HI + LOW has been a collection of interesting things I've come across or made. Now that that particular focus has shifted, you can find me over on Instagram @abbyclawsonlow. Think of it as HI + LOW 2.0 -- the same, but different. Feel free to continue to use this blog as an archive and resource for inspiration, ideas, and to just pass the time. I still do! *[Take care and enjoy! All the best, Abby]
Over the summer, we bought an old house. Since then we've been in a renovation marathon working out the details of the many repairs and improvements in order to make the home safe and habitable for our small family. It has been crazy, but so nice to finally own a home and be able to make it our own after living in rentals for a LONG time. Wish us luck. *[Drawing below by my 2-year-old son perfectly captures the essence of our summer.]
TOP: "Airbrush Floral Colored Origami Paper II - 5 Colors 80 Sheets - great for crane, flower folding." Beautiful. Along the same lines are: MIDDLE + BOTTOM: Circle Paintings by Kenneth Noland. *[I'm loving the soundtrack on his website -- unexpected and nice.]
I happened on this blog late last night: Mini-Eco by Kate Lilley, also a mother of two little boys. Her approach to crafts and kid friendly projects is fresh and clean and unlike any other I've seen. The design appeals to me on so many levels. A great site to visit for out-of-the-box thinking. And, c'mon, she likes Moomin, too. *[Check out her new book: Eco-Friendly Crafting with Kids. It looks good.]
This New Year's card by Walter Marti reads (on the bottom) “Wishing you a happy 1960.” I love the play on the typographic "bowls" in the numbers 1-9-6-0. Check out this design, among others, in the Herb Lubalin Study Center's Flickr set. Well worth perusing. *[From reading this, my 2.5 yr. old is counting from 1-20, except for the occasional "twenty-teen" -- we're still working out some kinks.]
"How many can you count -- arms on a starfish, toes on two feet, hours on a clock, flowers in a bunch, raindrops in the sky?" Numbers is a book by John J. Reiss. It was published by Bradbury press, an affiliate of Macmillan!. After I saw this book, I searched for more by the same author. It is wonderful. My son thinks so, too. *[Tell me: what is a favorite counting book from your childhood? I'm curious.]
The National Maritime Museum has over 1000 flags including two large collections of house flags, used to identify shipping lines, or owners of vessels. Here are a few I selected from the collection. *[Take a look at the Jack Spade nautical tote bags -- a great way to utilize these awesome flag designs.]
I bought this Macmillan Dictionary for Children (Copyright 1975) in February at an estate sale near my parents' home in the California Bay Area. About 2.5" thick, its pages are full of animated vintage illustrations. I especially like the section headers for each letter (see bottom image below). *[As a child, did you have a favorite dictionary, encyclopedia, or reference book you read and reread?]
I visited the Marimekko NYC flagship store on Fifth Avenue last week. In the store windows was this Easter inspired textile (approx. 5 feet wide) Designed by Maija Louekari for Marimekko, it is 100% cotton. Full color and giant graphics. How nice. *[How many of you had these sheets when you were a kid? I did. I know my son would love this.]
String art has its origins in the 'curve stitch' activities invented by Mary Everest Boole at the end of the 19th Century to make mathematical ideas more accessible to children. It was popularised as a decorative craft in the late 1960s through kits and books. Here's a great tutorial on how to make typographic string art. *[Star Trek scene circa 1976. More interplanetary eye candy here and here.]
Amazing. These two sisters, for a fee, will custom embroider your own initials. They call themselves "makers of things assorted" and have "an unusual obsession with paper and patterns, like geeking out with gashapon toys and enjoy getting crafty with embroidery and fimo. *[Check them out here and commission your own embroidered initials here.]
Bradford Shellhammer, the cofounder of FAB, made these collages when his "obsession and collection of design objects deepened and expanded, into the world of art." So he took the logical next step and began painting. "And paint (and cut and tape) he did—for hours at a time, for several weeks... playing with various media and finding his niche in collage." *[These remind me of the importance of creating with your hands, taking a break from technological tools, and not taking oneself too seriously. All good things.]
