Contributor post by Lisa Solomon
instead of my normal grandiose impossible dreams of art purchases, jan asked if i would be interested in providing a holiday shopping guilde since tis the season.
i thought i'd try [operative word here - try] to focus on art. affordable art and artful made objects by artists that don't cost an arm and a leg and realizing that is a relative term i set a limit of $300 for myself. so here are some goodies i've found. hope you enjoy !
GROUP 1 :: "things" made by artists. it goes with out saying that artists are "creatives" right? sometimes they branch off making smaller versions of things that they normally make [often in edition] or they go off on a tangent all together and make something completely different, or they add their signature style to something useful. i say hooray to all these.
1. yayoi kusama is an icon in the art world. her installations/environments, clothing, soft sculptures, etc. are like none other [and certainly influential]. she made a series of soft sculptures with lamm from the concept store. these little polka dot pumpkins are about $92 US dollars [7140 yen] - the site is in japanese and i'm not entirely sure they would ship internationally but it's a GREAT site with a lot of amazing artist goods.
2. allan mccollum is a big time artist - just watch his art 21 clip [or others]. cereal art presents "thanks" - resin bars made by mcollum that you can keep for yourself or give-a-way as a physical embodiment of your sentiments. $55. cereal art has a bunch of other amazing editions too.
3. marcel dzama is an all time fav. at some art fair at some point in time i wandered into electric works' booth and saw a RECORD made by him. really? vinyl? since my husband is vinyl enthusiast and i a dzama enthusiast i knew immediately it was coming home with me. his music sounds like you imagine his art would if it started making music all of a sudden. $30
4. i am lucky enough to own an alyson fox drawing. when i spied that she was adding her magical touch to ceramics... well yeah. wouldn't that make an amazing table. yes. it would. above is the tug serving platter. $80 but the whole collection is pretty awesome.
GROUP 2 :: the gift that keeps on giving - an artsy subscription.
1. jonn herschend and will rogan - two pretty amazing artists in their own right - started a quarterly publication they call the thing. 4 times a year they send out an artist design "thing" that includes text. it's an eclectic curated mix - a proverbial who's who in the arts and just a damn fine concept. you can purchase back issues singularly for $60-75 - or splurge for a subscription for $200.
2. the first time i got my hands on a parkett i didn't put it down for i think 4 hours? it's a beautiful publication that really gives you an in depth look at a handfull of artists in each issue. it's $78 for 2 a year subscription [2 issues] $148 for 2 years. they also do a handful of pretty incredible artist editions and publish other artist monographs. sigh sigh.
GROUP 3 :: enormous tiny art. nahcotta gallery is responsible for hosting a the best showcase for tiny art. if you want real art - small in scale - this could be your one stop shop.
1. oil painting by emily gaimes demsky $275
2. winter bird paper collage by betsy thompson $150
but don't stop there - other standouts: kate bingham burt, ian dingham, jennifer judd-mcgee, monica soeldner
GROUP 4 :: great small sculpture. maybe you want something 3D. well....
1. SCUBA is having a show at rare device right now - and you can't go wrong with clunky cute sculptures like color test, right? $50 find one that suits you !
2. if your [or your recipient's] holiday dream is to go to amsterdam - and there's no swinging that - how bout a row of canal houses by laurie post/ARTISANEeurope $229.
THE HUMAN PRINTER
louise naunton morgan and friends are human printers.
really they are. you send them a photo and they will hand generate your
image using a CYMK or grayscale benday dot pattern. [yeah. i think this
is genius]. pricing varies depending on what you'd like them to print.
info on how to order here
GROUP 5 :: printy prints
1. i wrote about jennifer starkweather - a while back. you can get this amazing print for $40. electric works. they have a whole series of $40 prints. how can you go wrong? [another fav - katherine sherwood]
2. you know tiny showcase. we love tiny showcase. occasionally i'm amazed when a print doesn't sell out. like this caroline hwang one? w h h a a t t?? you can get one. $20.
3. i also wrote about christine buckton tillman. littlepaper planes delivers the goods with this print. it's gorgeous - AND BIG 42" x 48" for $225. oh that's so nice. or go drool at all their exclusive art works.
4. i have been a fan of jason munn since the first small stakes poster i saw online - it might have been last century? years and years ago at least. this is his latest set for SFMOMA. $100 for all four - $30 each. retro modern goodness.
GROUP 6 :: supplies. you want to make stuff? you need the right supplies. here are some things that i wish i owned, i own, or will own maybe very soon.
1. want a ecologically friendly, made in usa, amazing sketchbook in a cool color? yes. you do. try ecosystems notebooks.
there are blank ones, grid ones, ruled ones. hard covers, soft covers.
did i mention cool colors - and several sizes? AND [this is my favorite
part] you can get inserts to add to-do lists, or calendars or whatever.
smart. smart. triple smart. $9.95 and up.
2. want ONE pen to carry around. try this one. 5 colors and a mechanical pencil? sigh. i love mine. muji. $5.95
3. maybe you made a pinhole camera out of a shoebox in the 4th grade like me. maybe you want to try pinhole photography again. maybe you want one that looks a bit cooler than a shoe box? you can have it. a few hours, some 35mm film and voila - you could be taking some ultra cool photos. $25 from the curiosity shoppe
4. what is not to love about crayons? and BEESWAX crayons? yeah. if i get these for my daughter i bet you a million bucks i'll use them more than her. $16.95 from quincy art supplies.
GROUP 7 :: lets end on some robots. because just because if it's got a robot on it i probably want it.
