Have a rockin’ holiday

Wishing you and your family as much happiness as Christopher experienced with his brand new rocking chair way back in 1960

Merry Christmas from The Design Brothers
—Christopher and Greg

Glam Giving

Maybe as we get older it seems the holidays come faster and faster each year. That means more gift-giving at an accelerated pace. Every year we both struggle with what to give friends, family and clients. This year Greg decided to give all of his clients a gift from the past. After all.. the green revolution applauds recycling, reusing and re-purposing… making vintage items not only an eco-friendly option, but also a fun, unique and thoughtful way to say Happy Holidays.

Vintage is Cool!

…………………………………………………………………….
A collection of vintage glasses Greg found along with a set of Christopher’s number glasses. Who gets what??
…………………………………………………………………….

This years’ gift of choice are chic and glam vintage glasses that Greg found at antique stores through-out Chicago and its’ neighboring suburbs. His choices were inspired by the color schemes or recurring themes in clients homes. This year he thinks he found appropriate and perfect gifts for his long client list.

………………………………………………………..
Silver and blue The perfect combination for a specific clients home.
………………………………………………………
Finding interesting gifts just takes a little creativity and imagination. When gift giving Greg always thinks first of something that he would love to receive. Of course you have to think about the person that you are buying for. Greg tries to imagine the receiver’s favorite color, their personality and their sense of style (are they more casual, traditional, modern, etc.). He then searches out the thrift shops, consignment stores, antique malls, yard sales and estate sales in town. These are the best places to do your vintage holiday shopping. Greg looks for unusual items with a bit of sparkle. What a fun way to shop!

…………………………………………………………………
The purple glasses and old fashioned shaker are another beautiful gift. The vintage tray was a find that Greg is keeping for himself.
………………………………………………………………….

Gift giving should never be a chore. After all, we are giving a gift to let people know how much they mean to us, so it should be a fun experience. As children, our Grandmother Jagmin would shop all year to find deals, and by Christmas, she would have a room stockpiled with gifts galore. We would always laugh afterwards because the gifts never fit, or were so out of style or season by the time we actually were given the gifts. It was the thought that mattered. She really tried, but we’ve learned that sometimes bargains are not necessarily worth it all.

………………………………………………………….
Green and gold Festive not only for the holiday season but all year round.
…………………………………………………………

For all of you last minute shoppers out there turn on your creativity and think re-purpose while you are shopping. Vintage jewelry, scarves, even ashtrays (although not very PC) are always appreciated, but remember have fun doing it, you will be glad you did.

Happy Holidays from the Design Brothers!
—Greg and Christopher

Keeping it simple

Earlier this year, some of the graduate students at ASU’s School of Art were holding a sale of the artist’s works outside one of the art buildings on campus, and Christopher decided to go check it out.

Some of the artists were just trying to make some quick cash, and some were just trying to get rid of some items to make room for more work to come. No matter what their intent, the work was great, and bargains and inspiration were plentiful. Needless to say, Christopher came home with an armload of goods. He especially loved some hand-made bowls so much, that he purchased a few of them.

A couple of weeks ago, Christopher introduced our readers to the Eye Lounge Gallery. Well, this week he wanted to introduce Jana Evans, the artist of those bowls that Christopher purchased. After that sale at ASU, Jana actually applied for membership to the Eye Lounge cooperative. She was accepted, and now is a member with a show already under her belt.

At that show (where Christopher bought a few more bowls, by the way) she spoke about her love of hand-made things, ceramics, and her time at Penland School of Crafts. It was really exciting to hear about her time there and how it changed her perception of art. It made me want to hear more about her work and journey.

……………………………………………………………………
Young Jana self-face painting Even from an early age she liked to get dirty, it is no surprise that her passion is playing with mud and clay!
……………………………………………………………………

Christopher: What do you enjoy about what you do?

Jana: I feel like we are entering a new era where people are valuing home-baked, home grown and handmade items. I would like to contribute to this revival with pottery. I love the idea of someone using my pitcher for lemonade and serving food out of my bowls for a regular night in or hosting a party.

……………………………………………………………………
Jana’s recent work includes a few of the teapots that we are showing throughout this blog.
……………………………………………………………………

When I first started, one of my friends gave her niece a cup when she was 4. Now she is fourteen and still drinking out of the same cup. The entire family has their own cup! I love the idea that my work can become part of a routine and after years… every mark on it tells a story.

C: It sounds like you value traditions and a kind of return to a simple life. Do you know where that comes from?

