Emergence of Self 9.24.07

I believe firmly in cultivating "Beginner's Mind" and practice it daily. But honestly, sometimes being a clumsy, confused novice is just icky :(! This is one of those times. Before I did the "Emergence of Self", I tried a basic contour using the info from class plus Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. The proportions are okay and some elements of the features are good, but it sure lacks personality! Then I went on to the shadow picture. I wasn't sure if we were supposed to stick to contours or shade in the bright spots. So I did a bit of both. Now that I've looked at others on the blog I have a better idea of where we were supposed to be going. I'll try this technique again when I get some spare time!

Contour profiles redux 9.19.07

Here are two more contour profiles. The first one is of an elderly woman at (where else?) Barnes and Noble. Her chin really was pointed!

The one below is from a photo. It's Charlize Theron glammed down for a role. I'm doing a bit better with chins and foreheads but overall, I'm less happy with these than my others--I was hoping for more improvement. Guess I need to do a bunch more, if I can find people to sit still!

Pencil Box IAR 101 9.14.07

The Assignment: Design and create a container for the pencils we use in this class. Pay particular attention to craftsmanship. Materials: Matte Board, Paper, Adhesives.

First Iteration: I started with a box with two drawers. I made the dimensions correspond to the Golden Ratio. But I ended up with a huge (13.5" tall) out of scale, ugly monstrosity. I then thought about going with a hexagon outer shape with a 6-sectioned inner holder in order to mimic the 6 sides graphite (the Carbon atom) nd the 6 sides of a pencil. But I saw that another student had done that so I dropped it. Next I decided on a matchbook/easel design I saw for a small notebook in the Levenger's catalogue. I did two iterations, and had trouble with the scale. To make the closure work, the total height woul have been 9 to 10". Another problem was making something to hold the easel in place so the 2 sides wouldn't slide apart. I wanted it to be integral to the design and easy to use. The one I made was clunky and looked out of place. Below you can see my prototypes.
The Last Iteration: I knew that I wanted some reference to China/Asia a source of incense cedar used for pencils. I also knew I liked the simplicity of the matchbook closure. I discarded the idea of the easel, and rotated the closure so it was on the right side, instead of at the bottom. The paper I used provided the Eastern look and it has a wonderful, soft texture. It's a tone on tone tissue paper. The blue dragonfly paper was serendipity. Suzanne noticed a glue mark on the paper I originally chose, so I went to Adam's for replacement. The dragonfly paper continues the Eastern reference and the blue works better with the cover paper. Yeah!

Lessons Learned: Measure twice, cut once is an understatement. I measured numerous times, cut numerous times, and started again--numerous times. I'm still not happy with the scale. It's rather large for just four pencils. But, I like the look of the papers, and the softness of it. It's a pretty piece.

Contour profiles 9.16.07

I enjoyed doing these so I did a couple of extra. The first one is from Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. Had a lot of trouble with the mouth and chin--she looks like she swallowed a toad!
Below is a girl who was studying with a group of friends at Barnes and Noble. They left in a big swoosh--so I didn't get a lot of detail. But I think I "got" her nose really accurately.

This is from a photo of me, taken by my father, when I was 5 years old. Too bad you can't tell I'm wearing my red and black fringed cowgirl outfit!
This is my ever patient and supportive husband--who is a LOT cuter than this!

Design Research: Products and Artifacts

"Foto" Table Lamp: These table lamps have elements that reference older-style photographic lights. They look like square Fresnels, complete with barn doors, and tripods. The lamps are made from die-cast aluminum and come in black and white and other colors. Thomas Bernstrand and Mattias Stahlbom of Sweden designed the lamps for Zero. I like both the technical and the retro feel of these. Very cool. You can see pictures of them in Wallpaper.

