[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
artist inspiration boards
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

Feb
02
artist inspiration boards
ARTIST INSPIRATION with wabisabibrooklyn

Please welcome MaryAnne from Wabisabibrooklyn sharing what inspires her to be creative.

I generally need to physically move to start the engine of inspiration. My number one choice of locomotion is to take long city walks where I pass by so many people it’s slightly dizzying. The unexpected juxtapositions, seeing a bit of the old hanging on amid the new; shopwindows, and eavesdropping all give me just the right motivation to get to work creating.

When I travel farther than just a walk away from my house, I end up paying attention to the little details that remind me I’m far from home, like ancient tiles, prehistoric looking insects, or toys made out of trash.

And no matter where I am, I am always inspired by frugality. I was at the jewelry supply store one day about to pay nine cents each for some small copper circles, when I realized I knew where to get cuter ones for one cent each. Whenever anyone asks how I came up with the idea for the decoupaged penny earring, I always reply, “thrift.” 

The sense of time-travel that comes from sifting through a second-hand shop (or a garage if your family is comprised of pack rats, as mine is),  seeing an old movie (right now I’m particularly enamored of the finery of certain choice 1970s flicks), or hearing a song that transports me to another era that is what I need to keep myself filled with creative energy. – MarryAnne Wabisabi Brooklyn

inspiration_brooklyn

Jan
19
artist inspiration boards
ARTIST INSPIRATION from Miniature Rhino

Please welcome the newest installment of artist inspirations. We have asked some very talented artists, illustrators, designers and crafters to share some things that help inspire them. So each monday stop by an take a sneak peek into the swatch files and bulletin boards of some of your favorite artists. This week’s inspiration board is from the multi-talented Jessica from Miniature Rhino. 

I’d like to call myself a collector. I obsessively search out and hoard books, snapshots, stones, keys, sea glass, ephemera, and even digital images for reference and inspiration. The objects I collect have an age and history, things that tell a story. Photography, art, science, museums and archives, the cabinets of curiosity, natural history, and Victorian traditions are all sources of inspiration. Here are a few images from my archive (clockwise-from right).

I love daguerreotypes and images within images… My collections are stored in a library card catalog, so I can pull the drawers and see the objects in serial… An image by the photographer Harry Callahan of his wife Eleanor. I like photographers who point the camera at their own lives…. Ernst Haeckel’s  images of sea life. Amazing and full of wonder…the curiosity cabinet of Ole Worm with ostrich egg, turtle shell, polar bear, armadillo… the tradition of making Samplers. Making them connects me to a history of craft and learning…family heirlooms like my grandparent’s letters…a daguerreotype, the butterfly collector, from the George Eastman House collection. Get lost in their archive … an image of hands from Gary Schneider’s series Genetic Self-Portrait. He included in this series images of his families hands pressed onto photographic paper, heat and sweat creating the image….a field guide to birds, silhouetted, numbered and cataloged….center, family photographs and found images. This one is of my mother and aunts and uncle on Halloween. The details in images kill me (like my mom’s-the little drummer in yellow- high water pants) so I take them out sometimes and look at them over and over again.  

I loved sharing this and hope you enjoyed it too! – Jessica

inspiration_comp_rhino

Jan
12
artist inspiration boards
ARTIST INSPIRATION from pulpsushi

This is the very first post in a new weekly series here at upstatefancy. We have asked some very talented artists, illustrators, designers and crafters to share some things that help inspire them. So each monday stop by an take a sneak peek into the swatch files and bulletin boards of some of your favorite artists. This week’s inspiration board is from the wonderful pulpsushi.

inspiration_sushi

It’s difficult for me to describe where my inspiration comes from.  People who I just love everything about and wish I could be more like. Places that I dream of seeing and absorb their history and culture.  Things in my daily life that I try not to take for granted like visiting my favorite museum, or picking up a batch of my favorite flowers.  I just love colors and experimenting with bold, obnoxious palettes and imagery.  I’ve always had quirky taste (esp in all things kitsch and low brow) even though I may not show it in my appearance, my interest and taste in things made me stand out from my friends in school and in my neighborhood growing up and it still does to this day.  — Marilyn