……………………………………………………………………
Fun times in the summer time at Jana’s [2] grandparents house with her brother, David [1], and her sister, Alana [3].
……………………………………………………………………

J: We lived in California and most summers we would drive as a family (in our “Starship LeSabre”) up the coast to visit our grandparents in rural Eastern Washington. My mom’s family had a farm with an apple orchard, and in the summers I was introduced to morning chores like gathering eggs, putting out feed and calling in the horses. Summers on the farm were full of potlucks and extended family.

C: It sounds so idyllic. Did anyone in particular inspire you?

J: My Grandma Bessie has inspired me. She has lived in a small town all her life. She married my Grandpa Chet who never graduated high school and started as an auto mechanic. He eventually owned his own service station and raised three kids, my dad being the youngest.

Once the kids were graduated from high school, my grandma went back to school and became an English teacher. She had a long career as a teacher, and would always encourage my brother and sister and I to read when we visited. She used to tell us as kids when we wanted to watch TV because we were bored, “only boring people can be bored!” Then she would hand us a book or go tell us to play outside.

She also introduced us to the New Yorker (magazine) and poetry. She still sends me her copies of the New Yorker when she is done with them. When her husband became ill, she took care of him full time. When he passed away, she started taking yoga and eating out. She even traveled to Japan with the rest of my family when my brother, who lives in Tokyo, married. It was her first time out of the states. Grandma Bessie turned 90 in September.

C: Happy Birthday, Bessie!

C: So, when did you first realize that you wanted to be an artist?

J: I remember being in third grade and the class had a choice, write a book report or make a diorama. I finally felt like I would be able to explain the book I read in a diorama.

When there were art projects or “alternative” projects, I would pour much more attention into the project. I always enjoyed my art classes and when I started to take art classes for electives, my father, an electrical engineer, struck a deal with me; for every art class I take, I have to take a math or science class.

At a certain point we both realized that I was an art major almost with an engineering minor. After a few years my Dad told me the deal was off, it seemed like I had convinced him and that convinced me. I was just taking classes I liked, not planning a career.

C: Now here you are in graduate school. And, before that you were at Penland. It would be great to hear how you got there, and what that school was all about.

J: When I graduated from undergraduate school, I felt like going to graduate school was the next step. At this point I was making ceramic sculpture combining wheel-throwing and hand-building techniques. I loved making the work, and it felt honest and mature. Well, I talked to my professor about good grad school programs for ceramics and getting my portfolio together. His advice, “why rush the real world? Just take some time, find a place to make work and explore. The grad schools will still be there!”

After researching, I decided Penland (where he taught a bit) looked perfect— and as a graduation gift, my parents helped me go to there.

The only ceramic clay being offered at Penland was a throwing class making functional pottery. I figured I would be using the material I loved and a process I liked… so for the class why not work on functional pottery. So I packed my car with tools and hit the road from Dallas to North Carolina. It didn’t dawn on me until I was half way through Tennessee just how far away I was going and how far away everything I knew and was comfortable with was.

It was scary to be 22 and just now leaving the comforts of home. But, when I took a turn up a gravel hill towards Penland it all suddenly felt comfortable. It partly reminded my of summers at my grandparents farm in Washington State, it all seemed alright.

C: What was your perception when you got there?

J: Penland was my first experience where almost everything was handmade. It was handmade out of necessity. Locals brought timbers to make buildings. The foundation of the school is generosity of neighbors and hard work. The school is a non-profit organization, and improvements to the campus generally come from volunteer efforts and donated supplies.

Meals were all prepared by work-study students. They had a buffet with offerings out of hand-blown glass or handmade ceramic serving dishes. Fixtures in the bathrooms and doors are made of hand-forged metal. Many of the stools or chairs in classrooms, dining hall or rocking chairs on porches are hand-repaired, handmade or both.

C: It sounds almost like a community.

J: My first time to Penland I was work-study and I worked in the dish room. This was hard work but didn’t matter, it was fun working hard with people from my class and other classes. This was a place where there was true camaraderie. Many of the students are the sort that look different from the average public and often get looked at for hair color, piercings, or vibrant clothes. Here everyone was normal and accepting, I made acting like yourself feel like a good thing… Something I lose track of when I stay away too long.

C: So what’s next?

I became a member of the Eye Lounge, and I had my first show there in July. Right now I am gearing up for my final year of graduate school, culminating in a thesis show for my Masters of Fine Arts in Ceramics. My show is in March and I am busy making work for and taking care of the details. It will be a fun event where the audience interacts with the work! Everyone is welcome to come!

