Save 20 Gallons

Billboard for the Save 20 Gallons Campaign, off San Carlos, San Jose

Around the South Bay I have seen a couple of billboards for this ad campaign that was launched in May by the Santa Clara Valley Water district and created by The Hive Advertising of San Francisco. What caught my eye was the campaign’s retro style, which I find charming and a fun way to get people to do something. With Fall approaching, I am curious to know how effective the campaign was this summer. Check it out, even the television spots have that crackling effect and that “can do” sales pitch voice from the 50’s, just like on the Cialis commercials. Maybe they should just pump Cialis in our water supply so will use less of it but get bigger results! K

Check out the campaign here.

Because We Can

Because We Can, Oakland, CA

I had the opportunity to meet with Jillian of Because We Can at their Open House/Talk Shop event last month at their studio in Oakland. BWC is a small studio that makes furniture and interior design pieces from wood with their handy Shopbot Frank. Jillian and her husband, Jeffrey began BWC when they bought Frank and began experimenting with the machine and its potential. Eventually their experimenting led to some great client work and the two quit their day jobs to pursue BWC full-time, adding an accountant and a few part-timers to help with the workload.

Squirrel Table and Bird Chair

So, what does BWC do exactly?

Jillian a graphic designer and Jeffrey currently undergoing his exams to become an architect, combine their talents to make anything from custom furniture to taking a drab office space and making it fun. Anyone can have a bookshelf but BWC adds something to it that is creative and unique. Their creations are durable, well made and sustainable. BWC uses primarily Maple as their wood of choice because it is sturdy and they can make small pieces out of it. All their wood is FSC certified, sustainable and comes from the US. They also use water-based dyes to add color to the wood. Mixing the pigments themselves gives them a wide range of colors to play with and incorporate into any funky design. I asked Jillian why she thought sustainability was important and for her, she not only wanted to enjoy her work but also work in a non-toxic environment.

Frank the Shopbot

BWC thinks outside of the box creating anything from modular desks to a whimsical conference table or transforming cubicles into cityscapes. BWC not only makes the workplace fun, but also does residential spaces. After 3 years of being in business, even in a sluggish economy BWC has managed to work with it. Getting their work out there through word of mouth and landing some great clients such as Three Rings Design, Mint.com, The Exploratorium, Timbuk2 and Wikipedia. Jillian and Jeffrey continue to press forward with a new brand, 10 Miles Wide that focuses more on sustainable architecture and construction. They are currently working on a prototype for their own home in their Oakland studio. Next month they plan to promote the launch of 10 Miles Wide at their Open House event, which is open to the public. K

Jillian shows off BWC wooden toy robot that is available online

I visited BWC in Oakland, Ca on July 9, 2009. For more info on BWC, please check out their site at becausewecan.org.

South First Friday 8/7/09

Pjota, Walking in the White at Anno Domini Gallery

My apologies for being behind on my posts. It has been a chaotic couple of weeks between work and preparing for a baby, I just haven’t had the opportunity to sit down and write. However, I got some things ready to go, to keep me on track. So I hope your all still there and no one has abandoned me yet!

This Friday I checked out First Friday in downtown San Jose’s, SOFA district. With the Jazz Festival in town for the weekend, there were many festivities for First Friday besides the galleries. Anno Domini had the Street Mrkt as well as the Jazz Beyond stage featuring  Midival Pundits with Karsh Kale and Panthelion.

I only made it to a few of the galleries, but I did check out the Street Mrkt that had a lot of great local artist selling work at an affordable price. Anyone looking to purchase art should check out the AD Street Mrkt. Until then the Kaleid Gallery has Two Buck Tuesdays, every third Tuesday of the month, next one is August 18th.

So… what was happening at the galleries?
Anno Domini’s current resident Pjota from Brazil had his opening for Walking in the White. Pjota’s large canvases appear bland and washed out but getting a closer look these large canvases reveal detailed figures and lettering immersed in textures and layers. Despite all the white and pastel colors, the over all tone feels negative and almost frightening. Pjota’s work will be on view at AD until September 19.

Christopher Reynolds, San Jose Yacht Club at Space 47

Space 47 aka the San Jose Yacht Club (till August 21st) had its opening reception for their mentoring artist, Christopher Reynolds. Poking fun at elite social clubs, the San Jose Yacht Club juxtapose nautical symbols such as flags, boat names and helms with low riders. The entire exhibit consist of paintings, sculptures, photographs and souvenir buttons. Despite the clever humor, the overall exhibit is lacking an artist connection and undertone of the overall concept to the viewer. It almost feels like an inside joke.