These came in a lot of Creative Playthings toys I won on Ebay. Included were two sets of the rocking horse and see-saw, as well as a swing set similar to this one. We sent the duplicate set out west to our friends' newborn son in Oakland, CA. And, the set pictured here stayed east with us for our newest addition. The pieces are made of 1.5" thick unfinished wood -- ideal for pushing, grabbing, and playing. *[More eBay listings for Creative Playthings. I love these!]
This partial sheet of dog stickers was tucked between the pages of my 2-year-old's sketch book. He had stuck some transparent, color-coding, circle labels over the heads of the dogs. Not unlike John Baldessari whose artwork involved "placing colorful dots over faces, obscuring portions of scenes, or juxtaposing stock photographs with quixotic phrases, injecting humor and dissonance into vernacular imagery." *[I've found Avery stickers/labels quite useful for kids -- they love the various shapes and colors, and they leave so much to the imagination.]
These maps are from Graphis Diagrams a wonderful book on the "graphic visualization of abstract data." The first map was taken from Plan for New York City, designed by Don Page and Frank Williams. The second map is from Etude d'amenagement, an urban renewal project based in Geneva, designed by Joel Katz. I love the liberal use of color in both examples. *[The bottom map reminds me of this book.]
While perusing the READ section at Present & Correct, I came across this book: SHAPES by John J. Reiss: "a riot of geometric illustrations and bright acid colours. Follow Mr Fox as he explores each shape and where we find them in the world. He is aided by a mole, some birds & various beautifully depicted objects. A collectible hardback in good condition (ex library)." Thanks Neal! *[Here are two other books he has authored: Numbers and Colors]
This striped quilt was inspired by Mary & Matt's post on John Nixon's stripe paintings. I based the design on one of his Polychrome Paintings from a series he did in 2007. Machine pieced and quilted stripes, I chose yellow thread for the stitching. The back is a solid cotton in chocolate brown. *[Hey: I'm in the market for a new sewing machine. Any recommendations for a brand with a great backstitch?]
"Paper Zoo: The delightful paper-folding kit comprising a 12-page booklet and 36 pre-scored sheets of colourful paper to fold a variety of beautiful exotic and domestic animals. A highly entertaining and educational device to develop manual skills and to stimulate the imagination." Published by the MoMA; Design: Ernst Roch, 1985. *[This copy was given to me by my amazing friends, Erik & Jess. Thank you -- you always find the best books.]
In 2007, Brooklyn artist Iviva Olenick (who started sewing around the same time she learned to make sock puppets in kindergarten) began embroidering anecdotes from her dating escapades, juxtaposing images and text on pieces of fabric approximately 5" x 8". Each "narrative embroidery" tells a complete story. *[Read more here. Happy Valentine's Day!]
Mary & Matt are creative geniuses. Their "freshly made Valentine Editions are now available, featuring the popular Salted Dark Bar. Each bar is wrapped in its own handmade marbleized paper wrapper – this time in shades of pink’s & red’s." *[This chocolate is some of the best I've tasted. And, I've had a lot of it. Right, Mary?]
"We love good books and everything that goes with them. We hope you do, too." BOOK/SHOP is a new online stop for those who love books. My good friend Erik has amassed some wonderful books, art, furnishings, and small goods that would all make stellar gifts -- take a look. *[And peruse his blog here for more book related inspiration.]
At Christmas ten years ago, the design studio where I worked gave me a first generation iPod. Mine (below) has all of the playlists I put on it then and still works. The scroll wheel was a separate, mechanical part that moved while the screen and front were shielded in a piece of clear plexiglass. It was design at its best then and even 10 years later. *[Kind of reminds me of this design classic.]
It has been said that I'm a total nerd when it comes to office supplies. The office labels and vinyl decals below were purchased at Home Depot and the office supply section of Target. Since we've been experiencing a heatwave here on the East Coast (and I'm 50 weeks pregnant), we stayed inside today and kept busy with stickers. *[Here are some gold ones I used ages ago.]