The Studley Tool Chest: The name is not a marketing ploy to appeal to male egos. Henry O. Studley (1838-1925) was a piano builder from Lowell, Massachussets who is most noted for creating the self-named tool chest. Here is a picture. For the organizing junkies among us this is a delight. The chest holds over 300 hand tools and each one has its own place. Some even fit in with a satisfying "click". It's built from mahogany and walnut; details include inlays with ebony, rosewood, , and mother-of-pearl. He most likely gathered much of the wood from scraps left over at the Poole Piano Company where he worked. The chest is made to hang on the wall. Closed, the chest measures 39" X 40"X 9". It opens to 40"X 40". It's the Swiss Army Knife of tool chests with sections that swing out to reveal 2 or sometimes 3 layers of tools. If you want a poster, the Taunton company has one for sale.

Tool Landscape: From traditional (above) to modern. The Tool Landscape is a curvy, delicious version of the pegboard. The two "pegboards" are made from waves of overlapping metal on a blue metallic background. This is all surrounded by a metal frame. The designer is Malin Lundmark from Sweden. The board is designed to be a "moving landscape" changing when you rearrange your tools. It's from Lundmark's collection, "As if...fantasy was reality" and plays with her, "view of inanimate objects as living things." This is a fun piece of functional art (it costs about $2200!). You can see a picture of it here.

Dinette Set: I want a '60's/'70's style linoleum topped table with aluminum legs and vinyl-covered seats. Why this appeals to "give me natural. sustainable, non-toxic materials" me is a mystery. I think it's the bright color of many of these sets. I also like the small scale--they usually seat a maximum of 4--and the openness of the design. There is plenty of legroom since the legs are at each corner of the table (no center support to stub your toe on) and the seats are comfortable. It's easy to settle in for coffee, conversation, and a Sunday paper. There's a nice set in Atomic Ranch: Midcentury Marvels No. 15, page 42.

Rainwater-catchment systems (Rainbarrels): Rainbarrels were used over 2000 years ago in Thailand, among other places. As climate change brings us unpredictable rain/drought patterns, and as water becomes a scarce resource, the rainbarrel is making a comeback. Today the rainbarrel is often part of a more complex system designed to catch, store, and use rainwater. Even the simplest models have spigots and other fixtures that make using the water easier. The New England model (see this site) is an example of simple design. It's made out of recycled plastic, has an aluminum screen to catch leaves and other debris, and brass fittings. A more complex system was installed in the Clipper House in San Francisco. It includes storage tanks, pumps, filters, and drainage systems. The system was designed and installed by Wonderwater. The general formula for rain catchment is that a 1000 square foot catchment area (such as a roof) will provide 600 gallons of water with every 1 inch of rain. Rainbarrels aren't the most aesthetically pleasing additions to a landscape (although I bet this will change as demand increases), but they are an easy way to save and use water that would otherwise be lost as runoff. And they speak to the "new" green ethic which is being driven less by ideology these days, and more by personal experiences with the effects of drought, high fuel prices, and daily ozone alerts.

The iPod: No list of nifty gadgets can ignore the iPod. Forget the technology. What is revolutionary about the iPod is its design. They are the tribbles of technology--plastic and metal boxes that are almost cuddly. There are many ways music can be downloaded, stored, and listened to, but the iPod is a hit, I think in large part, because of it's smooth surface, rounded corners, and the way it snuggles in the palm of your hand.

The Humble Egg Beater: In our family's cabin in Maine we have a sweet little spatula. It has a wooden handle that was once red. The head is stainless steel with 3 rectangular slits. It is small, maybe 3 to 3 1/2 inches. The turned handle fits perfectly in my hand and it slides under a fried egg and lifts it off the cast iron with smooth efficiency. We've tried to find another one like it, but so far no go. We love going to Maine for many reasons, and the spatula is one of the little pleasures we look forward to. The hand egg beater is like that spatula. I rediscovered this gadget a few years ago, also in Maine. The gear mechanism was patented around 1920; the beaters are usually stainless steel, and the body is a metal alloy. I use it for making scrambled eggs and other small mixing jobs because it's light, doesn't have to be plugged in, and it's easy to clean. But I also use it because the rhythmic click of the nylon gears moving the metal center, and the hypnotic sight of the beater spokes meshing perfectly are tactile, sensual pleasures.

