Tehya Shea + Janelle Pietrzak : Woven Secrets, Textural Dreams at BellJar

Tomorrow, Friday July 18th, San Francisco's BellJar will be unveiling new ethereal weavings by Tehya Shea and Janelle Pietrzak with "Woven Secrets, Textural Dreams." Each piece is one-of-a-kind, hand woven with love and affection by these amazing women. The opening party is tomorrow night at the shop from 6–9 pm with the works on display and available for purchase for a month. 

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Tehya Shea

Tehya is a multidisciplinary artist with deep roots in the foothills of northern California in the old gold rush town of Nevada City, Ca. In childhood she began to experience and understand the attraction and importance of textile arts. Always drawn to pattern and texture, visual aesthetic informed her path from the very beginning. Influenced by her various homes in the west: Colorado, New Mexico, California, she has developed her craft in the spirit of the pioneers from the past, the constant searchers. 

In her recent work she has come home. This is evident in the way that she weaves together her stories, instincts and collected memories into textural landscapes of reflection and transformation. Letting the imperfections of being human flow, Tehya allows for the wild and untamed to inform her creations. She takes the scattered, torn and forgotten and gently brings them together into a graceful and cohesive whole that pays homage to, and even requires, the inherent flaws of the individual pieces. The balance of dark and light, the honesty of rough and delicate gives permission for imperfection to be honored as beauty. Tehya's history reflects a deep connection to the natural world, mysticism and magic. 

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Janelle Pietrzak

Janelle is a Los Angeles textile artist, working under the name All Roads. After 10 years in the fashion industry, she is now a full time artist. Her work is a nod to the nostalgic fiber art of the mid-century, but with unique color combinations and materials. All Roads is a creative workshop and textile studio in Los Angeles and is a culmination of past experiences and a collective of skill sets. Carpentry, welding, sewing and weaving are trades combined to solve design challenges and create objects and spaces.

Tehya Shea + Janelle Pietrzak new works : Woven Secrets, Textural Dreams

opening reception Friday July 18th,  6-9pm
on exhibit through mid August
Bell Jar  |  3187 - 16th Street, San Francisco, CA 94103



all images courtesy of the artists and BellJar

Midnight Swim : Lookout & Wonderland x Roxy Swim Collaboration

This Saturday, Niki Livingston of Lookout & Wonderland with Roxy will introduce Midnight Swim, a collaboration bringing together iconic swim silhouettes and indigo dyeing techniques. 

"The Midnight Swim collection blends shades of shadowy indigo referencing endless hot summer nights."  

Niki of Lookout & Wonderland has been studying traditional Japanese indigo since 2005 and works out of her Los Angeles studio – where I attended an indigo dyeing and Shibori class earlier this spring (yes! it will be on the blog soon!).

Shelter Half is a rotating pop up shop that brings together artists, companies and craftsman that create product made in the United States. 

And Roxy, is a brand of Quiksilver that started in 1990 seeing a lack of women's surf wear available. As most of us know, it's huge by now. And that's rad. What began as a women's swim line, soon turned into the sports wear go-to for girls and now is a household name lifestyle brand.

Walking the line between authentic and commercial is tough. And for Roxy going back to their roots with 4 classic swim silhouettes specifically designed for Niki to create magic with is pretty awesome. Her process is one of love and deep respect for the history of natural Indigo dye and the art of Shibori technique. (definitely more on that in that aforementioned post!)

The collection of 100 one-of-a-kind pieces will be exclusively available at Shelter Half in Los Angeles. After the twilight fashion presentation, you will be able to make your own unique indigo mobiles (!) to tunes spun by DJ Love finger along with cocktails and snacks. 

Midnight Swim : Lookout & Wonderland x Roxy 

opening reception Saturday, June 14th 7-10pm

collection available throughout the summer season

Shelter Half  |  61 S. La Brea Avenue, Los Angeles, California 90036

images courtesy of Lookout & Wonderland and Roxy

Cry Me A Rainbow : April Rose, Rainbow Kimono

Cry Me A Rainbow is a collection of purging prisms by artist April Rose opening tomorrow at Bell Jar in San Francisco. This compilation of work is "a full expression of joy through ceramics and fiber made up of April's blood sweat and rainbow tears. Each unique piece is an outpouring of happiness."

April's work is magical on a high vibrational level with so much kinetic energy radiating from each piece. I particularly love the images she captures of her process and progress for this exhibit which will feature her newest textile, ceramic & collage wearables and wall hangings. This show represents a culmination of April's influences – where pop art, folk art and the surreal intersect.

And I can't get enough of this video!

April Rose is an illustrator, textile, ceramic and collage artist who likes to create and discover tiny galaxies. She is based out of Oakland, CA.

