A Spin Around The Color Wheel

September 2nd, 2010

Artists of all types, from painters to quilt-makers, use bold, bright, sharp colors to express emotions in their work. All of today’s inspiration worthy artists,however, have incorporated a full rainbow spectrum, adding an entirely new dimension to their designs.

Eelus is a graphic designer from London known for his street art and whose personal motto is ‘keeping it eel.’ His intricate hand cut stencils will immediately hold your attention, especially this print ‘Dress Up’ featuring striking geometric patterns and what my eight-year-old self would consider the perfect dress.

Eelus- "Dress Up"

Takashi Iwasaki is an artist who uses many different materials to create his works but it was his hand-embroidered pieces that caught my eye, like the one below, that he creates by using thread on canvas. They were featured in the Drawing in Thread: Contemporary Embroidery exhibition and I couldn’t help but fall in love with the vibrant palette. Each collage creates a beautiful kaleidoscopic world with fantastic shapes and lines that create a personality all their own.

Takashi Iwasaki - "Midoriyaamehatzga"

Speaking of artists who work with unique materials, Rebecca Ward is another such artist, who creates stunning ‘Tape Art’ instillations using strips of vinyl, duct and electrical tape in primary color combinations. I think the word ‘impressive’ is an understatement to describe these creations, which have such a beautiful mix of straight lines and curves. She even created an amazing instillation this year at the Kate Spade NYC Store, which I would have loved to see in person!

Rebecca Ward - "Seventeen is Sharp"

Rebecca Ward - "The Bed You Lie In"

One of my favorite songs as a child was ’The Big Rock Candy Mountain.’ You know, the ‘Wee Sing’ version, which I went through a phase of playing at least one hundred times a day on my Fisher Price record player. I should probably call my parents to thank them for making it through this phase. Anyway, when I saw this illustration by artist Ginette Lapalme I was immediately brought back to those good old days with her patchwork of colors.

Ginette Lapalme - "Mountain"

I recently discovered fashion photographer Iain Crawford and even though I’m a little late to the game as I’m sure many have already seen his beautiful images, i had to include them in a blog about color. Brilliant and bold with a slightly chaotic element to them, his photographs are truly not to be believed. In the incredible shots below he uses paint to imitate the look of fabrics. Who can help but be inspired? You can find a ton more gorgeous images at his site.

Iain Crawford

Iain Crawford


A Spin Around The Color Wheel via @pingg  

Staff Pick Winner!

September 1st, 2010

For this week’s Staff Pick, I have chosen “Anis” by LaBokoff. I know this may be a funny way to describe someone’s work, but I would have a crush on this invite if it were a person. She would be a mysterious person who I would associate with the color gray like a foggy day. She may look simple, but there’s a multi-layered side to her that makes her so intriguing and makes you want to get to know her more.

LaBokoff - Anis

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Staff Pick Winner! via @pingg  

Haunting Photographs

August 31st, 2010

It seems as if Halloween has become New York City’s (where pingg is headquartered) biggest holiday.  Like our own version of Mardi Gras. People often ask me when is the best time to visit the city. And if they have any interest in nightlife I always say the Halloween weekend is by far the funniest, craziest time to experience the city.  From the great parade to all the amazing parties – New Yorkers take this night very “seriously”.

So for this week’s inspirations, I decided to look for photographers and mixed media artists who have done something unique with related imagery.  Each one of the below is terrifying and evocative in its own way while creating a story with wonderful composition and details.

Jennifer Woodward - Wandering the Haunted Bay

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Haunting Photographs via @pingg  

New Designers To Make You Smile

August 27th, 2010

This week we have had so many fantastic new designers taking advantage of the newly released pingg studio tool and uploading their artwork to the pingg gallery. Photographers, illustrators and painters make up this talented group, with designs perfect for Halloween, birthday parties and baby showers! They sure have managed to make me smile and I hope they will do the same for you!

Check out the new designers:

Lynn Alpert Studios:

Lynn Alpert Studios - Halloween Cat

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New Designers To Make You Smile via @pingg  

The World of Pattern Design

August 27th, 2010

I could never pay attention during art history class. As if sitting in a class room early in the morning after a sleepless night wasn’t enough, we had to stare at endless slide shows in a dimly lit room as our professor hypnotized us to sleep. Yet, there was one painting that caught my full attention, and it was Qu Ding’s Summer Mountains.

Qu Ding - Summer Mountains

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The World of Pattern Design via @pingg  

Staff Pick Winner!

August 26th, 2010

Hosts have already started thinking about their next big holiday party….Halloween! Designers are meeting that call by adding spooky invite designs to their collections. This week I have chosen my favorite new Halloween addition, “Death Do Us Part” by Susan Burghart as my Staff Pick.

The distressed paper background, styled skulls and design elements bracketing the text, work well together to create a fully integrated design. Seems like it would be perfect for a couple hosting a Halloween party!

Susan Burghart - "Death Do Us Part"

Congratulations to Susan Burghart for being this week’s Staff Pick and the winner of $50! Check out her entire collection here!


Staff Pick Winner! via @pingg  

The Man is Burning…

August 19th, 2010

On August 30th, 48,000+ people will travel to the Black Rock Desert to take part in an experience. An experience that is said to profoundly bridge the gaps between culture, art, music, humanity and nature.

Burning Man began as an impulsive act in 1986 on the beaches of San Francisco and has turned into a phenomenon. “These people make the journey for one week out of the year to be part of an experimental community, which challenges its members to express themselves and rely on themselves to a degree that is not normally encountered in one’s day-to-day life”.

One monumental feature of Burning Man, is Art. People from all across the globe plan all year long for their contributions. And each year, a new theme is given, “encouraging a common bond to help tie each individual’s contribution together in a meaningful way”. This year’s theme is ‘Metropolis’, which should make for some inspiring takes on urban design and its impact on culture.

The instillations erected at Burning Man are some of the wackiest, most innovative, forms of art and design that I have ever seen. Here are some of my favorites:

Majorlycool.com

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The Man is Burning… via @pingg  

Staff Pick Winner!

August 18th, 2010

I’m a pretty big fan of birds. Not in the I’m-a-crazy-bird-lady kind of way, but rather in the they-make-for-a-beautiful-design kind of way.  There is something whimsical about them.  It might be the sense of freedom they represent.  Plus one of my favorite songs is “Bird Song” by The Grateful Dead.  So whenever I see an awesome piece of art that uses a bird, I immediately smile.  Because of this, I chose Jenny Arnott’s “Robin” as this week’s Staff Pick.

Jenny Arnott - Robin

Jenny Arnott - Robin

And regardless of my love of birds, this design is simply stunning.  The way Jenny layers fabric to create the illustration is very impressive (especially to someone, like me, that can’t sew).  I’m speechless when I look at the detail involved in creating the bark of the tree branch.  And as an invitation, Jenny does a great job of creating a text-specific area that is bound by stitching which matches the style of the artwork.

Congratulations, Jenny, on being this week’s Staff Pick and the winner of an extra $50 for your superbly stitched collection!


Staff Pick Winner! via @pingg