inspired by...

This mural stops me in my tracks every time I see it. The decorative line work is just mesmerizing, and I dig the way it harmonizes with its context, echoing those black window grates. The artist is Zio Ziegler. You can watch a great video of him at work here.

Zio Ziegler's big cat, kitty-corner from the Mission branch of the SFPL at Barlett and 24th. Check it out next time you're in my neck of the jungle.

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I got lost in the luminous, iridescent glow of this art, spied on my morning walk in San Francisco's Mission District. I love the contrast of the metallic background with the matte drips. It's super sophisticated and grungy at the same time. Kind of Warhol Factory. I'd love to find some way to replicate it on a huge tote bag and sling it over my shoulder!

In the wayback, my grandma gave our family Treasury of American Design by Clarence P. Hornung (1950, Harry N. Abrams). It's a hard-bound, two-volume set that features beautifully detailed illustrations of functional and decorative objects (dating from approximately 1890 and earlier) created by American artisans.

When I was a kid, I loved poring over the pictures in these books, absorbing the incredible array of forms, patterns and decorative motifs. I recently rediscovered Treasury in my parents' bookshelf and was fascinated to read that the illustrations in it were originally created between 1935 and 1942 as part of the Index of American Design, which was a project of the Works Progress Administation's Federal Art Project. The Index was one of many FAP projects developed with the goal of employing artists during the Depression.

I have a lot to say about why I think these books are cool, and I hope you'll look at some of the links above to learn more about the Index and the FAP if you don't already know about them. But the main reason I'm thinking about all this today is because I recently learned that the Obama re-election campaign is holding a design contest to solicit original poster art promoting Obama's job creation plan. It's basically a crowd-sourcing effort by the Obama campaign to get valuable art and design without paying for it. The very special irony, of course, is that the purpose of the art will be to promote employment opportunities. The Graphic Artists Guild has done a great job of summarizing everything that gets me riled about this. I would only add:

• If you're a creative professional, never forget that what you do can have real and lasting value. Take yourself seriously. Show your clients why you're worth it. Be an advocate for yourself and your profession.
• If you're someone who relies on the creativity of designers or artists for your business, take a moment to think about the value of that creative effort. Where would your business be without it? Isn't it, in many cases, at least as valuable as the other services you pay for without hesitation? Dig deep for your favorite creative professional and you'll be rewarded many times over!

[Note: the images above are from Uncommon Eye, a wonderful Etsy shop where the pictured copy of Treasury of American Design is for sale. It looks to be in beautiful condition... grab it!]

SFMoMA's Shadowshop closes this Sunday. I've been following the discussion around it, but hadn't actually seen it in person until today. This huge sign in one of the windows may have been my favorite part. So funny... sadfunny... but with un poquito más emphasis on funny.

I found this graphic today during a random spring-cleaning of my "Designs In Progress" folder. It's dated 4/22/02. (I think it's mine but I can't remember for sure!)

All I can say is, this intersection is still intriguing to me, nine years later.

El Esposo and I tried something new for Valentine's Day this year... something relatively adventurous (though perhaps not as lusty as that intro makes it sound). We went to an underground dinner. This one was hosted by ForageSF, an organization that promotes our local food economy in the most direct way I can imagine… through foraging ingredients from locations like my neighbor's backyard, Golden Gate Park, and San Francisco Bay. They also collaborate with very small local producers, like Local Brewing Co. and Two Mile Wines, who provided the beer and wine pairings for our meal. The location was undisclosed until the morning of the event (because these types of dinners aren't strictly legal and/or just to add to the allure of the whole thing). It ended up being right here in the Mission District at a warehouse art space, which was transformed with fairy lights, flowers, candles and live music into a surprisingly intimate and romantic venue. We sat at one of two huge communal tables and enjoyed a really great evening of food and conversation. Some of my favorites were the oysters (with roe from herring netted by our host, Iso Rabins; the herring make a 6-day spawning stop in our Bay each winter) and the dessert, which was an indescribably luscious mix of flavors and fragrances.

A quick introduction might be in order here. My name is Amy, and I am part of the dynamic trio that makes up f13. While my background lies in graphic and web design, I am an artist and creator at heart. And, I have to be honest this writing thing is not really my forte. I am such a visual person, that I rely on my art as part of my expression, so you are going to have to bear with me as I work on my writing skills. I am a wife, and mother of twins (identical girls... "my mini-mes" as I like to say). My amazing kids and my always supportive husband inspire me daily. I am also thankful for and greatly inspired by my creative partners here at f13. I love to imagine all of the possibilities when it comes to art, and how we can use it to celebrate our personal style. Nature forms and vibrant color combinations have always drawn my attention. I think that's why I've been dreaming up these beautiful skirts based on a series of inspiring botanicals created by another great artist here at f13 - Pamela Nudel. Pam's art has a vibrant flair, and often incorporates rich textures. Her botanicals are warm and contemporary, and each of them would make a uniquely stunning skirt. Imagine them big and bold with rich textures! They would be oh so sumptuous!

These beautiful botanicals are already available as greeting cards at Cardstore.com.  

And also as wall prints in our shop. Enjoy!  

..... amy .....

Inspiration this week was in the form of a little fieldtrip out to Flora Grubb Gardens, where we encountered more succulents than I ever imagined existed. The variety and charm of these plants just astounded me... and they represent only a portion of the many beautiful plants and gardening goodies offered by this wondrous San Francisco nursery.

Many of the close-ups are taken from the "vertical garden" you see behind us in the photo above. (And that's Elie, one of our fabulous summer interns, on the right!)

And, because no february 13 creative gathering is complete without great food, we followed Flora Grubb with succulence of a different variety: lunch at Schmidt's, a cool new German place in my neighborhood. Schmidt's is just one of many great new restaurants that seem to be springing up around here... including Stable, which we waddled down to for coffee and cookies at the end of the afternoon!)