| New Olds | A Traveling Blog |
| Last week I visited the traveling exhibition new olds. Design between Tradition and Innovation at Design Museum Holon, which was curated by Volker Albus. The variety of the exhibits made me think about it a long after I left. The fact that a bunch of recently graduated Israeli designers were displaying their work made me feel at home. With the exhibition comes a traveling blog. You should definitely check it out. It’s my kind of design break. |
| Yifat Verchik and Dan Peretz | Lost in Wonderland |
| Remember Yifat Verchik, the talented photographer who is responsible for Mona’s dreamy photographs? Well, after digging in her portfolio I had to share with you “Alice in wonderland”, a production which was made with love. Yifat and her man, Dan Peretz (a brilliant still life photographer) gathered a few of their talented friends for a once in a life time photogenic fairy tail. You can get in touch with Yifat here: yifatverchik {at} gmail {dot} com |
| Student Break | Naama Reich | Bleeding Nature |
| Next week will mark the beginning of the 2011 graduation parade here is Israel. I was lucky enough to visit this year’s graduation final submissions at the Jewelry Design Department of Shenkar College. One of the projects that stood out the most was Naama Reich’s “Mixed emotions”. Naama’s designed journey began at Alchimia, Italy, and continued here in Israel. “This project is near and dear to my heart, coming from the country side, my house… things which I have mixed feelings for. It’s kind of love-hate emotions that I poured into each and every piece.” You can get in touch with Naama here: naamareich {at} gmail {dot} com |
| Maegami | Shira Roginkin | Illustrated Emotions |
| When you take your graduation project to the next level the sky is the limit. That’s what happed to Shira Roginkin just after graduating from the Fasion Design Department at Shenkar College of Engineering and Design. I’ll tell you all about her ah-mazing accessories line in the near future but first I want to share with you her colorful and powerful illustrated world. When drawing, Shira thinks about the world and how it exists outside our minds. Her desire is for people, who look at it to have a “moment” and reflect upon their own experiences and emotions. {DesignBreak found Shira here} You can get in touch with Shira here: shira.rog {at} gmail {dot} com |
| Featured.Shopping Break| Handpicked by me. |
| Ah-mazing | |
| U-nique | |
| In-spiring |
| One On One Break | Natan Elkanovich | Dot By Dot |
| Natan Elkanovich. A man of many secrets. By day he works at some of the most prestigious TV sets as a costume designer and on his own time he creates some of the most breath taking drawings I have ever seen. To tell you the truth, I fully understood the extent of his work when I saw this wonder at his studio. There is nothing like it. A picture with a texture is not a common thing where I come from… Natan knows how to draw you into his artistic world in no time, I’ll let him do the talking. {A DesignBreak by Sivan Askayo} www.natan-art.com |
| I’d love to hear about you, your journey, how it all began. | |
| I was born in Moldova (former USSR) in 1966 and migrated to Israel with my family when I was 10. I was drawn to sketching and painting from an early age and all I’ve learned is self taught. I studied Fashion Design at the Shenkar College of Engineering and Design and after my graduation (1993) I began my career as a costume designer for movies and TV productions. At the same time I developed my unique painting techniques and gradually, my childhood hobby turned into a full time career as an International Pop Art artist, who sells his art and exhibits in Israel, USA and Europe. | NatanElkanovich |
| Can you describe your work process for me? | |
| I base my paintings on photo’s, whether it’s me who took them or other photographers. After picking the photo, I make some arrangements on it, until I’m satisfied with the result and then I draw it on canvas. When it’s ready, I apply my technique on the drawing. The technique I’ve developed creates a 3D texture on the canvas. I mix kinds of plastic materials blended with silicone and acrylic, then I sprinkle it on the surface. After it dries out, the material becomes very rigid and firmly attached to the canvas. Looking at me working, may resemble a pastry chef in the process of decorating a cake. During my childhood I spent a lot of time in our kitchen with my mom. In the process of painting, besides brushes, I use kitchen tools to apply my technique with. I guess my deep roots in the kitchen explain that. | NatanElkanovich |