Wooden Drying Rack: Another low-tech item that is a pleasure to use. The rack folds up into a rectangle and then expands to reveal a series of dowels to use for hanging wet clothes. I like the feel of the wood and the clever use of dowels and hinges. And it's nice to unplug from the electric dryer at least some of our laundry.

Chairs: Every design magazine has scads of chairs. The editors of Wallpaper (August 2007, No. 101) wrote: "...[S]ince Philippe Starck produced his three-legged 'Costes' chair..., every designer and his dog has wanted to create an iconic chair, and many have." One chair I came across (I don't remember where) is a contemporary version of a curule chair that references many of the elements of classical Roman and ancient Egyptian interior design. It's constructed with twisted brass arms, wrought iron legs and stiles, and a creamy white, lightly upholstered seat. The front legs and front of the armrests and the back legs and stiles create the classic curule form. There are lion's heads on the stiles and lion's feet at the base of the legs. The airy woven brass, white upholstery, and graceful curves are balanced with the weight and formality of the wrought iron, lion's heads and spiraling leaf motifs.

Organic Cotton Flannel Sheets: A heavy weight (6 ounces) flannel sheet set is wonderful. They get softer with wear. They are warm and cozy in winter and surprisingly cool in the summer. I have found that they are prone to shrinkage over time so air drying is best. The organic, un-dyed or low impact dyed sheets are more expensive but worth it to us as a way to be a bit gentler on the environment.

Contour Drawing--People

Here are 4 contour stealth drawings of unsuspecting (I hope) folks. I agree with other students that this practice was surprisingly enjoyable. Maybe I expect something close to perfection when drawing immobile squares and rectangles. With bumpy, wrinkly, fidgety people I'm happy for every accurate line!
This is at Smith Street Diner. They have biscuits the size of your head!
This one and the next are folks in my favorite hang out, Barnes and Noble. (I know, I'm a wild one!)

EggProject IAR 101 8.07

(A physics joke) Q. How do you unscramble and egg? A: Feed it to a chicken.



The Assignment: Design and create a place for an egg that 1) celebrates some quality of "eggness", and 2) is a clearly defined space for the egg to be. Our materials were limited to paper (no adhesives).
I started with research of eggs and made a couple of webs with what I found.


Then I found the Orphic Egg.

First Iteration: I liked the idea of the metaphor of the egg as nascent life and the serpent as the fire that fuels the birth of the divine self. I made the connection to an article I'd read about ayahuasca, a South American hallucinogen that causes the same visions of serpents, twisted ladders, and such in almost everyone who takes it. (See this article from The Walrus magazine.) There is an idea that the vision is the unifying energy in all living things, which to a molecular biologist, is DNA. So we have a union of opposites--mythology and science. I decided to use the Orphic (or Orpheus) Egg. The spiraling snake would be the place for the egg. Its body would be the twisted ladder of DNA.


Gravity and the limitation of using only paper to build a supporting, upwardly moving structure thwarted my scheme. I tried twisting paper and Origami but nothing worked. All I had to show for my first iteration were a few orange origami triangles. Dumb old physics!

Second Iteration: I talked with Suzanne and she helped me distill my idea down to one phrase: the unity of opposites. The egg symbolizes the unity of male/female; delicacy/strength; openness to the environment/shelter; beginning/end, and so on. Then I remembered one of my all time favorite math "tricks": the Mobius Strip. You can make one! It continued the idea by uniting the opposites of inside/outside. It's simple to make out of paper and its gorgeous curves are perfect for nestling an egg.

I used heavy white bond paper, and painted a 6" wooden egg with white gesso. Since white is the combination of all colors in the light spectrum it fit with the unifying of opposites idea.

This attempt was successful. I tried it with a few different kinds of paper and also tried glazing the papers with a white glue and water mixture. I also had to try a few different styles of tabs for closing the Mobius strip, and then had to practice a few times with the style I chose. I planned to set the egg on top of the closure and I wanted it to be as smooth and invisible as I could make it.


