“If you make it look like art, then it’s probably somebody elses”


- Wayne Thiebaud


I was first introduced to the art of Sacramento’s own, Wayne Thiebaud ”Tee-bo” in 2002 while viewing his gallery showcase at CSUS. Little did I know at the time I was also a distant cousin of his (3rd).

Wayne Thiebaud earned a degree from Sacramento State College in 1941. From 1938 to 1949, he worked as a cartoonist and designer in California and New York and served as an artist in the United States Army Air Force.

In 1950, at the age of thirty, he enrolled in Sacramento State College where he earned a Master’s Degree in 1952 and began teaching at Sacramento City College. In 1960, he became assistant professor at the University of California, Davis, where he remained through the 1970s and influenced numerous art students.

Wayne’s most famous works are of cakes, pastries, boots, toilets, toys and lipstick. He is “thought” to be associated with the Pop art movement because of his interest in objects of mass culture, however, his works, executed during the fifties and sixties, slightly predate the works of the classic pop artists. I say “thought” because after learning from the interview posted below Wayne doesn’t like the idea of being associated with the term and feels it was only by couincidence that his art had such similarities. Thiebaud uses heavy pigment and exaggerated colors to depict his subjects, and the well-defined shadows characteristic of advertisements are almost always included in his work. There’s also a ton of books about him and his work.

An Interview with Wayne Thiebaud

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My ear was glued to this interview. It’s refreshingly humble, poignant, charasimatic, comical and truly inspiring. His thoughts of “intuition vs. thinking by design” are inspiring as well. Whether you’re an artist or not, you gotta take a listen; no bullshiting here.

Some of my favorite Wayne Thiebaud pieces:

View More of Wayne Thiebaud’s work here

Lately I have been trying to take a Data Visualization approach with new projects varying from interactive kiosks, quizs and experimental websites. My first real introduction to DV was google analytics. Google seems to be really leading the charge in this area of data and design. Just recently I noticed Grid/plane, a studio centered in Portland Orgeon, collaborated with Instrument, to visualize media buzz across various social media outlets. Instrument then went on to design Venables Bell & Partners using a similar concept and art direction. When I first visited Venable’s site I had mixed feelings but, it’s a bold concept which created buzz and is very respectable. Well done.

I’ve found DV is a challenging concept to convey to clients, but I did find an interesting list of woes that made me feel a little better about these challenges. These are great points to be aware of before discussing or pitching to a client who has a hard time envisioning DV past the standard “bar graph” or “pie chart”.
5 Reasons Visualization Is Not More Prevalent

There’s also a ton of great online resources and print publications devoted to DV. I just picked up “Data Flow - Visualising Information in Graphic Design ” which is packed with only the most elegant art forms of DV. Not only is the content of this book awesome but, the design and layout of the book itself is sick. It was designed by Onlab and the photography was done by Andrea Galvani.

2 Great Online Resources:


www.visualcomplexity.com
www.tom-carden.co.uk

Data Flow - Visualising Information in Graphic Design

Instrument’s “Google Project”

Venables Bell & Partners

We Feel Fine

Our Own C

Andrea Galvani Photography - Data Flow

The four tracks I posted today all have subtle elements of a colder IDM sound. “Try Again” from Outputmessage can be downloaded for free along with the full album. My buddy Garret Bjerkhoel introduced me to Monokai. Not only is Monokai’s music amazing, but he is also an outstanding interactive designer and has a nice blog. Obfusc is on one of my favorite up and coming electronic labels, Electronic Eel. Not much to say about Yppah other than he’s a badass!




Obfusc - “Amateur Cartography”

Yppah - “Cannot See Straight (Drum Cover)”

Outputmessage - Try Again

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Monokai - Looming

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Obfusc - Delayed Sunshine Reaction

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Yppah - In Two, the Weakly

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My buddy and co-worker Dan Fields sent me a link the other day to a video over at Adobe.com that features the amazing San Francisco, Ca based multidiscipline agency “Odopod“. It’s a promotional video for Adobe of course but, it showcases the unique perspectives of Founder/Creative Director Tim Barber, Interactive Designer Andy Gilliland and Managing Partner Jacquie Moss.

I can easily say Odopod has influenced my work more so than any shop out there. Their style is unmatched, refreshingly unique and always trendsetting.

Huge props on all the work churned out by these folks!


Enjoy!

View Video

The weather here in Northern California has been amazing lately. I’m trying not to get too excited because it is still winter after all and there’s bound to be rain sometime soon, but I’ll get excited anyhow. I’m anxious to head out to the Bodega Bay Coastline and wander the cliff sides while basking in the sun. The songs I posted today all have a warm/airy sound, perfect for a getaway weekend drive.


Enjoy!

Bodega Bay (Northern California Coastline) Photos


If you’re not familiar with the Northern California Coastline here are some photos I have taken while exploring the trails.

















Manitoba - Crayon

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Aeroc - Blue Eyed Bitter

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School of Seven Bells - Connjur

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Christopher Willits - Colors Shifting

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Lately I’ve been getting back into the “shoegaze, dream-pop, etc” genre I loved years ago. The pioneering sounds of bands like “Cocteau Twins and Slowdive” I’ve noticed seem to becoming popular again, which is awesome. With that being said I wanted to share some songs from Airiel. Airiel was just on tour with Ulrich Schnauss (huge fan) so I posted some photos from that too. If you’ve been living under a rock and haven’t heard of Ulrich Schnauss I highly recommend checking him out.

U.K. 2008 Tour w/ Ulrich Schnauss Photos

Sugar Crystals (feat. Ulrich Schnauss)

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Liquid Paper

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Shirley Temple Tidal Wave

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I just heard the news that Charles Cooper from “Telefon Tel Aviv” was recently found dead. Read the article linked below for more details. If you’ve never had the chance to hear Charles Cooper and Telefon Tel Aviv’s music I’ve posted some of my favorite tracks. Their music will be missed.


https://cbs2chicago.com/local/charles.cooper.musician.2.918857.html


The Birds Kopie

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Fahrenheit Fair Enough

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Komponent Telefon Tel Aviv rmx

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If you have ever visited or lived in Northern California then you definitely have shopped at a Raley’s at least once in your life. Raley’s is a premiere grocery chain that prides itself on it’s produce and fresh meats. The site targets foodies by allowing them to create user profiles where they can benefit from exclusive discounts, recipes and other foodie oriented content. Finally a site my mom can understand and appreciate!

View the Site Here