Down the Rabbit Hole

Disney Promo Pictures for Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland

Next March 2010, Tim Burton’s new Alice in Wonderland hits theaters in 3D. Filmed in London in less then 40 days, Tim Burton takes Lewis Carroll’s classic tale of Alice in Wonderland and appears to incorporate with Carroll’s follow-up, Through the Looking Glass. The casting seems appropriately fitting for Carroll’s neurotic characters which includes Helena Bonham-Carter as the Queen of Hearts and of course who else but Burton’s version of Alice, Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter. It is no surprise Burton is recreating Alice in Wonderland, this adventure is right up Burton’s alley. Yet so was Willy Wonka and well… that was a little disappointing, but the squirrel scene was cool. Needless to say, can’t wait to check it out! k

Mary Ellen Mark, Anne Hathaway as the White Queen with Dormouse

Did you know?

That Lewis Carroll’s real name was Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, and besides writing, he was also a photographer. His inspiration for Alice came from a young girl named Alice Liddell whom he often photographed.

Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, Alice Liddell, 1859

Just for Fun:

Having read Alice in Wonderland several years ago, I found it to be a creatively inspiring tale that influenced some of my own work. In college, I was assigned a product packaging piece for my Photoshop class. I created a product called Tall Tale Alice Ale, a microbrew from the Rabbit Hole Brewing Company, Fine Ales & Adventures. It was a fun piece, however now looking back I wished I would have hand tooled the typeface instead of using Curlz. Yuck! What was I thinking! I got so into it; I even sketched out other illustrations for different brews such as Mad Hatter Stout and The Queen’s Ranging Red.

Tall Tale Alice Ale Bottle Label

Hands of Sacrifice

All Wounded Warriors, Dennis Smith, Steel

Last week while on a road trip with my husband up north, we checked out the Living Memorial Sculpture Garden (LMSG) outside of Weed, Ca. It was impressive and emotional. The steel figures are simplistic and faceless, but the body language and the hands are expressive conjuring up an emotional and telling experience for the viewer that surely will not be forgotten. Most of the sculptures are situated at the end of a private walkway that gives each visitor a moment of reflection, as well as symbolize the sacrifices endured.

Coming Home, Dennis Smith, Steel

The LMSG was founded by a group of Veterans in 1988 and consist of over 90,000 trees that were planted by volunteers to honor veterans on 136 acres of US Forest Service land. Amongst the trees also includes the Hot LZ Memorial Wall and the sculpture garden created by artist Dennis Smith a Marine Corps Veteran and Vietnam Veteran.

“Each sculpture has personal meaning for me in terms of life experience and
personal incidents. Through the arts we have the means to peacefully
consider violence and to ask questions as well as offer possible solutions.”
– Dennis Smith.

The LSMG is located on HWY 97, one mile north of A-12 on the west side. It’s about 13 miles outside of Weed, Ca. For more information check out the LMSG website. K

FOUND

FOUND Magazine #6

Its always intriguing when you find someone’s “to do” list discarded in the parking lot, a photograph that slipped out of someone’s bag or a note left in the back of a library book. It is a crumb of someone’s life that can be inspiring to an artist or an oddity to a collector. These crumbs become small reflections and treasures to its finder that are often humorous and quirky artifacts of our everyday lives. So, my little quirky find for this week’s post is FOUND Magazine. FOUND Magazine is dedicated to those little found artifacts such as notes, lists, photographs, drawings, cards, homework, etc. Any random thing you find can be part of FOUND Magazine. Check out FOUND Magazine online, where you can check out daily finds, comment on other finds and best of all share your own finds! K

Other Fun Finds to check out:

We Love Typography: if you love I Love Typography you will enjoy this collection of all things type. We Love Typography is a social bookmarking site of typography finds including images, video and text. Use the We Love Typography search feature to explore colors, typefaces and other nouns.

MakeFive is a social networking site were users can make and share their “top five” lists. I guess the age old topic of your “top five” never gets old, whether it is albums, movies, bad fashion trends or most hated celebrities there is a list on MakeFive to share.

Kodachrome Bites the Dust

1942 Ad for Kodachrome Film

In the 15 years that I have been photographing, I used Kodachrome once. It was when I first started shooting; I bought it on accident in a drug store. I remember then what a pain in the ass it was to develop. It took almost a month to get my film back, because it had to be sent out. I never used the film again!

