Posts Tagged ‘Art’
Interview With ModOp Design’s Alexandra Becket
Readers of Take Sunset know Alexandra Becket as one half of ModOp Design (the other half being husband Greg Steinberg) the house flipping duo responsible for taking Eastside homes in need of a makeover, including my current listing in Highland Park, and transforming them into stunning, high-end remodels. ModOp’s homes have mid-century influence and unexpected design touches, but what really sets them apart is their use of Alexandra’s own hand-painted artwork, printed textiles, upholstered furniture, and accessories.
Fabrics are at the core of Alexandra’s work. She uses water-based paints on silk to create her designs, and her work can be found not only in ModOp Design’s flips, but in homes and galleries around Los Angeles. Alexandra’s fabrics and textiles have also been acquired by high-end home decor companies and designers, like Anthropologie, BCBG, Vince Clothing, Trina Turk, Pottery Barn, Target, Guess, Tadashi, St. John–the list goes on.
Take Sunset had a chat with Alexandra about her creative process, the impact her grandfather (the great LA architect Welton Becket) had on her career, what inspired her to start flipping homes, and where she likes to grab a quick lunch in Silver Lake…
Take Sunset: Your artwork and textile patterns seem to reflect those found in nature. Is that what inspires you?
Becket: Yes, the natural environment is a big inspiration. Patterns created by rock formations, shadows cast by plant life onto the surfaces around them, vegetation and the endless array of shapes that exist in nature. My other big inspiration is architecture and the built environment of Los Angeles, specifically mid-century architecture. I am drawn to the aesthetics of mid-century design and appreciate the clean lines and geometry that came out of that era.
Take Sunset: Can you talk a bit about your creative process?
Becket: I pick up inspiration when visiting places, usually when something calls out to me personally. I capture these inspirations on camera, which helps me to compose an image that I can refer to when designing. Then, I do my best to put these inspirations into work as soon as possible. If I’m working on creating a textile design or a fabric painting, I use a technique similar to batik, using a water-based resist to draw a design. I then paint over the design with water-based paint that I mix to create colors. The artwork is then heat-set to make it colorfast and washed, which removes the resist and reveals the linear design under the paint.
Happy Mid-Show Reception
Happy, one of my favorite stores in Los Feliz, is having a mid-show reception featuring work by Karen Frimkess Wolff (left) and Carlos Ulloa (right) this Friday, July, 2 from 6 to 10 pm. Fix Coffee of Echo Park will be on hand with treats. If you can’t make the reception, the exhibit will be on view at Happy until July 31st. Store hours are Monday – Saturday 11 am to 7 pm and Sunday 12 pm to 6 pm. And Happy now has an online store.
Happy
4675 Hollywood Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90027
(323) 661-2200
Interview With Kelly Lamb
A while back I wrote about artist/designer Kelly Lamb’s beautiful geo-birdhouses, planters, and terrariums. Kelly has also designed interiors for Malo restaurant in Silver Lake, the Echo nightclub in Echo Park, and she’s designed and produced artist’s campaigns with corporations like Salvatore Ferragamo and Coke. And she also renovates old homes. After reading up on Kelly, I just had to bug her for an interview. And, awesomely, she complied.
Take Sunset: I heard that you renovated a 100 year old home in upstate New York before relocating to California. What was that experience like?
Kelly Lamb: Yes, I renovated a big house built in 1906 in upstate New York. It was a crazy undertaking. As with something that old, you never really know what you are going to get when you dig in. The thing I really enjoyed about it was seeing the different layers of transition the house had taken over time. Each previous owner had marked the property with their tastes and personality. It was a trip to peel away the different layers and try to imagine what was going on in the home at a particular time. All the layers gave the house a crazy personality. There was a disco in the basement from the 70s, and there was beautiful stonework from the turn of the century. It was really fun and interesting for me to take into consideration all the things the house had been and add to the legacy of the home’s architecture and design.
Take Sunset: Have you renovated any homes here in Los Angeles?
Kelly Lamb: I just finished doing a house in LA that was built in the same year as the one in upstate NY. The process was very similar to what happened in NY, but the history was obviously more California based, and the weather had not taken as big of a toll on the structure itself as it did to the upstate NY property.
Take Sunset: How did you get involved in doing commercial interiors for restaurants and clubs like Malo and Echo? It seems like the creative process would be very different than working on individual art pieces.
Kelly Lamb: When I moved to LA, I got involved doing interiors for commercial venues. One thing led to another and I was asked to do the interiors for part of the Echo nightclub, which led me to doing Malo and so on. Yes, the process is very different than doing an individual art piece because ultimately it is a collaboration with the owners of the venue, where as art is a solo venture. I also look at doing interior design as collaboration with the audience or the “customer,” as I take into consideration how the final product is going to be used and perceived by the public. When I was making art, these ideas were not really as much a part of my practice. Read more…
Wall of Art
I am spending my lazy-ish Sunday cleaning and browsing the Internet for design ideas…. I just spent about an hour pouring over white dressers on Ikea and then popped over to one of my favorite inspirational blogs, Oh Joy. I came across this picture she took of Kate Spade’s office and showroom in New York. I love red & turquoise together, but what I really dig is the mix of random framed art. I tend to favor mixed up design in general, like walls of art and tables of books and vases and things. When done right, the mixture of colors, textures, and various elements is my favorite kind of styling–even in super modern homes. I think it works when the colors are sort of similar with pops of one or two bold colors, like the red & turquoise here.
I would love the wall right behind me in my office/dining area to be done like this, but I need more frames and more art! I’m thinking of going to a used bookstore and looking for art books I can tear up… So, I’m the hunt for cheap but decent frames.
Anyone have any other ideas?