My 1.5 year old (with some help) decorated these aprons for his three grandfathers as father's day gifts. And, here at home, we had dad's choice of waffles, whip cream, syrup and fresh berries for supper (and then a nap). Now, that's my kind of meal! *[Happy Father's Day guys!]
Mary Matson is a genius. She painted these “portraits” of striped shirts owned and loved by six creative women. She also illustrated the words below out of twisted and crumpled Chance striped shirts. Awesome. *[The Chance pop-up store is open for two more weeks. Go! It's stripe heaven.]
Screenprinted grocery store "special" poster circa 1965 for store windows. Folded in 8ths. These posters would look great framed under glass in a kitchen, or restaurant. Dimensions: 42" x 29" inches." Spotted over at The Wary Meyers Shop. Love. *[See all of their art offerings here.]
"Acne JR is a Swedish toy company based in Stockholm with an ambition to make traditional, iconic, toys in a modern way." I saw Andy's post about this a few months ago and have been waiting for their online shop to pop-up. Well, it is here! *[Take a peek at the black & white packaging -- so good.]
My friend Mary has painted a portrait series displaying six creative women through the striped shirts they wear: Maira Kalman, Lynn Wagenknecht, Julie Gilhart, Zoe Cassavetes, Alexandra Richards and Selima Salaun. Prints and originals for sale at the new Chance store. *[Proceeds go to the Japan Society’s Earthquake Relief Fund.]
My 1.5 year old and I decorated these tote bags as gifts for his Grandmas. He did the drawings with some fabric markers and I helped with the rest. A scanned page from his sticker & coloring book became the card. Man, little kids are fun. *[Find these great muslin bags here.]
Recently, I came across these little works of art based on Holton Rower's tall paintings. A mother put this art session together for her child's "unschoolers co-op" group. I think this is wonderful. Below: Child's version of a poured painting. *[More picts of the kids work here.]
I was invited by The Type Directors Club to participate in POSTERS OF FORTUNE: 21 Fortune cookies, with 21 fortunes, mailed to 21 internationally renowned designers. Each of the designers turned their fortunes into typographical posters. See them, bid on them, come hear the designers discuss them. On display from April 5 – May 12. Mine is below *[Proceeds go to the TDC Student Scholarship fund.]
"Neon Starbursts for home, school, office. 30 count. 5 assorted sizes and colors" Only $1 at the local Dollar Tree store. I find the low-fi packaging presentation quite striking: bright colored bursts against black board with nylon cord holding them in place. *[I could see these used in one of these.]
Last Thursday, I found out I'm having a baby B-O-Y (due in August). We are very happy and excited to meet this new little one. Speaking of boys, below are some pages from my 1-year-old son's sticker book. *[This takes me back to my childhood obsession with Mrs. Grossman's stickers.]
We just returned from a 14 day visit to Northern California. While there, my mom had me go through a box of my artwork and papers she had saved. What a trip! I set aside some to keep and took digital photos of almost everything. Here is a series I drew in 1980-81. *[The best items were the many notes I had written to my mom.]
Tomorrows Reference is a goldmine of visual finds. I found the site via a link by my lovely friend Johanna. Take a break from what you're doing and get lost in the archive. It's just pictures and it's pretty great. *[Below are a few of the selections I stumbled upon. Knock yourself out.]
Elad Lassry (Israeli, born 1977) "defines his practice as consumed with “pictures”—generic images culled from vintage picture magazines and film archives. Lassry studied film at the California Institute of the Arts then earned an MFA from the University of Southern California." *[Here's a selection of red, white, and pink works.]
This is what I've been dreaming about for the past week. If you haven't tried a Chocolate Editions Strawberry flavored chocolate bar (with natural strawberries), you haven't lived. And now that I'm over the stomach flu, I may have to order a few. *[Happy Valentine's Day!]