My show is in March 2010 so I am working on a few new ideas but mostly refining ideas and forms. The Ceramic Research Center also organizes a weekend open studio tour of area ceramicists. The graduate ceramic studios are included in this. It’s a fun event with live demonstrations and something I’ve come to really enjoy being apart of!

Until next week
— Christopher and Greg

……………………………………………………………………
Design Brothers this week Christopher’s silhouette plates can now be found in New York City’s East Village at Lancelotti Housewares.
……………………………………………………………………

Hand made

We think that our creativity was born from our mother’s design sense, fashion sense and some might say general eccentric nature. Our family is full of small creative genius moments, and we point the finger towards our mom.

Growing up we never were quite sure how the house would be re-arranged (not only was furniture arranged differently, but whole rooms could be moved into an entirely different part of the house). She painted rooms often, made homemade Christmas decorations every year, and had a wonderfully green thumb. She always has promoted all of our creative endeavors, and always encouraged us to follow our muse.

………………………………………………………………..
Our mother, and her companion, Rollie this Thanksgiving at Christopher’s home.
………………………………………………………………..

With all of this creativity around us, it is no surprise that as kids we were always drawing, painting and creating when ever we could. They say that creativity is attracted to creativity, or at least inspires it. We agree. That in fact was one of the reasons we started this very blog… to inspire our readers.

The most recent addition to our family is our mothers companion Rollie. He was a farmer all of his life, but also is an avid wood worker. We like to think that our mother has inspired his most recent projects.

………………………………………………………………..
If you didn’t notice, Rollie has a distinctive mustache. It has become his trademark, and he uses the image to sign his pieces.
………………………………………………………………..

Rollie has carved hand-made wood pens, as well as miniature pieces of wooden fruit which he gives to anyone who has an interest (And we all love them!). Our mother often paints them… or at least is sure to put her two cents worth into how they should be finished. He has made the cane our mother now uses to help her get around. He has made stools and tables that Christopher cherishes. In addition, the chimes from the dozen or so clocks he has made, ring through his Richmond home every hour. Rollie, shows no sign of giving up on his mission to create… even though he has incredibly painful rheumatoid arthritis. Amazing!

.……………………………………………………………….
Oops! This sign is in his home workshop, and uses the word a lot when he makes things… he also may throw the piece across the room when he goofs it up.
………………………………………………………………..

………………………………………………………………..
Just some of the ornaments that he made as gifts for all of us. He may make a hundred or so to keep busy.
………………………………………………………………..

………………………………………………………………..
Carved and painted While in Phoenix at Christopher’s home, Rollie made these butterfly ornaments. He was never bored!
………………………………………………………………..

………………………………………………………………..
A rare site Rollie at home in Richmond, Virgina.
………………………………………………………………..

With the holidays upon we would be remiss if we did not thank our mother for her inspiration and support, in good times and in bad. She has proven to be Rollie’s muse, and in essence has been ours as well, and for that we are truly grateful.

………………………………………………………………..
Design Brothers This week: Christopher’s painting show “Up in the Air” continues at the Eye Lounge Gallery in Phoenix. Christopher is at “Crafeteria” tonight selling new hand-painted plates, along with one-of-a-kind artwork.
………………………………………………………………..

Makula

Christopher learned a lot about the country of Uganda through his good Boston friend Hugo. Hugo grew up in Uganda during the reigns of Idi Amin and HIV/AIDS. He has seen more suffering and poverty than anyone should. He studied at the University of Nairobi, came to America, and studied at Harvard to name just two of his accomplishments and changed his destiny. He now is a distinguished professor at Simmons College School of Social Work. His resume is outstanding, but Christopher believes that his wife and two girls are his pride and joy.

Hugo never forgot Uganda. He built a home there to be close to his family, and he travels there with students from Simmons every year. One year Hugo brought a group of students there including then graduate student, Paul J. Brown. With this visit, the idea of The Makula Fund began.

We have wanted to talk about The Makula Fund since we began this blog, and thought Thanksgiving was a perfect time. We are very honored to interview Paul Brown for this holiday. It is an amazing organization, and we hope that you will be inspired by this group as much as we have.

…………………………………………………………………………….
No captions needed The smiles on these children are all we need to show.
……………………………………………………………………………

Design Brothers: How did The Makula fund come about?
Paul Brown: In 2003 when I was 51 years old, I returned to graduate school to study social work. I went to Boston College and had this charismatic professor, Hugo Kamya, who was leading a summer trip to his native land of Uganda. I thought to myself, when else would I ever get another chance to go to Africa, so I signed up.

