Shop and save this Black Friday with small businesses and artists.
From Friday, November 27th to Monday, November 30th, anyone that orders
a fine-art print from Fresh Snapped Photos will get a 2nd print of
equal or lesser value absolutely FREE! With a deal like that, there's
no reason to re-gift this year!
Don't forget you can save big at the Vintage Indie Holiday Market!
{ Shyama Helin Mixed Media Artist }
I'm sorry to go all mushy on you, but these lovely pieces of art remind me of me and my sweet husband. Artist Shyama Helin combines vintage advertisements with modern painting for her mixed media art.
{ Through the Lens } { Independent Photography } {Inspired by Fall }
Photography by Pohotograbee
© Photos Copyright by Photograbee
'free shipping' offer for any Vintage Indie readers. Mention Free Shipping in Notes to Seller during your checkout and wait for a response.
{ Through the Lens } { Independent Photography } {Inspired by Nature }
{ Create Love Laugh }
{ SHOP }
©Kimberly Creagan
Thanks Kimberly for the special offer!
{ Through the Lens } { Independent Photography } {Inspired by Nature }
{ Magnesina }
Heather
{ SHOP PRINTS }
© Magnesina
Vintage Indie would like to welcome Christine Berrie as our featured artist, and creator this week.
Working at my drawing board.
What is your preferred medium?
My drawings
are created using graphite and color pencils. I prefer using simple
materials with a hand-rendered approach. I also create a lot of
collage work, combining found imagery and photos with blocks of colors
and textures. A computer can be very useful for tweaking or cropping
into my images, however, I’ve always loved the simple process of
drawing so I’ve never let computer processes take over the creation of
my work. I prefer a more hands-on approach; drawing, collage and taking
photos.
'Retro Typewriter' - Limited edition print.
I’ve loved drawing for as long as I can remember. When I left school it seemed like a natural step to go to Art School and pursue a career in the creative industries and my parents were always very encouraging and supportive in my choice. After graduating from Glasgow School of Art I went on to the Royal College of Art in London. I moved back to Glasgow in January after 8 years in London, and now work in a little studio at home. My Dad was a draughtsman and when he retired, he gave me his drawing board, which I suppose is a vintage item in itself! It’s a huge, wooden Admel drawing board with a heavy, metal mechanism. It was made in the 60s and has a wonderful smooth surface on which to draw.
My Studio Desk and Drawings.
Some of my sketchbooks
Sketchbook pages
Sketchbook pages
Sketchbook pages
To be a freelance illustrator, you must be quite driven and have a lot of patience, as it can take a while to get those first commissions. I also think it’s important to be able to create personal work on a regular basis and take time to go out to exhibitions and look at the work of other illustrators, designers and artists. If illustration is something that you are passionate about, I think it will show in your work. A website or blog to showcase your work is also essential.
'Sabre Camera Drawing' - Limited edition print.
Does vintage play a role in your art or life? If so, how?
'Microcars' - pencil on paper.
What is important for your customer to know about your work?
'Chalets' - Limited edition print.
Thank you Christine for giving us a detailed look into your work and studio, you are truly an amazing artist. Please visit Christine at her Etsy shop CB78. Also at her website for her extensive portfolio.
Kerry Beary creates delightful kitchy retro paintings, with a 50's diner style. Kerry Beary's paintings mean so much more though. Visit her news page to see how she relates the strong women of a bygone era to her current day work.
Below are a couple of my favorites from her collection.
Vintage Indie would like to welcome Dave Lefner as our featured artist, and creator this week. You won't want to miss a second of this interview. Dave's loft studio is a dream workplace with swanky style.
Can you tell us a little bit of background about yourself? Where are you from etc.?
I am actually a native Angeleno, born and raised in Los Angeles. I’ve lived in various areas, from the Valley to Burbank, Miracle Mile by LACMA to my current home in Downtown LA. I earned my degree in Art at the California State University in Northridge. I live/work in a loft at the world’s largest artist colony, the Brewery, for over ten years now.
Carving
My chosen medium is reduction linoleum block prints. It is a relatively lost art form invented in the 1950s by Picasso. It is a process in which a multi-colored print is created by printing color stages from a single block of linoleum onto paper. The block is carved then inked, and run through a press. Then that is repeated over and over until the final color is printed to complete the piece. I wish there was an easy way to explain it, but there’s not!
Studio & Letterpress
How did you get started?
Who or what inspires you?
The urban landscape of Los Angeles is my biggest muse; the shadows cast from rusted, broken neon signs in the day, mom&pop storefronts, the web of telephone wires above our heads. Typography & fonts. Shakespeare & Sinatra. Pop Art.
“The Orpheum” (triptych),
2008, reduction linocut, 7 colors,
What advice would you give to someone wanting to get into this medium?
You must be extremely patient. You must be willing to give over to the mystery of the process. There is no instant gratification in this medium. You can have a basic idea of what you want in the end, but until you print your final color, your outcome is unknown.
