(NON) FACES

James Gallagher and John Stezaker do wonderful things with collage. 

Take a peek at Berlin's Pool Gallery for Gallagher's recent work. Revisit New Museum's exhibit from 2008 Collage: The Unmonumental Picture.

[image 2: source and artist unknown]

PATTERNS II

Cloud Patterns

DER RUCKSACK

Triangle Backpack by Yuketen

Natural canvas backpacks from this beloved American brand.

They make killer hand-constructed shoes, too.

Dean by Ally Capellino

Heavy waxed canvas with a coated canvas base.

Perfect colors.

Old No. 7 Pack by American outdoors brand Frost River

Waxed cotton canoe camper backpack made in Duluth, Minnesota.

The leather waist belt (not pictured) is the best part.

Dayhiker Backpack by J.W. Hulme

This beauty is part of an American heritage line from recently-revived brand J.W. Hulme. Individually hand-buffed, full-grain leather tanned in the USA.
Mmmm.

Patent Leather Rucksack by French & English Confectioner's

Hand-made in London. This has a delightful elementary-school charm... imagine it with saddle shoes and lace-trimmed socks.

Backpack by Timo Weiland

Discovered these little treats at the (capsule) tradeshow in New York last month. It's the refined, but unexpected details--like the pony hair flaps--that set these pups apart from the rest of the litter.

PLACES V

Tom Kundig's, "The Brain"

A place for thinking.

THE WORKERS

Working hard,

 making it work.

These images were taken by photographers for the Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information, documenting the effects of the Depression on rural life and small towns across America.

See the whole collection Captured: America in Color 1939-1943  on Denver Post Blog.

THE ART OF THE TROPHY: Notes from Wall, New Jersey

Part two.

The key to successful taxidermy is all in the eyes.

A fully loaded toolbox is also crucial.

As we were admiring Richard's tool collection, he was thrilled to point out his recently purchased--and most valued--tool: The Dan-D-Noser.

After the eyes and teeth, an accurately textured nose is most important in ensuring a realistic-looking animal. Roll the Dan-D-Noser over the fresh layer of sculpting epoxy on the nose skin, let dry, apply color or gloss, and you've got a great looking deer nose.

THE ART OF THE TROPHY: Notes from Wall, New Jersey

Part One.

I recently traveled to New Jersey. Specifically, to Wildlife Taxidermy on State Route 71 in Wall, New Jersey.

This trip was led by my friend who had scheduled a meeting with her taxidermist, Richard, to discuss the posture and mounting details of her recently-ordered white peacock (a rare peacock breed that merits a 1 1/2 year long wait list).

Considering Richard's clients are typically either red-blooded, tobacco-chewing sportsmen or wealthy New Jersey eccentrics, I think he was tickled to have three young, wide-eyed Manhattans in sundresses in his studio asking for all the hairy details of taxidermy. He was a great host.

His career began when he shot a buck in 1975 and sent it off to a taxidermist. Appalled at the botched trophy that was returned to him, Richard decided to take matters into his own two hands. He's been stuffing animals ever since.

Richard is a professional--he doesn't mess around with Rogue or Anthropomorphic Taxidermy. You won't find creepy squirrels in bow-ties playing chess in his studio. Rather, Richard has studied the animals he works with down to every nostril shape and has perfected capturing the animal's natural look. In the end, Richard is an artist--transforming triumph and bravery into wall-hangings for his fellow adventuresome Americans!

Over the course of the afternoon, we toured his studio, talked tools, fantasized about a full-size mounted elephant, and peeked into his freezers full of zip-locked carcasses. Needless to say, it was a blast!

TERRARIUMS

Why have we become so infatuated with terrariums in the past couple years?

For me, it goes hand in hand with the whole taxidermy- lush Victorian- shop of curiosities- thing. I'm not sure why, because they can just as easily be associated with stark modern interiors, but that's how I will always see them. I guess it's nice that they can span that wide design spectrum.

*Paula Hayes

So the discovery of terrariums was a bit of an accident as it turns out. In 1827, a man by the name Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward wanted to experiment with the hatching of cocoons so he placed it, along with some mould, in a capped wide-mouthed glass bottle. He observed this bottle on a regular basis and noticed that, because of the sun, moisture would build up near the top during the day and drip down to the soil by night. His big surprise came when a seedling fern and a sprout of grass bloomed inside the bottle- the exact thing he had been unsuccessfully trying to plant in his garden for years!

He concluded that the city's pollutants had been killing the plants outdoors, but the enclosed microcosm of the bottle provided protection and nutrients for the seedlings to grow.

Throughout the Victorian era, these enclosures were called Wardian Cases. They became something of a status symbol- the bigger and more elaborate, the better. They were also crucial in transporting exotics from one country to another- their self sustaining habitats allowed for months of travel on ships.

MARGARET HOWELL ADS

Margaret Howell always gets it right.

The simplicity and straight forward ads are totally in keeping with the brand.

We love.

SISTER LIQUEURS, BKLYN

It seems a bit premature to write this because we haven't actually experienced the subject of this post. But what the hell, hopefully it'll be as rewarding as we're going to make it sound.

Sister Liqueurs. It's a cocktail club in Brooklyn. A CSA for liqueurs. So this is how it works: once you're a member (starting August for us!), you attend a monthly meeting/cocktail party where you receive your bottle of handmade liqueur and chat with your fellow avid drinkers. They tell you about that month's concoction and suggest different ways to enjoy it. Can't wait!


Check out some of their latest combos:
Cucumber Basil
Wild Plum
Stumptown Special
Roasted Beet
Ginger Grapefruit

HOUSEWARMING GIFT

Leather fly swatter from River Ridge Leather handmade in Coshocton, Ohio.

Thanks, Mom.

PLACES IV

Maybe it's the landscape architect in me, but when stairs are done right they can be so beautiful.