Apr 24, 2014

London - Part 4 - Store Snaps

This will be my last post about the great time I have spent in London recently. I am still inspired by all impressions - London is just fabulous. Today I share some store snaps.

Anthropologie in South Kensington was amazing...the store front looked quite small but walking in I think it has been the biggest Anthropolgie store I have ever seen. The windows were beautifully decorated and I spent quite a while in front of them admiring all the eye candy.

Window decoration Anthropologie South Kensington

Window decoration Anthropologie South Kensington: It looked like water colours with print

"Garden Buzz" dessert plate

Florence Balducci Amour Cushion

After Anthropologie I walked over to Habitat...I love this store and unfortunately there is none near where I am living.

"Loco" series
"Mauzy" bed linen

"Balin" cushion

"Freda" storage jars

As a cat lover, I bought this cute book bag for myself...

"Sushi" cat patterned shopping bag

And my favourite department store was John Lewis...I could have spent a day in it...next time I will start there. Unfortunately I was running out of energy and store security was following me already since I spent so much time in each department admiring everything. So only two pictures from there...

Rabbit pattern at John Lewis

Orla Kiely melamine series

And if you have a chance you must pick up a free copy of this fabulous John Lewis Home catalogue...it is gorgeous !

John Lewis home catalogue

It was a very good little trip and it was great to meet with a good friend I have not seen in a while !
Hope to be back to London anytime soon !

Happy Thursday everyone !


Apr 16, 2014

London Part 3 - Exhibition "Artist Textiles Picasso to Warhol" at FTM

As soon as I read about this exhibition beginning of this year I knew I had to see it. I was trying to find out if the exhibition would travel somewhere near me, but it did not look like it. So I was very excited when I decided to go to London and see it there at the Fashion and Textile Museum.
It is a very long post today and I show you almost all pictures I took. I was allowed to take pictures inside the museum but without a flash...so I did my best working over the pictures to brighten them up a bit.


FTM London Artist Textiles
Scarf "White Trellis" Graham Sutherland for Ascher Ltd. 1946 (Source)

Dali's design is derived from a sequence in "Destino", Dali's animation for Disney in 1946.
FTM London Artist Textiles
Scarf "Number Please" Salvador Dali 1947 for Wesley Simpson

Dali's designs of the 40's had a wide influence on textile design in the USA for the next 10 years. 
FTM London Artist Textiles
"Spring Rain" Salvador Dali, Schiffer Prints NY 1949


FTM London Artist textiles
Alastair Morton, screen printed fashion textile for a summer dress, Horrockses Fashions Ltd., c.1949


FTM London Artist Textiles
Victor Vasarely for Edinburgh Weavers, 1962

FTM London Artist Textiles
Eduardo Paolozzi and Nigel Henderson, "Portobello" c. 1955

And who would have known this design is from Miró... 
FTM Artist Textiles
"Farmer's Dinner", Joan Miró, Fuller Fabrics NY, 1955

FTM London Artist Textiles
Raoul Daffy, "Les Maronniers", Roller-printed cotton fabric, Fuller Fabrics NY, 1955

I also would not have guessed that Picasso did this one...
FTM London Artist Textiles
Pablo Picasso, "The Rooster", Roller-printed cotton fabric, Fuller Fabrics NY, 1955

FTM London Artist Textiles
Pablo Picasso, "Fish", Roller-printed cotton fabric, Fuller Fabrics NY, 1955

A freebie to students and young people attending the Berlin Peace Festival 1951...imagine you would own one of them...
Pablo Picasso, screen printed cotton scarf design for the Berlin Peace Festival 1951

FTM London Artist Textiles
John Hull, "Gay Facade", Roller-printed cotton fashion textile, M. Lowenstein&Sons Inc. NY, 1952

FTM London Artist Textiles
Ken Scott, "A Fish is a Fish is a Fish", ca. 1951

FTM London Artist Textiles
Pablo Picasso, "Musical Fawn", Bloomcraft Fabrics Inc. NY, circa 1963

Pablo Picasso, "Posters of Picasso", Bloomcraft Fabrics Inc. NY, 1963 

FTM London Artist Textiles
Louis Le Brocquy, "Flight", Screen-printed linen furnishing textile, John Mc Guire Ltd., Dublin 1954


FTM London Artist Textiles
Andy Warhol,  "Happy Butterfly Day", Screen-printed cotton fashion textile, mid-1950s

This fabric was also available as a wallpaper...imagine this for a children's room...wow !
FTM London Artist Textiles
John Rombola, "Circus", Patterson Fabrics, 1956

FTM London Artist Textiles
John Rombola, "Parade", Patterson Fabrics, 1957

And I fell in love with Saul Steinberg's designs...
FTM London Artist Textiles
Saul Steinberg, "Roller Coaster", Regulated Cottons Inc. NY,  c.1952

FTM London Artist Textiles
Saul Steinberg, "Paddington Station", Regulated Cottons Inc. NY, c.1952

FTM London Artist Textiles
Ben Nicholson, "Princess", Hand block printed cotton, circa 1933

I hope you enjoyed this blog post as much as I do showing you bits and pieces from the exhibition. If you are near London you should really consider going. It is still running until May 17th, 2014. Or maybe just buy the book Textile Design.

