Howdoos now on Etsy!

Remember our post about howdoos - business cards for everyone + anyone? Well, they're finally packed up and ready to ship.

howdoos are hand letter-pressed business cards with a greeting on the front and 3 blank spaces on the back ready for your personal details.

There are currently 2 designs; 'hello' in hot pink and 'nice to meet you' in black. Both are now available in packs of 10 from our new Etsy store!

Be Kind To Books!

This gorgeous set of 5 Modernist posters were designed by Arlington Gregg circa 1936-40 as part of the WPA Illinois Art Project - Be Kind To Books.

The Works Projects Administration (WPA), previously called the Works Progress Administration were, according to the wisdom that is Wikipedia, "the largest New Deal agency, employing millions to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects. It fed children and redistributed food, clothing, and housing. Almost every community in the United States had a park, bridge or school constructed by the agency, which especially benefited rural and Western populations."

These posters and many more including one of Milton Glaser's iconic 'Dylan' posters and a 1970's Eric Strenger Porsche poster, are due to be auctioned off at New York's, Swann Galleries Auction, May 3rd 2010 (Sale 2213, Modernist Posters). I could spend a serious amount of money at this auction, so it's probably a good job I'm on the other side of the pond!

All images copyright Swann Galleries.

Howdoos

Yay! Our Howdoos have just come back from the printers.

Howdoos are business cards with blanks on the reverse ready to be personalised. There are currently two designs - hello in bright pink...


and nice to meet you in black...


Both cards are hand letter-pressed onto grey board, so the print has lots of lovely texture and they smell delicious!

We'll be selling them in packs of ten from next week (hopefully in our new online store - finally!), so watch this space.

New work at Castor + Pollux

Our friends at the wonderful Brighton seafront gallery, Castor + Pollux have new prints in stock from some of our favourite illustrators - Paul Catherall (above), Roman Klonek (immediately below) and Lo Cole (bottom).

Definitely worth popping down to see, they're colourful, bold and bright - guaranteed to help beat those Winter blues.

Images copyright the artists, taken from Castor + Pollux website.

Martin Parr: retrospective of photobooks

Martin Parr's images are guaranteed to bring a smile to your face - they're witty, colourful and superbly captured, so make sure you get down to the Rocket Gallery in fashionable Shoreditch before the 20th Feb and experience them first hand.

The Retrospective of photobooks will be Parr's 8th exhibition at the gallery and sounds fantastic, "Sixty photographic books by Martin Parr, dating from 1974 to 2009, will each be exhibited together with a group of iconic editioned photographs". Quick now, there's only 1 week left!

Images copyright Rocket Gallery.

Goodbye to Edie Harper

Samson and Delilah


Net Prophet

I've just discovered via Grain Edit the sad news that Edie Harper, widow of illustrator Charlie Harper passed away last week aged 87. Edie too was a fantastic illustrator - very similar in style to her husband, but often described as more whimsical. She was also a very talented painter and photographer.

Her work mostly focused on Biblical stories (above) and cats (below),"She loved cats forever and felt that stories from the Bible provided her with some good design ideas", said her son Brett, who runs the Harper Art Studio.

Peepkin

There is a full Memoriam for Edie Harper here which tells of her wonderful talents and her life with husband Charlie Harper.

Edie Harper prints can be seen and purchased here.

Images copyright Edie Harper / Harper Estate.

Fernand Fonssagrives Exhibition

Studio couch, 1956 (light and shadow) © Fernand Fonssagrives
Silver gelatin print

I can't wait to see Fernand Fonssagrives at the Michael Hoppen Gallery. Fonssagrives was an iconic fashion photographer whose images have graced the pages of fashion magazines throughout the world.

His first wife and muse, ballerina turned model (and some say, the first super model) Lisa Fonssagrives, "helped to define the natural, effortless beauty that has become the mainstay of fashion photography as we now know it". His photos of Lisa embraced the mood of the 30's and 40's - the strikingly graphic silhouettes with a clean modernist feel and the dynamic, poses of her leaping through the air capturing the care-free attitude.

Taxi Cab New York 1945 © Estate of Fernand Fonssagrives courtesy Michael Hoppen Gallery
Silver gelatin print

The Coat Hanger c.1940 © Estate of Fernand Fonssagrives courtesy Michael Hoppen Gallery
Silver gelatin print

Elan 1935 © Estate of Fernand Fonssagrives courtesy Michael Hoppen Gallery
Silver gelatin print

Fonssagrives died in 2003. Despite at one time being the highest paid photographer in the world and being a key figure in the New York School of avant-garde photography his work remained quite anonymous and rarely seen.

However from the 14 January to 6 March his wonderful images will be on show at the Michael Hoppen Gallery, London. I for one can't wait!