Eat. Drink. Design.
Founded in 2007
It’s still early enough in the year where a new 2024 calendar still isn’t out of the question. Japanese artist FU created these gorgeous risograph printed poster calendars that would look amazing hang side-by-side. The way she was able to capture a lens flare, or like staring into the sun, in such exquisite colors, is stunning. And they’re only ¥3,000, which is about $20! Such a steal for such lovely pieces of art.
A collaborative project between design studio FISK and Brown Printing, JOON Magazine was created show their love of Portland, and to show all the exciting things happening in the city’s art scene with as many people as possible. The most recent issue is dedicated to a special edition catalog featuring Kurisu LLC, a world-renowned landscape and design-build firm, and which they describe as “rooted in a simple yet impactful vision to create restorative experiences where natural places give way to individual and collective wellbeing.”
In addition to the magazine, they’ve put together this beautiful documentary which gives a look into the meaning and process behind the work. I follow Japanese Garden TV on YouTube, who I’ve written about in past newsletters, so this is very much alley. I do my best to tend to my little plants around my apartment, this is totally the next level.
An illustrator based in Japan, born in Tokyo and graduated from the Department of Graphic Design at Tama Art University, Taku Bannai works in a broad range of areas such as advertisements, books, magazines, and artwork for record covers. He captures our everyday scenes in a papercut, minimalist style, which creates a “blank space,” as he calls it, which allows the viewer to imagine their own stories. I find his work so calming, and I love all the small imperfections that can be found throughout.
As always, I take a ton of photos when I visit museums, and my trip to the Guggenheim Bilbao was no different. There’s something so captivating in all the small details. Many times we think of art as “masterpieces” thus they must be infallible. Then you get a bit closer to see how the process may have unfolded, a brush stroke on it’s own journey, a dollop of errant paint, or loose threads unraveling over time. So I thought, let’s celebrate the details.
I’ve edited together some of my favorite photos I snapped, cleaned them up a bit, cropped them to work for (most) mobile devices, et voilà. I’m still figuring out the details for a full launch of wallpapers, I thought this would be a nice pre-cursor, more to come soon 💙
Download the wallpapers here →
A lot of art, inherently, is about memories. Things seen and remembered, and then recorded through a medium, be it words, clay, or paint. In the work of Japanese painter agoera, it feels like you’re quite truly viewing a memory from his life, like a snapshot from a movie. Born in Hamamatsu-shi, Shizuoka-ken, Japan, and currently residing in Kanagawa, he graduated from Tama Art University in Tokyo with a degree in, surprising to me, graphic design. On the other hand, his sense of composition is spot-on, so perhaps it helped to set a foundational understanding. I find his work to be so lovely, little snippets of life captured in the dreamiest ways.
Akio Nukaga returns to Heath Creamics for the 12th year, presenting his collection titled “Shapes from the Heart.” The collection explores form, texture, and color through hand-thrown pieces that combine architecture and sculpture. Each piece is created by stacking spheres, cylinders, and cones into sculptural vessels, resulting in unique architectural designs not commonly found in tableware.
I’m a huge fan of Akio’s work, I wanted to buy a piece of his last year, though the logistics of shipping ceramic pieces halfway around the world stressed me out! This year’s collection is so exquisite. The forms he’s created are so dynamic, and he’s been able to do some really amazing work with the glazes he’s using. The yellow, red, and blue finishes are simply stunning.
If you’re in San Francisco, stop by Heath for the celebration event and sale — Friday, July 21, 5:00pm. And if you’re not, Heath is also giving away a one-of-a-kind piece from the collection, all you need to do is enter your email.
There’s something so wonderful about the carefree illustrations of Tokyo-based illustrator Nori Okawa. To me, I see a spontaneous mixture of manga and pop art combined into some new form of expression. It’s zany and over-the-top, yes there’s something to these pieces that keeps drawing me in, I keep seeing more details and nuances that I missed in my first impression. I wish I had a giant, painted version of one of the pieces below hanging on the walls of my apartment.
