems simple – meal planning and shopping lists – you can find much more on wellvegan.com including a ton of free recipes, a basic guide to tofu, and how to make kid-friendly vegan lunchables.
Here are some more spreads from the Tandem Activity Book I worked on for Lea Redmond through Chronicle Books. You can order it online or read more about the project.
The strategies for thumb wrestling can be complex – sharp nails, stealthy pouncing, the fast dance fake-out, genetically long thumbs, overpowering with pure strength, and good old fashioned luck – so be sure to choose carefully, as it’s usually over in less than 30 seconds.
I feel like this spread should have been a giant fold out.
For all of us who fantasized about treehouses as a child but instead built forts out of stacks of firewood…
“E is for Effect” is part of an on-going alphabet series for kids using math, science and geography vocabulary. Have an idea for a good word? Send it my way!
Previously I posted about the iconic Danish matchsticks with a flowery historical background. Another omnipresent matchstick contender in neighboring countries got the pen and ink at a creative night gathering recently – Sweden’s Säkerhets Tändstickor.
If you’ve ever seen them, you know they are everywhere in the northern European countries. Unfortunately, unlike the Tordenskjold story I wasn’t able to find any dirt on these fire sticks. Maybe they just feel so secure in their fire starting ability that there is no need for marketing, or perhaps my google skills in Swedish are sub-par. To satisfy my curiosity, I ask my Swedish friends and neighbors – tell me what you know!