Historic Ship Stamps

I can not get enough of the work of Stefan Kanchev this week. The crisp patterning and brightness of these ship stamps is so appealing.

... These stamps are brand new, contemporary but without being modish. A stamp has to have the qualities of the plastic art which will guarantee that it will stand the changes in trends during the years without getting outdated. Any of these stamps can be enlarged to impressive size, can be reduced to miniature but the stamp will not loose its clearness or its plastic beauty.

Nenov, Ivan — Master of applied arts, magazine “Art”, issue 8/1961, pp 23–28

Above, selections from the Historic Ships series (1975-1986). All via Applied graphics by Stefan Kanchev.

Open Spaces

Landscapes in the fens by i n a r t i c u l a t e.

At The Bauhaus Dessau

Designs for wall hangings by Gunta Stölzl. I love the plotting behind textile design - the organization is so beautiful to me.

From the top: Design for a double-weave (1928); Design for a wall hanging (1928); Design for a wall hanging (1926); Textile design (1929); Design for carpet "Garden" (undated); Design for a double-weave (undated).

Images via Gunta Stölzl - Bauhaus Master.

Chilly Beans

Style cues from those who look moderately warm. Now, how to pull off their insouciance with my giant puffer coat?

Row 1: Hel Looks.

Row 2: Zara People!: December 2011.

Row 3: glamcanyon.

Lola Dupré

Elegantly manipulated old masters by Lola Dupré, who does all of her work by hand. Doesn't that make them seem even more complex?

From the top: Steinway, model-b (2010); The Mona Lisa (2010); Phillip III on horseback, manipulation of an original painting by Diego Velasquez (2011); Napoleon in Egypt, manipulation of an original painting by Edouard Detaille (2011); Exploding Ingres, manipulation of a painting by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres (2010).

Slices

I can never get enough of Wayne Thiebaud's work. Landscapes or cake-scapes, I love it all. The thickness of the whipped and iced toppings in these pieces makes them look especially delectable.

Pies Pies Pies (1961); French Pastries (1963); Delicatessen Counter (1962); Around the Cake (1962); Bakery Counter (1962).

Images via Cave to Canvas.

Spelunking

Junction Cave (first photo only) and Jenolan Caves, circa 1900. Have you ever taken a cave tour? It's like exploring a foreign planet.

All images from the Tyrrell Photographic Collection at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney, Australia.

Things To Come

Happy New Year! I don't know about you, but I am super excited for 2012. I'm starting this year surrounded by new circumstances (new city, new job, new apartment, and even new all-weather boots), and it makes the turn of the year a little more defined. It's invigorating to be sure, but, it being me, there is a fair dose of trepidation mixed in since it feels like there are so many unknown factors (except the boots - they are awesome). My natural mental state is one tinged with worry, so I'm trying to push through that inclination and concentrate on keeping my optimism buoyant.

I don't tend to make new year's resolutions (do you?), but I think that this year I'd like to have some cognitive goals. Just like I plan on retraining Baron not to jump up on the furniture, I'd like to retrain my own brain in some areas.

1. Be more adventurous! Arriving in a brand new city nearly requires that quality, but I'd like to truly embrace it as an outlook rather than it become an exception once I've established some normalcy.
2. Work on my confidence. This is less "feel good when looking in the mirror," and more "trust myself." Sometimes it comes down to me taking a breath and calming the whir of my mind before I speak.
3. Make time for creativity. Art projects are usually the first thing to be sacrificed in my personal life when things get harried, but my various creative outlets remain some of the most effective stress-managers I've found yet, and it would do me good to remember that.

2011 was a good year for me, and I'm looking forward to seeing what 2012 holds in store. I'm so grateful for your visits to Length x Wit as sharing my inspirations and fancies here never fails to make me smile. I hope you had a cheery and safe holiday, and I wish you a very happy new year!

Above: screenshots from H. G. Wells' Things to Come (1936), via Anil Bawa-Cavia.