Backstage, 2009, Archival ink jet on paper, 13 x 19 inchesThis Thursday I'll be at the
Greg Kucera Gallery for the opening of Mark Newport's exhibition
New Work. Mark was my fibers instructor when I was a student at Western Washington University. He was always one of my favorite teachers because he encouraged his students to think about the relationship between the subject we were attempting to depict and the medium we used to do so. You can see this in his own work as well. He uses the themes of knitting and superheroes to examine and challenge traditional roles of masculine and feminine, creating life-size hand-knit superhero costumes that he himself sometimes wears in photographs and performances. If you live in Seattle, I highly recommend taking a moment to check out his work in person this month. The show will be up through February 13th. If you can't make it, you can see more
here.
L to R: Bobbleman, 2006; Batman 3, 2006; Naftaman, 2008; all hand knit acrylic and buttons
L to R: A Man, 2009; Argyleman, 2007; Sweaterman 4, 2007; all hand knit acrylic and buttons
I came across this collection of gorgeous cloth-bound classic novels during a recent shopping excursion at Anthropologie. Designed by Coralie Bickford-Smith for Penguin Classics, each book is decorated with a Victorian-inspired pattern printed directly onto the book cloth. The result is a beautiful object that would enhance any library. I wish I could afford the whole set. According to Design Sponge, Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters are the only retail outlets for these books in the US, but I haven't seen them on Urban Outfitters' website or at any of their stores.