1. silicone robot baking shells. need i say more? $19.99 at Pmart
2. stencil your way to robot heaven. robobox stencil kit from uncommon goods. $10
phew. that's a lot of good stuff. hopefully you found something that might suit someone on your list. till next time....
instead of my normal grandiose impossible dreams of art purchases, jan asked if i would be interested in providing a holiday shopping guilde since tis the season.
i thought i'd try [operative word here - try] to focus on art. affordable art and artful made objects by artists that don't cost an arm and a leg and realizing that is a relative term i set a limit of $300 for myself. so here are some goodies i've found. hope you enjoy !
GROUP 1 :: "things" made by artists. it goes with out saying that artists are "creatives" right? sometimes they branch off making smaller versions of things that they normally make [often in edition] or they go off on a tangent all together and make something completely different, or they add their signature style to something useful. i say hooray to all these.
1. yayoi kusama is an icon in the art world. her installations/environments, clothing, soft sculptures, etc. are like none other [and certainly influential]. she made a series of soft sculptures with lamm from the concept store. these little polka dot pumpkins are about $92 US dollars [7140 yen] - the site is in japanese and i'm not entirely sure they would ship internationally but it's a GREAT site with a lot of amazing artist goods.
2. allan mccollum is a big time artist - just watch his art 21 clip [or others]. cereal art presents "thanks" - resin bars made by mcollum that you can keep for yourself or give-a-way as a physical embodiment of your sentiments. $55. cereal art has a bunch of other amazing editions too.
3. marcel dzama is an all time fav. at some art fair at some point in time i wandered into electric works' booth and saw a RECORD made by him. really? vinyl? since my husband is vinyl enthusiast and i a dzama enthusiast i knew immediately it was coming home with me. his music sounds like you imagine his art would if it started making music all of a sudden. $30
4. i am lucky enough to own an alyson fox drawing. when i spied that she was adding her magical touch to ceramics... well yeah. wouldn't that make an amazing table. yes. it would. above is the tug serving platter. $80 but the whole collection is pretty awesome.
GROUP 2 :: the gift that keeps on giving - an artsy subscription.
1. jonn herschend and will rogan - two pretty amazing artists in their own right - started a quarterly publication they call the thing. 4 times a year they send out an artist design "thing" that includes text. it's an eclectic curated mix - a proverbial who's who in the arts and just a damn fine concept. you can purchase back issues singularly for $60-75 - or splurge for a subscription for $200.
2. the first time i got my hands on a parkett i didn't put it down for i think 4 hours? it's a beautiful publication that really gives you an in depth look at a handfull of artists in each issue. it's $78 for 2 a year subscription [2 issues] $148 for 2 years. they also do a handful of pretty incredible artist editions and publish other artist monographs. sigh sigh.
GROUP 3 :: enormous tiny art. nahcotta gallery is responsible for hosting a the best showcase for tiny art. if you want real art - small in scale - this could be your one stop shop.
2. winter bird paper collage by betsy thompson $150
but don't stop there - other standouts: kate bingham burt, ian dingham, jennifer judd-mcgee, monica soeldner
GROUP 4 :: great small sculpture. maybe you want something 3D. well....
2. if your [or your recipient's] holiday dream is to go to amsterdam - and there's no swinging that - how bout a row of canal houses by laurie post/ARTISANEeurope $229.
THE HUMAN PRINTER
GROUP 5 :: printy prints
1. i wrote about jennifer starkweather - a while back. you can get this amazing print for $40. electric works. they have a whole series of $40 prints. how can you go wrong? [another fav - katherine sherwood]
2. you know tiny showcase. we love tiny showcase. occasionally i'm amazed when a print doesn't sell out. like this caroline hwang one? w h h a a t t?? you can get one. $20.
3. i also wrote about christine buckton tillman. littlepaper planes delivers the goods with this print. it's gorgeous - AND BIG 42" x 48" for $225. oh that's so nice. or go drool at all their exclusive art works.
4. i have been a fan of jason munn since the first small stakes poster i saw online - it might have been last century? years and years ago at least. this is his latest set for SFMOMA. $100 for all four - $30 each. retro modern goodness.
GROUP 6 :: supplies. you want to make stuff? you need the right supplies. here are some things that i wish i owned, i own, or will own maybe very soon.
2. want ONE pen to carry around. try this one. 5 colors and a mechanical pencil? sigh. i love mine. muji. $5.95
3. maybe you made a pinhole camera out of a shoebox in the 4th grade like me. maybe you want to try pinhole photography again. maybe you want one that looks a bit cooler than a shoe box? you can have it. a few hours, some 35mm film and voila - you could be taking some ultra cool photos. $25 from the curiosity shoppe
4. what is not to love about crayons? and BEESWAX crayons? yeah. if i get these for my daughter i bet you a million bucks i'll use them more than her. $16.95 from quincy art supplies.
GROUP 7 :: lets end on some robots. because just because if it's got a robot on it i probably want it.
1. silicone robot baking shells. need i say more? $19.99 at Pmart
2. stencil your way to robot heaven. robobox stencil kit from uncommon goods. $10
phew. that's a lot of good stuff. hopefully you found something that might suit someone on your list. till next time....
..................................
lisa solomon
is a mixed media artist who lives in oakland, CA with her
husband, young daughter, a one eyed pit bull, a french bulldog, a
cross-eyed cat, a 3 legged cat, and many many spools of thread.
she moonlights as a college professor, a graphic designer, and is
a partner in MODify/d a crafty biz that up/cycles and
re/purposes discards from the fashion industry.
4 comments:
I'm sure my kids would love these silicone robot baking shells.
I can't pick one! Loving all the picks!
dita
Love everything but I'd really like some of those little robot baking shells. I know they''d be a hit with the kids.
How lovely! I can't wait to share your art finds with friends and family. Thanks for highlighting affordable art. Cheers and happy holidays!
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