BellJar is a clothing, jewelry and apothecary boutique in the Mission District, SF that has been hosting and supporting local artists for over 7 years. There will be live music and cocktails at the reception.

So excited for this show, I wish I could be there. It looks amazing. Congratulations April!


Cry Me A Rainbow by April Rose
opening reception Friday, May 2nd 6 - 9pm
on exhibit through early June
Bell Jar  |  3187 - 16th Street, San Francisco, CA 94103


all images courtesy of April Rose

Visit : Parachute Market - Let There Be Light

The Spring Equinox was celebrated this past weekend with the third Parachute Market, themed "Let There Be Light." The seasonally inspired design fair and marketplace is conceptualized by Coryander Friend, a production designer living in Laurel Canyon. With her high priestess-like ability to orchestrate just-about-anything combined with a keen interior design eye, she brings together over fifty designers, makers and artists for a 2-day weekend in Downtown Los Angeles. This edition featured site-specific light installations, edibles, collectible books, furniture, one-of-a-kind objects, music curation by FYF Fest's Phil Hoelting and Parachute's continuing partner of vintage fashions, A Current Affair.

There is definitely a kinetic creative energy happening in LA that runs a thread through everyone here. Inspired by all the incredible folks who do the making, I turned my camera on the artists rather than just their product. 

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Stylist extraordinaire, Agnes Baddoo creates a multitude of magic from her numerology-inspired, Everyw'air Sprays to her exquisite leather goods that wear beautifully with age.

Wendy Polish and Lara May Meyerratken. Like Agnes and almost everyone at Parachute, these lovely ladies are multi-disciplinary talents.

Wendy is a freelance designer with clients that include rad LA shops Chay and Moon Juice, maker of limited edition silk-screened home goods such as her Heart Pillow collaboration with Beth Katz of Mt. Washington Pottery and co-creator of Le Feu de L'eau (above) – a gorgeous line of delicately scented candles. 

Lara is musician El May with the gift of creating insanely beautiful paintings. She concocts a mixture of minerals specific to each gem that she illustrates, thus giving it's glorious dimension and depth while remaining airy and dreamy. 

clockwise from top left: Sophia and Walker Watts | Brook & Lyn | Future Eyes worn by Sabine, daughter of Sheryl Cancellieri of Eastside Handmade - coming up April 19th (photo courtesy of Future Eyes)

Melanie Abrantes holding her wares | Melanie's cork planters and vases with beautiful paper flowers by Blooms in the Air (photos courtesy of Melanie) | a peek at the Rolling Shoppe of Half Hitch Goods | BKB Ceramics based in Joshua Tree

Wofum's Annabel Inganni with her daughter | The colorful array of prints created by Annabel are incorporated into home and office goods in collaboration with her husband, Brendan Sowersby of 100xbtr, a furniture and product design company

The ladies of Ermie represent! | Morgan Peck Pottery whose work is greatly inspired by architecture. | Unearthen is Gia Bahm, a stylist and jewelry designer based in New York City creates mostly with crystals, but I was very drawn to these sweet bronze cast Palo Santo incense holders

The always awesome Linde of Just Say Native | Insanely ethereal textiles of Anton Nazarko who works with Raquel Allegra | Bari Zipperstein's radical pottery line, BZippy and Company

Melissa Tolar of A Question of Eagles | Their work encompasses ceramics, jewelry and unique handmade quilts by Melissa's mom, Marcia | delicate enamel ring bowls by Melissa

The ceramic and wooden kitchen good and home goods by Knotwork is a collaboration between Linda Hsiao, an industrial and eyewear designer and Kagan Taylor, woodworker and co-founder of KnowhowShop, a design / build firm

Specialty Dry Goods is Edie Kahula Pereira. She treads lightly on this earth with her creations: bags, wallets and the sweetest potholders you've ever seen (!) with a focus on utilizing discarded surplus materials, linen & alpaca yarns, natural vegetal tanned hide and 100% USA grown organic wool

The magnificent crew that showed their vintage collections under A Current Affair's light inspired set-up: Rhianna of Mixed Business, Erin of Tavin, Richard Wainwright of New/Found and co-creator of A Current Affair, a vintage pop-up with it's next market April 5th | Linde of Just Say Native

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And the food, oh the deliciousness that was there!

Sí Paletas serves up ice pops in delectable combinations as avocado/chocolate and cucumber/melon/mint | the gentlemen of Horse Thief BBQ | almost too beautiful to eat, fresh from the ocean creations by The Ceviche Project (original photo here)

Lauda (right) of Sno Con Amor creates an updated twist on Raspados - Mexican Snow Cones

I wasn't able to capture all the edibles that were curated by Chef Nina Clemente and Gardener Tricia Mazure. Also included were Zen Bunni Chocolates, Flying Zepoli, Moon Juice and Handsome Coffee Roasters.

