the roadside scholar Gigi is a raconteur and a bon vivant who made a living out of going shopping for nearly a decade. She has passionately embraced the internet as her new space to admire, opine about, and share the work of artists and craftspeople from around the world with all the other fans out there who enjoy it. Through her art and style blog, numerous artic Statistics Unique Visitors: Total Unique Visitors: Outgoing: Total Outgoing: 0 0 0 3550

Articles from the roadside scholar

retro modern cathy terepocki ceramics 2007-07-21 18:11:54 i was reading about a cool new shop in b.c., that’s tucked into an airstream trailer, on a certain marvelous design blog, and saw these fun ceramics by canadian artist cathy terepocki, one of the shop owners. cathy enjoys seeking out vintage objects and themes to incorporate into her craft. she uses a medium fire porcelain and silkscreens her images and text. i love the retro shapes, colors, and of course the humor in her pieces. for more of cathy’s work and to contact, click here. via poppytalk canada, cathy terepocki, ceramics, funny, horn of plenty, modern, vintageshare this story ...

ciro totku’s cambodian adventure 2007-07-20 23:25:08 look at these intriguing photos from graphic designer ciro totku. he was born in moscow but now lives in sihanoukville, a seaside village in cambodia. ciro received his first camera at age ten (hmm, just like phil toledano) from his parents. although selective use of color is a leitmotif here, ciro also has some compelling black and white photos. austere, abstract and intense. more photos and a tiny bit of info about ciro here. abstract, black and white, cambodia, ciro totku, colorful, picturesshare this story ...

pictures of matchstick men — on matches? 2007-07-19 23:14:19 from the land of the tiny hands, aka japan, i give you this amazing, precise matchbook art. i don’t think this is what people have in mind when they refer to l.s. lowry’s paintings of matchstick men. i love the soft rounded edges in the images, and am in awe of how a mundane, everyday item can be transformed into something so fun! at q-blick for 189 yen each, or $1.55 us. art, cute, drawing, japan, matchbook, matches, matchsticksshare this story ...

sleek smooth carl mertens 2007-07-19 22:13:03 design-oriented diners probably know all about german design wizard carl mertens, but did you know that the company is doing a tabletop fireplace? it’s comprised of slate and stainless steel, and it beats a boring old oil lamp anyday. the only question is whether i like it better than the one wolf udo wagner has designed. hmmm… click on carl for more info. find it at unica home. carl mertens, contemporary, fireplace, germany, indoor, lamp, stainless steelshare this story ...

a cozy fire to keep you cool, by ponton 2007-07-19 22:11:31 really, i was going to wait until it got colder to write about this, but i’m sure you can visualize this in your living room many, many months from now… behold the urban campfire interpretation, from wolf udo wagner for german company ponton. wolf strives to bridge the gap between manmade objects and nature through his designs. you will have to tell me if it is cooler than carl mertens‘ piece in the other post, because i can’t figure it out. click here for more info. via designspotter contemporary, fire, germany, indoor, lamp, ponton, wolf udo wagnershare this story ...

swell designs are for the birds 2007-07-19 19:53:02 because our avian acquaintances enjoy well-designed accessories too, please enjoy: this modern wooden bird feeder by german designers stadtnomaden has a convenient fly-through design. via designspotter this simultaneously chic and cute stainless steel feeder by susanne augenstein for blomus design, is available at the contemporary home. these substantial cedar bluebird houses, handcrafted by david and julie boone, meet the national audubon society’s specifications, and are mounted on tall copper poles. available at modern artisans. i can picture a bunch of these organic ceramic egg houses all over the yard. available in eight luscious colors from j. schatz. don’t forget the hummingbirds with a colorful blown glass feeder from nova 68. how about a classic terrazzo bird bath from motif, or a more sculptural copper one from gi designs? your fine-feathered friends will thank you. accessories, bath, bird, cool, copper, feeder, home, house, modern, stainless steel, terrazz ...

new mixed media pieces by jennifer kerr 2007-07-18 23:40:14 look at these intriguing mixed media collages from ohio artist jennifer kerr. jennifer started taking art classes when she was a young girl.  she has a degree in art therapy.  jennifer enjoys regular escapes from the “real” world to find inspiration for her art. the backgrounds of her pieces are textured with modeling paste and several layers of acrylic paint. i love the ethereal quality and hopeful imagery in her work. read more info and purchase jennifer’s work here. artist, collage, columbus, dream, jennifer kerr, mixed mediashare this story ...

