Some Insight to Steelcase Design

I came across some nice design-related videos that Steelcase produced giving a little insight behind the inspirations and process of some of their products. It's always interesting to see how others design, especially when working in such large-scale corporations.

3-D Cardboard Art

I've been experimenting recently with some recycled sheets of cardboard and putting them together, trimming them off, and hanging them on walls as a form of 3-D artwork. This is my first "test" piece, one of the T.WAY alternate logos. Think there is a future with this unique form of artwork? I'd love to hear your thoughts and suggestions for my next piece to work on. Please, leave a comment below!

A Day in the Life: British Accent Experts

While working on a project at the Saugatuck Center for the Arts (Saugatuck, MI), we ended up hanging out with some actors from NYC that were in town to perform. Naturally, we got on the conversation of European accents and quickly discovered we were fooling around with true professionals. They KNEW and could speak 60 different accents and dialects!

I now have a brand new respect for their craft and what they do. Such talented individuals. Their show, "The 39 Steps" is showing August 12-28 in downtown Saugatuck, just 30 minutes from the GR area. Check them out: http://bit.ly/oP4E6O.

Today at the Office

Every day is a new day. Today, was no different. Among a bunch of other things, we had a little rooftop paint session. You'll have to come back another time to learn what and for whom the project is for, but until then, we'll just let these few pictures say some words (3 pictures x 1,000 words = 3,000 words).

Resting In Peace

This evening I took some time to walk around downtown by myself. When I did, I was peacefully surprised to discover what I discovered: "STEW" marked on a bridge rail over looking a peace sign in the river. I couldn't help but feel relieved knowing that J.Stew is now resting in peace after a life, a short 33-year life at that, well lived. His impact on me will never be forgotten. Live in love.

J.Stew

A Day in Saugatuck-Douglas

We spent a full day in Saugatuck-Douglas to shoot for a project. Who is we? And what is that little water mark symbol in the corner of each picture? That, my friend, you will know when the time is right...

What I can tell you is that two days later my calf muscles were still EXTREMELY sore and tight from walking all the way up AND down these steps. I would have liked to count them, but I don't think I can count that high without a calculator.

The views were definitely worth it, though. On one side of the hill/mountain/dune you can see Lake Michigan and the other side overlooks the river channel of Saugatuck and Douglas.





On the 40-minute drive from Grand Rapids to Saugatuck, we noticed three ENORMOUS "fan blades" that were somehow being transported on the back of semi-trucks. Each blade was 120' long and make up a medium-sized wind turbine. I can't imagine what a large turbine looks like this up close...



Following a long day of shooting footage and pictures, Adrienne drove down from her work in Holland to attend a special fundraiser event for the Saugatuck Center for the Arts at the Red Dock bar & restaurant.

Funny bathroom signs. Meet Spencer and Allie!

We interpreted the designs a little bit too literally...maybe.

Piet Mondrian ft. T.WAY artwork: Composition (Remix)

So, what was my reaction to learning about Piet? (Please refer to yesterday's post on Piet Mondrian) I wanted to learn more not only about him, but how he created his Compositions. So, I tried it myself.

First, I did a duplicate of one of his originals. Then, I added my own spin on the classic. As with every piece of art, there are some symbolic meanings behind them. For this piece, I'll leave the discovery of those meanings up to you...






"Everything in his life was reasoned or calculated. He was a compulsive neurotic and could never bear to see anything disordered or untidy. He seemed to suffer acutely, for instance, if a table had not been laid with perfect symmetry."
- Hannah Höch on Piet Mondrian, quoted by Edouard Roditi

[Available for purchase here]

Piet Mondrian

Not being formally educated in art means that learning its history must be a self-taught subject, which I have a love/hate relationship with. My 'most-preferred' method of learning is documentaries (due in part to streaming Netflix), but sometimes I must rely on old fashioned art books or the internet - aka: Google searches.

My latest subject is Piet Mondrian. His works of "Composition with Red, Blue, and Yellow" have been familiar to me for years. Although I never knew who painted them or how/why, those images were easily recognizable as being important pieces in art's history.

