Starbucks Moderne

...njoy slices of pie and a cup of coffee on the way to their Eyes Wide Shut parties. Further evidence of the age of the artist or, more likely, that the coffee cup company hasn’t updated its art in 30 years is that there’s a be-crowned figure reading a physical newspaper instead of gigging on Fiverr for pennies an hour on a phone or laptop. Keep turning the cup and you’ll find more bargain-basement cubism, masked, hegemonic figures and another slice...

Read…

There she goes, my beautiful world

...ago I heard “When times are good, make art. When times are bad, make more art.” Also, Neil Gaiman said, ” When things get tough, this is what you should do. Make good art… Make it on the good days, too.” In that spirit, in the midst of the quarantine/curfew I spent some time organizing my garage workshop so that I can continue to make furniture for the house. I took on the much delayed and deadly dull tasks of organizing the disorganized hardware...

Read…

A Grand Rapids End Table

...Midwest. The region had a lot of German language newspapers that featured art and design trends from the Continent. To my eyes this table looks like a mishmash of a Continental European Art Nouveau and an American Mission style. But this is just a guess. To turn a photo off the internet into plans I use the free version of Sketchup. Sketchup has a handy photo tracing feature that adjusts for perspective. I used this tool to get a rough idea of th...

Read…

A Visit to the Reversible Destiny Lofts

...eir Reversible Destiny Lofts, a brightly colored and highly experimental apartment complex, that blurs the lines between architecture, art and philosophical thought experiment. We spent a few hours exploring two of the units with a Reversible Destiny Loft employee and with our very capable guide and interpreter Yuka. The remaining lofts of this nine unit building house residents and a unit you can rent for a short term stay. You’ll find nothing pl...

Read…

Street Signs and Solar Ovens

...t of a discarded pizza box. Other highlights include a functioning still by Alison Wiese, the stunning knitted clothing of Lisa Auerbach, items from the Path to Freedom urban homestead and contributions from the fine folks at C.I.C.L.E. So, get on your bike, head down to the Craft and Folk Art Museum, and see this provocative show! Craft and Folk Art Museum Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday 11am – 5pm Thursday 11am – 7pm Saturday-Sunday 12pm – 6pm...

Read…