Being an “old soul”, vintage is all around me. The loft is filled with vintage artifacts; from old steamer trunks & typewriters, to actual vintage neon signs. My collection of classic fedora hats is proudly displayed. And my Art is directly inspired by a time gone by, from the medium to the subject matter.=0D
Work & S
Kitchen
I try to convey to them how labor-intensive the process is. There is no rushing a piece. Every edition takes weeks to months to complete because each stage must be carved on the block, then printed with oil-based ink, which needs time to dry. And all that is only one color stage. Generally, I use about 5-8 colors in a piece. Also, the edition sizes are very, very limited. My editions are rarely more than 5 or 6 prints, and each print is hand-carved & hand-inked by me personally. It is my hope that people respond to the subject matter, but the process is very important to understand, as well. The medium is the message.
Bedroom
Trunk
A special thank you to Dave Lefner for sharing his awesome studio and work with us. You can see more of Dave's work at his website and inquire about purchasing there. Be sure to check out his upcoming events to see his work in person. Last but not least, my personal favorite below.
“The Rialto”, 2008, reduction linocut, 9 colors, 36” x 20”, edition of 6
Hi Nicola welcome to Vintage Indie, can you tell us about your preferred medium?
My preferred medium is the art of bear making, amongst sewing of any other sort. I have been stitching something for as long as I can remember, although, as a blogger, I constantly have my finger in many pies as I find the inspiration out there to hard to resist! I also love to crochet (which has been a fairly recent learning curve), knit, and sketch.
Frank and Edna, handmade bears made from 100% pure
german mohair, german glass eyes, traditionally filled with wood excelsior,
steel shot and pellets for weight and texture. Distressed by hand for the
'time worn' appearance.
How did you get started?
My parents have been my greatest influence in my love of craft throughout my life, and I come from a very creative extended family. My dad made one of my first toys, an enormous Andy Pandy, along with my first bed, and my mum was always knitting or sewing something in her spare time. I can remember her teaching the children to knit at my primary school. My brother is an artist, following in the footsteps of our grandfather.
I drifted from craft for a while, whilst working full time in London, but as soon as I was expecting our first child I picked up the knitting needles once more, and I have never looked back since! I was never the biggest fan of the whole ‘internet’ thing and what it had to offer, considering it a great time waster, until I was given the book “Crafter’s Companion “ by Anna Torborg as a gift for Christmas, and a whole new world – the blogging world - instantly opened up to me.
My Studio
I began my bear making career ten years ago with a knitted bear for my first little girl, and it progressed steadily. I researched my books I had collected over the years, studied the methods and began to make a bear, and then a rabbit and it went on from there. I was never a ‘doll’ girl, always preferring my bears, and I wanted to create something special for my children. With the blog as my showcase I was encouraged every step of the way by all the other lovely bloggers and readers alike, all of them thoroughly supportive of what I created, and my obsession began to grow!
Old painted dresser in studio.
Who or what inspires you?
I am inspired by anything vintage... anything with a past or a story to tell. The cloths, the textures, patterns, and colours. I love studying just what makes something ‘look’ old. With my bears I am inspired by vintage toys, the story of the teddy bear and the love that people have for them. Sometimes I am inspired by a vintage piece I have found like a brooch, piece of clothing, button, or millinery flower that I have found and I build the character of the bear around it.
What advice would you give someone wanting to get into this medium?
I would start by doing some research into the art of bearmaking, there are loads of books available and helpful websites, and then practice and develop your own style. I think everyone brings their own creative style to a creation, that’s what makes them individual.
Does vintage play a role in your art or life? If so, how?
Vintage plays a very strong role in both my art and my life. As a child I was brought up around antiques. My aunt was an antique dealer, with a shop, and we were constantly at antiques fairs at the weekends. I think this is where my love of vintage started, and it has grown and stayed with me throughout my life – a love of things with a past, a story to tell. I like my possessions to have a sense of history. I find the smell of an old book intoxicating and the creak of an old piece of furniture endearing. My house is furnished with second hand furniture most of which I have restored and restyled with a ‘shabby chic’ look. Old things only get better which makes shopping second hand almost whimsical. I think old things have a tipping point beyond which the marks of age only improve their appearance. I love to thrift, charity shops being my guilty pleasure. The excitement of not knowing what you are about to uncover, the anticipation of discovering a treasure and the bargain steal at the end of it is just too much to resist. Old stuff is far more likely to be unusual, unique to you. I never go round to any of my friend’s houses and find we have the same crockery, furniture of curtains. My home is built around individual pieces thrown together because I love them, not because they are the current trend, and I am adding one more chapter to them by using them in my home. My obsession with vintage crockery is outgrowing my house, reuseable textiles are bulging from the drawers but my appetite for a bargain is still ferocious.
In my art my main focus is to make my creations have a time worn vintage appeal, whimsical, like they have just been found in an attic. I indulge my passion for vintage ribbons, buttons, lace and other paraphernalia that I have collected along the way, and mix it with my love of creating a character, an heirloom to be treasured forever.
What is the one thing you cannot live without in your studio?
