I think it is important to present some of the postive and beautiful things that are around us, while at the same time I hammer away at those that are trying to destroy them.
Here are three new things I learned about the craft and design world in the past few days:
1. Charles Voysey is my favorite fabric designer (he worked with tapestries, carpets, fabric and also wallpaper design.) I especially love the way he hides birds in his designs, making them blend in with the foliage and other surroundings.
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Left for textile design ca. 1916 (how many birds are in the foliage?)
Right: For a greeting card ca. 1901
I didn't know that he was also an accomplished architect. He had a distinctive style of low roofs and horizontal windows.
His homes have the same simplicity and harmony that his designs do, but their wholeness and beauty is further accentuated by their austerity.
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One of Voysey's low-roofed house with horizontal windows. The Orchard was his home.
2. Felt is not just for hats. It is making a comeback in textile design. I think part of the attraction is that you don't need especially complicated equipment to make your own felt, and it is a very malleable and versatile material.
But, I didn't know this, and it makes sense, that it is one of the oldest fabrics, and that it is still in use, mainly in central Asia. Here are some current attempts at working with felt today.
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Middle: Scarves using various felting techniques
Right: Penny Rug from early American and Canadian crafts
3. Rosenthal Porcelain from Germany is world-renowned, and considered one of the best both for its porcelain and for its design.
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A Rosenthal/Versace collaboration.