Portland-based Alex Steckly is relentlessly creative. Upon walking into his studio loft you cross a threshold into his whole world, a wide and bright working space with a couple simple corners carved out for living, into what looks and feels like the surprisingly cozy diary of his brain spilled out onto the walls in various stages of completion.
His process starts with a loose wash in oil, keeping canvases visceral, allowing the colors to be almost aggressively bright, building organic layers and letting gravity pull the pigments around whichever way it wants. From there he begins a long meditative process of weaving a mask of tape into precise shapes and patterns in a process he describes as nearing sculptural, allowing him to work and approach the painting in a physical manner. Opaque layers of tone on tone automotive enamels in alternating finishes are then spayed on, as the masks are stripped away to form patterns. Working strictly in daylight, his timeframe for each day’s studio time is limited, and his process can sometimes take months as he lives amongst his works and allows their growth to come at a natural pace.
Steckly’s paintings are deceptive; standing five feet back from one it’s tempting to see the canvas as a silky smooth surface with barely undulating colors and textures. But with closer inspection you start to become aware of the almost overwhelmingly elaborate surface, the sharp lines fade with a soft feel that carries a reminder of a grainy film stock or an image shown just slightly out of focus. Steckly’s obsession with light and texture reveals itself slowly, the complexities unfurling the longer you allow yourself to stand and be drawn in to the abstract images, discovering tiny variations amongst the strict order in the geometric shapes. Rich velvety textures zap the light and look dead flat while the luminous sheen of the enamel lines strike hard and vibrate lying next to them. Steckly’s voice is heard loudly and clearly through his work, through the repetition, exploration, and controlled, but obvious, joy in the colors and patterns he weaves into his paintings.
See more of his work at alexsteckly.com
Noeeko created the look for this storytelling platform of a refugee organization—one represented by the likes of Angelina Jolie and Giorgio Armani. Noeeko is a bit modest about the client, but "Tracks: People in Motion" as it turns out, is a project from the United Nations UNHCR. We admire the clean yet formal design, which lends the endeavor both gravity and an optimistic, well-organized feel. And the UN blue is a must.
The Knife has quite a cult following, so the news of its new video for "A Tooth For An Eye" hitting the net is a big deal in some quarters. It's the single off the forthcoming Shaking the Habitual album, the band's first new full-length in seven (gulp) years. Some might see a reversal of gender roles in the video, but it feels more complex than that. The mixed-up context brings modern dance into a gym class for grown men—which is just odd enough to make it compelling viewing.
The latest collaborations from Finnish designers Jari Nyman and Olli Mustikainen both concern firewood. One simulates the light from a fireplace, and the other provides a place to store firewood.
Joe Paine's mechanical bureau isn't mechanized because the act of lifting a desk cover is too taxing. It's mechanized because Paine is a fan of the vintage mechanics of farm equipment from the last century. The bureau, with its extending work surface and protective cover, is also attractive to those who need to force themselves away from their laptop from time to time. With a simple crank, a heavy wood cover hides the computer stored inside, and maintains your work-life balance.
Peruse and order Paine's creations online at joepaine.withtank.com
Whether you're a shutterbug still shooting 35mm because you adore the format and your trusty old SLR, or have archived rolls of 35mm film you'd like to get into the digital and online-shareable realm, the Lomography Smartphone Film Scanner may come in handy. It's a quick and easy way to get those images from film onto your social sharing platform. We think it also might come in handy for spies, especially time-travelling spies. Lomo is promising a LomoScanner App to help us edit those images. The Film Scanner is compatible with both iPhones and Android smartphones. And naturally, it comes from Lomo, the company that makes those adorable film cameras. Bonus: those film perforations are scanned, too.
The Lomography Smartphone Film Scanner is $59 online and also available in Lomography stores worldwide.
After seeing Hentsch Man’s '50s-surf-inspired spring collection, we’re ready for warm sand and the speckled sunlight of endless summer days. (Dudes with tattoos and surfboards everywhere would be perfect, too.) It’s no surprise that Alexia Hentsch, Creative Director of the British menswear label, drew inspiration from a recent trip to Los Angeles, with a scenic trip along the coast. For spring, Hentsch Man’s impeccably sharp yet casual aesthetic shines through with shirts, shorts, and knits bursting with bold floral patterns, ikat, and color blocking. Very matchy-matchy. Cherry red swim trunks, double-breasted blazers, and a buttery yellow rain jacket anchor the prints and could easily be worn out to dinner after a lazy day at the beach. Okay, we’re going to go listen to Dick Dale records now and bask in some California dreaming.
Shop Hentsch Man online and meet the Hentsch Men.
Jordi Huisman's photos have a way of revealing process and consequence. In his series about the economic downturn in the Netherlands, he skips the predictable portraits of unemployed Dutch workers, and instead shoots their creepily unoccupied offices. His series of stressed-out soccer dads depicts more suburban drama than action photos of an actual game could. He has a fascination with urban planning and development, and his photos have political concerns, but human drama is never sacrificed.
Los Angeles-based label Otaat delivers with limited-edition leather goods that are meticulously crafted, yet utterly whimsical—a hard-to-find combination in the over-saturated accessories industry. Designer Albert Chu finds inspiration in counterintuitive logic, and tends to ask himself “What if?” and “Why not?” when creating each piece for Otaat (an acronym for “One thing at a time”).
The black cowhide leather 5-Zip Pouch is an OCD organizer’s dream: five zippers access four interior pockets (one full body, and three partials of various sizes). Use it as a clutch, iPad holder, folio, tote, make-up bag—the possibilities are endless. And incredibly chic. We’re also partial to drummers, so Otaat’s Drums Bag is our idea of mod cylindrical perfection—two circular box bags connected by a long strap and conjoined by an all-round zipper—impeccably polished and functional. Also, three words: leather Party Hat. Tie one on with grosgrain ribbons.
The coastal city of Lagos, Nigeria has a flooding problem. Construction projects try to anticipate rising waters by using massive stilts to raise buildings above the highest water levels, but it's impossible to estimate exactly how high the water will rise, and buildings often suffer from water damage. Earlier this month, architecture firm NLÉ completed Makoko Floating School, a project that addresses the rising sea levels on the Nigerian coast. The school's A-frame structures float on beds of large plastic drums, have up to three levels, and feature solar panels and locally-sourced materials. [via The Design Ark]