Traveling around and getting to know Spain has been a priority for Kyle and I. Slowly but surely, we’ve begun to visit the different towns along the Costa Brava, north and south of our home in Barcelona. Recently, we had a short stay in Cadaqués, which is a couple hours north, easily accessible by high-speed train followed by a curvy, mountainous cab ride. Cadaqués is well-known for being the home of surrealist painter Dalí and his wife Gala (more on that in an upcoming post) though the gorgeous, rocky beaches, white painted buildings, and painterly sunsets are the biggest draws for us.
It’s a very small town filled with friendly locals, most of which know each other, as we as MANY tourists visiting from France. Getting around town is easy, you get to know the streets rather quickly, though the hills can be a workout no matter what your level of physical activity 🥵 With all the tourism, it was a challenge to find places that were unique, offering food, drinks, or shopping that delighted us. That said, if you’re looking to make a journey, here are the places I would recommend you add to your to-do list.
Pepa
One of the best surprises was Pepa, a small clothing store that was big on carrying exciting brands. Think Loewe and Jacquemus, as well as sunglasses, swimsuits and bags that would complete any vacation look. I visited the store twice and had to fight every urge not to buy something.
Raviyu
We spotted Raviyu and (it’s charming terrace) as we drove into Cadaqués. Thankfully, it wasn’t only good looks. The wood fired pizzas were delicious, with crusts that were bubbled and lightly charred, and topped with fresh meats and veggies. To top it off, the service was friendly and the atmosphere was lively.
Salvador Dalí’s House
I mean, it would be really silly to go Cadaqués and not stop by the home of Dalí, who’s home was as odd an eclectic as you might imagine. I’ll share a bit more later in an upcoming post, suffice to say, it’s well worth your time. Be sure to snag tickets in advance, the house is small, and so are the groups you take to tour the space.
Bar Llevant
Directly across from Dali’s house is a small café called Bar Llevant, where we ended up stopping by a couple of times for food or a drink. The fare is simple, you can never go wrong with sandwiches and cava, and what really sold the place for me was the incredible warmth of the owners. Pro tip, grab your food and sit on the terrace upstairs. It’s delightful, and you can have a pause from the tourists.
Brown Sugar
There wasn’t a lot of time to visit many bars during our stay, though in my searching, Brown Sugar seemed the most exciting of the bunch. As you walk in the bar is lined with dozens of piña, perfect for making fresh piña coladas, which were delicious. The bar is tucked away in a leafy corner of the city that feels spiritually miles away from the city, and the feeling I got from the staff was “friendly hippies,” which I found charming.
Batalla
As we explored the city we happened by Batalla, which caught my eye thanks to the use of a bold, condensed, sans typeface for their logo. The restaurant has a beautiful spot on the harbor, and a delicious menu that felt like something you would find in Paris. Lots of interesting takes on Catalan cuisine, probably my favorite meal of the trip.
Joia
Every night, basically everyone in town came out to Joia for their gelato fix. EVERYONE. The place was packed every night we were there, and with good reason. Their menu has 34 different flavors, both dairy and non-dairy options, and it’s all handmade in Cadaqués.
NARITA
Sadly, we didn’t have a chance to make it to Narita though it’s hit on our list for next time. Japanese meets Mediterranean in this new-ish spot in the center of Cadaqués. The real draw for me is their selection of natural and orange wines, which based on what I saw on their Insta, is top notch.
My desire for new plates and serving ware is insatiable. I’m one of those people who love a mismatched, hodgepodge arrangement of dishes and glasses, picking up random pieces to add to my eclectic collection. A uniform match-y match-y set of dishes seems so bland to me, bordering on anal-retentive. Thus, when I was introduced to the ceramics and homeware of Henry Holland Studio, immediately I knew I had found someone with a similar view on how-to stock a kitchen.
The studio, obviously, led by Henry Holland, came about during the pandemic:
“Intended as a creative outlet, as he took a break from fashion, he stumbled across his interpretation of the nerikomi technique, while sat at his kitchen table during lockdown, when government restrictions meant he was no longer able to attend lessons at his local Hackney pottery studio.”
What’s interesting to me his the use of nerikomi, which in this case is a contemporary version of the practice. The bold color combinations are interesting, and I love how they feel like they’re derived from elements of nature. They also create a fun check pattern that’s warped and wobbly. It’s like many of the check patterns I see here in Spain, though perhaps seen through a distorted lens.
