Interview with Keith Negley

During a super cold saturday morning at home i was searching for beautiful illustrations to use as an inspiration for some drawings and i found a couple of beautiful and colorful images in a blog. I immediately tried to find out the name of the author and that's how i stumbled onto keith Negly's work. I got immediately fascinated by the 50s 60s vibe of his illustrations and the simplicity of shapes and lines he uses. I decided to contact him to ask him a bunch of questions and here's the result of our conversation. I'm sure you'll be taken by his unbelievably catching works too.

1-How long have you been living in New York and why did you choose Brooklyn?

I moved to New York in august 2011 to attend the school of Visual Arts Illustration as Visual Essay MFA program. We couldn't afford to live in Manhattan and i just liked the idea of Brooklyn over New Jersey or Queens.

2-When and how did you start to be interested in Illustration?

I got interested in illustration my sophomore year of undergrad when we had to choose a major and i had a hard time deciding. The idea of picking a medium (painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture) and then sticking to that for 3 years sounded daunting. The illustration major appealed to me because it wasn't confined to using any one medium. From there i really got into the act of problem solving with images. I'm extremely competitive and loved everyone getting the same assignments and seeing how each of us solved it differently.

3-Is there any other creative field you feel attracted to?

I've always played music in some capacity since i was 15. I've played in quite a few bands and got the chance to tour a lot of the country playing shows. I've had to put it on the back burner while I focus on my MFA, but if i wasn't doing illustration I think I'd be playing in a struggling rock band and bar tending to pay the bills . I'd be broke but I'd be happy. The process of making music and the process of making images I find are extremely similar.

4-Is there anything that can help when you're searching for an idea for a work Some place where you like to go, some room in your house..?

I've got a few tricks. Bouncing ideas of my wife is usually my first step when i'm stuck on something. But also getting out of my office, away from my computer monitor. Just changing up my surroundings can help change up my thinking. Taking a shower, taking a nap, mainly taking my mind off the assignment if I can afford the time is helpful, so when i come back to it I can see it with a fresh perspective. I will either see a new angle I hadn't considered before, or see that the ideas I already came up with aren't as bad as i thought they were.

5-Any place you've visited in the world you'd love to see again and why?

When i was in my early 20's I spent a couple of weeks in Ireland on a whim with my girlfriend at the time. It was right after 9/11 and airfare was incredibly cheap. I was really taken with Dublin and the western shore. I would be disappointed if I never have the chance to go back. If I had my way I'd live there a few months out of the year. I was also fortunate enough to spend a couple weeks in Italy with my wife and you could spend months there and still not see everything.

6-Did growing up in Connecticut or living in Wisconsin help your aesthetics or the way you see your work?

My family moved from Connecticut to Wisconsin when I was one year old but I have to think living in Wisconsin until I was 23 must've had an effect on me. There are a lot of rolling hills and expansive farmland that can make for very isolating landscapes. It's very possible my penchant for minimalist composition derived from that in some way.

7-Are you a good cook? (if yes, what's your best recipe?)

I'm a terrible cook! Though my 4 year old son says i make the best scrambled eggs!

8-What do you love the most about Brooklyn?

If I have to pick one thing I'd have to say the energy. Maybe it's the diversity of people, or the density, but there is a buzz here that I've never experience in Milwaukee or Seattle.

9-How do you start and develop a project? (do you do underdrawing or use a photography as a starting point, or sketching with the graphic pen...?)

I start like most people and do really small and quick thumbnail sketches to get the ideas down on paper. Once I have a few I like I go straight to the computer and flesh them out in Adobe Illustrator. They eventually end up being collaged in Photoshop using shapes and textures i create by hand.

10-Do you have any other illustrator you really admire?

I currently have crushes on Jon Han, Joohee Yoon, Dadu Shin, Julianna Brion and Ping Zhu just to name but a few.

11-Favorite magazines or websites you feel like recommending?

http://www.thefoxisblack.com

http://www.itsnicethat.com

http://www.nobrow.net

12-Wat would you like to be able to achieve in the future personally and work-related?