I had worked on AIDS issues in the US during the since the 1980’s and my brother died of AIDS in 1991. While in graduate school, I was the director of a housing program for people dealing with HIV/AIDS and substance abuse. So I was familiar with the American side of AIDS. Hugo spoke of the impact that AIDS was having on his country, particularly on the children many of whom were orphans and raising themselves as best they could.

AIDS in the US seemed to be evolving into a chronic illness, but in Uganda it was still a death sentence for parents and children and a disaster for the children left behind. This sounded like “real” poverty to me and I thought that experiencing the situation first hand would somehow help to mold the kind of social worker I wanted to be when I completed graduate school.

In Uganda we kept meeting children who were not in school because they didn’t have the money for the school fees. We were also meeting children who appeared malnourished and who were not getting proper medical care. I couldn’t quite rid my mind of these children when I came home. So when I came back I asked friends to help sponsor some of the kids. People seemed very interested and so I began to think that maybe such an idea could have wide appeal.

I told Hugo of my plan to get sponsors and that maybe we should form an organization to do this. Hugo told me of his mother’s long-held dream to provide school fees, medical care, and breakfast for children in her village in Uganda (Hugo’s “hometown”) who had been negatively impacted by HIV/AIDS.

DB: I had the honor of meeting Hugo’s mother when she visited Boston.
P: She had lost a son to AIDS and knew so many others similarly impacted. And she wanted to run the breakfast program and the other components herself, but she needed the money to do so. So Hugo and I set out to make her dream into a reality.

DB: How did you come up with the name “The Makula Fund”?
P: I remember sitting in Hugo’s office and saying that if we are going to apply for non-profit status [501c3] and raise lots of we should have a “catchy” name. Hugo started throwing out Lugandan words. I liked the sound of “makula.” Hugo told me that it meant “gift.” That sounds good I thought. Then he said, it is also part of my mother’s name Immaculate Namakula Kazibwe. There we had it, the perfect name, and The Makula Fund for Children Inc. was born there and then.

DB: Can you tell me about the Onyango family?
P: I met the Onyango family in 2004 when I went to Uganda for the first time. They are a family of 6 (4 girls and 2 boys) whose parents both died of AIDS. Their father finished building their home the week before he died and basically that was all they were left with after his death. The children even faced battles waged by relatives trying to take their property. (Unfortunately this is a common occurrence in Uganda after adults pass away.)

The oldest brother’s concern, when I met him, was to get enough money so that he could purchase his youngest sister an egg each week so that her HIV medication would be more effective. I met them in their clean, dirt-floored home that lacked running water or bathroom facilities and was struck by a poster on the wall which said: “God does not promise to take all our troubles away, but He does promise to be with us through them all.”

I looked around their home cognizant of all they had been through, and were still going through, and somewhat cynically asked Phillip, the eldest son, if he really believed that. He smiled at me kindly and said “Of course. Just look at you and all the other students from Boston College who have traveled all this way and are now sitting in my home trying to help my family with what we need to live. You are part of God’s being with us.” Needless to say, Elizabeth got (and continues to get) her weekly egg and the other members of the family are all sponsored in school by The Makula Fund.

The family that continues to have a strong impact on my life and frequently provide the inspiration to keep moving the Makula Fund forward for all the other still unknown Onyangos in Uganda.

DB: It sounds like Uganda has a special place in your heart.
P: It is Uganda because that he where Hugo’s heart is, and that is where there is great need. In his mother, Immaculate, we have a wonderful in-country partner which is essential if this sort of program is going to be run well. We can send money from here in the US, but it would be impossible to run it if we didn’t have a reliable and trustworthy program coordinator in Uganda.

CDB: an you tell us what does the Makula Fund does specifically for children?
P:
1. We provide school fees for elementary, secondary, university and trade school students. We sponsor a total of 115 students, the majority being primary and secondary students.

2. The Fund sponsors a breakfast club that meets each morning before school at Immaculate’s home where they eat a nourishing breakfast of porridge, bread, and an egg before going to school.

3. The Fund provides medical care as needed, mostly for malaria-related symptoms. We work with the Jackie Clinic, a small medical office down the road from the schools and Immaculate’s home.

DB: What are your goals, and where do you see your future?
P: Our goals are to add more children to the program as our fundraising becomes more successful. In Uganda we would also like to try to improve the physical plant of the two schools (Kawuku Elementary School and Gaba Mixed High School) with whom we work most closely. We would like to help them to renovate their dormitories for the boarding students, provide them with more books and supplies, and help the children to become skilled with computers, and find ways to hook them into the internet.

