Brooklynbee

While on Etsy, also take a look at fellow Etsy seller and friend, Janine of Brooklynbee. She makes lovely jewelry and little knitted items...perfect for the holidays! Here's a little more about Janine...


302: Where are you from?
BB: I always say "I was born in New York, and I'm going to die in New York." My husband tells me that this makes me sound like I lived on the tough streets of New York City all my life, but I grew up in the Hudson Valley region and spent my college and several post-college years in Manhattan. I spent all my life in NY state with the exception of the time I tried to move away for a couple of years. I moved back to NY in 2001 and have been in Brooklyn ever since.

302: Tell me about your work?
BB: I craft compulsively. Knitting and jewelry making. I've been selling jewelry on Etsy for the past few months under the name Brooklynbee. Lately I've been getting into fusing / soldering with silver. Fun!! I love jewelry that is minimalist, organic, geometric.


302: What inspires you?
BB: I'm inspired by other people's happiness. When someone is wearing something I made and enjoying it, nothing makes me feel better. I participate in the Cancer Care Knit-Out every year and I like to think that having a nice handmade hat can cheer someone up just a tiny bit during a terrible ordeal.

302: What are your aspirations?
BB: My aspirations are to make the world into Janine-land where there is no global warming and everyone recycles, bees are revered, and I can spend all my time making beautiful objects out of yarn and / or metal.

For more about Janine and Brooklynbee, contact her here.

Studio Hype

Thought I would post some of my latest projects in the studio since it's been awhile. A little hype before my Etsy shop launch would be nice too...

Look

I know it's been awhile since I've posted, but I've been swamped! Trying to keep up with my mail and magazine subscriptions have even been a challenge. Being weeks behind on the my favorite, New York Magazine, has become unacceptable. I'm missing out on weekly happenings and articles, as well as, "The Culture Pages" which I love! If anything, I should just flip through my favorite little sections like "Intelligencer" (a break down of the week's dramas), "Party Lines" (pics of celebrities at fancy functions), "Ask A Shop Clerk" (an interview with someone that works at a boutique...for some reason, I find it very interesting...you always learn about the latest obsession), "The Strategist" (best bets with lovely new products & recipes), "The Look Book" (interview and photo of random New Yorkers on the street...there's a lot of stylish wackos out there), and "The Approval Matrix" (a funny taste hierarchy of the week's happenings). Also, the layout of the magazine is great and their website is chock full of info and resources. Now they have a NEW magazine called, New York Look, that is perfect for all the fashionistas out there. It features all the runway shows in Paris, Milan & New York during fashion week in ways unlike any other fashion magazine. It's a biannual publication, so look for the first issue on news stands now.

For those of you that already read New York, you know what I'm talking about!

Interview: Carlson Hatton

I am pleased to start my first interview with Carlson Hatton, an artist living and working in LA.

302: Where are you from and what did you do before moving to LA?
CH: [I was] born in San Diego, CA [then] moved to NYC to attend the Cooper Union. Moved to the Netherlands to do 'de Ateliers' studio art program in Amsterdam and later another post-graduate program in the south of Holland called The Jan van Eyck Academy for Art, Theory and Design.

302: So, tell me about your work. I love the dimensions created in them.
CH: I create drawings of abstracted landscapes. Nature and man made debris organically meld to form scenes that reference the calm of the aftermath. I'm interested in the visual overabundance we're surrounded by, the psychotic reality of a visual culture that has lost all coherence. Drawing from the wealth of printed media that fills our world: electronic catalogs, Jehovah's Witness brochures, tourist city souvenir booklets, etc. I attempt to create compositions that both reference depictions from a familiar fable and a world of abstracted groupings that seem to grow organically, reproductively. Using a panoramic format I reference a time line or narrative unfolding. Piles of speakers, car parts, mattresses, lumber, coffins, vegetables, etc. sprawled out competing with deteriorating architecture
and mountainscapes.

302: What inspires you?
CH: Printed matter is very important to my work. I have a constantly growing source catalog.

302: What lies ahead for you and your work?
CH: For the moment I plan to take these series further. The ink and watercolor work is very new and I feel there is much more to explore. I'm currently working on some larger panels at 4' x 8'. I'm always drawn to a panoramic format.

For more images and info on Carlson, you can contact him at carlsonhatton@hotmail.com or leave a comment.

image 1: LA River, image 2: Harvest, image 3: Untitled