Motion Picture Goodness

MACHINE from matt machine on Vimeo.

This is a well made motion picture.
Great cinematography and edit.
Enjoy.

Back to it...

>>>--"Keep On Crow'N--->
Cheers,
'MrRay'

Motion Picture: The German

The German from Nick Ryan on Vimeo.

A fine example of Motion Picture making. Please enjoy and if you like what you see go on over to Nick Ryan's Vimeo site for more of his magic making. I am a fan for sure.

Hope your week is going well and only gets better.
We are in the single digits till Christmas! The month is almost over, wait, the year is almost over!!!

Well back to it...

Cheers,
'MrRay'

Button Options

A collections of buttons that caught my fancy a while back while digging through my collection of old buttons that have been picked up over the years...
Wood, Metal, Coconut, Shell, Plastic, and Bone.
A little self portrait in pen and ink for sum fun.

Hope your week is going in the right direction and that your projects are coming together.
Back to it...
>>>--"Keep On Crow'N--->
Cheers,
'MrRay'

Inspiration: 1930's Japanese Wood Block Prints

Before I moved our family back south I really started to get into print making, even was set up to take a few classes at the local community art center. Funny how many things were available to the community up in the Evergreen state, in the Great Pacific Northwest, that I can not find here in SoCal. That is another story...
I am really interested in relief printing (block printing, lino cuts, etc.) Recently I stumbled upon a wonderful site that shares "100 Views of New Tokyo," 1928–1932, a subscription series by 8 Artists. 
It is really quite a wonderful web page. I really like how detailed some of them are and how simplistic others are. Here are a few of my favorites.

I recently picked up a few really good books from Amazon that show techniques for print making / woodcuts / wood etching.
Here is the list of goods picked up.

The Woodcut Artist's Handbook 

Japanese Woodblock Printing. Highly recommend this one if you like Japanese style woodcuts.

Print Workshop: Hand-Printing Techniques and Truly Original Projects

Angie Lewin: Plants and Places  This one is work form an amazing print maker out of England, Angie Lewin. More on her later.

Well time to go finish setting up my new shop space in the garage in SoCal.
So I can actually mess around with doing some prints myself. I am getting antsy to be getting back to building goods.


What are you stoked on right now?


"Keep 'em Flying"
Cheers,
'Mr.Ray'

Motor Boat'n

Surfing, like most things these days, is followed by folks that are "doing their own thing"..... just like everybody else.... Well Mr. Brian Bent truly is doing his own thing!!! If you know anything about wave sliding then you know that a "kook box", or anything of the sort, is not something you see much of in museums let alone actually out in the waves being ridden.
A true example of going out finding what you love and just having a go with it for nothing else but personal stoke! Thanks to JJ for sharing with me about the gig with United 50. which reminds me, to see more of Mr.BB check out his little Sunday gathering, Hot Rod Church for Sinners.
"Cheers"

R/Co. Inspired: WWII Aviation Collection.

While digging through a few images files that I have stored on my computer I re-discovered this image that I must have scanned a while back from some book about collecting WWII uniforms and insignia. (Not sure of the name of the book)
What a fine tight knit and well edited collection! Just thought I would share.

"Keep 'Em Flying"

Cheers.

On The Move.

The family and I have started to out grow our current abode, so a few weeks back the significant other, Mrs.P, found us a new spot to hang our hats. I of course just wanted to know if it had a suitable garage space for the studio... Alas it does not.... It has something better, a SHED! So last week the landlord (we're still renting) had the electrician put in some electrical outlets and an overhead light! It will be a little cozy moving from a 2 car garage to a 9"x7"(2.7432m/2.1336m) wood shed out in the back garden but it is just awesome! So Excited!
I am not sure how all of the fabrics, machines, patterns, paints, etc. are going to fit but it will be a good excuse to clean out some boxes of goods and really organize the mess of a workspace that I putter around in now.

I know it does not look like much now but it will be fun to watch it take on a life of it's own as I move in and get set up and back to work and give it an R/Co make over. Stay tuned.

Still have heaps to do to get ready for the show in Sep. along with Packing up the house and garage, and making some tweaks on the side project that I have been working on for some good folks back east. Also need to get onto turning in an application for some holiday craft fair coming up in Dec. So back to it....

'Keep 'em Flying'
Cheers.

Put The 2 Together.

