Panama

I took a super duper last minute trip to Panama City to visit a Pal who lives here. Turned out to be the most epic trip--so inspired by the colors and people who live there.

New Bedford and production

When I started my business I didn't really think about the idea of manufacturing--I was just excited to make things I was passionate about. But when I got some larger orders last year I realized I needed figure out how to manufacture on a larger scale. I guess the easy route would have been to find a factory that already existed, but I really wanted to tell a story through my production.

A year ago my assistant, Alex, (who has now become my business partner) and I began to seriously investigate manufacturing opportunities in the Northeast. Alex had worked with a group of Guatemalan artisans in New Bedford, MA for a project while he was at Brown U. When we traveled there to train them to make samples it was very clear we had found our answer. They are a group of women and men who are extremely skilled with their hands. They make beautiful back-strap weavings, do embroidery work and were eager to learn how to block print.

Over the last year we have built a working factory that I am immensely proud to be a part of. Without this amazing group of individuals I couldn't do what I do.They give me purpose and drive me to continue to create well designed products. Perhaps that is the wrong way of thinking about design but I have always been interested in people and their stories. And because I think of myself as more of a painter than I designer I always knew it wasn't enough for me to make things just to make them. I found my answer in New Bedford.

We have some really exciting things in the works for 2014.  Soon we expect to take on new designers and create  small runs of products of artisan products. The pics below don't tell much about our community of workers, but for now you can see a few glimpses of the town that has become a sort of second home to me.

scouting for a new wall

when I take photos of my work I generally use a wall on the roof of my building--it has the perfect amount of texture, great light, and has this white warm glow that makes it feel like summer all the time. My building is covered in scaffolding for a renovations of the exterior and they sadly had to cut a massive hole out of my favorite wall.  darn it! so today I went hunting for new walls to shoot on. I found a bunch that may work and actually realized I really like photographing nothing. just white walls, which I guess is something after all.  

below is what my favorite wall currently looks like...bum-doggy. 

and the pics that follow are some of my favs from todays scout.

 "barrow Street"


"perry street"



"10th street"



"11th street"

shelter island

I am not one for big New Years eve parties. maybe it means I am getting older but my perfect way to ring in the new year would be to take off to a small island like this one (this place works just fine too), or to cook up a meal with good friends and hunker down by the fire. This year I got to do the later. We rented this beauty and invited some pals to join us and it was one of the most memorable new years eve's yet....and guess who we have to thank for that...Storm Hercules!  Shelter island is a real gem of a place, it still maintains this beautiful campy vibe that much of the Hamptons and Montauk have lost. it was pretty desolate in the best way possible, sunset beach was closed for the season and even the dory bar right by the ferry. it was a great place to spend the years end and felt a bit like magic waking up to the photos below. I hope you enjoy!