| Which materials do you work with? | |
| Aside from silicone and acrylic, I also attach Swarovski Elements to some of my paintings, combined with all kinds of glitters. This adds a great deal of GLAM to the final result. | NatanElkanovich |
| What is the most unusual piece you have ever painted? | |
| I think one of the most unusual piece I did was by a request of a gentleman who asked me to paint his beloved Peg dog on a huge 100 square feet canvas, with the addition of a shining collar ornamented with Swarovski Elements. | NatanElkanovich |
| What’s next? What is your dream? | |
| I’m working non-stop, and I hope it will never end. I’m open to expand new horizons. Recently, Laneus, an art rug company, approached me with the idea of making artistic rugs based on my paintings. We launched our collaboration with a Marilyn Monroe rug, which is exhibited these days in a rugs exhibition in Germany. I’d love to do more in this field and would love to see my paintings on home décor products. My dream is to go on painting as much as I can. To bring more beauty to the world. To be a messenger of love through my paintings. Of course, a solo exhibition at the MoMA or at Tate Modern will be warmly accepted. | NatanElkanovich |
| I’m curious to know where does your inspiration come from? | |
| In a practical level, I’m inspired by a lot of things. I’m very curious person and interested in a lot of fields beside art. I leave my eyes and mind open and ideas sometimes come from little things I see, that have nothing in common with art. People intrigue me and at the same time inspire me. That’s why I paint mostly humans. | NatanElkanovich |
| Can you tell me which painters inspire you? | |
| A lot… Van-Gogh, Pissarro, Monet, Michelangelo, Durer, Escher, Dali, Picasso, Lichtenstein, Raushenberg, and many more. Visualy, I’m inspired mostly by Andy Warhol, and with my 3D texture technique I’m moving this visual forward. At first glance my work is comparable to his, but I would like to point out that unlike Andy Warhol, who painted celebrities in order to reflect for the masses their shallowness by pursuing fame and famous personas, my paintings all come from great appreciation and personal gratitude to the painted figure, and not out of an attempt to educate or preach any message other than the message of love and beauty. | NatanElkanovich |
| What about some web sites and blogs that you visit regularly? | |
| I love cinema and I visit IMDb and Box Office Prophets regularly. I don’t read newspapers, so I get updated with the current events on the internet. I love web sites where I can get updated about what is going on in the fields of art, history, music, science, sport and many more. | NatanElkanovich |
| If you had an extra hour each day what would you do? | |
| I`d probably spend it on something I usually don`t have the time for, like watching TV. I can imagine myself watching an episode of LOST on every 25th. hour of the day. I never had the time to see it and many other great series and films shown on TV. | NatanElkanovich |
| And finally, What is the best advice you’ve ever received? | |
| An old friend told me twenty years ago: First chance never comes a second time. I took it as a motto for my life and I’m open to everything that life is bringing, if something comes my way, I go forward towards it with open arms and without fear. I hate the feeling of frustration you get, when you don’t act immediately when opportunity presents itself, and you feel that you missed something good because you were too shy or afraid to approach it. Following this advice, Ive trained myself to ignore fear and shyness and to take every first chance that comes my way and make the best of it. Life is much more joyful, interesting and full of surprises this way. | NatanElkanovich |
| Keren ve Michal | Waterfall. Not the Watery One |
| Michal Nir, half of the “Keren ve Michal” duo, is the one responsible for these minimalistic necklaces. Michal, a trained fashion designer, had the urge to experiment with jewelry making. So, what does a fashion designer with no training do? She takes the first material on sight, in her case the one which she often uses as a bases for her clothing patterns and… After playing with geometrical shapes Michal got the perfect most desirable waterfall necklace ever! I can tell you just here and now, this is the only waterfall I need in my life! BTW, Keren ve Micha’s facebook page is a fun place to be in. You should check it out. www.kerenvemichal.com |
