Stephanie Simek’s Portland workspace
I just caught up with Portland artist Stephanie Simek about her unconventional work and living situation: ‘I live in Portland, Oregon, in a former Hare Krishna temple that my partner Adam and I turned into an art and music space called Rererato. We host events about once or twice a week’. ‘My favorite part of the room is the stage area that has a beautiful scalloped cutout and peaks at the top. It is painted gold. It was like that when we moved in. Actually, every room in the house is painted a different, bright colour. I work on my own projects in the main room when it isn’t being used for shows’.
Tagged: Portland, work spaces
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I moved to Newcastle late last year, though I still do a lot of work in Sydney. What a great city Newcastle is. It’s been breath of fresh air for me. For the first few months, I worked on Lost At E Minor and our online pubishing company, Conversant Media, from home. But then I heard about the Renew Newcastle project, launched by one of Australia’s creative stars (in terms of making things happen, not talking the talk), Marcus Westbury. Read more
Portland-based Sarah Gottesdiener creates lush, vibrant, and wonderfully ornate poster art, illustration and design work. Her paintings and videos were recently exhibited at Miami Basel as part of a show presented by Deitch Projects. Oh, and somehow she manages to find the time to play in a band called Gay Deceivers, whose debut album comes out on Cherchez La Femme Projects in February.
S Britt on his creative process
We checked in with Portland illustrator S Britt and asked him what part of the creative process he enjoys the most: ‘I enjoy seeing the final piece and comparing it to the original idea or sketch. It’s oftentimes surprising and yes, sometimes disheartening to see how the numerous changes throughout the process affected the finished illustration. Personally, I love simplistic, somewhat imperfect art, so I tend to prefer my illustrations that are more facile and spontaneous (think: defective and dim-bulbed). The more labored over projects tend to feel a bit wooden and lifeless to me at times’. Read more
Also by ILANA KOHN
Barcelona crafter Misako Mimoko makes the most impossibly adorable little dolls, known as her Dolis ey Dolos. Her croissant and Grandfather Clock headed dolls are so cute, even more so in their classic toy-store packaging.
Los Angeles artist Elsa Mora manages to take paper, the simplest of materials and transform it time and time again into the most delicate, magical concoctions straight out of my wildest, Disney-fueled childhood fantasy.
I love the first image on the website of illustrator Anna Melcon Bond: the snarling bushes and the little dog in the wagon snarling back as his owner blithely skips along trailing the wagon behind her. Melcon Bond’s work oozes with wit. There’s not an image of hers that I wouldn’t tack on my wall for a good laugh and a smile.
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Renowned German installation artist and sculptor Simon Schubert has created a lot of large-scale pieces, but his amazing images of architectural spaces created by carefully creasing and scoring paper have a huge wow-factor despite their smaller size. Read more
Anyone who thinks black metal is too rigid and narrow a genre to have room for innovation would do well to check out Lifelover, a Swedish band that defies every convention of black metal while still remaining miraculously kvlt. The sextet wafts between languid, hallucinatory grooves that channel Iggy Pop and latter-day Cure to unhinged freak-outs that sound as if they’re emanating from the deepest, coldest forests of Norway.
Argentinean artist Benito Laren’s illustrations roll through the mind like a restless childhood memory. They remind me of building blocks — solid, inviting and always full of potential.
DJ Spooky — That Subliminal Kid — is just about the deepest crate digger around, trawling the barrels of long-lost record stores for choice vinyl to spin in his wickedly dubby sets. He gave us the inside word last week on his eight favourite songs right now via our sister website, My Secret Playlist. This is what he had to say about Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry’s Panic in Babylon: ‘If there’s anything that the twenty-first century has told us, it’s that dub is the real original hip-hop. Lee Scratch even had to make it clear in 1965 by adding “Scratch” to his middle name. Take that, Grandmaster Flash!’ Read the rest of DJ Spooky’s Secret Playlist.
Oh man, what I wouldn’t give to be able to sing like Neil Finn. His voice rasps with all the sincerity and integrity of a thousand heartfelt melodies. Heck, I’d probably trade my prized collection of Archie comics for just the chorus on this song. Driving Me Mad? You betcha(dupa). This man is a treasure. Bow low indeed.
Installed in downtown Helsinki, CityWall is a multi-touch display featuring digital media arranged into themes and events. Read more
Ok, so I’m speaking from first-hand perspective here because as I type on this warm morning, with the faintest slither of sun creeping its way through the privacy blinds in my living room, I’m wearing the very same t shirt that the dude in this photo is wearing. Yup, the same damn one. Perhaps I’m not looking quite as groomed as he is, but hey, it’s a start. Australian fashion label Das Monk is my new favourite t shirt label and this t shirt is more comfortable to wear that a thousand pairs of Ozone socks. Das Monk? Yes it is.
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Argentine illustrator Poly Bernatene miraculously creates many of his beautifully textured, painterly images in Photoshop. Despite his twenty-first century method, his illustrations achieve a sort of timelessness that is bound to mesmerize children for years to come. Read more
Chris Ware is my favorite comic book artist. If there’s a new Chris Ware book out, I buy it, no questions asked. He writes the most somber, sad stories about the simplest of people, but they’re written and illustrated with such beauty and elegance. All of the text and graphic design is done by hand. It’s absolutely mind blowing. Read more
Legendary pop culture artist and Agit Pop founder Ron English will be a guest compiler of an upcoming issue of our email newsletter, writing about his favorite cultural discoveries. To read Ron’s edition of Lost At E Minor, simply sign up to our weekly newsletter. It’s free, you win!
This beautifully soft, handmade and dyed scarf is by the New York-based designer, Ryan Sullivan. They can be purchased through the Lost At E Minor store. Read more
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