I really like the result. It's simple and sensuous. I think it makes the "unity of opposites" visible in its structure for those who want to ponder it. Otherwise it just looks neat and the egg has a definite place to be.

Lessons Learned: I started with a jumble of big, loosely connected ideas and images that weren't clearly focused or articulated. That led me to try an over-complicated design. What I learned is that I have to take that unwieldy, beginning mess of images and ideas and pare it down, and then pare it down again until I get to the essence. I had to be willing to let go of my favorite parts of the design if they did not work. When the idea became clear and simple, clear and simple design followed.

DowntownContours 9.07

We were supposed to take a total of two hours on these four sketches, but for me it was six! But again I learned a lot and I'm pleased with these drawings. Thanks to both Jake and Suzanne for encouragement. And thanks a million to Jake for catching my mistake with trying to find angles using my pencil. It kept dipping into the 3rd dimension! He gave me the "pane of glass" image, and it has made a tremendous difference. Yeah! This first drawing is a law office on Elm Street.
I wanted to find something modern and something simple. This bank is on the corner of Market Street and Murrow Blvd. Very simple lines with a creamy, adobe-like surface.
Cheesecake by Alex on Elm Street was closed :(. I like the coziness of the small shop and the gathered curtain. Looks very inviting.


This was my first choice for the downtown contour series. Whoa! I went back 3 times. It definitely challenged me. But I love the building and its place in the GSO arts community so it was fun to do.

110 Contour Sketch 9.4.07

Once upon a time, during my first round of college, I decided to switch from an English major (the major for which I was genetically and socially programmed) to Biology. That meant taking Chemistry. And I had no idea what that teacher was yapping about. But for some reason,probably pure stubbornness, I decided I was absolutely, positively going to understand all those symbols and formulas. And though it took some tears and a few temper tantrums, in time I had a revelation. I saw the world as a chemist and it changed the way I looked at everything from a piece of chalk to a poem. Drawing is like chemistry--unknown. And I'm definitely in that frustrating, "I'll never get it" part (though I seem to have outgrown the tantrums!). But I know I'll get to that epiphany and I'll see the world through the eyes of an artist/designer. And I'll get to see chalk and poems in a new way--again.

International Design Magazines

Here is the research I did on International Design. It includes a two entries on British design, a piece on the stone mansions of the Swahili people in eastern Africa, a look at Objekt International magazine from the Netherlands, and a bit of French style from Art and Decoration.

The English Home: Elegant Living in the Traditional English Style (EH). EH chronicles rural, historic homes renovated in the Traditional English Style. Construction dates of homes in the magazine range from the 15th century to the 1930's.
So what makes a home English Traditional? In spite of the wide range of ages in the homes shown in EH, there are a number of design elements common to all of them.
Setting and grounds: These homes sit on large expanses of lawn with few trees or other plantings. Most have either formal or cottage style gardens on the backside. There is no attempt to nestle the homes into the landscape. Instead, they sit on top of it, visible from long distances.
Exteriors: The homes are symmetrical--a single rectangle or a central rectangle with wings. House fronts are constructed of stone or brick; some have ivy or other climbing vines covering the facades. Casement windows are the norm with a 2 over 2 or 6 over 6 pattern.
Floors and ceilings: Many ceilings have open beams, sometimes original and sometimes added during renovations. Other ceilings are flat. Ceilings range from about 8-12 feet. Floors may be covered in local limestone tiles, checkerboard patterns of black and white tiles, hardwood, and occasionally low-pile carpets.
Furniture: Furniture is mostly rectilinear and substantial. Wood is used extensively for tables, chairs, and cabinets. Windsor chairs and variations are common. Side chairs and dining chairs have upholstered seats and backs, and often have turned legs. Upholstered sofas and chairs often have exposed legs. Dining tables are most often constructed of wood and may be rectangular or oval. Fireplace mantles (chimney pieces) have architectural features with lintels, carved cornices, engaged columns, etc.
Walls: Molding is used to delineate wall from ceiling, and wall from floor, as well as to define the areas around windows and doors. It may be the same color as the walls or painted in a contrasting/complementary shade. Walls are made from stone in the oldest houses. In all the homes walls are painted in a single color (which varies from room to room). Walls are generally flat (i.e. no frescoes, carvings, or other 3-d effects except for the molding). Beds have wooden or metal head and foot boards; only one had a canopy. Most had one or two small shelf or cabinet nightstands flanking the headboard.
Colors and decor: Wall and decor colors tend toward neutrals and some blues, yellows, and pinks. These are generally a rich pastel (spring or "Easter colors"). Drapery is often fairly heavy, floor length with matching valences, although some windows are left untreated in sunny gathering rooms or kitchens. Ornamentation ranges from very spare (a small painting on the wall) to an eclectic mix of colors, textures, and styles that parallels the American "cottage" style of decorating. Decoration on walls was mostly in the form of framed paintings hung singly or in small groups. Small sculptures adorn side tables and mantles. I saw little overhead, recessed, or track lighting. Most was task lighting on tabletops.
Kitchens and bathrooms: Bathrooms incorporate current technology and comfort and even include some modernist shapes and sensibilities. They often combine the minimalism of Asian design with "cottage" elements such as bead board. Kitchens use traditional cabinetry (many with free standing cupboards) but have state of the art appliances ancd countertops.
Conclusion: The style of Traditional English homes uses rectilinear shapes, bilateral symmetry, wood, plush upholstery and simple decor to create a feeling of stability. The style fuses features from the past seamlessly with modern appliances, comforts, and technologies. The style is functional and comfortable.