In college, I recall several of my instructors referring to Kodachrome as one of the best for color. But with tight assignment deadlines, Ektachrome VS was comparable in saturation and could be processed in many local labs. So, it is no surprise that Kodak announced yesterday that they are retiring Kodachrome, but it is surprising that it took them this long to do so.

Kodak first released Kodachrome in 1935 for 16mm movie cameras. A year later, they marketed the film as 35mm color film for still photography. Despite it’s complicated developing process in the late 30’s it was the most affordable and convenient way to get quality color images, until Ektachrome came out sometime in the 1940’s, which was a far more convenient processing system that photographers could do in their home labs. What makes Kodachrome different from Ektachrome is that Kodachrome has no color couplers (color forming ingredients) in the film’s emulsion. The color couplers are in the development process which is what makes the development process so complicated that as of today only one lab in the US develops Kodachrome film with it’s K-14 process, Dwayne’s Photo in Parsons, Kansas.

One of the most iconic images of color photography is Steve McCurry’s Afghan Girl, National Geographic, 1985 shot with Kodachrome. According to Kodak they will be donating the last rolls to the Eastman House International Museum, were McCurry will shoot one of the last rolls and donate those images to the Museum. Check out Kodak’s tribute to Kodachrome here.

Kodachrome Film

Feeling nostalgic? Which many photographers’ often do when film is discontinued, buying the last of it in bulk. Kodak expects supplies to last till early fall but already Kodachrome is out of stock at many retailers nationwide. Those of you who get your hands on a few rolls don’t hang on to them for too long… Dwayne’s Photo will only be processing Kodachrome until the end of 2010.

With many professional and amateur photographers going digital, how long will it be before Kodak and other film manufactures discontinue color film all together? Many colleges have already eliminated traditional color printing courses from their photography programs and replaced them with digital printing and techniques. So when will film become a thing of the past? Please share your thoughts? K

Effie’s Heart

Effie's Heart Endless Summer Dress

While at the Maker’s Faire a few weeks ago I came across a fashion booth for Effie’s Heart based out of Santa Clara. The designs of Effie’s Heart immediately grabbed my attention because the clothing was modern, fun and had the vintage flare that I adore.

One of my favorite pieces from the Summer Catalog is this “Endless Summer Dress.” I love the convertibility of one garment having six different uses. This dress can be worn as a dress, a skirt or a long top. It is not only ideal for traveling but takes up less space in your closet! This is a direction I hope to see more fashion designers’ move towards. Quality clothing that is fun, practical, adaptable and well designed.

Effie’s Heart sells women’s clothing in boutiques nationwide. You can also buy online at effiesheart.com. k

Patchwerk Press

Chair on Fire Cardigan. Screen-printed on a 2nd hand cardigan at the Swap-O-Rama. Screen-printing courtesy of Patchwerk Press

At this year’s Maker’s Faire Pachwerk Press of Oakland, California was lending a hand with screen-printing at the Swap-O-Rama. These dedicated men & women need an extra pat on the back for their patience, hard work and dedication to their craft. They must of screen-printed thousands of t-shirts, bags, patches, skirts, sweatshirts you name it for tips only over the course of two days. They deserve an extra shout out.

Patchwork Press is a collectively owned and operated community screen-printing shop located in Oakland. Patchwork Press offers screen-printing services, memberships to use their screen-printing studio and community screen-printing classes through Rock Paper Scissors Collective. Check them out at patchwerkpress.org. Thank you for sharing your designs and hard labor with the DIY community.

2009 Maker Faire

Dress made by Casual Profanity from surgical plastic tubes and some sort of liquid.

Remember Mouse Trap the 3-D board game? At the Maker Faire it was brought to life.

Last Saturday, I checked out the Maker Faire at the San Mateo Expo Center. Although their tagline reads “The World’s Largest DIY Festival,” I was still surprised by its scale and the amount of attendees. But most of all by the Maker Faire’s eclectic gathering of events from robots to steam punks, cheese making to screen printing, alternative vehicles, a life-size mouse trap and iron sculptures that spit fire. The Maker Faire had something for everyone, and I mean EVERYONE! Despite the crowds and the long lines, my husband and I checked out as much as we could and had a great time making cards, screen printing tote bags and attempting our own diy fashion designs. K