Ogling Pottery Barn and Crate & Barrel Photography

Lately, well, this past week anyway, I was doing a design style contrast with Pottery Barn and Crate & Barrel. Actually I was ogling Pottery Barn's aesthetic the way some people ogle muscle cars. The furniture hasn't actually changed a heck of a lot from 10 years ago. There are some new pieces, new slipcovers and so on. But one change is the more determined use of color. That's more obvious on the blankets and duvets (yeah, you're spending some bucks to have this stuff; that hasn't changed) and pillows. There used to be an almost fierce reliance on whites and pastels and cream colors. Now they don't seem content with splashes of color. Now it's everywhere, and I think that's a welcome change. It's much warmer and more accessible. They're calling their latest branding effort "The Art of Living". I dig it.

What then to say of Crate & Barrel? They had a flirtation about a decade ago with some old French Country stuff that offset their more minimalist sensibilities. But they've since abandoned that for full-on contemporary styling. Clean lines. Bright colors. Everything nice and shiny. I get it. I can even appreciate it on a not-so-subtle level. More so than I can appreciate, say, IKEA. You can easily imagine this aesthetic in NYC or just about any urban upscale setting. It works great in lofts or apartments or really modern looking suburbs. All the newlyweds I've known recently registered there.
So what's the point of me going on about this? To discuss tastes?

No.

The point of the exercise was to help me define my own design identity and value statement. Every artist has what's called a "visual vocabulary", a sort of language or personality that develops over time. I was using the two aesthetics to help me define mine so I could articulate it to people if I needed to. It helped me see the way that I prefer to create images, how I like to place them and what kind of feel I want them to have. So you could say I really respond to Pottery Barn's use of light and color in their images. I love how they've staged the pieces and shot them. I also respond on another level to Crate & Barrel's cool, clean aesthetic. I enjoy their use of bright colors and modern settings, but it's not as ultimately satisfying for me as an artist to go to that well all the time. It might be necessary for a particular client, but I might want to suggest an approach that feels more "organic", for want of a better term.

And that helps me define my own visual identity.

More later

KCD

New Design Blog

I happened upon a new blog for designers this week. It's called Statements by Thesis.
This would be the first blog I would recommend to all...four or five of you who might get a kick out of reading about what designers contemplate in the profession. Basically, these people post "thought papers" about trends and patterns in the design profession, and they address particular issues with what I feel is quite startlingly forward thinking insight. I've already commented a couple of times. They publish once a month, and their latest post is from a designer who admits to a dirty little secret that no one dares share lest they be ridiculed (or worse!). The link is here, and I'll be adding it to the list of blogs I read.

Okay, I'll be starting the list of blogs I read with this one. As soon as I figure out how to make the list.

More later

KCD

After Long Abstinence

Back on the air again, folks!
I could regale you with the latest tale of computer woes (in short, the computer burned out a processor which is an expensive fix), but I should not bore you with those details. Everyone has had a computer glitch that threatened to bring down if not civilization as we know it, certainly life as you've known it. There's a Holy Cross professor who was telling me about his steady descent into the technological concentric ring of hell over the last two weeks. It's truly amazing how dependent we've become on all this little gadgets. Even our president could not fully assume his duties as President if he were to be somehow parted from his Blackberry. One can only imagine how the Borg Collective would survive without its cybernetic appliances.

Shifting gears...

The other week I visited the Prints and Potter Gallery on Highland St. where I saw the most fascinating collection of figure drawings done by the Worcester Life Drawing Group. The exhibit is called "Body Work" Very tastefully done nudes and evidence of real talent. This tells me that Worcester is beginning to broaden its horizons to include more visual art. I think that's a good thing! Now I'm quite sure that some out here will look askance at me and say, "What the hell are you talking about? Worcester appreciates visual art." I realize I'm speaking from my own limited experience, of course and I don't have a bunch of evidence, but most of what I've seen here in this town has tended to be more craft-oriented. This stuck out and I thought it was telling that a gallery would display this kind of work right in its front window. It suggested to me that there's a bit of broader thinking going on. And as I said, there's nothing salacious about the pictures. It's just nice artwork, well displayed. Check it out. It's on through May 29th. If you can't physically get there, visit www.printsandpotter.com Like I said, this may not register with some folks, but for a visual artist like myself, I found this really encouraging.

