Weekend / Stuff

January 3, 2018, 9:26 pm

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Ben Goo, baby weed pot and a cane-wrapped stone

Ben Goo, taking a rest before departing Arizona

Tapestry by Santa Fe artist Eve Rabinowe, Martz table, Evelyn Ackerman and iron bits

Jens Quistgaard

It's included in Sori Yanagi's Philospy of Design book. The casserole is also in the design collection at The MET. In fact, Quistgaard has 14 items in The Met collection. There are only have two Yanagi pieces, which are a pair of butterfly stools from the 80s. I'm surprised.

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Crossroads / Route 66

January 4, 2018, 4:49 pm

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Crossroads Motel on Central Ave (formerly Route 66) in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

1966 Postcard with the Route 66 sign in the median. The route was decommissioned in 1985. Central Avenue is a pretty great time capsule of roadside businesses that serviced the historic highway.

The motel was known as the "The Crystal Palace" in Breaking Bad.

The reviews of the hotel are interesting. It seems like if you're not a Breaking bad fan, it's a dump.

The pool looks a little sketchy.

Central Avenue had been under construction for quite some time. They were working on the Albuquerque Rapid Transit (ART) bus line. People were up in arms about about the project when I was there last year. It's done now and it looks like a lot of new investment is going into the area.

Albuquerque Boys Club (1954). A pretty interesting triple quonset.

Albuquerque is a little rough around the edges, but I like it.

Photo: Ernst Haas, 1969

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Dome House / Santa Fe

January 9, 2018, 10:00 pm

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I stayed at a geodesic dome home in Santa Fe.

The architect built the dome in 1979 for his parents. It is constructed of two thin layers of concrete over a steel frame. The passive solar design with what seems like incredible insulation made for a toasty stay. That's coming from a thin-skinned San Diegan who is not used to 30 degree temperatures.

Dome door

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Weekend / Stuff

January 10, 2018, 6:08 pm

≫ Next: Tucson / Architecture

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Martin Perfit for Rene Brancusi table, Earthgender pot and magazine holder by Tony Paul for Woodlin-Hall

Jack Boyd

Good California paper stack

There's something important hiding back there.

John Follis file

Eames

Very serious stuff

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Tucson / Architecture

January 16, 2018, 7:51 pm

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Medical office in Tucson by Scholer Sakellar and Fuller (1954)

Wild, right?

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Weekend / Stuff

January 16, 2018, 8:24 pm

≫ Next: Frank Lloyd / Wrong

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String Chair by Robert J Ellenberger for CALFAB

Milo Baughman for Glenn of California

Have I ever mentioned that I like iron?

Italian ceramic

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Frank Lloyd / Wrong

January 18, 2018, 10:17 pm

≫ Next: Neutra / Le Corbusier

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Demolition of the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Lockridge Medical Clinic building in Whitefish, Montana. It was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1958 ands completed after his passing. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Photo: Matt Baldwin

It's the first usable Wright-designed building to be demolished in over 40 years. It was initially designed as a medical clinic, then it became First State Bank, and more recently it was an attorney's office.

Source: Wikimedia

Mick Ruis, a developer, agreed to sell the 5,000-square-foot building for $1.7 million, $100,000 more than what he bought it for. He made this offer after preservationists heard of the demolition plans. Ruis ultimately rejected the offer from an LLC set up by the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy. This was despite receiving his asking price of $1.7 million and a deposit. He kept changing his terms and demanded a deposit that was 50% higher, and non-refundable. He also changed his deadline multiple times. It was demolished at night while preservationists were still pleading to strike a deal.

Photo: Adam Jeselnick

This is Mick Ruis, the developer who is to blame. Unfortunately, he has ties to San Diego. He grew up in El Cajon and has been in the horse racing business in Del Mar.

In the place of the Wright building, Ruis plans to build a three-story building with office, condos and retail. His goal is to redevelop and revitalize the Whitefish/Columbia Falls area. However, you have to question the vision of someone so shortsighted that he would demolish a historic building by the most famous American architect of all time to build a nondescript mixed-use building. If his plan is to make the area a destination, he's doing it wrong. People would come to visit a unique treasure, like a Frank Lloyd Wright building with some sort of adaptive reuse. I doubt anyone will be traveling to see the new condo complex it's being replaced with.

Photo: Flathead Beacon

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Neutra / Le Corbusier

January 22, 2018, 8:01 am

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Neutra VDL studio and house. Originally built in 1932 and reconstructed after a fire in 1963, the house was designed for Neutra and his family. It was named the VDL Research House because it financed with a no interest loan from Cees H. Van der Leeuw, a Dutch industrialist.

On Saturday evening, Bonhams presented Le Corbusier's Baigneuse, barque et coquillage (Painted between 1934 - 1947). Head of Modern & Impressionist Art, India Phillips spoke about the painting. It will be up for sale in March at the Impressionist & Modern Art auction in London.

Tackett!

