September 12, 2017

Stak Ceramics

 

Heather and Myles Geyman built a friendship, marriage, and business – in that order. Chances are you’ve seen Stak Ceramics‘ super functional slip cast ceramic pieces before, because they’re everywhere. (They’re also often ripped off, unfortunately.) Whether it’s the kitchen tablet dock, the sprout planter phone dock, or any number of other minimally beautiful creations made in their Pittsburgh studio, you can be sure that they’ll help you live well.

Shop Star Ceramics

 

 

 

 

 

Posted In accessories, behind the scenes, create, house and home, kitchen, living, pittsburgh, sculpture, technology
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September 11, 2017

OATMEAL

 

Elise Birnbaum is a maker, skill collector, coveter of interesting objects, and founder of Pittsburgh-based OATMEAL. She works predominantly with clay and metal, creating pieces for both body and home that are inspired by simple things and made in a narrow, often neutral, color palette. I’ve been following Elise, and the creations she often shares on Instagram, for some time now and very much appreciate the way she doesn’t depend on color to make her pieces standout. (One of those knot necklaces is definitely on my birthday wish list!)

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Posted In behind the scenes, create, house and home, jewelry, kitchen, living, pittsburgh, sculpture, style, wear it
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September 11, 2017

BLAK RUST

 

Shannon Pultz creates BLAK RUST‘s textiles by combining contemporary aesthetics with 7th century Japanese shibori silk painting techniques. With a focus on hand-made, high-quality, and hand-dyed traditional art, custom colorways and patterns are reproduced on textiles for apparel, upholstery, and wall coverings. Products available in BLAK RUST’s shop are luxury silk stoles and scarves that are wearable one-of-a-kind pieces of contemporary art.

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Posted In accessories, behind the scenes, create, house and home, living, pittsburgh, style, textiles, wear it
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September 8, 2017

Tugboat Printshop

 

I was following Tugboat Printshop and their traditionally hand-crafted, fine art limited edition woodcut prints long before I realized they were even from Pittsburgh. Each unique piece Valerie Lueth creates is an original, authentic work of art created start-to-finish by hand. Tugboat’s drawings are made on 3/4-inch birch woodblocks, then carved in low relief using knives and chisels before being printed directly from the hand-carved blocks. I really appreciate how detailed each piece is and the incredible amount of work put into every woodcut print.

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Posted In create, paper, prints, wood
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September 7, 2017

Spacapan

 

A few months ago I had the chance to hold one of Margaret Spacapan’s perfectly shaped half-dome bowls, she had to talk me into it because I can be a klutz and they looked so delicate. I marveled at how it felt in my hands and kept thinking about how a human had created this thing. All of Spacapan‘s sculptures and forms with function are completely without flaw and attract me like a crow to something shiny. But for the time being I’ll just have to settle for the hope of someday owning one of her bowls.

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Posted In create, glass, house and home, kitchen, lighting, living, sculpture
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September 7, 2017

Reiko Yamamoto

 

Reiko Yamamoto is a modern ceramicist combining her skill in creating versatile, functional pottery with her experiences growing up in Japan. Eating meals meant a collection of handmade pottery rather than a matching set – a completely foreign concept – and Reiko has brought that approach to her Pittsburgh studio by creating pieces of various sizes, colors, shapes, and patterns that all work together harmoniously. The jewelry she creates has the same organic feel and presence, with a weight that feels substantial but not heavy.

Shop Reiko Yamamoto’s work

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted In create, house and home, jewelry, kitchen, living, pittsburgh, sculpture, style, wear it
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September 6, 2017

Savannah Hayes

 

If you’re a lover of bold, graphic prints then Savannah Hayes has got your number. The Pittsburgh-based textile designer refined her urban aesthetic through years of living and studying in various cities – San Francisco, London, New York City, and Los Angeles – and working with big shots Kelly Wearstler, Martha Stewart, and Kravet Fabrics. In October 2015 Savannah struck out on her own and has since expanded her eponymous line to include products for the living room, dining room, bedroom, baby, and tech. But if you have an idea of your own, she also sells fabric by the yard. I own one of her blankets, a heavy knit that’s ready to be brought back into rotation for autumn any day now!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted In accessories, bags, create, entertaining, house and home, kitchen, living, pittsburgh, style, textiles, wear it
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September 6, 2017

Ashley Cecil

 

Our Pittsburgh Maker Profile series has been on extended hiatus for awhile now. This area is so rife with creativity that I feel I’ve been doing it a disservice, simply highlighting one maker a month really isn’t enough. So this September I’ll be highlighting a few dozen instead! You’ll know it’s a Pittsburgh creator by the little seal above that will mark each post.

Shop Ashley Cecil’s work

 

 

I first became aware of the flora-meets-fauna art of Ashley Cecil last spring when she created a line of scarves that sold at the Carnegie Museum of Art. She paints from live observation at renowned institutions, and marrying realism with abstract modern backgrounds is her signature style. Those two things alone garner loads of interest for me, but what makes it all work so well together is Ashley’s innate understanding of color and the way she knows when to keep it reigned it or go all out. She’s also working to save birdlife with an innovative window film that helps birds see the surface rather than fly into it injuring, or even worse killing, themselves.

Shop Ashley Cecil’s work

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted In create, do good, illustration, painting, paper, pittsburgh, prints
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September 5, 2017

Print Edition: September 2017

Radical Women by Banquet Workshop

 

String of Pearls by My Deer Art Shop

 

Dreamy Houses by Kimberley Dhollander

 

Start With Yes by Anthony Burrill

 

Pink Roses on the Table by Pratt Creek Art

 

The Eruption by Hugo Barros

 

Starting Somewhere Now by Chipper Things

 

Dunes and Sun by Danna Ray

 

Black Lodgepole Pine Tree Ring by Linton Art

 

Modern Watercolor by Nancy Knight Art

Posted In create, graphics, illustration, mixed media, painting, paper goods, photography, prints, round up, series
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September 1, 2017

Salman Khoshroo

 

Creating with a palette knife is one of the most amazing things to me. In this case it’s Salman Khoshroo‘s expertise of musculature and the human body on full display with his mastery of wielding a full knife of paint that has me in awe. If you notice, Salman’s using multiple colors with each swipe which suggests that there’s nearly as much work going on before he touches the canvas as after. Oh, and they’re large scale.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted In create, painting
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