Oh dear - I’ve been slacking off again. it’s been a week since I posted last, sorry! I’ve had a bit of work on and have been getting myself into a couple of new galleries which I shall report on soon. For now let me share with you what has been my main vice and distraction whilst I’m supposed to be working on proper jobs: mid century property porn! The best site I’ve found for this has to be Retro Renovation. Just check out the stunning interiors - vast majority of best 50s/60s architecture is to be found in the states and if you click on the ‘time capsule’ links on this site you will see some real beauties.
I live in an early 1960’s block of flats and if I owned this place I’d be thoroughly absorbed in a renovation right now, taking it back to it’s roots: flecked linoleum, pastel shades, atomic decorations, Saarinen Tulip chairs - groovy! Stacks of cash necessary unfortunately - not only to buy this place but also because I would insist on original items. Ah well - I can dream.
Whilst researching references for a recent illustration, I stumbled upon this perfect blog. It summerises all manner of mid century design in architecture, furniture, products and art inspired by this era. A load of goodies to feast your eyes on from Eames, Knoll and Saarinen among others. There are also a few very interesting films on there too - a perfect alternative to facebook for your tea break entertainment!
If you are in the Brighton region during August you must pay the Fishing Museum a visit. It hosts various intriguing exhibitions throughout the year and between August 6th and 17th you will find a gorgeous selection of work for sale by Fiona Howard and Kate Jenkins aka FiFi and Cardigan.
Fishing Quarter Gallery, 203 King’s Road Arches, Brighton BN1 1NB
Tuesday 6th ~ Monday 17th August. Opening Times 11am to 5pm.
Make a note in your Creative Happenings diaries - there will also be a chance to win a prize!
In the process of forming my Etsy store (it is coming along-gradually) I came across the delightful prints of missbrigette’s shop. These are all from original gouche paintings and collages and they sell at such fantastic prices too. Her style, colour palette and quirky subjects are all so mid-century and right up my street!
I’ve just stumbled upon the gorgeous work of a fellow Brightonian. Designer Fiona Howard seems to share my love of the mid-century aesthetic with stylised natural forms and muted colours. There’s a touch of the Angie Lewin about these too - another of my favourite artists. I must get myself at least one of the mugs: I particularly like the Harbour design and if I were any good with a sewing machine I’d definately snap up a few yards of the fabric, available by the metre.
Paisley St Claire blog header
Checking through my web stats this week I found that alot of you were finding me via the gorgeous Paisley St Claire blog. Thanks to Jaime who’s own groovy fashion accessories are well worth checking out.
Jaime Beattie accessories
Any idle moment browsing the net soon leads me to a search on mid-century illustration (it’s that or 1950s furniture-I’m currently lusting after a vintage cocktail bar for our new flat). The best place to find great examples is a splendid blog todaysinspiration which is updated pretty much every day.
It was here - via another link - that I found a flickr group of the most beautiful kids book illustrations. The pics that caught my eye were by one Aurelius Battaglia. A bit of googling will hopefully shed more light on this artist but for now feast your eyes on these pages as found on flickr. I can’t get enough of the stunning colours and elegant, angular styling so typical of this period.
These images are a little blurry as they seem to be photos rather than scans but view the slideshow to see a bigger version in all its Techni-color glory.