Bobbi Lin is very talented. She is a prop stylist, set designer, photographer, and an old friend. She is the kind of person who attracts amazing people. I was invited to attend one of her "amazing women" dinners a few years back and it was exactly that. *[One of her many Valentine's Day creations is below -- Enjoy! Thanks Bobbi.]
Photographer Uta Eisenreich "sets up conceptual situations often based on meticulously contrived (though loosely executed) human interaction, and then photographs the results." Below she created "physical sociograms and mapped them in the first image by asking kids: (Red) Which 3 kids would you invite to your birthday? (Blue) Who's house have you already been to? (White) Who do you know least well in your class?" Amazing. *[Her new book: A NOT B -- brilliant.]
"A Month of...Sunday Walks" by LEANNE SHAPTON is the first chapter in an illustrated series that captures the quiet ritual of a weekly ramble. Shapton is a former art director for the Times, an illustrator, an author, and the co-founder of J&L Books. *[The series, which illustrates life’s minor notes and quotidian details, will appear in the New York Times the last week of every month.]
A few years ago my mother-in-law showed me to some boxes of my husband's childhood art projects. Stuff my husband didn't want. I went through each piece and picked out what I thought we should hold onto. My husband, an attorney, doesn't show much of his creative side, so seeing his drawings and stories he created was wonderful. *[Artwork from NY Times article: "Mom, You're One Tough Art Critic."]
These Canadian Antiques Collector magazines from the 60s and 70s were found by my friend Erik. Since I married a Canadian and really do love how good design seems to come naturally to them, I was particularly interested in these. All have black and white artwork w/ a color frame and simple sans serif type. Just another example of great Canadian design. *[More covers here.]
Below are two 'event scores' from the artist's book "Grapefruit" by Yoko Ono, published in 1964. Grapefruit is a famous example of Conceptual art, containing a series of 'event scores' with instructions that an individual may, or may not, wish to enact. *[We're covered in a blanket of snow here in NJ. Some great snow photos here.]
I look forward to the arrival of Christmas and holiday cards from friends and family. Here's an old one that I have saved: Linoleum cut, inked, printed, and typeset. Inspired by this children's book. Beautiful. Thanks Erik & Jess. *[Here's another that I have held onto.]
Some favorite Christmas stamps below. All are gummed and perforated and printed in cheery colorways. Many were used as postage on our family Christmas card (uploaded, printed, and shipped in three days. Whew.) Best wishes for a quiet and peaceful Christmas! *[Here's a good eBay stamp seller.]
My mother-in-law and I bought some boxes of Sevigny's Thin Ribbon Candy yesterday. "No Fat. No Cholesterol. No Salt. No Preservatives." I'm not sure if I want to eat it or keep it -- the thin ribbony waves are quite striking. *[Watch a clip on the process here and another here.]
I took these photos on Saturday at The Model Railroad Club in Union, NJ. Founded on February 17, 1949 by four men who shared a common interest in model railroading, the club building has been around since 1971. I met and talked with the President and Secretary of the club who were working on trains and talking-up new memberships. Take your kids! *[Places like these make me happy to be in NJ.]
Drop in at Partners & Spade this Sunday for Eggnog and Secret Shopping. They'll have their own pre-wrapped gifts, hand painted canvas ties, Best Made Co. Axes & Equipment, Wes Lang Editions, Mary & Matt Chocolates and other works, Fredericks & Mae Arrows, W.M. Brown Lard, and JP Williams Objects. *[Pick-up Mary & Matt's book at the event.]
ALL Knitwear is an American clothing label for women offering made-to-order knit creations exclusively through the Internet. It is designed and produced by Annie Larson who hand-crafts each garment on a Brother Electroknit Knitting Machine. ALL sweaters are unique, produced in small quantities with high-energy patterns that are forever changing. *[Check out their blog.]
For the holidays, House Industries will be selling their wares at Partners & Spade in NYC. For one-off gifts: custom screen printing will be done on site by Awesome Dudes. Select House Industries objects will be available until December 31st . Check it out. *[Sat, Dec 4th, Noon to 7pm, Partners & Spade, 40 Great Jones St., NYC.]