If It's Hip, It's Here (Archives)

Karin Jurick, Feb. 3rd, Cohen Rese Gallery

Tomorrow is the opening of Karin Jurick's solo art show at the Cohen Rese Gallery on Sutter in San Francisco.

If you're not familiar with her work yet, you probably will be soon.

She has already pre-sold over half the paintings in her upcoming show and opening night has yet to occur.

Her vibrant and loose brushstrokes recreate places with which we are all familiar. Urban street scenes and beach venues as well as museums, libraries and restaurants. Yet she somehow takes these very public places and creates very private moments. Her work places the viewer in a voyeuristic position, peering in on people as they are caught in some very ordinary experiences having an extraordinary moment of reflection or privacy. In most cases, we can hardly see their faces.

Whether the subject is window shopping, reading or observing a piece of art on a museum wall, we get the sense that they are very engaged in what they are doing as we, simultaneously are engaged in watching them do this. The viewer doesn't feel like an 'intruder' however, because the composition and perspective are such that we are there, in the room with these subjects.

One feels a sense of quiet and calm when experiencing her painting which ironically are full of emotion. Making it very easy to look at these paintings for a long time.

Which is why I own four of hers. And hope to own more in the future.

The paintings above are a small preview of the show, but you can see more of her work on her site.

And if you're anywhere near San Francisco tomorrow night,
stop by the gallery on Sutter and tell her Laura Sweet sent you.

Sutter Street Gallery
Cohen Rese Gallery
432 & 420 Sutter Street
San Francisco

Located between Stockton Street and Powell Street,
in downtown San Francisco.

Parking is available at the Sutter-Stockton Garage which is 1/2 block away.

No post today. Will resume tomorrow.

Fatboy. Great Furniture Or This Decade's Bean Bag Chairs?

If you're not familiar with Fatboy, you either never shop for modern furniture, have never read an online design blog or you live under a rock.

Fatboy, which has a fabulous name and a logo eerily similar to Levis (the vertical red tag sewn onto the item) began with one item, appropriately named The Fatboy. Not unlike a bean bag chair from days gone past, this was a rectangular blob of sorts, foam filled and came in fun bright colors.

Okay, I got that. Great for kids' rooms, basements, the occasional "fun' office work environment for places like ad agencies and design firms that fancy themselves "hip". I even thought it was great fun that Marimekko got on board with their fabrics.

But somehow, it's blown up into a big ol' trend. They now make everything from Fatboy Junior to ottomans, pet beds, and have just introduced a rocking chair and a hammock.

Now people seem to be jumping on this foam-filled bandwagon like I can't believe. Am I missing something? Aren't these just large, fairly ugly, cheap-looking products? Or are they icons of design?

I do love both the pet beds for cats and dogs because they make wonderful sense. Comfortable, spongy and washable. But their products for humans are costly. These aren't sold for 45$ each like the old bean bag chairs of lore, but instead are hundreds of dollars.

Are they worth it? I can't help but feel like they'll appear in hundreds of homes and offices this year only to be seen left in back alleys near trash cans and crack houses five years from now, just like those bean bag chairs with little white styrofoam balls spilling out from the seams.

Call me a snob, but their newest items, the rocker and hammock just look ugly to me.

Will I be purchasing a fatboy? Fat chance. But what about you? What do you think?

Slip a letter on your finger.

We certainly see a lot of posey rings around these days.Stamped silver seems to be all the rage. But here's something new and unique:

Love Letter Rings for guy and gal. The Perfect valentine gift.For both of you.

Colleen Baran of Vancouver has created rings that can hold hand written love notes. Better yet you can customize them.

Encased in translucent plastic and sewn together, she says they are 'wearable' art.
Available on Etsy, she has received lots of acclaim from bloggers and art shows alike.

Why not get something original this year? Besides, if you ever break up, you can customize it to hold hate mail too.

Click here to purchase

Drink and Shoot. Absolut Lomo.

Absolut Vodka is inviting people to upload their interpretation of AbsolutLomo, taken I assume, with a lomo camera. With an online gallery of submissions, you can see that Vodka mixes well with photography.

Click here to visit the site.

You'll be inspired to run out, buy some Absolut and shoot.

Go Ahead, Call me Trailer Trash: The Bambi Airstream Trailer

Airstream's Bambi Trailer has a 75th Anniversary edition that will make anyone who has ever pooh-poohed a trailer think again. This special edition was designed by vintage trailer restorer, David Winick.

Designed to appeal to even those with the most discriminating tastes, this beauty is outfitted with stainless steel and wood accents, a plasma tv and all the comforts of home. Only 75 of these were made and all are sold.

Just looking at it makes me want to travel the country.

The following photos are courtesy of Airstream and David Winick:

From the airstream brochure:

Unfortuntely, the special edition Bambi trailers have all been sold and can no longer be found at RV dealers on the Airstream site.

Airstream

Today's pick for Most Bizarre Product: A Combination Indoor Waterfall and Plasma Tv.

A Waterfall+Plasma TV in one (The Plasmafall?). I'm so dumbfounded, I can't even be witty.

From Astute Advance contemporary products come these custom waterfalls designed with plasma tvs.

