Great rooms deserve great art
I have been reading a lot of blogs lately, and I keep gravitating to sites that deal with the more artistic side of design. I have always envied other peoples' artistic sensibilities; because despite my artistic aspirations, my pragmatism always seems to run my life. I suppose that's why I'm a designer instead of a sculptor. Anyhow, two blogs ( Designboner out of Chicago and Whorange from LA) have proved to be real finds. Through them, I get a glimpse of what's cool and what's beautiful. And those elements are presented with a sense of humor and joy I find inspiring. Many thanks to the kids behind Designboner and Whorange . Through Whorange , I came to see the work of a Portland-based artist and designer named Matte Stephens , whose work you can see below.
I have a Paul Klee hanging in my office. Paul Klee is tied for my favorite artist of the 20th century with Mark Rothko . Matte Stephens appeals to me because in his work I can see a continuation of the life and work of Paul Klee but at the same time I can see reminders of the great animations of Hanna Barberra and later, John Kricfalusi . These works are gorgeous and cool on the surface, but they have an accessible deeper layer that I find irresistible.
Matte sells his work through a website I just learned about recently too. Etsy is a website dedicated to the sale of handmade items and art and it's a huge site. Through Etsy, anybody can buy great new art; and great new artists like Matte Stephens can sell to anybody. What a great idea and what a brilliant use of the Internet. Spend some time poking around on that website and buy something from Matte Stephens.