Photo by Oh Joy
Art Objects by Kelly Lamb
You may be familiar with Kelly Lamb’s work and not even know it–she designed interiors for Malo Restaurant and Lounge in Silver Lake, the Echo nightclub in Echo Park, TenOverSix boutique in West Hollywood, as well as interiors in New York City and upstate New York. Kelly is a multi-media artist as well as a designer, and some of Kelly’s smaller works of art are for sale, like this Geo-birdhouse. There is something soothingly ultra-modern about this bird house. I like how it sticks out, yet oddly compliments its natural surroundings. Inspired by the geodesic dome popularized by architect Buckminster Fuller, the round ceramic shape makes an ideal nesting place for all sorts of small birds. It’s available at areaware.com for $95.00.
Kelly also designs these great off-center geo-planters, perfect for the succulent in your life. They are handcast in concrete. The large is approximately 15″ in diameter for $195.00. The small is 9.5″ in diameter for $80.00.
She also designs and sells powder coated, metal and glass terrariums for $400. And you know how I feel about terrariums… In fact, Lauren’s comment on my original terrarium post is what led me to find Kelly Lamb in the first place!
To purchase the geo-planters or the terrarium, contact Kelly Lamb at kelly@kellylamb.net.
The Huntington Botanical Gardens
At the top of my list of places I still need to go in Los Angeles: The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens. This 207 acre hilltop estate was home to Henry E. Huntington (1850-1927). The library contains his collection of rare books and art collection with changing art exhibits. But what I’m really dying to check out are the Botanical Gardens. It began in 1903 and now features more than a dozen gardens, including a 100-year-old Rose Garden, a Chinese Garden with traditional open-air houses, an Amazon water lily pond, and a Japanese Garden with a koi-filled stream.
Right now there is something extra exciting going on at the Huntington Botanical Gardens–the gigantic Amorphophallus titanum or Titan Arum (a.k.a. the Corpse Flower) is about to bloom. A Titan in bloom is extremely rare and the bloom can reach more than 6 feet in height, opening to a diameter of 3–4 feet. The plant is most famous–or infamous–for its exceptionally bad odor. Hence the nickname, Corpse Flower. When it bloomed at Huntington back in 1999, it created international headlines and nearly 76,000 people lined up to get a whiff.
The exact date of the current bloom is unknown, but it’s projected to open sometime between June 5-10. Huntington is keeping track of its progress on the corpse flower page. When it does open, the bloom will not last long–just a few days, so you’ll have to hurry if you want to see (and smell it) in all its glory. If you’re planning a tip, reservations are not necessary and tickets can be purchased at the time of your visit. Check Huntington’s website for more details and hours.
The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108
(626) 405-2100
Mid-Century Dream House
I am drooling all over this mid-mod interior design upgrade in Chelsea from Apartment Therapy.
Here is the before shot. It looks like shabby chic threw up.
And the after! It’s just so beautiful and fresh. I really love the art work on the walls.
The centerpiece of this room is the six-foot high, two-tiered Murano glass chandelier from Eurofase. Phenominal! Also, love the “Be Nice Or Leave” pillow on the sofa. That’s a great rule for any home. Wondering about that circular sofa? It’s a rebuilt, reupholstered, vintage, three-piece upholstered by CJ Delatore using Plush Chenille fabric from Schumacher. Read more…
George Nelson LEGO Bench
Chris and Dolores Salomone of Humble Ablog made a version of the George Nelson Platform Bench out of LEGOs and PVC glue. Behold:
Lisa Borgnes: Stitching Up The Noughties
Embroidery, the traditional past-time of domestic 17th and 18th century women, has been reclaimed with subversive cross-stitching patterns, readily available for the modern and they crafty. But Lisa Borgnes, Los Feliz blogger (A Bloomsbury Life), takes this large scale with her recently opened show “Stitching Up the Noughties” at ACME Gallery. “In my work, I aim to continue that narrative, but through the prism of a 21st century lens,” Borgnes explains. “Instead of a subject matter like religion, domesticity and morality, my stitched samplers explore the preoccupations of the last decade (the ‘Noughties’): things like Botox, plastic surgery, ‘It’ bags and the recession.”
Here’s a sample of the text. “On The Price of Beauty”:
Fill me, plump me,
Smooth me out,
Inject me with
a girlish pout.
Keep me spotless
and unmarred,
Just put it on
my credit card.
Biting social commentary woven onto giant burlap? Or… just kinda depressing. You be the judge. The show runs through May 29th. Gallery hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 11 am – 6 pm.
ACME
6150 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, California 90048
(323) 857-5942
Shag Apparel
You are probably familiar with the Orange County artist Shag, even if you aren’t aware of the name. His kitschy artwork portraying mid-century modern lifestyle has been put on everything from mugs to stationery to mouse pads to salt and pepper shakers. And next month, Shag is entering the fashion world with a men’s line that will include jackets, blazers, sweaters, T-shirts, button downs, pants, and hats.
Kevin Rheault is the president and creative director of the Long Beach-based Shag Apparel label, which has licensed Shag’s artwork for the line. He told the L.A. Times that his goal for the label was to “have people look like they’ve jumped out of a Shag painting.” Clearly, the look is vintage inspired, but the there’s also an updated, slim silhouette. Retail prices range from $34 up to $350. The line will be available beginning in June at R & R Menswear in Palm Springs, Disney Vault 28 in Anaheim, and Hansen Surfboards in Encinitas. The collection will also be sold online through Posterpop.com and at Shag Apparel’s own site by mid-July.
For those of you who would rather collect Shag art than wear the clothes, Shag: The Store in Palm Springs sells exclusive products and artwork not available online. And the store is having a grand opening party this Saturday, May 8th at 6pm.
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Copyright 2009 Take Sunset. Designed by Curt Ziegler.
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