…becomes deeper in meaning with peruvian artist, cecilia paredes.
being a lover of pattern and texture, i admire paredes’ correlation between them and camouflage. as portrayed in these pictures, she painstakingly recreates the textures in paint on her limbs and body making her secondary to the wallpaper’s vibrant colors.
you can check out her website here: ceciliaparedes.com
…supplied plenty of visual candy when visiting the polish pottery place at pike place market in seattle, washington. located beneath the actual marketplace, i was dazzled when i walked downstairs and was met by an overload of beautiful old world prints and patterns! racks and tables were filled with carefully grouped clusters of crockery, pitchers, ladles, mugs and so on each arranged according to color and theme. i had the opportunity to speak with the enthusiastic owner who proceeded to give me a history of traditional polish pottery and crafts. established in 1950, ceramika artystyczna cooperative of boleslawiec, poland was formed to reignite the polish ceramic industry which had been halted as a result of world war II. the fine white clay which is used is some of the strongest and most durable in ceramic fabrication which beautifully sets off the earthy neutrals and bright colors of the hand painted glazes. many of the designs reflect traditional folkloric motifs of whimsical animals, graceful florals and decorative geometrics resulting in enchanting table ware fit for a fairy tale feast!
another feature of the shop not sold online is the handcrafted art of wycinaki, paper cutout. it became popular in the 1800′s as polish peasants used them to decorate their homes and as gifts for friends and loved ones. the intricate designs are painstakingly cut by hand and layered to create symmetrical floral bouquets, roosters, deer, birds, etc. many of the designs she showed me ranged from the simplistic to much more elaborate compositions.
please visit the polish pottery place to see more of their wares. keep in mind the online site carries but a fraction of what’s available in their shops and only a visit to the locations can actually do justice to seeing such an abundance in one spot. to learn more about the art of polish pottery, please visit the ceramika artystyczna cooperative website.
…but i can’t help it! there are so many fantastic blogs dedicated to print! i just get sucked in and simply can’t tear myself away. i decided to post a few of my favorites: orange you lucky by helen dardik. 
she is very talented and i find her blog tasty to look at. i found out about her through: print & pattern. once you click on the link, it just goes on and on and on and on….you’ll get the picture. it’s all the latest and greatest of print product out in the market mostly from the uk. makes me even more excited about my impending trip. the next link isn’t a blog at all but for all the charlie harper lovers out there, this is the next artist in an absurdly long line of talent from 
the advertising 50′s and 60′s: david weidman. the price of the posters is a bit steep but worth it. i keep thinking about how good one will look next to my harper
print! i’ve ordered the book and i can’t wait to get my hands on it… i really wish the company i worked for was more forward thinking in their creative outlook. we’re supposed to be the leaders in innovation but when i put forward really imaginative prints, it usually gets watered down for the mass market. since when did “innovation” and “mass” go hand in hand? if we want to be taken seriously beyond a licensor, then we need to put a decisive stamp on what we do and stand by it….sigh!
using my design skills for the forces of good!