On their site, under their custom products category, comes the following:

Custom Waterfall Fountains

Allow your imagination to flow freely. We will work with you, or your designer, to ensure that you have the most eye-catching and well-designed water feature available. Whether for residential or commercial applications, your project will be handled by a team of professionals that will walk you through all stages of planning, fulfillment, delivery and installation. We offer only the finest materials and components to assure that you are satisfied with your purchase for years to come.

See the variety of completed custom projects in the photos below. Note our capability to build waterfalls with plasma screen back drops. This is an excellent way to call attention to your display and present an energized verbal and visual message by simply connecting a DVD player or other video source. It is a great application for lobby or wait area to extend your advertising or training message. Plasma screens are available in 42" to 60" models and are size specified by the customer up to the dimensional limit of the fountain.

Custom models have to be quoted based on the requested dimensions and requested options. Contact them with questions. Phone 734-332-9228 between 11am and 6pm EST Mon thru Sat.

If you never saw this...

In celebration of the upcoming Oscars and numerous other award shows, here's a reminder as to why you should respect the technical awards as much as the non-technical awards.

Ryan is an Oscar-winning animated documentary about the influential Canadian animator Ryan Larkin. Larkin now lives on skid row following years of drug and alcohol abuse.

The film animates an actual interview with Larkin, conducted by the film's director, Chris Landreth.

Ryan won the 2004 Academy Award for Best Animated Short, and the 25th Genie Award for Best Animated Short. The film was also very well received at the Cannes, Venice, Sundance and Toronto film festivals.

Below is the entire short in two parts:

2007 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL WINNERS!

So, after a long and competitive festival,
The Sundance Film Festival of 07
breaks records with sales to the motion picture industry.

Why?

Because there were so many excellent entries.

And, because I have this long complicated theory as to how the internet and streaming video sites like You Tube, Revver, Greenimation etc. have created a climate that's receptive to indie films as having commercial potential. But more on that some other time.

I was up late last night watching the Dailies on the Sundance Channel as they ended the 10 day event and had the good fortune to get glimpses of many, if not all of the following award winning entries.

It's really a banner year.

So, give it up for the following 2007 Sundance Award Winners:

Grand Jury Prize: Documentary
MANDA BALA (SEND A BULLET)
Jason Kohn, director

Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic
PADRE NUESTRO
Christopher Zalla, writer/director

Audience Award: Documentary
HEAR AND NOW
Irene Taylor Brodsky, writer/director

Audience Award: Dramatic
GRACE IS GONE
James C. Strouse, writer/director

Directing Award: Documentary
Sean Fine & Andrea Nix Fine
WAR/DANCE

Directing Award: Dramatic
Jeffrey Blitz
ROCKET SCIENCE

World Cinema Jury Prize: Documentary
ENEMIES OF HAPPINESS
Eva Mulvad & Anja Al Erhayem, directors

World Cinema Jury Prize: Dramatic
SWEET MUD
Dror Shaul, writer/director

World Cinema Audience Award: Documentary
IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOON
David Sington, director

World Cinema Audience Award: Dramatic
ONCE
John Carney, writer/director

Excellence In Cinematography Award:
Documentary
Heloisa Passos
MANDA BALA (SEND A BULLET)

Excellence In Cinematography Award:
Dramatic
Benoit Debie
JOSHUA

Documentary Editing Award
Hibah Sherif Frisina, Charlton McMillian
& Michael Schweitzer
NANKING

Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award
James C. Strouse, writer/director
GRACE IS GONE

Special Jury Prize Documentary
NO END IN SIGHT
Charles Ferguson, director

Special Jury Prize for Acting
(Split)
Jess Weixler
TEETH
Tamara Podemski
FOUR SHEETS TO THE WIND

Special Jury Prize For Singularity Of Vision
Chris Smith, director
THE POOL

Special Jury Prize World Cinema:
Documentary
HOT HOUSE
Shimon Dotan, director

Special Jury Prize World Cinema:
Dramatic
THE LEGACY
Gela Babluani & Temur Babluani

Jury Prize in Short Filmmaking
EVERYTHING WILL BE OK
Don Hertzfeldt, director

Jury Prize in International
Short Filmmaking
THE TUBE WITH A HAT
Radu Jude, director

Honorable Mention In Short Filmmaking
DEATH TO THE TINMAN
Ray Tintori, director
THE FIGHTING CHOLITAS
Mariam Jobrani, director
MEN UNDERSTAND EACH OTHER BETTER
Marjan Alizadeh, director
MOTODROM
Joerg Wagner, director
SPITFIRE 944
William Lorton, director
T.O.M.
Tom Brown & Daniel Gray, directors

New Duvet or Giant Ugly Napkin?

Today's New York Times ran a story in Sunday's Business Section about a duvet cover that doubles as a bib for eating breakfast in bed. The product’s designers, Olga Bielawska and Astrid Schildkopf, came up with the idea in late 2005. They had sold approximately 20 through their own website, Missgeschickladylapsus.de and it is now being manufactured by a German company and is available in US sizes as well as European.

The fabric of the duvet has an nondetachable bib sewn into the top of it that can be unfolded and tied around your neck, thus keeping crumbs out from beneath the covers.

They opted for a red and white checked fabric, purposefully remniscient of a picnic tablecloth or an italian bistro. A bit of lace was added making it- as the designer described "evocative of the hearty, meat-centric breakfasts that a grandmother might make."

Here's The Article from Sunday's NY Times