| NORITAMY | Golden Wood |
| Tammar and Elinor have a special place in my stylish heart. The two can take just about any ordinary material and turn it into a spectacular collection. Their journy with wooden beads started a while back at one of their many ventures. The girls had the patience to wait for the right moment to introduce a stunning line of beaded scarfs with a dash of their geometric mark. But that’s not all, they continued with carving, by hand, rings and bracelets to whom they added goldish leafs like icing on a cake. Seriously, I can’t keep my eyes of this work of art! www.noritamy.com |
| UnaUna | God Is In The Details |
| I’m sure you didn’t think Summer 2011 can go by without an honorable mention of team UnaUna. This collection is all about the little details. Well, Almog and Mira can never get it wrong so… I’ll let the images do the talking this time. Till Winter 2012 (cause we know I’ll write about them again), xoxo www.una-una.com |
| Kulla Design | Light Up Your Table |
| A while back I wrote about Stools. The 50% sawdust version. “A measured mixture of the two materials is pressed into an aluminum mold and then baked. The heat creates a homogeneous connection without using any adhesives.” Since then, the girls behind Kulla Design worked on a new addition to their 50% sawdust family of products. I would definitely add those two cuties to my work table any day of the week. Can’t wait to find out what will be the next addition. I just love it when you get good design in small portions ;) www.kulladesign.com |
| World Break | Carl Kleiner | Photogenic Food |
| Lately I’ve been a bit estranged from my google reader, so I haven’t seen any of Carl Kleiner’s “Ikea – Art of cooking” videos. I’m a huge fan since his ah-mazing “Hembakat är Bäst” a.k.a “Homemade is Best”. No words can describe how inspiring and exciting Carl’s world is. The man can turn the most ordinary egg into a work of art! If I were you, I’d go to his vimeo page and let the party start. Don’t say I didn’t warn you! Colors, compositions, minimalism and just the right soundtrack. Ready, Set, Go! {This is a Swedish World Break} www.carlkleiner.com |
| Ruby Star | Shirley Itzik | Framed Watches |
| It’s no secret that Shirley Itzik has a thing for old and used watches. In “Framed”, her latest collection, Shirley took it up a notch. The way she dismantles and reassembles these parts is so unique! I can’t think of any other designer who can mix and match, those not so attractive pieces, into breathtaking jewelry. I know I’m doing it again but… it feels like The Transformers sent some signals during her work processes ;) BTW you can have your own frame here. www.rubystar.co.il |
| Rafsoda | The Israeli Invasion of Paris |
| Tomorrow is a very special day! Some of my all time favorite designers are visiting Paris. They come all the way from Tel Aviv for a four day celebration of Israeli design, the pop up way. “Rafsoda invites the public to embark on an astonishing journey to the new frontiers of Israeli design innovation, featuring events that include the opportunity to meet many of the store’s exceptional design talents, participating for the first time at Designer’s days Paris.” In a way, it feels like it’s a DesignBreak celebration with some very good freinds like: Maya Shalev, Studio Ve, Kozo Lamp, Groupa Studio, Me-Dusa… www.www.rafsoda.com |
| Kululush | Zohar Mor | Miniature Kingdom |
| Remember Valerie Belkind, the photographer from my latest post? Well, as I stumbled upon her photographs, it felt like discovering a gold mine, I kid you not! That’s how we have another amazing designer straight from the Belkindious factory. Say hello to Zohar Mor and her la la land line, Kululush. Her fairy tail collection is just what I need in order to feel like a kid again for a little while. I’m sure you all think about turning back the clock to the time all you had to worry about was which ballerina shoes to wear or which pony to ride. I know I’m getting a bit carried away but… {Photos by Valerie Belkind} www.kululush.com |
| Mona Catrinel Zigner | Zip It |
| I wish I could rock this necklace like Anastasia does. I’m not sure I’ve got the strong personality to wear it ;) I’ll keep on working on it but till then you can visit Mona’s Etsy Shop if you have a thing or two for zippers. {Photos by Valerie Belkind} |
