Kikko Paradela

Recruitment poster - College for Creative Studies

A couple of days ago I met Detroit artist Kikko Paradela.  His is a graphic designer and his work really spoke to me so I decided on the spot to share it with you.

Detrail of Recruitment Poster

     As you can see from the detail above, Kikko's approach to the medium is larger than graphics only, it is very open and emotional and interactive.   He is obviously influenced a great deal by the fine arts and when I asked him about his influences that is exactly what he said!  He had actually switched from studying
architectural design to graphic design because of his love of the fine arts and of experimentation.

Detail Recruitment Poster

Kikko's perspective is semiotic, more of a visual culture than a corporate culture.     
Semiotics /se' mi ot ics/   n. (used with a sing. verb)The theory and study of signs and symbols, especially as elements of language or other systems of communication.  Specifically visual communication.

Admissions Catalog 

 Visit Kikko's website at www.youvsjesus.com  e-mail him at kikko@youvsjesus.com

Pottery in Hamtrarmck - Laura Macintyre

I have recently (through much effort on the part of my husband, me, my Mom and my Dad) got a pottery studio up and running in my garage.  The summer was full of daily experimentation in throwing, firing and glazing.  There are so many possibilities in pottery, between shapes, glazes and heat that it kinda freaks me out!

Above is a collection of bisque ware waiting to be glazed. 

As you can see below I have been playing with orange glazes, imprints and decals.  I really like the idea of bright modern colors with older techniques - going back to the ancients with the imprinting!

I have also found that I prefer to use glazes mixed with a lot of clear to thin them and brighten the colors and let the white of the clay sparkle through.

I plan to work more with this idea of contrasting old and new.  Any ideas to share?  Contact me at laura macintyre 

The three photos at left are soup bowls.  A really interesting woman bought four from me at the People's Art Festival this summer and we talked about vegan eating and the type of vegan soup she would serve in the bowls.  When she left she thanked me and gave me her card.  It turned out to be Alicia Silverstone, in town to film the upcoming movie Vamps.  You can visit Alicia's blog at The Kind Life and see the bowls she purchased and get the recipe for her vegan soup  :)  -laura 

visit my Etsy shop at www.etsy/shop/lauramacintyre

Brigit Huttemann-Holz

This past weekend I participated in and visited the event ArtDetroitNow.  ADN is organized by the Detroit Institute of Arts and it is a city-wide gallery crawl that brings you into the studios of local artists.

The ADN showcases two big 19th century industrial  buildings that have been turned to artist studio spaces.  The Pioneer Building and the Russell Indusrial Center, both at the intersection of 75 and 94, are sites where a person can park in one spot then visit individual artist's studios all under one roof.  You can talk to the artists about their work, question them about their creative practices and see/purchase their work for sale.

IT WAS GREAT!!

One of the studios I visited was that of Brigit Huttemanmann-Holz.  Brigit is a German born resident of Grosse Pointe for 10 years now.  She just recently took a space at the Pioneer building and her studio there was light and airy with plenty of windows and work space.  Bidgit herself is just as open and engaging as her space.  She answered each and every question I had about her process, en caustic, from mixing pigments to cleaning brushes to inspiration. Her web address is  Brigit Huttemenn-Holz  or you can e-mail her at  b.hholz@gmail.com    

I was completely sucked in by the mono prints and bought one titled "A Place To Pray" .  It is beautiful in and of itself but is even more so held against light.  Incidentally kind of like stained glass......see the two examples: unlighted above and lighted below.

Now I need to consider how to mount it.  I want it on light but I am not sure how. Any and all suggestions are welcome.
-laura

Eleni Photography

A good friend and a creative inspiration to me is Eleni.  Eleni is a photographer specializing in natural light and on-location portraiture.  What Eleni does is to craft portraits of everyday family life that transcend documentation.  They have a timeless quality to them that is more artistic representation of human life in the 21t century than family photo.  Check her images below and you will see what I mean.   

Eleni feels that for herself, her most vivid childhood memories are those of ordinary family activities and everyday life.   When composing a collection, her goal is to preserve personal memories of normal life for the specific family she is working with. She has the family choose an activity that they do often, that the children are familiar with and comfortable doing in order to create this authenticity.

Check out more of Eleni's work at www.eleniphotography.com  and read her blog at www.eleniphotography.blogspot.com  or email her directly at info@eleniphotography.com