I want to do more emotionally driven assignments, fiction pieces, covers for novels, eventually I'd like to try my hand at children's books. Once i finish grad school I'd like to get back into a musical project of some kind, teach my son how to play drums, oh and take part in more group art shows. 

To have more infos about Keith and his absolutely stunning works please visit his website:

http://keithnegley.com

or email him to: keith@keithnegley.com

the Prada man is in a hurry

The Prada fall winter 13 Menswear collection was a total blast in my opinion. The mix of bright colors, Vichy checkered shirts with a side of the collar popping out of the jumpers, the striped shetland knitwear  pieces, the velvet collar detail on the coats, the shoes, the location....Everything seemed fresh yet classic and old fashion.

I loved the fact that it gave the idea of a relaxed man that knows how to play with patterns and colors but doesn't give that much attention to wear the clothes properly, as if he has been dressing himself up in a hurry. 

 The location was of course the Prada Foundation building that became a sort of perfect 60s inspired huge flat thanks to the help of architect Rem Koolhaas and his Oma team that used the prototypes of their upcoming furniture collection for Knoll to adorn the different corners of the imaginary loft, with huge windows showing the roofs and building of Milan.

 The garments were perfect tailor made pieces with a vintage vibe and the knitwear was made of cashmere jumpers doubled with nylon or rough scottish shetland in multicolor stripes or bold colors.

 Shoes and accessories were made of classical elegant men shoes with boots soles or reddish sunglasses laser-cutted at the bottom.

As always Prada brought what seemed to be something new and unusual to a not so exciting Men Fashion week, and now they've tricked us again making us to wait to see what the next Women collection will look like. Just 3 weeks and the fall winter 2013 Prada man will have his perfect other half. Stay tuned.

To have a look a the whole collection please go here.

Photos courtesy of style.com

I've fallen in love

What I love the most about the beginning of the year is the arrival of the new resort collections coming from a huge variety of brands, some of those are among my all time favorite ones and today i had the pleasure to discover the beauty and perfection that exists behind the Celine resort fall-winter 2013.

This time Miss Philo decided to give us her softer impression of her ideal woman, presenting a selection of perfectly leather pleated skirts,  beautifully made organza shirts and splendid coats and furs.

Shoes were equally wellmade and were not just a simple supportive accessory but playing the role of one of the main characters. This time she really went towards a more romantic direction and the fabrics and volumes she chosed were demonstrating that the Celine client is not just a super-minimal precise and cold-hearthed woman. She's instead a pure, delicate and intelligent woman who likes clean-cuts and has an eye for extremely elegant yet funny details.

These were just some of my favorite looks from this collection, and i know i almost displayed all of them but it was too hard  to pick just 4 or 5. I guess i'm really in love this time.


All images are courtesy of style.com
you can view the whole collection here

Time for a fresh start

Dear readers, as the new year began i've decided this blog would deserve a fresh start, starting by some brand new interviews, lots of reviews of young talents and some words about the news regarding the well established brands.

With a fresh start there are usually additional activities a person wants to take care of and my new activity is being a contributor for a new online magazine (which will be starting within the end of january) called Airport-magazine.
You can find out more about it here:

https://twitter.com/Airportmag

http://www.facebook.com/airportmag 

I'm so very proud of being part of this project. I'll be writing about fresh new talents, vintage flea markets and shops around Europe and of course i'll keep on doing what i do best: asking lots of questions to people you shoul know about but you still haven't had the luck to!

Next week i'll introduce you to another great illustrator and i'm going to say a few words about the pre-collections and collaborations presented until now.
Have a lovely week and stay tuned!

Interview with Sara Gavioli

I discovered Sara Gavioli's work one sunny day while reading an article about young Italian illustrators and my eyes got catched immediately by the striking beauty of her graphics. She pays lots of attention to even the smallest detail yet the covers she creates can be also very simple sometimes. Nowadays cover illustrators are not so well known , that's why i think you all should start having a look at her amazing works that surely can make the value of the book she creates the cover for even more important. She's a true artist to me.Here's what we talked about

1-Where were you born and raised? When did you realize illustration was your biggest passion?
I was born in Carpi, nearby Modena, where i grew up. The passion for drawing has been present since the beginning, ma only after finishing the Academy of Arts i approached to illustration for books.