As you can see in this 1966 photo with Richard Neutra, this section of the roof was once a "cooling roof". If you look close, you can see the Tackett pot back there.

Photo: Julius Shulman

Neutra stairs are some of the best.

Le Corbusier through the window.

Cell phones aren't the best for night photos.

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Weekend / Stuff

January 25, 2018, 6:12 pm

≫ Next: JF Chen Collection / Christie's

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Allan Gould

Genaro Álvarez

Arthur Umanoff

Lamp

John Follis for Architectural Pottery

Clay

Martz lamp

Wayne Chezem

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JF Chen Collection / Christie's

January 30, 2018, 8:35 pm

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JF Chen Collection at Christie's

Joel was born in Shanghai, grew up in colonial Hong Kong, went to school in Great Britain and then moved to Los Angeles for college. It was in Los Angeles where he stumbled into the antique business. Here were are 40 years later and he is at the top of the trade. He currently has three galleries filled to the gills will the best design around. He's actually a really nice guy too.

Joel has a lot of chairs. I was at his shop after Christie's left with their 300 lots. They didn't even make a dent!

Dan Johnson

This is a very uncommon version of the cobra lamp by Greta Grossman. It was produced by Middletown Manufacturing Co. in New York, versus the usual west coast Ralph O. Smith. The brushed brass might be something they could only handle in the blingy east coast.

Lester Geis T-5-G Table Lamp for Heifetz

Joel has nice stuff at home too, like his second Geis lamp.

The online sale is February 7-14 and the live auction is February 13. The lots will be on view at Christie’s New York. It is broken into sections: Chairs, Lighting, Tables, Fine Art, and Decorative Objects.

Learn more and watch a video, here.

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Weekend / Stuff

February 1, 2018, 8:44 am

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Dora De Larios / RIP

February 5, 2018, 11:44 am

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In 1933, Dora De Larios was born to immigrant parents in the Los Angles neighborhood of Boyle Heights. Her father, who was from Mexico City, took the family to the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City where, at 6 years old, De Larios knew she wanted to be an artist.

Dora studied ceramics at USC with Vivika and Otto Heino (pictured here with Dora) and Susan Peterson. She graduated in 1957.

Image: doradelarios.com

In the 1960s, from a referral from Susan Peterson, she was hired by Millard Sheets to design tiles for the Gladding McBean/Franciscan division, Interpace (International Pipe and Ceramics). She joined a team which included other big names in ceramics, like Harrison McIntosh, Rupert Deese, Ken Price, Henry Takemoto and Jerry Rothman.

Image: doradelarios.com

In the 1960s Dora lived at Kings Road by R.M. Schindler.

Image: doradelarios.com

In 1968, she founded Irving Place Studio with her friend Ellice Johnston. The collaborative of female artists shared resources and hosted sales. A couple years back I found two hand printed posters, obviously designed by Dora.

Compton Library Ceramic Mural (1973). This is one of many public works she created over the years.

Source: Los Angeles County Arts Commission

At 84, Dora passed away on January 28th. She continued to work until just days before losing her four year battle with cancer. Her most recent exhibition was held at Craig Kull Gallery and she currently has two pieces in LACMA's Found in Translation exhibition.

Please read a nice piece on Dora published by the LA Times a day before she died.

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Weekend / Stuff

February 7, 2018, 1:26 pm

≫ Next: Wendell Castle / RIP

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Jens Risom for Knoll

Alvin Lustig - Cities are for People, by Mel Scott

Ted Saito

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Wendell Castle / RIP

February 9, 2018, 9:54 am

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Wendell Castle passed away on January 20th.

He was a pioneer artist as craftsman -- or vice versa.

A Tribute to Wendell Castle By Evan Synderman

In 1996, Castle published “Adopted Rules of Thumb,” his personal guide to creativity, which quickly caught on among other artists; he updated it on the occasion of his 80th birthday in 2012.

THE ORIGINAL 10 ADOPTED RULES OF THUMB

If you are in love with an idea, you are no judge of its beauty or value.
It is difficult to see the whole picture when you are inside the frame.
After learning the tricks of the trade, don’t think you know the trade.
We hear and apprehend what we already know.
The dog that stays on the porch will find no bones.
Never state a problem to yourself in the same terms it was brought to you.
If it’s offbeat or surprising it’s probably useful.
If you do not expect the unexpected, you will not find it.
Don’t get too serious.
If you hit the bull’s-eye every time, the target is too near.

NEW ADOPTED RULES OF THUMB

Distrust what comes easily.
You have to stand for something, or you’ll fall for anything.
Bring conflicting attitudes to bear on the same problem.
We should never know for whom you’re designing.
Always listen to the voice of eccentricity.
The whole secret to designing a chair is applying the seat of your pants to the seat of the chair.
The problem with taking life in your own hands is you have no one else to blame.
If your mind is not baffled, your mind is not fully employed.
Imagination, not reason, creates what is novel.
Jumping to conclusions is not exercise.
Keep knocking – eventually someone will look down to see who’s there.

Source: Craftsman Council

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