Happy Thursday !

Apr 14, 2014

It is Here - My Designs in Uppercase no. 21


patternjots.blogspot.ch
Uppercase Magazine no. 21

I have to write a quick blog post out of schedule to share some happy news...today I received Uppercase magazine issue 21 and some of my designs are shown on page 83 ! I am so happy !!! I am in good company right next to my designer friends Gloria Urech/Gukukki Studio and Dieuwertje van de Moosdijk.

patternjots.blogspot.ch
Uppercase Magazine no. 21 / page 83

Uppercase no. 21 is a "must have" magazine for all pattern lovers out there. It is filled with pattern eye candy from 100 designers. There is also advice from industry experts and lots of other great articles.
I can not wait to grab a tea after finishing some designs and start reading in it.

See you on Thursday - Happy Monday !

Apr 10, 2014

London - Part 2 - Sarah Campbell

Today I am really excited to write about famous artist and textile designer Sarah Campbell
I was very lucky to meet her in person, by pure coincidence, while visiting her exhibition at the Fashion and Textile Museum in London last week.

© Sarah Campbell Ltd.
Greeting card design by Sarah Campbell for Roger la Borde

Her exhibition "From Start to Finish" is showing Sarah's recent design journeys. Most interesting for me was seeing her process of designing for textiles or dishes from "...first thoughts - through sketches, roughs and artwork to the finished product". I was allowed to take pictures which show her process perfectly.

In 1979, together with her sister Susan Collier, Sarah co-founded the textile design partnership Collier Campbell . 
They worked as a team designing/collaborating with top designers, prestigious retailers and manufacturers.  They have been the first women to win the Duke of Edinburgh's Designer Prize in 1984. 
How great is that ? 
Sadly in early 2011 Susan passed away unexpectedly. Shortly after, 50 years of their amazing art was celebrated in an exhibition at the National Theatre in London in May 2011. In the same year the beautiful book "The Collier Campbell Archive, 50 years of passion in pattern" was published. 
It is a very big book and oh so inspirational...highly recommend it !

Book "The Collier Campbell Archive : 50 Years of Passion in Pattern ( Collier Campbell Collection )"

And do not miss this beautiful video...I just love it.



Sarah is a very lovely person easy to talk to and she was telling me about designing "old fashion" without the help of a computer.
Coincidental, for a few weeks now, I am having a very interesting discussion going on with a few of my talented designer friends about designing away from the computer. Studying fashion in the early 90s I truly remember how we did everything from scratch by hand...graphic software was still in its infancy. Really something to think about as an artist being creative in 2014 as we get so easily side tracked by technology.

Here you can see some of Sarah's design processes.

©Sarah Campbell Ltd.
"Neat Ceramics" for West Elm

©Sarah Campbell Ltd.
"Hand Painted Silks" Sarah painted directly onto the silk fabric

©Sarah Campbell Ltd.
"Little Indigos" for West Elm

As a cat lover I am in total love with these paintings and I was able to buy the last card ( with the cat ) available at the museum's store. It is now standing on my desk.

©Sarah Campbell Ltd.
Parts of "Boho Patch"

Sarah, it was an honour to meet you and truly a day I won't forget. All the best to you and I will happily follow your blog and read all about your upcoming art.

Happy Thursday !

PS.: Please note all art by Sarah Campbell is ©Sarah Campbell Ltd.













Apr 3, 2014

London - Part 1 - Food Packaging

 I have been to a super quick trip to London and it was just fabulous. 
I met with a dear friend I have not seen for almost one year and we visited the Fashion and Textile Museum together and hit the shops for pattern and design inspirations. 
Needless to say the Britons really have an eye for patterns and illustrations and they are not shy to use it in daily life which I find so neat. 
The following weeks I will post about London...it is just too much for one blog post. 
Today I am starting showing you some store snaps from the grocery store.
I only have been to Tesco and John Lewis quickly ( usually I was on the hunt for a bottle of water ) but found beautiful packaging.

Here is cereal from "Dorset Cereals"
Check out their website for more eye candy...so beautiful.

Dorset Cereals
And these rice crackers are from Kallo...I just learned it is a Dutch company focused on organic foods. They also have a beautiful website.

Beautiful Kallo package vs. regular rice cracker package...
Kallo rice cracker packaging

And my favourite grocery store was Tesco...do not ask me why I did not take more pictures in there.



On the train from the airport into London I already spotted this bag and thought this is finally a pretty plastic bag. Mind you I do not use plastic bags at all but I had to have one of those.

Tesco plastic bag front

Tesco plastic bag back
Happy Thursday everyone ! 
Please come back next week to see who I met in person in London (no, not the queen, but very close) ...still can not believe my luck !