2-When you're working on the illustrations for a book where does the creative process start from?Do you read the book first and then develop the graphics or do the illustrations are directly commissioned to you?
The creative process always starts from an iconographic research, depending on the commission i start looking for landscapes, costumes, places...After that, i try to find a reasonable and clever way to create and solve the illustration. There's usually a lot of freedom of interpretation for children's books, they don't request precise or very detailed works, that's the challenge i guess.

3-I know you have a cat, what's her name and what do you like to do together?
My cat's name is Micia. She's very much present during my working days, she sits on every open book i read, on every drawing, obviously preferring those i'm working on at that moment.

4-I also know you love sewing with your sewing machine, like i do. What's your favorite item to create (skirt, pillows, dresses, etc)?
I very much love hand sewing, but in the last few months i've been creating zipped purses for stationary that i silk-print by myself using my illustrations and here they are: http://www.etsy.com/shop/saragavioli?ref=pr shop more

5-When you draw how do you love to spoil yourself( listening to music, a cup of hot tea, facing a window, eating something....)?
I would say i spoil myself in every possible way! I usually listen to music, drink tea or barley coffee, and my desk is in front of a huge window.

6-Besides being an illustrator you also work in a public library and you're a decorator too.What do you like the most of every single activity among these?
Changing is always stimulating. On a long term, drawing nonstop and by myself on a desk can be tiring, so i like also to be in contact with people, and that's what happens at the library. To be a decorator is the job i studied for, it's stressing, but it allows to express yourself in much bigger spaces than illustration.

7-What do you fancy doing when you're not busy working on illustrations?
I like waking up late and maybe have brunch. I recharge myself by lying under the sun, reading,sewing and i make pins too.

8-What's the most vivid and beautiful memory about your childhood?
The strongest memories are those related to summer days spent at grandparents' house. I used to play a lot in my granpa's garage with my brother, hiding inside tractors that granpa had to fix. The smell of the welder always evokes to me old memories.

9-Among all the book covers you have at home or at work, which one do you find the most fascinating and why?
Chosing is tough, but i find Emiliano Ponzi's covers and works very interesting. He always can make th e point straight and in a clever way.

10-Is there any illustrator you'd love to collaborate with on a project or even just to meet in person?
Emiliano Ponzi and Alessandro Gottardo above all.

11-What's the material you like to use the most while working and the color you prefer?
The materials i prefer are usually linked to engraving, i really love to work with the adigraph and using the scratchboard and silkscreening too, but now, for example, i work a lot using cardboards.

12-Which ones were your favorite book as a kid?
Definitely Bianca Pitzorno's books and Roald Dahl's ones. I had (and still have) the passion for Quentin Blake's illustrations, which i used to color while reading.

13-Is there any part of your house you love more than the others?
I really like balconies. if the weather's nice i try to spend as much time as possible on them.

14-What projects are you working on for the nearest future?
I'm superstitious, so i cannot say that much...i'm working on two books, but i won't say another word!


You can have a look at Sara's work by visiting her website:
http://saragavioli.it/
or her blog: http://saragavioli.blogspot.it/

Another kind of colorful objects from Marni

It's maybe just a coincidence but in these days i'm trying to set up my new house and i always go look for new items or pieces of furniture to add to make it look nicer and cool...a few days ago i was browsing through some design blogs on the internet and found out about this amazing collection of chairs and mini sofas by Marni...these pieces are made by ex prisoners and are super light to carry and, as you can see, the color palette is absolutely great. I wouldn't mind being able to put my hands one of these, my house would definitely look crazier than it is now!

 This beautiful collection is made by 100 chairs and is a project Marni made for the upcoming Salone del Mobile (from the 17th of April to the 22nd) that's taking place in Milan and they will only be sold at the Marni store in Milan and all of the earning will be donated to the Institute ICAM of Milan.

