Merry Wishes!

I hope everyone is enjoying this Merry Season! Peace and happiness to you all. 

Stay inspired.

Flirting with Black & White

I love color! But that doesn't mean I can't be inspired to play with some black and white patterns. I recently did some backyard research using over 50 designs ranging from classy to sassy in various different palettes. Every design that was in a black and white "color" scheme got high marks. I know this trend has been around a while, but it is not going away.
I tried to design patterns that were more for the Free People customer but would also appeal to White House | Black Market shoppers.

the path to inspiration is lined with leaves

Walking on this beautiful fall day I was stopped short by the "found patterns" in these leaves. I immediately started imagining a textile design with hand-painted elements. I am seeing it in a palette of yellow-green leaves on a gray background, or maybe turquoise-blue. If I get to this project soon, I will post pieces/parts as they come to life...

Refreshing, irreverent & playful Jonathan Adler

Me having fun

close up of shower curtains

 

 

One of the high points of my family visit to NYC was stumbling upon the Jonathan Adler store in SOHO. While the rest of the gang loitered out on the street, I wandered through the den of original design, chic decor, and pure playfulness that is Jonathan Adler. This guy does not take it all too seriously, which is what attracts me to his design. Even the sales help has a little fun. Chas let me set up a photo shoot on his wrapping table. And he even surprised me by gift wrapping one of the mugs I purchased even though he knew it was "from me to me". 

Always loved Jonathan's design, and after getting the full treatment of his brand ID, love him even more. It isn't brain surgery, so why not have some fun? My favorite line is "your 24-hour pot dealer".

Hip Hop Flip Flop Collection

 

So I have been submitting surface designs to various manufacturers. This collection was created specifically for Sandalista, makers of fine flip flops. They did give me some positive feedback but needed to see more before they would be interested in committing. So then I took a few of those designs (above) and submitted them to Tigerprint (a division of Hallmark Cards) for a gift wrap product competition. Again, I heard thanks— but no thanks! I have to say I really do not mind rejection. Well, I know it's only been a few times, so far, but I am just getting my feet wet in this industry. And the more I move forward the more I learn. So every time someone says no, I see an opportunity to take a look at what they DID like and what rises to the top. I know I have a lot to learn, but I am OK with that. That is the fun part for me. See the entire collection in the studio here.

Window Shopping: Trina Turk

Banana Republic's window really caught my eye, featuring the Trina Turk Collection. Lovely, luscious color and free-spirited patterns.  

Ahhh, relax, refresh, re-energize...

We all need a little R&R. : ) And the beach always does it for me. Here at Siesta Key.

Remember Ceramics Class?

Even when I am on vacation, or maybe especially when I am on vacation I am distracted by beautiful things that I need to capture and share. My niece, Maddy, age 17, created these coasters in ceramics class for the family beach house. I am so charmed by the patterns she created.

Power to the She

Athleta has a new campaign that I love. They put their mission statement right out there in the ad. I love it. And the tagline: Power to the She.

Easter Eggs

My favorite

I love coloring Easter eggs. I grabbed one of those gold pens and doodled some designs over the colors. Playtime on a Saturday night. : )

Irresistible Research

Some people call it retail therapy, I call it consumer research. I am working on a project and I needed to do some target audience research at Anthropologie. I swear, I cannot go into that store without leaving with something for myself. This time it was these charming cups which have kept me inspired and happy for days. They even make pea soup look good.

This is how I show my love on Valentine's Day...

More about Oberlin

There were a lot of cool shops and gallery-type places in Oberlin. I didn't take a lot of pictures because I was kind of busy browsing. But I snapped a few at this one shop that had the most gorgeous textiles. It seemed like most of the items were African, masks and such, but I was mostly focused on these fabrics. A lot of batiks and absolutely beautiful patterns and colors.

The Cause of Art is The Cause of The People: Allen Memorial Museum of Art

I went on a field trip yesterday with a group of friends out to Oberlin, OH, home of Oberlin College and the Allen Memorial Art Museum. I was overwhelmed by the collection at this museum! Picasso, Matisse, Monet, Cezanne, de Kooning, Klee, Warhol, Lichtenstein to name only a very few. So many impressive and beautiful works in a wonderful building. The outside of the building has an inscription on one side that says "The Fine Arts A Heritage from the Past" and on the other side "The Fine Arts A Gift To The Future"

There were actually many collections to view including art from the Italian Renaissance, Egyptian art,  African art...But these were my favorites from the contemporary pieces. I need to return soon and see the Frank Lloyd Wright House that is also a part of the AMAM.

Tangerine Tango, my new best friend. Pantone 2012 Color of the Year.

I think I just like saying that name, Tangerine Tango. Pantone 2012 Color of the Year is Tangerine Tango. Love the color. Love the name.
By the way, the color is Pantone 17-1463 and you can find the color data here. And if your swatch books are as outdated as mine, Pantone has a palette for Adobe applications that you can download here. Thanks, Pantone!

Above, is a style board, playing with some Venice-inspired surface designs using the color of the year, Tangerine Tango! Here's a peek at some more color tests:

Watercolor exploration with orange.

with violet...

maybe with brown...

more color exploration...

You can view more of my work at cathyhuntstudio.net