We would also like to come up with more income-generating opportunities for the students. Currently we have beautiful jewelry made by the children consisting of lacquered paper beads that we purchase, sell here, and then return the profits back to the children. Immaculate also raises pigs and chickens with the help of the children. The animals are sold off or given to families we work with so that they can start their own income-generating activities.

We also have a goal of education that may or may not go hand in hand with fundraising. I have thought it important for students of all ages in this country to know what their peers face in other parts of the world. So, to this end, I produced a video of some of the children we sponsor showing what a day at school is like, what home life is like, and the impact of AIDS on their young lives. We are just starting to go out with this video to school and church groups and I hope we can do more of that in the future.

For more information on The Makula Fund, go to www.makula.org.

DB: We wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving
—Christopher and Greg

Holiday art

We feel the holidays closing in on us. Christmas trees are in the stores. Holiday carols are played on television commercials. What happened to Thanksgiving?

Christopher is packaging up orders, and planning last minute deliveries for stores across the country. Greg is working extra hard to get some homes completed before his client’s holiday parties. Yikes! 2010 is going to be here before we know it!

In addition, Christopher is planning for a couple of painting shows that open today. His work is part of a group show at the 13Forest Gallery is East Arlington, Massachusetts. This gallery has been showing some of his work for over a year now.

……………………………………………………………………
more than you remembered (or what is forgotten) Christopher’s painting at 13Forest Gallery in Massachusetts.
……………………………………………………………………

He also opens a small show of his encaustic bird paintings. The show, “Up in the Air”, was inspired by the birds that hang out with him at his outdoor painting studio. A few years back, he started giving little paintings of these birds as gifts for friends and family. They became popular, so he began to show them in galleries. This new show is at the eye lounge Gallery, downtown Phoenix.

……………………………………………………………………
Tweet One of the encaustic pieces in Christopher’s show.
……………………………………………………………………

The eye lounge is a cooperative art group that Christopher joined about two years ago. It is an artist-run collective, which fosters established and emerging artists in the Phoenix area. It is a fascinating group of visual artists. There are painters, video and performance artists, photographers, sculptors, and ceramists who individually show once a year, and participate in a couple of group shows during that time.

……………………………………………………………………
Another eye lounge artist, Brian Boner opens his show of paintings tonight. Come on downtown if you are in Phoenix.
……………………………………………………………………

These people are amazing, and care very deeply about the arts in the Phoenix area. In addition, they set the bar for great art high, and have made it into one of the most important gallery stops downtown. The gallery is celebrating its 10th year anniversary this year, and is celebrating with an artist sale and silent auction of present and past artists work at reasonable prices. eye lounge@10 also opens tonight at 5:00 with a preview, and opens at 6:00 for the sale.

In our humble opinion, we think art is always a great gift for the holidays, so if you are in Massachusetts or Arizona, you might want to check these galleries out! We can send our Christmas list out to you!

Until next week
—Christopher and Greg

……………………………………………………………………

Design Brothers This Week: Our sister Cindy, and our niece Jessica celebrate their birthdays this weekend. We wish we could celebrate with them! Happy birthday!
……………………………………………………………………

A New York Minute

Growing up the family Jagmin had always been relatively creative. Christopher and Cindy led the pack through their various art projects and time spent at the 4-H Fair. I think our mother still has the cutting board in the shape of a pig Christopher made in wood working shop. If you were ever to peer in our window on the any given weekend or holiday night, we would all be gathered around the dining room or kitchen concentrating on one of many boards games. A typical Norman Rockwell painting we were not, but many fond memories were formed during our youth.

At our Grandparents house, Grandpa Marion with Cindy our cousin Brian, Janine and Greg. we see a game in our future.

Playing Games!
One game (we don’t even know if kids today play it) was a game called Masterpiece. It was a game where you bid on pieces of famous art work (are the real or could they be forged copies?) I am not sure of all the rules, but it was our first foray into the art world. We could distinguish between a Monet and Manet, a Renoir from a Cezanne. It instilled in us an appreciation for all art work. Good or bad, emerging or established we were hooked. If you were to venture around any of our homes you would see it stock piled. We have written about it before (don’t be surprised if we do again) but it constantly inspires us.

From the moment you walk into the museum of Modern Art (MoMA) you are greeted with beauty.

We have both been to New York recently and on those trips we were in wonderment of all the beautiful design. Here are some highlights.

Strolling down 5th Avenue

Strolling down the street you will be in such awe of the not so subtle beauty that surrounds, including  Hello Kitty art sculptures by the company Sanrio in celebration of its 35th anniversary.