So I am starting work on a new project idea for the REDCROW Quality Goods and was thumbing through the 'ol net and stubled upon the latest collection shots for Kato' out of the land of the riding sun. I am super stoked on the way they composed the shots for the products.

A nice mix of on body shots for some style andthen hanger or on the flat for others.






Then the nice use of two images side by side one full body one with a little close up detail.

well done! I am going to have to keep this layout style in mind.... More on that later.

If you want to go and see the full run down check it out here. And be sure to check out all of the other offering they have over there. The stuff is on point for sure.

Cheers.

End The Day WIth A Nice Glass of XXX.

This weekend took the 'ol family out to try a fine dining establishment here in the Pacific North West known to the locals and the world as XXX root beer drive-in. The food was good. The portions heaping. And the Root Beer they have been making since 1930 was an 8 out 0f 10.

But the best part, besides a nice tall frosted mug of brew, was the stuff on the walls, tables, shelves and even the ceiling. The two stand out pieces that got me going was the lamp over our table, an old texaco gas sign turned into lamp shade and the collection of area car club plaques.
If you are ever in the area and like a nice slab of meat on a bun (they also have a garden burger option for those who are into that kind of thing) with a side of crunchy fries and a good root beer give this place a try. If nothing more it is just fun. Oh and they only take cash or personal checks..... Whatever that is.

Give a shout out if anyone knows of some more interesting places to try up here in the North West of these here united states?

Cheers.

Mr. Winter

I have to pass on this post from A Time to Get! There are people in this world that just have IT. To some IT may be a nice house or a super rad talent or skill. To others IT may be a hot wife or girlfriend. To me IT is living the creative life you want and the chosen lifestyle. Enter 24 year old 'Mr.Winter'. This kid has IT, the job, the cars, and THE SHOP space. Now just the story of how this post came about it fun in it's own sense. It also shows that when we suck up and are willing to open our mouths and talk with complete strangers that awesome things can come about. Anyway go check out this post here.

Not only does the dude have the most amazing shop space ever he also makes things in it that are really well done. Check out the 'Mr.Winter' web site here.I hope this gets any of you out there who are lacking motivation to do your own creative thing, whatever it may be, to get out and make it happen.

Now go make something.
Cheers.

Workn' Shirt.

I really like the detail of this shirt. Also as of late I have been really liking the more rounded side seam to flat bottom hems. After I finish building some trouser and jacket patterns I am planing on working on a few new shirt patterns. I think this hem is a winner to go after and build.

Found it here, at workers.

Cheers.

What is Your Passion?

I am not the type of person who likes to do just one thing. I guess you could kinda call me a "Generalist". I think I have always been like this, even when I was younger. I remember when asked "what do you want to be when you grow up?" I never gave a one subject answer it was always something like, " A professional football player and an Astronaut and a Paleontologist". Though at times I find myself envious of those that have a focus or a passion on one particular thing. Don't get me wrong I have passion(S) but just one, that is hard for me.

One of those people that I am somewhat envious of, not only of her passion and focus, but also her skill yielding a brush is Taliah Lempert of Brooklyn NY. Her passion and focus is painting Bicycles! yep that is what she does, and she does it very well. She hosts a web site bicyclepaintings.com that is just filled with her work of both new and old, sketches and works in progress all of one simple subject, Bicycles. In here own words she says this about what she does.
" I paint bikes that are part of someone's life,or have been, or are intended to be. The bike they ride around, race, present themselves with. The right bike for the right situation. It's worn when ridden, locked, or crashed. It’s grimey, sometimes cleaned, sometimes not. How they chose it, how they use it and how they care for it. How each bike looks, develops because of a person. & says a lot. I’m not interested in creating a real scene, of a bicycle in a believable space. I'm interested in looking just at the bike. Like in old pictures, where saints are painted on a gilded surface. Or Pop art, with the subject not in a traditional space but on a flat ground.An everyday object with paramount importance. I like thick thick paint, splash and disregard lines aggressively brushed out and repainted.
I like the fight in it, I want to make paintings with movement and gesture derived from the bike. The bicycles that catch my eye and come into the studio open a door to new communities, people, and experience. My paintings are my framework to see the world."

Work in Progress.

Final Painting

There is a lot to see when you visit her site. With something as simple as a bicycle you might think it would start to loose it's excitment after viewing a few of her paintings or drawings but NO each one has personality and is unique so go check out her goods and even buy something from her in her if you want, she even offers a free screen saver download of over 100 of her paintings (P/C only though????)

Cheers.