[uhp-steyt fan-see] - adjective

1. not exorbitant or extravagent by city standards, however in a rural setting (like upstate new york) it is in fact, quite fancy.

2. a wonderful blog dedicated to art, design and other things that are indeed upstate fancy.

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Feb
09
art
ARTIST INSPIRATION with wook woodworking

Please welcome Alexandra Snook and Edward Way from Wook Woodworking sharing what inspires them 

Ed and I are husband and wife, and we run our own small furniture design company.  I would have to say our primary inspiration is always the natural world.  Repetition of form and natural textures as in the beauty of old weathered wood, the spiral in a shell, or the smooth undulations in the grain pattern of Cherry are all inspiring.  Wood itself is really our greatest inspiration.  The variety of species and their corresponding colors, textures and grain patterns never cease to amaze us.  Motivation, however, can come from an entirely different place.  Reflecting on the works of great designers, architects and sculptors is usually what gets us really fired up about creating.  And once we have a  concept, it’s into the studio we go, working days, nights and weekends and often skipping meals and not getting enough sleep. Great design incorporates function and form in a seamless fusion, and amazing designers such as Frank Lloyd Wright, Frank Gehry and Ray and Charles Eames (looking very cool on their motorcycle in the picture above, might I add) all exemplify this.  In terms of our personal style, we probably most relate to an Asian aesthetic.  Clean lines, impeccable joinery and appreciation for the original material all greatly influence our work.  We also love to use sustainable materials and try to do so whenever possible.  We are always on the lookout for new products and materials that satisfy our want to produce eco-conscious pieces.  

Thanks so much for letting us share our inspirations with you- Alexandra and Edward 

wook

Dec
15
art
A ROUGH TIME for printers

I work full time as a graphic designer, mostly doing print pieces. We all know the economy isn’t great right now and it affects quite a bit of things. I love that Because Studio has managed to find the humor in a situation i see on a daily basis. A lot of clients don’t have the money right now to spend on a 5 color pantone job with letter-pressed envelopes and die-cuts. These little prints say everything that I have been feeling. Pieces can still be beautiful even when you don’t have a lot of money to throw at a job. 

Nov
14
art
TUT TUT it looks like rain

It’s been pretty dreary in New York for the last 2 days. I normally love rain, but I was hoping for a nicer weekend to get out and take some pictures for reference for the new shadowboxes. During my rain search today I stumbled upon these fun illustrations by Ward Jenkins. Although they are digitaly colored they evoke the sense of child-like watercolors that always catch my eye. I can’t wait to see what else he has in store for us. You can check out his website as well.

Nov
08
art
FABULOUS flowers

The flowers in Marilu’s Etsy shop are quite simple and very unique. Her zipper flowers are a beautiful take on the traditional Kanzashi flowers of Japan. I seem to be on a roll with finding unique brooches this week, but rest assured she offers more than just a pretty pin. Her simple elegant felt flower necklaces would be perfect on anyone, and at only $12 would make a great secret santa gift.

Nov
07
art
A HOUSE is a home

Matt’s parents have just sold the home he grew up in, so he wanted to do something special for them  as a christmas gift to remember the home the family grew up in. We didn’t want to do the traditional watercolor portrait of the house but did want something beautiful and artistic. Thats when we found Julie from Julie B creative. She is an amazing artist and the perfect style we were looking for. She has been kind enough to share progress photos of the painting and I wanted to share them with you.

Nov
05
art
DRESS UP your coat.

This week was the first time I was forced to wear my winter coat. I’ve been thinking of getting new buttons for it to jazz it up a little. It’s the same coat everyone else has, Black pea coat, black buttons, cute but boring. Today I came across these unique brooches by Sarah from CraftyFolk. Hailing from the Great state of Oregon these brooches are one of a kind, hand-painted little pieces of art! I love her whimsical style and a sense of the forest meets fashion. These little guys would be sure to snazz up any coat!

Nov
04
art
VOTE for something

It doesn’t matter for what, but PLEASE go out and vote today. The lines might be long, it might be cold, you might be tired, you might even be late to work. Tomorrow none of that will matter! The only thing that will have matter is if you stood up for yourself and your beliefs. 

I came across this great poster pre-order today. Once the 43rd president is deterimed the poster will be complete! These portraits are super cute and come in some great colors. Perfect for the classroom or living room!

Oct
31
art
SPOOKY scary

Happy Halloween everyone. I have always really liked these unique prints by Steve Morris. His illustration style reminds me of some golden books I read as a kid with a twist on the subject matter. His use of minimal colors that really stand out is what makes his Giclee prints jump off the wall at you. He also has a Graphic novel “Blessed Thistle” published by dark horse comics. Check out his work and take a home a piece for yourself. 

Oct
27
art
THE WIDE WORLD of textiles

Lately I have been working on a lot of repeating patterns at work and for fun. It made me start thinking about textile and wallpaper design and other ways to display the finished work. So I did a bit of research and found a 2 day class right down the street from me at 3rdward. Yesterday was the last class and although I felt teh pace of the class was slow I did learn a few new tricks. The poppy design is probably my favorite creation so far but I am really excited to create more patterns. Maybe I will turn this into a print.