Hello Kitty art further on 5th Avenue

Gigantic sculptures of the Asian Pop Phenom!

Of course, there is Washington Park and all its unexpected sites… full of people, performing artists and playing kids.

A different perspective of the marble arch!

Looking through a gated door, next to the park.

A trip to the MoMA is always sure to leave you feeling rejuvenated and full of inspiration.  As stated by Edgar Kaufmann.. “A successful design is one in which every detail contributes to the efficiency and at the same time to the fine appearance of the object.  Good looks cannot be added to a practical core as icing is poured over cake”

From the Philip Johnson Architecture and Design galleries.

The artistic take on the spiral staircase.

We will leave you with one last picture from the museum. With the hopes that you not take for granted the beauty that surrounds us, you get out see what your city has to offer, and let everyday design be your guiding principle in everything you do.

A favorite Cy Twombley piece

Until next week

Greg & Christopher.

Planes, Trains and Automobiles

Who doesn’t love movies? We do! We are very excited about the upcoming upcoming movies coming out this season, because frankly we don’t have much time any other time of the year to sit in a dark theater. We are especially excited to see Fantastic Mr. Fox, and Where the Wild Things Are (We still haven’t had time to see that one yet!).

Inspired, we got talking about how important movie sets, and art direction is to a great movie. We discussed many our favorites like Blade Runner, The Shining, The Age of Innocence, Pillow Talk, Giant, Sense and Sensibility… oh brother… the list of movies got too large. We both agreed that we would just talk about one movie at this time, and hope to write about more of our favorites in future blogs.

……………………………………………………………………………..
The movie, North by Northwest, stars Cary Grant and Eva Saint Marie.
.……………………………………………………………………………..

We decided to start with one of our all time favorite directors, Alfred Hitchcock. If you haven’t seen Rebecca, To Catch A Thief, Strangers On A Train, Dial M for Murder, Rope, and The Man Who Knew Too Much, go out now and rent them! We are sure most of you have seen at least a few of these Hitchcock films, and hope you enjoy them half as much as we do! There were too many great movies to choose from, with the art direction usually fantastic in most.

But, which one to pick? His movies during the 1950’s were sure genius and fun too. Vertigo is up there as one of his best, and the dream sequence alone is worth watching, but North by Northwest, which came out in 1959, reaches a new height of filmmaking, and is just plain entertaining.

This is simply one of the best American road movies ever. The movie never lets you stay in one place. The movie takes you from Madison Avenue, to the Plaza, Grand Central Station, and Long Island, and then to the UN building in New York. Before you catch your breath, it takes you on the Twentieth Century Limited to Chicago and the beautiful Ambassador East Hotel, and then it’s off again to a midwest corn field seemingly in the middle of nowhere. Who would guess that by the end of the movie, we would end up in a modernist house on the edge of Mount Rushmore.

In this movie, Englishman, Alfred Hitchcock loves the American landscape, and uses the character of Roger O. Thornhill (Cary Grant) to discover the big country, and be surprised by American’s expansiveness.

……………………………………………………………………………..
Not a bad place to be help captive Kidnapped and taken to a mansion (Old Westbury Gardens) on Long Island.
……………………………………………………………………………..

Luxury and lush sets are also a running theme throughout, and important to the art direction of the movie. You can see this in the brand new 1958 Lincoln Continental III convertible, Eva Saint Marie’s Bergdorf Goodman’s clothing, and choice of big, beautiful locations. No luxurious detail was spared. But it all climaxed with scenes of the ultimate house on a rocky cliff in South Dakota.

……………………………………………………………………………..
What a great location! Too bad this house never really was at this site. ……………………………………………………………………………..

Actually, the (Vandamm) house at Mount Rushmore didn’t really exist. It was built on a back lot in Culver City, California. The home was inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright, then the most famous architect in the United States, if not the world. Mr. Wright was actually approached to design the home, but his fees were too expensive, so the MGM set designers were up to the challenge.

……………………………………………………………………………..
Although the set of the Vandamm home was modern, notice the Asian art and the natural wood and stone materials. This home still feels comfortable and modern today.
……………………………………………………………………………..

An uncredited person who worked on the movie, and deserves a mention was Mentor Huebner. Mr. Huebner worked on a variety of movies throughout his long career (including Blade Runner) as an production illustrator and storyboard artist. He provided concept art after meeting with the director and others to set up a concept of how the movie will be filmed. While the finished storyboards do not look like the final movie, Mr. Huebner had a lot to bring to this movie to life

……………………………………………………………………………..
This is just one of the storyboards from Mentor Huebner who got the script to do with what he wanted. It does not match the finished movie, but has the same spirit and excitement.
……………………………………………………………………………..