Interview with: Coffee N Television shop

During these few years i've heard so many people talking about a lovely shop based in Bergamo, in northern Italy. Everyone was talking about how good and modern was the selection of pieces and labels this shop was keeping and how different and "European" the place looked like, almost like one of those cool and simple Berlin shops. After a while i realized i really wanted to know more about Coffee N television, especially because it's not so easy to find great, special young designers' pieces in Italy, even if most of the people think we Italians breath, see and live fashion. So i one day I went there and it was love at first sight for me, that's why i started spreading the word like many people did with me before. So here i am now asking a few questions to Nicoletta and Alberto, the guys who own and run this amazing shop....do yourself a favour: read what they have to say and visit Coffee N Television as soon as you can!

Enjoy:

1-Where are you both from and how did you two meet?

We're both from the province, outside the city (Nicoletta is from Palazzolo sull'Oglio near Brescia and Alberto comes from Calcio, a little village near Bergamo). We met in a club about 6 years ago and from that night on we never left eachother.

2-When you decided to open your shop, did you have some other examples in mind you took as inspiration?

A few months after our first meeting and after the first trips to London we've decided to open a little vintage shop selling also young designers' pieces in the heart of Palazzolo sull'Oglio; we were really young, with no experience at all, but with a lot of dreams, so after one year and half we opened the shop that still exists in Bergamo. The inspiration behind it is the syncretism of people, food, culture and dreams.

3-How do you pick up the labels and items you want to sell in your shop?

The brands and the designers are selected due to our taste (before being buyers we're customers), the story behind them , the consistency of their work which is kept alive and brilliant year after year, the quality and the freshness of their creations.

4-Is there any hobby you two have apart from running Coffee N Television?4

Our first hobby, even if it's common, it's music.

We are both djs, we're lovers and collectors of vinyls.

Lately we've had two very typical italian hobbies: food and gardening (are we about to become elderly?!).

5-Which labels would you love to keep in your store?

All the labels we've worked with and are still working with are labels/designers with whom we'd love to collaborate; there are obviously big names we'd love to work with, ma those are mainly whims more than work interests.

6-What's the most inspirational city in your opinion?

Berlin, lovely Berlin.

7-How would you describe your wardrobe?

Any favorite piece you'd love to mention?

Alberto : british classic suits - urban 90's and wearable comfy pieces.

Favorite piece : An Elka x Norse project waxed yellow jacket.

Nicoletta : Oversize, black, vintage

Favorite piece : a pair of 90s wedges by Vivienne Westwood

8-What's the thing you like the most about Bergamo?

The higher part of the city and the hills around it are always a classic.

9-What's the best and the worst part about running your own shop?

Travelling is always the best part of it (even if our trip are limited to Europe for the moment).

It might sound corny, but the worst part is having to go to the bank to take care of the bills and the outgoings.

Marios plissè dress

10-What do you usually have for breakfast?

Coffee, water and a croissant with jam.

11-What's the best seller in your shop usually?

Womenswear : MARIOS / MARIA STERPETA PETROVIC / MARGIELA

Menswear : WOOD WOOD / NORSE PROJECT / ROKIN

12-How and where do you search for young labels/designers to display in your shop? Do you travel a lot to look for young creatives and new items?

Before adding a brand we start to get to know it better, follow its evolution, the quality of the garments, the charisma, what it offers and how professional and interesting is the development season after season.

The blogs, websites, magazines and networks in general are really helpful , but they're not indispensable; the travelling part, touching the piece and meeting the designer are always the fundamentals of our work.

Norse Project jackets

13-Do you have any fanzine, blog or designer to recommend ?

Alberto:

Fanzines : "Pogo books" and "Green Soccer Journal"

Blog : "It's nice that" and "Unotre"

Designer : Christopher Shannon and White Mountaineering

Nicoletta:

Fanzines : "Nieves books" and "Bad Days"

Blog : "It's nice that" and "Gente vecchia"

Designer : Marios and Prada

14-What's the most important thing in a garment, in your opinion?

Quality, functionality and charisma.

15-What do you love the most about each other?

Alberto : i love Nicoletta

Nicoletta : i love Alberto

You can visit the store by going to:

via San Bernardino 22b, Bergamo, Italy

or if you prefer you can visit their beautiful website:

http://www.coffeentelevision.com