September 3, 2010

Photo Friday (Fuji Edition)

Fuji Instax – The adequate substitute for Polaroid.

September 2, 2010

H Trestle Table

Recently, I was commissioned by a couple to build a little outdoor set consisting of a bench and low table. What made this commission special, was that I had just DJ’d this couples wedding 2 months prior!  Not a bad business plan – DJ for the couple, then build them some furniture while they’re in nesting mode!  Here’s the bench and table I made from my clients turned friends, Trisha and Shivaji:

They have a great little breeze way at their house between the garage and front door. It’s like a covered front patio. It’s a great place to entertain or to just sit the evening and have a glass of wine.

The trestle is made from 1 inch square tube steel, with a school bus yellow powder coat. The wood is actually reclaimed redwood from a deck that Trisha and Shivaji had just removed. I sanded and re-stained the redwood to give it a darker finish for more contrast. Sealed with polyurethane and then a wax coating for that old-timey feel.

Here’s a photo that Trisha just sent me of the pieces in their new setting. Cool!

August 31, 2010

Space is Process

“When I make something, which maybe is a work of art, I want this to be in the world. I want it to be sincerely and honestly and responsibly in the world. I want it to have an impact somehow.”

Found via Core 77

August 30, 2010

Getaway

My version of “stop and smell the roses” – stop and take a photo, or two

August 26, 2010

Europe – 1

I finally got around to scanning in my Fuji Instant film from our Mediterranean cruise over a month ago. I scanned them in groups of four and some of them work really well together compositionally. Here’s an example:

Barcelona, Spain. More to come…

August 25, 2010

My National Geographic Birthday

I collect lots of books and magazines of the vintage sort. I love old National Geographic magazines because, at the time they were printed, it was often a readers first experience of a different place or culture; full of wonderful photographs and stories.

National Geographics are like little time-capsules of what was happening around the world during a given month in a specific year.

My birthday magazine is February, 1983. Here’s the cover and a few full page photographs that I liked:

What’s your National Geographic Birthday? Perhaps I have your month and year in my collection and I can do a post for you!

August 25, 2010

The Majestic Plastic Bag

Love it.

August 23, 2010

Experiments in Visual Perception

Last week I saw a video on Laughing Squid of a bubble master making giant bubbles at a beach. The music set with the video seemed a little campy, so I added a different audio track.

I envisioned the giant bubbles as mutant blob monsters and thought the video needed a more ominous tone.

Here’s the original video. The audio track changes the entire tone of the video

August 20, 2010

Plants and Recent Acquisitions

I’ve definitely slipped on posting the objects I’ve been accumulating lately.  Here’s a round up of this weeks purchases, along with a good dose of plant photos.

Continuing to build my inventory of enamel ware for potting.

I purchased about 50 books this week, half of them belonging to the 24 volume Out of This World Encyclopedia set.

August 19, 2010

Photo Friday

Stuff I saw this week.

August 19, 2010

The New Order

“We’re back to the middle ages in the terms of communications – if the blacksmith is lousy in the village, we all know it. But the difference is, now, the village is the world.”

August 18, 2010

Bushwick Blues

New Delta Spirit Video. Really well done. I worked on one of their previous videos – People C’mon

August 17, 2010

Nesting Coffee Tables

I was approached a few months ago by a couple looking to have a custom coffee table built. They had found a design through a well known retailer, but the price was a little bit out of their range, so they asked if I would be interested in constructing it for them.  It’s a simple design, just tube steel and reclaimed wood, but the end result is quite striking! The subtle variations in the reclaimed wood really gave the piece it’s true character.  I procured the wood from a place in Temecula called Vintage Timberworks. It’s old solid oak barn siding, and it’s not cheap; like $5.50 a square foot  but, it’s really heavy, solid material, and it smells great; smells like history.

This nesting design is great. Versatile. Sadly, it’s not my design, and I can’t take credit for it.

I used Howard Natural Citrus Shield Paste Wax for the finish. It’s a great non-toxic product that protects and seals the wood but doesn’t take anything away from the actual texture of the wood grain. I really like the feel that paste wax creates, especially for use on reclaimed wood.

August 17, 2010

Sam Outlaw

Love this.

My friends make good stuff.

Sam Outlaw shot by Matt Wignall

August 16, 2010

Little situations around the studio

August 13, 2010

WORDS

My buddy Bobby runs a blog called Kitsune Noir, which covers content primarily related to art and design. From time to time he posts stuff that has a more emotional impact on me.  I’m all for art and design, good looking objects, clever products, etc, but there just seems to be a general lack of creative content that hits me at a deeper level.  You know what I mean, right? The kind of content that makes you think about your life, your friends, your family, the world, peace, war, poverty, justice, etc. Yesterday he posted this video called WORDS  produced by the group Everynone in collaboration with Radiolab. Love it. Well crafted.

August 12, 2010

Beach Day

Okay kids, grab your stuff, beach day is over! The four horses of the apocalypse are on their way!

Via Boing Boing

August 11, 2010

Shark at SanO

Insane. I surf here every week.

August 10, 2010

House within a house

A project after my own heart

A Cabin in a Loft in Brooklyn.

“Conceived of as houses within houses, the cabin and treehouse serve as private sleeping cabins, each with its own semi-private garden set off from the shared living space.”

Terry Chiao

August 10, 2010

Rock

I bought this rock at a flea market in Barcelona.

August 10, 2010

Rough Hewn and Reclaimed

August 9, 2010

Hmmm…

August 6, 2010

Photo Friday

A little cheat on this post as it contains photos from the past few weeks…

Lots of photos to scan this weekend…

August 3, 2010

Relaxing Video

I find this video of things being destroyed quite soothing. Cathartic perhaps. Maybe it’s just the Moby soundtrack.

August 2, 2010

Back at the Helm

I have returned from my vacation thoroughly energized and invigorated. Really excited to get back to work on some projects that I had to put on hold. The next few weeks will be a mix of project photos as well as vacation re-caps. I decided to bring only my Fujifilm Instax camera to document the trip – so I’ll be scanning those photos in and posting over the next few days…

Photo via Evan Trine