……………………………………………………………………………..
This is a still from the movie compared to the storyboard above.
……………………………………………………………………………..

We should also mention that the opening title sequence was directed by Saul Bass, a personal hero of Chris’, was one the premier graphic designers of the 20th century (he also designed posters for The Shining).

……………………………………………………………………………..
Saul Bass’ poster design for the movie.
……………………………………………………………………………..

In our opinion, North by Northwest is one of the greatest visual masterpieces of the mid 20th century, and we hope, that like us, you enjoy the fun. But, maybe watch it again to look at the the sets, and design of this American classic. Maybe you will just watch it as many times as we have.

Until next week
—Greg and Christopher

……………………………………………………………………………..
Design Brothers This Week We are both are on the road… heading off to Florida, but will not run into each other.
……………………………………………………………………………..

Gettin’ our freak on

…………………………………………………………………
A very scary attempt at pumpkin carving by Greg. Maybe next year he will perfect his skills!
…………………………………………………………………

As kids we would look forward to Halloween with great anticipation. In school, we would make masks, Halloween cards, and cut out a lot of pumpkins with lots of orange construction paper. For days we would talk about nothing else except what we were wearing for the big night. Our big costume plans usually turned out to be disappointments though, as were too lazy to make anything elaborate. The end results were just a yearly parade of ghosts, clowns or hobo’s. The girls would turn out a bunch of witches, princesses, or, again, hobos. It was mostly all on our mother’s shoulders to put her makeup on our faces and try to raise the originality level.

…………………………………………………………………
Our niece Zoe, and her very powerful Halloween outfit!
…………………………………………………………………

When it got to the moment to head out to knock on doors, Chris, frankly was always disappointed. He could never see anything but a big hat or a sheet in front of his eyes. The thick makeup would always get in his eyes, and couldn’t wait to get home. And, to this day, both of us are not particularly fond of people hidden behind masks. It still scares the both of us (We both hate clowns too!).

…………………………………………………………………
Zoe again Don’t mess with with the Intimidator.
…………………………………………………………………

Anyway, after the long night out collecting booty, our father would collect our bags and sort out any unsavory items that we were given. It was a much simpler and safer time, but no one took chances. As our friends were all great storytellers, we all heard stories about the razor blades found in chocolate bars, or the scorpions placed in cored-out apples. It was all so scary, and not in a good way. In addition, we also knew that dad would be sneaking a few of his choice pieces of candy for himself. This night was fun, but overrated!

We think the candy thing was great, and it also signified the un-official start of the holiday season. This was an ok beginning to a great new season. Soon Thanksgiving would be here, and then the grand-daddy of them all… Christmas, was coming fast. As kids, Halloween just meant that the holidays would only get better.

…………………………………………………………………
Zoe has taken over the blog with Halloween costumes of years past. She can be very persusive!
.…………………………………………………………………

On the next evening after Halloween, when our heads were still spinning from all of the excitement, and our stomachs were stirring a bit as well (for other obvious reasons), we would dress up (without the makeup, and in nice clothes) and take a trip to the cemetery.

We were raised Catholic, and it was necessary to appreciate the deceased on All Souls Day. Boy, it would always spook us more than a bit. Since the days were short, and we went after school, it could be very dark, and terrifying! Our mother didn’t even bat an eye about the creepiness of it all. We would light some candles, and swear that we could see the dead rising. As kids, we just thought it was ghoulish, spooky, and odd.

…………………………………………………………………
A typical scene from the Dia de los Muertos These skeletons look a little hungry.
.………………………………………………………………..

Celebrations happen all over the world to celebrate their dead with variations of All Souls Day, and most are pretty interesting.

Mexico celebrates the “Day of the Dead”. Vignettes are set up with skeletons acting out every day scenes; drinking coffee, working at the office etc. People there also visit the cemeteries, and decorate the gravesites with Marigold flowers and candles, as our mother did. The visitors also bring toys for deceased children, and bottles of tequila for the elder deceased friends and relatives. Sugar and chocolate skulls are made with names of the deceased on the foreheads, placed on little altars, then eaten after a ritual.

In the Philippines, Memorial Day is celebrated much like All Souls Day. On the evening before the holiday, celebrants go door-to-door, and request gifts while singing a traditional verse. This song represents the liberation of souls from purgatory.

