WE'RE SUPPORTING

Czech painter Victor Safonkin does some pretty impressive neo-classical/surrealist paintings that pay homage to all the masters while having a quirky style all their own. They are thankfully free of snarky pop-culture references and irony, which makes the images timeless and strikingly beautiful. Read more

WE'RE TRAVELLING TO

Along with San Francisco and Barcelona, New York is arguably the modern street skating city, both in reality and image. Because of the unique background, experience and perspective of the film’s creators and the decision to “cast” the city of New York as one of the main characters, Deathbowl to Downtown promises to be an unprecedented, seminal film. Read more

WE'RE WEARING

My friend, illustrator Ai Tatebayashi, is known for her lovely color schemes and she forwarded me the link to this beautiful handknit accessory store from Istanbul. With Etsy, we can now purchase talented designer’s work from all over the world. And I couldn’t resist, I bought a necklace-scarf and cannot wait until it comes to my door! Read more

WE'RE THINKING

I’ve been admiring the work of Portland illustrator John Klassen for a while now. I’m irrepressibly drawn to his muted, textured landscapes, in all their mysterious glory. No coincidence then that a Coraline section should have recently appeared on his site. It just makes me want to see the movie even more. Read more

WE'RE READING

Conceptual artist Pascual Sisto stumbled across a Google Maps street view of Minnie Street in Fairbanks Alaska that was obscured by a plastic bag. He has the view preserved on his site in case Google decides to re-photograph the intersection.

The Deal sisters have dropped off the indie-rock radar of late, but this clip of them covering Hank Williams’ I Can’t Help It reminds us why we all loved them so much back in the day. Incidentally, the Breeders are set to release their new album, Mountain Battles, in April.

WE'RE LISTENING TO

If Pharrell’s calling these guys ‘geniuses’, you’d better watch out! Chester French are Ivy League prep boys from Massachusetts who have mastered an interesting Beatlesque sound tinged with Motown influences. When, in May 2007, the duo — D.A. and Max — completed their recording and their degrees (in African American Studies and Social Anthropology respectively), they were snapped up by Pharrell Williams’ label Star Trak.