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And ever-present was the space-specific light art installations by:

Environmental artist and industrial designer, Doron Gazit of Air Dimensional Design and Frozen Flow

Sculptor Jason Meadows whose work has been exhibited at the Tate Modern and the UCLA Hammer Museum

Designer and architect Johanna Grawunder is based in Milan, Italy and San Francisco, CA with work that spans from large-scale public installations to limited edition furniture

Tahiti Perhson who creates large scale, intricate hand-cut paper installation

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Like always, I wish I was able to capture all of the goodness there:

Heather Levine, Place 8 Healing (Azalea Lee makes beautiful leather pouch necklaces. She also does crystal healing and flower essence therapy), Vacation Days (as I'm now more of an Angelo, I think I should complete it with the Griffith Park Trails Scarf!), Victoria Morris Pottery, Wrk-Shp's concrete pendant lighting, Barbara C. Rourke's beautiful weavings (which is only her side hobby that she whips up when she's not flexing her supreme interior design muscles at Bells + Whistles) and many more - see vendor list here

.... Too much chatting, not enough picture-taking!

Big hugs, congratulations and thank you to Coryander and all the amazing folks who create the radness that fills the Parachute Market. 

The Radder photos getting love

Many thanks to both The Los Angeles Times and Space 15 Twenty for sharing photos from our post on the opening reception for Fibershed LA's pop up with such lovely accompanying write-ups.

LA Fibershed at Space 15 Twenty Opening

Photos from the Los Angeles Fibershed Pop-Up opening reception and fundraiser at Space 15 Twenty in Hollywood.

Los Angeles Fibershed

Los Angeles Fibershed is a cooperative effort to bring attention to the concept of bioregionalism. With a focus on local fibers and local labor in combination with a commitment to high design, they are a functioning model of "slow fashion." Their mission is here. 

This Saturday evening, they will be hosting an opening reception for their pop-up at Space 15 Twenty that combines a shop, exhibition space, installations, live demonstrations and educational events – lectures, movies and workshops – dedicated to educate the local community about the soil to skin process. 

Included will be raw fiber and yarn from local farmers and handmade clothing, accessories and home goods by LA based artists made of locally sourced materials. Such items include pieces by Amabelle Aguiluz, Janelle Pietrzak / All Roads, Elanor Lynn and other amazing talents. 

Los Angeles Fibershed will also be host "reskilling" workshops at Space 15 Twenty throughout the next two weeks (see below), movie nights and a Sunday flea market. An ongoing live installation piece will demonstrate how a garment is made from start to finish: Fibershed members will transform the gallery into a collaborative studio space and work together for the duration of the exhibit to create a one-of-a-kind soil to skin garment. Visitors are encouraged to drop in, watch demos, ask questions and feel samples of wool and local materials.

The Workshops sound awesome to say the least! You can sign up for individual classes or for 3 with a discount of $10 off each class. Each instructor is donating all or a portion of proceeds to fund the expansion of LA Fibershed. 

Sat March 22, 1-4pm - Wet Felting with Jo Abellera / KKIBO

Sun March 23, 1-3pm - Ethical Wildcrafting with Rebecca Altman / Kings Road Apothecary

Sun March 23, 3-6pm - Acorn Dyeing with Niki Livingston / Lookout and Wonderland

Wed March 26, 7-9pm - Foraged Bamboo Backpack with Eugene Ahn

Sat March 29, 3-6pm - Cochineal Dyeing with Ashley Thayer / Maricolous

Sun March 30, 10am-4pm - Pine Needle Basketry with Nanette Sullano / Waanaki

Sun March 30, 12-3pm - Plant Based Watercolor Workshop with Jo Newman

Los Angeles Fibershed at Space 15 Twenty 

Pop Up: March 15 - March 30

Reception: Saturday, March 15, 6-9pm

150 N. Cahuenga Blvd., Los Angeles CA 90028

Platform Co-Op Pop-Up

Platform in Highland Park is killing it again. This time with the Platform Co-Op Pop-Up as a wonderful solution to support owner, Sarah Brady's maternity leave. I stopped by a few weeks ago when the Cheryl Cambras exhibit was up. Check back later when i share the next happening at Platform – Community Macramé.

The Platform Co-Op Pop-Up is curated and run by Ermie, Cathy Callahan, Cheryl Cambras and See Real Flowers. It'll run through April and then a new Cooperative will take the helm.

Along with Platform's usual lovely lines like Ace & Jig, Agnes Baddoo, Heidi Anderson, Kristen Elspeth, and TW Workshop, are works by: Arc of LA, B. Zippy & Co., Cathy Callahan, Cheryl Cambras, Emilie Halpern, Kat and Roger,  Maricolous Textiles, Masami Tsuchikawa, MCR Projects, Ogaard Textile Work, See Real Flowers and more.

Platform  |  5027 York Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90042