In our ancestral home, Poles open their windows and doors on All Souls Day to welcome the souls of the deceased. They are said to return to the places where they lived and worked for a visit.

And in China, the dead are celebrated in a similar celebration to Catholics. The people offer flowers, fruits, and traditional foods to share a feast with the living. Incense is lit for these souls, while material possessions are offered to the ancestors. Paper-made Chinese money, cars and houses are made available to the dead person’s tomb for prosperity to the departed souls.

…………………………………………………………………
Halloween table setting This tabletop with Christopher’s Number plates are currently displayed at Red Shows Home Goods Store in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
…………………………………………………………………

We all celebrate in different ways. Our sister Cindy and her husband Larry, have a party every year for the adults in her neighborhood, after the candy is given out. She has many appetizers and always makes a batch of her famous Pumpkin soup, as well as some kind of spooky adult beverage. Our sister Janine living in a beach town might hit the night out to see children as well as adults meandering the strand on the beach dressed in full costume. Our sister Beth is always baking some yummy goodies. Chris and Greg stay in the comfort of their safe homes and give out candy.

As you may have guessed, although we have some fond memories of Halloweens past, we are not so fond of the holiday today. We love the traditions, and it’s true we really enjoy the candy! Other than that, it is rare that you would see either of us in costume, but if you are missing a few treats from your bag it just might have been us sneaking a little sample in memory of dear old dad.

Until next week
—Christopher and Greg

…………………………………………………………………
Design Brothers this week: Check out the Eye Lounge in Phoenix for “2”… a show of Christopher’s encaustic paintings with Lisa Marie Sipe. His works can also be seen at D. Frank Designs in Scottsdale for a few short weeks.
…………………………………………………………………

Grand inspiration

We did not intend to turn this blog into a travel site, but it seems that we have dominated this blog with writings about our trips and adventures as of late. But, inspiration seems to come to us when we get out of our day-to-day lives, and get out on the road. There is something about getting out and seeing something new that gets those brain cells twitching, and (hopefully) gives a little freshness to our work.

So again, we are on the road and traveling with Christopher to the Grand Canyon. Over the Columbus Day weekend, he took a drive up to the North Rim, passing the red rocks of Sedona, the Navajo Nation, and skirting Vermilion Cliffs National Monument. Arizona is a pretty amazing place, and always awes.

Photos can never do any justice to the beauty of the Grand Canyon, so all we can say is to add this trip to your bucket list if you haven’t been. Get in your car (don’t forget to detour on Route 66 for a bit of automobile history) and drive! Here are some photos from the quick trip.

…………………………………
On the away up At the Colorado River crossing in the Navajo Nation
…………………………………

…………………………………
Gilbert H. Hansen plaque at the Navajo Bridge. We couldn’t find much information about this adventurer, but loved the plaque.
………………………………..

…………………………………
Cliff Dwellers Lodge Rock houses near Lee’s Ferry.
…………………………………

…………………………………
Finally at the North Rim What a great spot for inspiration.
…………………………………

…………………………………
A great place to rock One of the cabins at the edge of the canyon.
…………………………………

…………………………………
Roosevelt Point Remains of a fire from 2006.
…………………………………

…………………………………
You don’t have to walk far A view from the lodge.
………………………………..

…………………………………
It was worth the long drive
.………………………………..

…………………………………
Remaining fall foliage hanging on to the trees
.………………………………..

…………………………………
Red, yellow and green never looked so good together.
.………………………………..

…………………………………
A view from Cape Final.
.…………………………………

…………………………………
Angel’s Window from the Cape Royal Trail
.…………………………………

…………………………………
Too many photos to choose from.
…………………………………

…………………………………
What can we say about scenes like this?
…………………………………

…………………………………
The South Rim is right over on the other side.
…………………………………

…………………………………
The end of autumn.
…………………………………

…………………………………
Endless vistas.
…………………………………

…………………………………
Go and see what you missed!.
…………………………………

Christopher didn’t mention that he was sick for half of his short stay at the North Rim. So, the longer treks never happened, and his big plans were ended quickly. But sitting on the porch of the lodge, all bundled up, wasn’t bad at all. He actually had a chance to get out his sketch book and draw, listen to some geology talks, and watch the stars at night. Something a little different and relaxing… that doesn’t happen enough. So,sometimes when a vacation turns in an unexpected way, it can be just as memorable. It ended up just the way he hoped!

Where do you find inspiration? We want to know!

…………………………………
Design Brothers this week Christopher’s plates are mentioned in Kitchenware News this month.
…………………………………

Until next week—
Christopher and Greg