Monthly Archives: January 2021

You are browsing the site archives by month.

Shiro Kasamatsu (1898 – 1991)

January 29, 2021 12:04 AM \

Born in the Asakusa section of Tokyo to a middle class family, Shiro Kasamatsu started his art studies at a young age. In 1911 he studied Japanese style painting under Kaburagi Kiyokatahe.  He is one of the most highly respected of the Shin Hanga artists.  His designs were mainly of landscapes, but also included bijin-ga (female beauty), interiors, and Noh masks (one of his particular interests).  He worked with two publishers before going independent carving and printing his own designs in limited, numbered editions.  

Shirō produced about 290 prints during his life.

Images:  Courtesy of various sources.

Posted in: Japan, Printmaking \ Tagged: ,

Rex Ray

January 27, 2021 12:03 AM \

Michael Patterson was inspired by Andy Warhol and adopted the moniker, Rex Ray.  The San Francisco-based fine artist and graphic designer was known for his collages as well as his large-scale, 1960’s inspired, brightly colored paintings. He was born in Germany on a United States army base in 1956, grew up in Colorado Springs and studied fine art at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. In 1981 he moved to San Francisco, completed his BFA at San Francisco Art Institute, where he entered graduate studies. The following quotes are from the book ‘Rex Ray: Art + Design’:

Creativity:  “A lot of cultural conditioning goes on today, restraining us from doing certain things that might seem silly or useless at the time, but that may have great significance in the end.  Anything that can help break down those barriers and provide an opening for other ideas to emerge is welcome.”

Fearlessness:  “I’m not as much confident as I am fearless.  I have a lot of doubt and a lot of insecurity when I go into a given situation.  But I don’t let it stop me.  It took a long time to find that.”

His work can be found R2 (Rex Ray) Studio, Facebook and Instagram.

Images:  Courtesy of Rex Ray Studio.

Posted in: Fine Art, Graphic Design \ Tagged: ,

Tricoté

January 26, 2021 12:03 AM \

Really liking this nondirectional pattern design from Japanese brand, Tricoté.  This line series is printed randomly so that each item will look different.  The pattern is printed on recycled leather and made into various items such as coin cases, mini wallets, book covers and leather files.  The available colors are mint and gray and can be purchased at Kinarino Mall.  Unfortunately, they do not sell or ship internationally but we posted this pattern for its inspirational impact.

Images:  Courtesy of Tricoté and Kinarino Mall, Japan.

Posted in: Inspiration, Japan, Surface Design \ Tagged: , ,
%d bloggers like this: