Natural, monochromatic abstraction is how one could describe this young artist's work. At times loud maybe slightly psychedelic, yet we wish paradise would be like his photographies. We might then convert to Christianity.

David Benjamin Sherry: "I think anyone who finds pleasure in the natural world would enjoy seeing these ancient rocks and mountains in surreal colors. I would assume that they would be thrilled that I was inspired by nature; I wouldn’t expect judgment from a nature purist."

Our friend Joachim Baan at Another Something & Co. has updated his platform which is brilliantly coded by Drost & Co. He founded the agency in 2007 and offers brand design, creative direction, fashion initiatives and collaborations.

Another Something & Co. creates and shares a world of beauty and is an inspiration to us. Thank you Joachim.

Established by Christian Andreas Speck in 1790 in Blankenheim, Germany, with a debut exhibition at the Leipzig Fair, Weimar Porzellan remains a stalwart in the elegant production of “white gold”. Even the great poet and privy councellor Johann Wolfgang von Goethe lauded the fine china when he remarked in a letter to Mrs. von Stein: “… The porcelain is very fine, better than what they make not far from here and yet it sells for a better price.”

Beaten from a single piece of fine, fire-gilded copper, its rim rolled around a length of wire, its tips pierced for suspension by silk ribbons and bearing three silver mounts finely-cast and chased in high relief: the centre-front mount being a representation of the crowned British Royal Shield of Arms of the period 1714-1801 superimposed upon a trophy-of-arms, flags and musical instruments and cannon and the two tip mounts being stylized Classical trophies-of-arms surrounding and descending from the ribbon holes and terminating in laurel wreaths.

Gorgets were the last remaining vestige of armour to be worn by infantry officers and in the British Army they were worn by officers when on duty.  They were a reminder of the first piece of armour to be donned and the last piece to be removed. By the end of the 17th century, when the power of firearms had finally banished armour from the battlefield, the gorget was retained as the symbol of the officer

Renaissance Belgian-Dutch duo Job Smeets and Nynke Tynagel of Studio Job operate at the flux between art and design. Picking up where the European tradition left off with the advent of the industrial age and mass production, most of their work interrogates relationships of the manmade vs. natural. Though often times dark and brooding, they also have a propensity for the playful and caricitural. With the violence and obscurity of El Greco and droll takes on iconography as Jeff Koons, they are modern day provacteurs who are intrepid in the face of shattering dogmas and challenging taboos. 

You ain’t seen color yet. That is until you’ve laid your eyes on one of the dynamic designs of Hoda Baroudi and Maria Hibri. With a flair for vintage and antique furniture as well as ancient textiles and tapestries from the Levant and Silk Road, the Beirut-based duo scissor and stitch their way with a ludic touch.

 Each piece is a pastiche of texture and color stories in crazy juxtapositions as the ever eccentric African Wax Prints. All design objects are handmade and reworked by local artisans using  recycled fabrics from regions as far reaching as Samarkand, Aleppo and Istanbul.

From the Elizabeth Day McCormick Collection

This woman's jacket was possibly worn by Grizell Wodehouse (d. 1635), the wife of Sir Philip Wodehouse. According to family legend, the jacket belonged to Queen Elizabeth and was given as a gift when ...she visited the Kimberly estate in 1578 for the knighting of Roger Wodehouse (d. 1588), Phillip's father. There is no evidence, however, that this provenance is true, particularly since the garment probably dates to after the queen's death.

According to a December 14th, 1941 letter from Elizabeth Day McCormick to Gertrude Townsend, the garment was said to be part of the "Kimberly Collection."

Hearkening back to our forbears, weaponry in pre-historic times was a direct product of our environment: spears made of flint or bone, ligneous bows and arrows and stone slings reinforced with vine or hide. From the time of the Assyrians and Babylonians to the Trojan War upheaval, it was ca. 3300-1200 BC when the copper and bronze age came into prominence with all its advanced implements as copper stabbing swords and protective battle armour.

Read full article here.

Now what is the difference between a Schweizer Dolch and a Japanese Tanto?

The dagger, mainly used as a thrusting or stabbing weapon, was also used for many ceremonial and ritualistic events often decorated with iconic regalia and ornate designs. The Scottish dirk believed to be a derivation from the Germanic Dolch was especially worn during formal occasions.

In Japan, Samurai were expected to commit suicide (seppuku) if they performed a disloyal act, if their master was killed in battle or even if they were defeated in the face of an enemy. The weapon of choice was the Japanese dagger (tanto) and the sacrificial act entailed an elaborate cut to the stomach, which was believed to be the seat of the soul.

Alexander Girard (May 24, 1907 – 1993) affectionately known as Sandro, was an architect and a textile designer born in New York City to an American mother from Boston and a French-Italian father. He was raised in Florence, Italy. A graduate of the Royal School of Architecture in Rome, Girard refined his skills in both Florence and New York.

Girard is widely known for his contributions in the field of American textile design, particularly through his work for Herman Miller (1952 to 1975), where he created fabrics for the designs of George Nelson and Charles and Ray Eames.

American artist Scott Fife has been exhibiting his amazing paper -cardbard sculptures and drawings since 1976 in galleries in Chicago, Seattle, Los Angeles and Vancouver, BC and in museums including the Frye Museum (Seattle), the Tacoma Art Museum, the Boise Art Museum, the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture (Spokane).

Introducing talents, products, brands and sites worth watching

Herbert Kapitzki, a former student of Willi Baumeister.

Typografische Monatsblätter, a Swiss magazine focusing on typography and photography.

Archie The Zombie, a Tumblr blog dedicated to zines, comics and illustrations of the Zombie-kind.

Lernert Engelberts, a director, writer and artist and Eike König loves his work.

Anti-Sweden, another design office to launched with their new Website and a new brand.

Black & White Collections, a Tumblr blog only for vintage photography.

Much like its sibling, Letterheady is an online homage to offline correspondence; specifically letters. However, here at Letterheady we don't care about the letter's content. Just its design.

Inprnt's mission is to get affordable, high-quality art to as many people as possible. They promise to use paper qualities that meet museum-quality and meet the strictest industry standards. The paper is internally buffered to resist fading and acid-free to eliminate degradation. Further they promise to use inks with a very high pigment density, allowing for the sharpest possible image, most ideal reflection of light, and widest range of printable color. The pigment colorant also resists water, light, and gas for superior archivability. The color and quality of our prints are made to last for generations. If you are an artist you can also sell your work on this site. Go check it out.

1stdibs is a marketplace for the most beautiful things on Earth, from antiques, mid-century modern to vintage watches, furniture, haute couture and more. And if anything is hip it is found here. Today, we discovered among many other gems a sculpture by Evan Penny.

Layr Wuestenhagen was established by Emanuel Layr and Thomas Wüstenhagen as a project room for contemporary art with an emphasis on young emerging artists from Austria and abroad, who work in various media (painting, photography, film/video, sculpture/object, installation). In September 2005 the gallery moved to a larger space (including viewing galleries, offices and related spaces) in Vienna's city center, surrounded by established as well as up and coming commercial galleries. Layr Wuestenhagen has maintained an imaginative programme of solo exhibitions, punctuated by frequent group shows. A substantial range of the gallery work takes place in cooperation with national and international institutions such as museums, galleries and art fairs. Since its foundation, the gallery has participated in international art fairs.