KCD

A Bit of Progress

Well things are getting interesting. A local gift shop wants to take the Seasons image prints on consignment. Despite the famed "bargain" mentality of the Worcester, MA buying community, I have a good feeling about this. Now I should say a word about this mindset. It's perfectly understandable in a town like this which was an old mill town just like a lot of them are here in MA. Central MA in particular has a history of manufacturing that goes back at least a century or more. Whole towns were kept going by companies like AO in Southbridge, and Wyman Gordon in Grafton. AO now is a shell of what it once was, and the towns surrounding it are not the better for it. Wyman Gordon was huge, and it's much smaller now. So much has been outsourced or shipped overseas where there's supposedly "cheaper" labor. In some ways, Worcester, the hub of Central MA has not ever quite been the same since this mass exodus. Now of course, the city is seeking to re-invent itself, but the sort of utilitarian mindset still lingers. Art that you can use is what a lot of folks here understand. Like a chair, or a dresser, or jewelry, and these are all good things.

Now, factor in this little shockwave we've had called "The Great Recession" and you see why people are holding onto their funds a little tighter. I get it. Having said that, I also believe that people here are understanding the value of visual art. No, you can't wear it, or eat out of it, or store things in it, but a piece of well-executed visual artwork just does something for you that nothing else quite does. Maybe you can't explain what it evokes in you, what feelings it draws out of you, but you feel something.

That's what good artwork will do, and that's what I'm expecting at Bhadon Gift Gallery on Pleasant St. in Worcester, open since the mid 1970s, and as much a part of this town as any factory or college. Come check it out.

More Later

KCD

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

I should take time to mention that there are a couple of things that are different around here. Namely, the name change. Going forward, this space will be known as artWork Chronicles. It's a take off from a title of an old movie, "The Martian Chronicles". I believe it featured Rock Hudson and Farrah Fawcett in what looked like surprisingly good production values for the time, which was perhaps 1980. Wow. That was 30 years ago. It can't be a good thing if I'm saying "30 years ago". I aint that old. Am I? Anyway, the title also seemed better and more fitting than the title of Norman Rockwell's old book, "My Adventures as an Illustrator", which was given to me for my birthday...15 years ago. I think.

Oh boy.
Where's the Geritol?
Oh...that doesn't exist anymore does it?
And almost nobody remembers it. The fact that I do...does not bode well.
All right. I'm gonna go rest my weary bones.

KCD

The Common Mistake, and I've Just Made It

The common mistake is being away and not paying attention to your blog. I've just made it. I let myself get distracted by too many other things. And so much has happened! The gallery is now up on Imagekind and it's had over 120 image views. Now that doesn't sound like a lot, but considering that it's only been two months, and there's still about a week left of this month, that's pretty good.
Also, a historic moment: healthcare legislation, after a year plus of hyperbole, overreaction, paranoia, and hysteria has been signed into law by President Barack Obama and...the earth continues to turn. My goodness, after all the predictions of doom surrounding this debate (for want of a better word), you'd think the planet was going to suddenly turn backwards on its axis. Yet the sun rises. People are going to work. The morning rush hour is still...well...rushed. And the Bolsheviks are, strangely, not anywhere near the gate. Not to wax political here at an art blog, but I would suggest that those who were certain we would go to hell in a hand basket over this, those overwrought ones should actually find some sober, sane analysis of the bill and read it. There are some who would argue it doesn't go far enough. I can't speak to that.
But it does get us going down the path toward universal coverage, which most developed countries have.
It's also the best package a market-based system like ours could have come up with. It's hardly perfect, and whatever your persuasion, you won't like everything that's in it or not in it.
But before you go off on a rant, you owe it to yourself to at least read the damned thing. Not all 2500 pages, obviously. But surely you can Google "healthcare law" and get a summary and some sensible analysis. Then you can get on with your day.

Meanwhile, cruise by the gallery if you haven't yet. It'll give you a lift. See you soon.

KCD

More Technical Difficulties

Because this is a blog about art work, it makes sense that you should be able to see mine and link to it. You know, in case you want to, possibly LOOK at it or, well, BUY SOME. But there were glitches in loading a slideshow to give you a sense of what I'm doing. As soon as those are worked out, I'll have REAL LIVE ART to show you. Meanwhile, you can check out http://ourbliss.imagekind.com and take a look at our just completed Seasons series. This is imagery inspired in part by Alphonse Mucha. He attempted a rendering of the seasons which I was privileged to see at the Worcester Art Museum some years ago. If I can find the link to more of his work, particularly that piece, I'll post it here. Our series also features poetry by Barbara Randall, an English professor, poet, writer, and my partner and soulmate. The combination of her words and my art has proven to be very moving for people who've seen it. Enjoy! And if you like it, share the link with your friends and by all means, BUY SOME. Imagekind is owned by Cafe Press. They are an on-demand printer and they provide a selection of mats, frames, and even custom papers to really do the work justice.

So ends the shameless plug for today. As soon as I resolve some of these technical issues, I'll be able to have links or a slideshow here. Until next time.

KCD