Little Picassos
Fionna and her brother Micky are back at it….
This is what I find when I come home from work sometimes.
Don’t touch those Mommy!
Archive for the ‘art and design’ Category
Asian Cat Plate
Here’s another piece from my cat collection. I bought this plate years ago because it reminded me of Jake & Micah. Jake being the big guy and Micah the smaller guy. Every time I look at it, it reminds me of those two and brings a smile to my face. They looks so happy and content together just like they did in real life.
Funky New Cat
I added this funky new cat to my collection. He matches with my office really well. He’s probably from sometime during the late 60s I’d guess.
Hipstamatic Obsession
Who doesn’t love looking through old photographs? The embarrassing hairstyles… (especially from the 80s) the horrific dental work… but who can deny the über cool outfits of the 70s. The Histamatic iPhone app is so addictively fun to take photos with you’ll be tempted to snap photos of the most mundane things. Even an ordinary cup of joe looks spectacularly beatnik. So if you own an iPhone – check out the Histamatic app. There is a modest cost to download and the extra lenses and flashes are 99 cents each but the hours of fun you’ll have snapping photos makes it all too worth it. For about $5 you can have a complete setup to snap tons are interesting and artistic photos ready for upload to Facebook, Flickr or Twitter.
Lisa Larson ‘Like’ Cat
My latest Ebay acquisition… Pretty cute guy. He’s not an actual Lisa Larson I don’t think but he’s done in a similar pottery style to hers. He’s a bank too. I like the splotch on his face. 
I need to stop collecting cats but I doubt I will…
Father’s Day 2010
I purchased a Dreamy Diana Lens to attach to my digital camera this weekend. It’s a plastic lens you can attach with an adaptor to your SLR digital camera. You get photos similar to the traditional film Diana+ cameras except with more instant gratification of digital and more importantly without having to buy and purchase film.
I had fun photographing the cats. Here are some of the more interesting photos I was able to capture so far… I’m still playing around with it and would like to figure out how to get more unpredictable color but the effects so far are pretty cool.
Mid-Century Cat Wood Carving
I haven’t posted any items from my cat collection lately so here goes. This is a wood relief carving that looks like it was created in the 60s sometime. This unique piece is nearly six feet wide and a foot high. I’ve never seen anything quite like it. It doesn’t have any markings anywhere hinting at where it’s from or who might have created it. I happened to nab it on Ebay about 5 years ago. Now these happy mid-century cats hang in my office keeping me company.
Grab a Guinness with Grady McGonnoghle
Happy St. Paddy’s Day from Jonah, Fionna & Micky!
These adorable illustrations are the creation of artist S. Britt. I absolutely love her retro/mid-century artistic style and the fact that she includes cats in many of his works. You can pick up a print of your very own at her online Etsy shop. I think I need this Carly the Crafty Chic one that’s pictured above. Pretty much looks like me in my office, lol!Abraham Palatnik Cats
I’ve shared a few examples of the cats I’ve collected over the years and it just occurred to me that it might be fun to share more of my cat collection on this blog. I’m a fanatical cat collector. I guess the upside is that I satiate my compulsion with collecting cat items and not actual living cats! My favorite things to collect by far are cat figurines although I do have a few other cat objects such as jewelry, artwork and housewares. I always love seeing interesting and unique cat items other people have found for themselves.
Crafted at the height of pop art in the 1970s, these delightful sculptures are the work of Brazilian artist Abraham Palatnik. Recently his pieces have become more popular as interior decorators such as Jonathan Adler showcase his resin sculptures in the homes they design. These two cats are typical of his kinetic work and are made of polyester resin colored from within. You can learn more about Abraham Palatnik at this link. I especially like the second kitty that’s cuddled in a ball. He reminds of Micky a little bit.