Wrapping up 2011

Thanks to all of the readers that have been supportive of The DesignMakers featured here.

Unfortunately, due to time and schedule restraints, and frankly trying to run a business and working full time has taken its toll, and The DesignMakers blog will be wrapping up this month and no longer posting daily features.

Occasionally, as we come across information that will be helpful to the handmade and design community we will be posting the information here for your use and also sending out e-mails to our contacts.

Again, thanks for your readership, and please continue to support the handmade artisans who work so tirelessly at their craft.

The Filigree

About this artist:  Martin Øbakke, native of Denmark home to the little Mermaid, met Celena Cavala, Ballerina and Nashville native in Florence, Italy - last century. They started making Fairy Tales and haven't stopped since. In their work you'll find elements of old world Europe to Southern Gothic charm. Martin does the illustrating and sculptures while Celena sews & writes the world they live in,~ in their Fairy Tale Nonsense News, the Filigree.

They currently live on a small town square outside Nashville in an old Victorian loft, where everything is created and sent to you.  They're inspired by the Invisible world and Imagination and the points in between that they refer to as 'the Filigree'; thin, gossamer strands that connect everything.  They hope to bring Inspiration to you & your life!  http://www.thefiligree.com/.
You can also click through the post title to visit the shop.

Treasure Frey

From this Artist::  "I received my BFA at Virginia Commonwealth University. My illustrations have been published in the UTNE Reader, Oxford American, Evergreen Monthly, Art and Living Californiat New York Press and The Stranger.  My drawings, collages and prints have been shown in galleries in New York, Brooklyn, San Francisco and Seattle."

"After graduating I have become a coastal hopper... Virginia to New York to Seattle, back to New York again, then San Francisco to  Alameda to Los Angeles...and who knows next !  My awesome family is on the east coast but my love of the west coast always draws me back."
Click through the post title to visit the online shop.

Anthony Roberto

From this designmaker:  "I am an artist living and working in Portland, Oregon. Recently I graduated with my bachelor's in printmaking from Pacific Northwest College of Art with a strong focus on the intaglio techniques of engraving and aquatint.  My work deals with abstractions of time and history that rule our lives, along with the absurd conditions that people find themselves in. Other times the act of drawing and physically interacting with the plate create images that satisfy me. It comes and it goes. I try not to take serious work too seriously."

"When the weather gets warmer and I can no longer be found making prints, it probably means I am in Alaska fishing for salmon on the fishing vessel Shawnee, making a living." 

You can click through the post title to visit the online shop.

Studio kmo

From the artist:  "...aspiring to replace the common with something more beautiful."  Modern maps by karen m. o'leary can be seen at:
the cosmopolitan hotel, las vegas
nike retail store in scottsdale, arizona
nike retail store, mall of america in minneapolis, minnesota
nisha design magazine (jan 2010)
colorush active sports and streetwear color trend book
papercraft 2 book (released april 2011)
paperwork in 3d exhibit at the shelburne museum in shelburne, vermont (may 15-october 30, 2011)
in the major motion picture, premium rush (2012)
west elm pre-fall 2011 catalog
AIA SF architecture+the city festival artwork, 2011

on the nate berkus show, 11/2011

estasketch

From the Artist::  "This project was made as part of my BFA Honours degree. A bed deconstructed into 25 separate layers, beggining with the detritus beneath the bed, bed frame and mattress and built up with layers of sheets, pillows, sleeping bodies and blankets. The prints nestle snugly inside a box, safe and secured, but can be opened up and spread out, peeling away layers until the body hidden beneath is exposed. An attempt at portraying the safety and comfort of sleep alongside the vulnerability of the sleeper simultaneously."

"I love to work with paper and anything that can be put on paper . I like to scribble & work with processes that are an extension of drawing, like printmaking & collage. I'm keen on repetition, recycling (materials and ideas) and lately particularly taken with the subject of sleep."
Click through the post title above to visit the online shop.

Pooka Queen

About the artist:  "I am a graduate of College for Creative Studies with a BFA in metal smithing and jewelry. I've never been afraid of trying new materials and techniques and can't make it through a day without making and creating.  I like to recycle materials as much as possible and buy new materials as little as possible.
You can follow me on Facebook for updates on upcoming events, sales, new items or drop me a comment. I'd love to hear your thoughts!  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pooka-Queen/162029147174203."

"I have had the honor of being featured in a photo shoot by world renown art photographer Brooke Shaden. To see her images of my work:  http://shadenproductions.com/blog/2011/04/12/my-first-fashion-shoot/
I am also a co-owner of SUUM LLC, and co-creator of SUUM SUMS: http://www.suum.com/."
You can also click through the post title above to visit the online shop.

Betsy Youngquist

About this artist:  Betsy Youngquist's mixed media beadwork reflects a fascination with the intersection of humans, animals, and mythology. Stemming from a life-long love of all creatures great and small, Betsy’s work weaves together the human and animal spirit through a surrealistic lens.

When creating her embellished objects, Betsy collaborates with sculptor R. Scott Long in designing and constructing the forms. Each piece starts as a unique carving. The surfaces are encrusted with beads and found materials in a mosaic process, often incorporating fragments of old porcelain dolls.

During the past dozen years, Youngquist has exhibited her work at the National Museum of Women in the Arts and the Smithsonian Craft Show in Washington, D.C., the VIDA Museum in Borgholm, Sweden, and most recently, Betsy and Scott completed an installation project for the Racine Art Museum in Racine, WI.
To see more of this artist's work, click through the post title above.

For those who celebrate

Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate this holiday.  For those who do not, we wish you well during this holiday season, wherever you happen to be, and whatever you observe and hold dear.
Wishing you the best in your art and design endeavors.  Peace.