My sewing machine... it was my mum’s, and is now very precious to me. I think she would be very proud to know that I am making my living from it. And my radio, I have to have the radio on whilst I am working!
What is most important for your customer to know about your work?
The most important aspect of my work that I hope to convey to my customers is the preciousness of having something unique in today’s world of mass production. The importance of craftsmanship and love that goes into creating a unique piece that has a sense of history and can be treasured for years to come. I love my work and I put a great deal of time, detail and love into each piece I create.
Thank you Nicola for this wonderful insight into your bear making. Visit Nicola at her web shop The Vintage Magpie as well as her blog.
You'll have to pardon me, but I couldn't pass up these past beautiful days of weather we've had, with my boys. We've been stuck in the house for quite awhile with a lot of rain. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and finished the evening with a movie under the stars. It was a lovely day.
Our special guest Starr Keller will be here for a couple of features this weekend. Until then, daydream of traveling to these gorgeous places through the lens of photographer Michelle Campbell-Zurek.
{ Through the Lens } { Independent Photography } {Inspired by Life }
Whoosh Los Angeles Downtown Metro Bus
New York City Times Square
Sunset in Paradise Laguna Beach
{ SHOP }
All images are registered & copyright protected ©2008-2009 M. Campbell-Zurek
{ Through the Lens } { Independent Photography } {Inspired by Nature }
Did you know that there are so many tiny little worlds, that we may not ever even notice? Allison Trentelman captures your attention with her gorgeous photography showing us these tiny ecosystems.
pretty ittle things (moss sporangia)
Photography by Allison Trentelman | Rocky Top Studio.
All images Copyright © Allison Trentelman, all rights reserved.
I was lucky enough to grow up in a household that had a great
appreciation for the old.We had cars from the 1940's and 50's and most
items in our home were either passed down,or a treasure discovered at a
flea market,garage sale or antique shop. I've continued that tradition
and try as much as possible to incorporate my love for vintage in my
work; whether in a photograph, a drawing, or the jewelry pieces that I
make.
What is important for your customer to know about your work?
That it simply comes from the heart....with love
A special thank you to Allister Ann for showing us an inside look into her world of photography, design and fashion. Visit Allister Ann at her blog, Etsy Shop and MySpace.
What is your preferred medium?
Recycled glass. All my works are made of scrap windows and scrap picture-frame glass. I'm also starting to dabble in painting fine art on scrap wood. Sustainability and re-use is a priority in my work.
How did you get started?
In 2005 I was living in Paris with my boyfriend (now husband), who is French. I was doing photography, and contemplating returning to academia. I found myself drawn to photographing artisans of old forgotten crafts, however - people who carve knife handles, weave lace doilies and forge iron gates. At some point I realized I didn't want to observe artisans anymore, I wanted to BE an artisan. I craved the calm simplicity of working with my hands and with tactile materials. One thing led to another and I found a school in Paris that taught a full professional diploma in traditional stained glass. I spent a year at this school, where I learned to cut glass, enamel it, and solder it in lead (as well as joke around a lot in French). I got my diploma, then moved back to the US and opened my studio. The rest is history.
Who or what inspires you?
I'm captivated by patterns. This began when I lived in Indonesia and I discovered the rich patterns of traditional batik fabric and the ornate carving on Hindu and Buddhist temples. Over time I also found Japanese fabrics, Portuguese tiles, Victorian wallpaper and Islamic geometric patterns. I always try to incorporate patterns and ornamentation into my work.
Also, I'm inspired by natural history. What is more beautiful than nature? I particularly love a rather obscure 19th-century Japanese artist named Shibata Zeshin. He depicted nature in a way that is realistic yet charming. He cleverly captured the life of small creatures, like a grasshopper on a squash vine or a turtle slipping into a stream. It's visual poetry.
What advice would you give to someone wanting to get into this medium?
Very
few people work in glass enameling or traditional painted stained glass
(especially in the US), so you will need to find some kind of teacher,
which are few and far between. It's hard to begin on your own. There
are a handful of teachers in the US, and more in Europe.
Does vintage play a role in your art or life? If so, how?
All my raw material is vintage. I have a whole corner of my studio full of salvaged windows and picture frames. But I transform them into new items, ready to create a new story.
What is important for your customer to know about your work?
That it is entirely handmade - every step of the process comes from my two hands, including cutting the glass, slumping the glass, and most importantly hand-painting the enamel designs. Some people think it is machine-made or screen-printed. Most definitely not! I work with a loving adherence to old artisan traditions, even when my designs are modern.
All Photos ©Copyright FoxAndClover
A special thank you to Sabrina for sharing her inspirations with us. Visit her Etsy shop Fox & Clover to purchase some of her gorgeous designs.
***
Have a great weekend everyone, we'll see you back here on Monday!
xoxo Gabreial
Update from Kimberly! 15% off for the rest of October to anyone who writes "VintageIndie" in the seller comments of their order.
:::Create the world you envision, love with all your heart, and laugh in all your brilliance:::