British Design (Part 2)
Livingetc: The British design celebrated in Livingetc. is entirely different from The English Home: Elegant Living in the Traditional English Style . This magazine is set squarely in the modernist tradition, but it is a family focused publication, as much about actually having a functional, comfortable, and kid-friendly environment as a stylish one. Colors and shapes really caught my eye. Many rooms are white or neutral with just a few big splashes of bold color. Reds and yellows are definitely in. What I noticed most was a variety of styles. Unlike the traditional English which seems to be defined by a somewhat limited number of shapes and materials, the rooms in Livingetc. range from "vintage charm" and "striking monochrome" to "daring color" and "natural touch". Materials for furnishings included wood, upholstery, and organic forms of molded plastics. I found the magazine to be full of playful and vibrant ideas.

Swahili Chic: The Feng Shui of Africa by Bibi Jordan with a forward by Richard Leakey.
It's a book, not a magazine, but I really wanted to find information on so-called non-western design, particularly any with an Islamic influence. So when I found this book I sat myself right down and started going through it. It is sumptuous.
For this entry I will focus on the Stone Houses of Mkomani in the city of Lamu in northern Kenya.
The Swahili culture of east Africa stretched northward from Tanzania to Kenya and into Somalia. The "stone towns" of the Swahili culture are areas of townhouses built in mazes of narrow passageways, just wide enough for a people and donkeys to pass through.
They are heavily influenced by the architecture and values of Islam (introduced to the area in the late 9th century). They also have some elements from the aesthetics of China, India, Europeans, and Arabs--all of whom passed through the Swahili people's lands.
The stone mansions were built by wealthy patricians. The exteriors were made from coral and except for the highly ornamented wooden doors, they were indistinguishable from one another. This uniformity reflected the Islamic values of conformity and equality.
All the mansions had a uniform layout that emphasized seclusion and scholarship. The homes were on an axial plan, oriented north-south, in alignment with the holy city of Mecca which was due north. The homes were 3 stories tall. Like Roman temples and dwellings, and those of Egypt, the spaces in the homes grew more private and intimate as one moved deeper into the structure.

Here's an overview of the floor plan:

The street is a male space, and in general public areas were for men only. One step up from the street was the daka, a recessed front porch which was used for informal gathering, like a row house stoop. The door to the house opened off of the daka. The doors were the only exterior features that expressed individuality. They were made of expensive hard wood and had ornate carvings of symbols for fortune, love, and health. The hardware was made of brass.
Just through the door was the ground floor, a "dark cavern" for servants and donkeys. A steep staircase led up to a guest room and then to a covered landing which was used as a reception area. It had high, clerestory-like windows that let in light but provided privacy from neighbors. The ceiling was high, and the walls were whitewashed with a border of carved plaster friezes. The atmosphere was formal and stately.
Non-family males were not permitted beyond this room.