mosaic glass art by merritt chandler 2007-07-18 22:49:08 i am enjoying these mosaic art pieces by tennessee artist merritt chandler.  she cuts all the tiles and glass herself. i think mario might be my favorite. she welcomes custom orders.  click here for merritt’s website.  for more info and to purchase, click here. artist, glass, merritt chandler, mosaic, nashville, wall art. colorfulshare this story ...

slippery slide designs from italy 2007-07-18 21:04:29 look at this luminous planter from giuseppe colonna romano for slide design. it’s double walled to keep the water separate, and you can change the mood of the space just by installing the colored bulb of your choice. you can use it indoors and out. giuseppe used his prior experience in the plastic molding industry to create slide design, which features robust sculptural accessories for the home. giuseppe believes that light changes emotions and sharpens senses, and tries to incorporate light sources in most of his products. visually stunning. find out more about slide design. purchase his line at generate. garden, italy, lighting, planter, pot, slide designshare this story ...

sleek shakers from bruce r. macdonald 2007-07-18 00:20:20 these mantas salt and peppers by vermont artist bruce r. macdonald look like undulating waves. they are crafted of stainless steel and brushed by hand. i love their sculptural quality and soft shape. find more info and products at brm design. also available at artful home. bruc r. macdonald, pepper, salt, sculpture, shakershare this story ...

leggy roof tile sconce from wisteria 2007-07-17 23:51:58 see this candle sconce? it’s made from old clay roof tiles from the pyrenees, in the 1860’s. the coolest thing about these sconces (besides having rustic charm of course) is the way they were made. female workers created the distinctive tapered shape by folding sheets of clay over their thighs, so as thigh size varied, so did the tiles. available through wisteria. candle, france, sconce, spain, tile, vintage, wisteriashare this story ...

hepcat wood sculpture by suzanna anna 2007-07-17 23:26:23 attention, mid-century modern lovers: dig these petite inspired redwood sculptures, from nevada artist suzanna anna. suzanna has a huge passion for mid-century design, late 60’s mod fashion and witco tiki statues. each 10-13″ piece is handcut from redwood, torched to bring out the crackly grain of the wood and turn the color a rich shade of brown, and finished with multiple coats of varnish. they look like the type of thing i might find while thrifting. i think they’re a gas. more info about suzanna here. purchase sculptures and other interesting things here. artist, fun, las vegas, mid century, modern, redwood, sculpture, suzanaa annashare this story ...

the surprising sea ranch chapel 2007-07-17 16:33:20 i passed by this place twice before i realized it was there, right next to the fire station on highway one. the strangely enchanting post-modern looking building, with a hermit-crab-like elevation, aka, the sea ranch chapel. it was built in 1985, and james t. hubbell, a san diego artist and architect, received an award from the aia for it. it was envisioned and funded by robert and betty buffum, a local couple, who also created an endowment for its present-day maintenance. hubbell’s team had a goal: to create a structure harmonious with its surroundings, by paying homage to the forest, meadow, and sky. the result is one of unique beauty. the chapel walls are constructed from local stone, and teak and redwood abound throughout the building. a graceful plaster roof crowns the interior space. the cedar roof is accented with copper. ornate metalwork is on display throughout the room. the focus of the garden area is a ceramic fountain with italian mosaic accents. stained glass ...

supremely fun mobiles from the flensteds 2007-07-17 14:46:40 ah, for a seafaring life in scandinavia… well, maybe not. but these danish mobiles might help you visualize it. flensted mobiles is a small, multi-generational family company that’s been making modern mobiles since 1954. hopefully they will make them for another 50 years. for more about the company, click here.  snatch ‘em up at design public. cardboard, christian flensted, denmark, mobile, modern, woodshare this story ...

gabrielle schaffner ceramics 2007-07-16 23:49:30 vintage pottery, nature, and numerous trips to italy are what inspires the very pretty ceramics collection from massachusetts artist gabrielle schaffner. she uses wheel-thrown and handbuilt techniques to create her functional pieces. she works with earthenware clay, and uses a modified majolica technique for glazing. i love her nostalgic imagery, lush colors and smooth textures. contact gabrielle through the fort point arts community. artist, ceramics, colorful, earthenware, garbrielle schaffner, massachusettsshare this story ...