Just recently I had this unknown urge to dig into it a bit more. I think it may have been how simplistic and minimal these works were and how they used only the most basic of colors: the primaries (red, blue, yellow) and black and white. Without going into too much detail about him, Piet Mondrian was a Dutch painter (1872-1944) known as "the father of geometric abstraction." He was a pivotal figure in the revolution of Modern Art that began with Cubism in the early 20th century. Around 1920, following the World War, he evolved a non-representational form which he termed Neo-Plasticism (De Stijl). This consisted of the familiar white ground, upon which was painted a grid of vertical and horizontal black lines and the three primary colors.

Without doubt, Mondrian continues to still have an influence in art/design. His Composition works has inspired fashion, graphic art, architecture, and more. There have been numerous clothing brands that have produced products directly inspired by his work, even including Nike and Vans. 


Here's a couple of other sites I found interesting about Piet:
- Chronological order of paintings
- "Official" website
- Wikipedia page
- De Stijl (Neo-Plasticism)

Why this mini art lesson? Come back tomorrow and I'll show you why...

Saturday Morning Farmer Breakfast - Literally

Yesterday we drove from Grand Rapids (west Michigan) to the Detroit area (east Michigan) to witness a couple of my good childhood friends getting married to each other. That was an awesome event. I'm so happy for both of them! But, that's not the point of this post, ha. Following an awesome reception full of celebration, we drove through the middle of the night to Mt. Pleasant (mid-Michigan)...

This morning we woke up and were invited to a Farmer's Breakfast. Always a huge fan of breakfast, especially a farmer's breakfast because that's always the BIGGEST portion of breakfast food at any diner, we were like, "Alright! Let's do it."

Little did we know that it LITERALLY was a FARMER'S breakfast -- in the middle of nowhere, on a farm. After choking over the smell of warm, fresh cow turds that hit you as soon as you stepped foot out of the car, we were blown away. Thousands of people drove out to the middle of the country for it. Here, I was thinking it was just some diner's breakfast special, but it turned out to be this enormous celebration of Michigan's farmers and fresh, locally grown foods.

After a hayride shuttle in from the parking field, the morning's events included:


...a farm breakfast in a barn, stations learning about different local agricultural lessons from maple syrup to soy beans, and cows. Lots and lots of cows!...



...We even were able to see a new born calf just minutes after it was born! Its umbilical cord was still out and momma cow was still licking all of the slime from its newborn's body.

This poor wide-eyed calf's knees were shaking as it slowly stumbled around as it was taking its first steps. I can't imagine what it was thinking after falling out into this new world surrounded by odd, two-legged animals all around its pen.

To say the least, it was a very interesting morning! That's the great part about living in Michigan, you're only a hour or two from city life, to lake fronts, and to the middle of farmville.

Hand-Painted Signage

Who doesn't love hand-painted signage? I know I do! Nothing better than some vintage, good ole' advertisements the way advertisements used to be. Here's what they said about this video:

"Ogilvy & Mather New York and Joshua Liner Gallery unveil a series of commissioned murals by celebrated artist Stephen Powers that reinterpret the words and quotes of agency founder David Ogilvy.

Power’s bold graphic style, reminiscent of vintage advertising illustrations puts a unique emphasis on famous Ogilvy sayings and transforms them into actionable words designed to inspire the viewer. Painted in bright colors on the North stairwell of the agency’s headquarters office, the murals run from the first to the 11th floor of the office building.

The murals are being unveiled to coincide with the 100th birthday of David Ogilvy, one of the most influential and important figures in modern advertising."

Betty Ford Funeral Procession

Following Betty Ford's funeral in nearby East Grand Rapids, the procession drove right by the coffee house I was posted at today. (Yes, even with a great office, sometimes it's more enjoyable, and less distracting, to work out of a coffee shop.) Luckily, I just happened to have my camera with me, so I was able to capture a few pictures of this historical event. It was neat to think that just around the corner was former President Bill Clinton, former Vice-President Dick Cheney, and former First Lady Laura Bush. The most touching part of watching the procession roll by was the 8-10 family vehicles that followed. The streets were lined with Grand Rapidians, and the Ford family vehicles certainly seemed to appreciate them as both parties waved condolences to each other. I learned these last couple of days watching coverage of her and can appreciate the impact she has made in peoples' lives around the nation. That's one thing we all can do, make an impact. Let's do that...