An atrium courtyard, kiwonda, was the center of activity for servants to work and children to play. It had no windows, but was open to the sky for light and ventilation.
A second steep staircase led to the third floor and a rooftop kitchen as well as a penthouse veranda for women. Beyond this area were 3 rectangular galleries. Each was gently sloped toward the courtyard and each was one step higher than the one before it. This arrangement allowed wash water to cascade into the kiwonda and into street gutters that emptied in the sea.

The three galleries were the main living areas of the house. Each one was deeper, darker, and more intimate than the one before. The first was a sitting room. The second was a sleeping chamber with 2 alcoves for beds at each end, with a sitting area in the middle. The innermost room was the bedroom/bathroom suite for the parents. The gloom of the inner rooms was offset by "luminous white coral plaster carvings that increased in grandeur as one went deeper". Niches in the walls were filled with family heirlooms, china, and leather bound books.
Photos of the houses, some restored and used as inns, show the symmetry of design, and the simplicity of the wall, floors, and ceilings enlivened with the treasures of the family. Jordan writes, "The interior was rich with family life, heirlooms, libraries. The homes embodied "purity and peace".

Objekt International Magazine
The philosophy of this publication is "quality over quantity". It has been in circulation in over 80 countries for 15 years. Seriously upscale. Gorgeous heavy paper--bet it has no recycled content! Most of the articles focus on homes and commercial properties, although there is an interview with Harm Lagaaij, the chief designer at Porsche as well as an article about the Fiat. Featured houses include: Fujiya, a 350 year old inn that has been restored with modern amenities while preserving its historic structure; an over the top (my opinion) remodel/redecoration of a 1990's architect designed house outside London (including a round bed by Ipe Cavalli with a voile hanging by Fox Linten in a child's room); a spa and "wellness temple" of "six illuminated sail-like glass elements. And so on. Wow--this is less?!
I can't find design elements that tie all these structures together. They are all designed to the nth degree, and in general the design is meant to be oohed and ahhed over as far as I can tell.
Some of it is tasteful (I like the Japanese inn) and some is just annoyingly "look at me". There is no thought to sustainability in these designs, and too often it appears there isn't much thought to how one is going to actually live and function in the spaces. Oh well it's certainly an interesting look into how the other .01% live!

Art and Decoration from Paris (with English summaries!)
I would put this on par, as far as type of readership, with Traditional Home.
Except for summaries in the back of the magazine I couldn't read this one, sooo it's all about the pictures. This is a summer issue so there are several beach houses (seaside houses?) featured as well as products for outdoor living. Many of the furnishings and products would fall into our "shabby chic" style with distressed wood, mixes of floral and striped fabrics, "weathered" metals along with ceramics and textiles in turquoise, hot pink, orange and lime green.
Floors and cabinetry are often hardwood in light colors. Windows are often left bare or treated with sheer, textured fabrics. As with our shabby chic and cottage styles most furniture and wall surfaces hold pictures, vases of flowers, nautical artifacts, and natural objects such as driftwood.
A feature on outdoor showers has wood or stone enclosures. Most are meant to look quite old as if they're weathered into the landscape. I liked these. They were relatively private and felt like secret grottoes.
There was a nice spread on room screens. Most of these were constructed of wood. They were accented variously with louvers, cane, and sheer fabrics.
Overall the interior design and decor seemed to be made for comfort and nostalgia. It was the French version of "Cottage" style. A little fussy and busy, but welcoming.

Blind Contour: My Room

I posted this just because I like it. I was very relaxed and took plenty of time with it. Can you see our cat on the dirty clothes?

Negative Contours

Negative Contour: Leaves

Blind Contour: My Hand 8.07

A blind contour of my left hand