Thank you Chris for your kindred spirit, warm friendship, generosity and courage… you are sorely missed by all who had the honor of knowing you.
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Yesterday I and many others were shaken and grieved to the bone upon learning of the sudden premature death of Chris Al-Aswad. Chris is founder and senior editor of the extensive online arts journal Escape Into Life. He had just celebrated his 31st birthday on July 16th.

Chris was a very dear friend and ally, a trusted confidant and an ardent supporter of AQ-V. I feel as though a piece of me has been ripped away. It hurts deeply. For Chris was the type of person who made a mark on you immediately. He was highly unusual as he lived life with no facade or pretense and never halfway. In fact, I don’t think he knew how to do otherwise. It was not in his mechanism; it was not congruent with his inner core. Chris brimmed with substance, depth and sincerity; he questioned everything with childlike innocence and he was equally complex. (Being of Jewish-Iraqi heritage, one can’t easily avoid being complex.) Chris was passionate about life, friendship, writing, art, traditional beauty, unconventional beauty and was fiercely loyal and supportive of not only his friends but his vision for Escape Into Life and its members—a vibrant online community of creatives including visual artists, writers and musicians. He approached life with fervor, inquiry and discovery—taking a cue from his remarkable mother Rosalind who EIL was created as a tribute to last year.

It is staggering the amount of content Chris produced along with his contributors—a vast library of poetry, essays, reviews and nearly 2,000 artist profiles—plus the huge following he attracted in just a year’s time. Chris was remarkably knowledgeable; he presented and informed us of art and literature from antiquity to contemporary; he wrote brilliantly and with gusto. No one could ever accuse him of being one dimensional; instead his interests were quite broad and always intense. In fact, Chris was very intense. Like many of us creatives, he was a bit manic. Well, more like a whole lot manic in the case of Chris. He would frequently go 48 hours or more without sleep and little to eat, working tirelessly on EIL for no pay whilst writing articles for other blogs, etc. on the side to foot his bills. His emotions ran the gamut from euphoria to much less so. Chris often told me EIL kept him sane and was the only thing holding him together. I was worried and chided him as I was concerned he would make himself super ill if he did not pace himself and obtain some better balance. I had learned of my own lack of invincibility the hard way years ago in my late 20s. I was encouraged by a recent email from him in which he boldly declared he was not a @#$%!! machine and he had begun to back off a bit. Thank God, I responded. We all need to be recognize we are not a machine.

Life is unforgivingly fragile and goes by much too fast. The untimely death of our precious friend Chris serves as a painful reminder, one which I protest with all my heart.

Slow down, slow down… a word of caution to us all.
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Read a terrific interview with Chris back in 2008 where he openly and honestly discusses his aspirations, passion for writing, obstacles (including his former drug addiction) plus the importance of relationships. For those who know him, you will smile widely knowing him better and for those who did not know Chris you will certainly wish you had.

>> Interview with Chris Al-Aswad
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>> Escape Into Life
>> @EscapeIntoLife
>> Blog of Innocence
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Chris is to be laid to rest this weekend. Prayers of comfort and support for his family. Today is a day of remembrance and gratitude for Chris’s life and contributions. You can participate on Twitter using the hashtag #TYChris.

View Chris’s obituary and sign his guestbook here.

(AQ-V posts will resume next week.)
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Cultural Presentations | Designed by Arnold Saks

Near East Emergency Donations | Designed by Arnold Saks & Peter Kramer

Espacio S.A. (furniture store) | Spain | Designed by Felix Betran

Inco International Consultants | Germany | Designed by Hans Lambach

Totem Vernici S.R.I. (manufacturer of lacquers) | Italy | Designed by Franco Maria Ricci

Internationale Union Für Geodäsie Und Geophysik
(14th General Meeting of the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics)
Switzerland | Designed by Hansruedi Widmer

Fédération des Travailleurs de Québec (Québec workers’ federation)
Canada | Designed by Pierre-Yves Pelletier

R. Lüscher (electrician) | Switzerland | Designed by Peter Schaufelberger

Randax Ltd. (data processing company) | Designed by Roy Walker

Crawley Films Ltd. | Canada | Designed by Ernst Barenscher
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A new batch of classic logo designs via my collection of vintage Graphis publications.

>> See additional vintage logos in my flickr set
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Sandi Vincent grew up in the bay area of California surrounded by mid-century modern architecture and other influences responsible for her affinity for the period and its pop style, including her early exposure to The Monkees, The Avengers and Gerald McBoing-Boing. Sandi now resides in Portland and is a board member of a local nonprofit preservation group, the Mid-Century Modern League. In her day job at a community foundation, she sports the web/social media/print materials coordinator title.

Follow Sandi on Twitter > @SandiV
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Turning Out the End Product – Proteins by the Thousand
by Samuel Maitin | Growth: Life Science Library, 1965

Well Nourished & Protected – An Envelope of Cerebrospinal Fluid
by Joseph Lambandero | The Mind: Life Science Library, 1964

The Manufacture of Building Blocks – What the Cell Needs
by Samuel Maitin | Growth: Life Science Library, 1965

[ Images ©1964 & ©1965 Time, Inc. All rights reserved. ]
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Philadelphia artist Samuel Maitin (1929–2005) is author of 2 of the fantastic illustrations above plucked from my growing arsenal of mid-century science books. Unfortunately, I was not able to locate information on the second artist Joseph Lambandero. But I did find a pair of extensive feature articles on Mr. Maitin and his work in the University of Pennsylvania’s publication, The Pennsylvania Gazette, one written posthumously.

I learned that over his career Samuel Maitin worked as a teacher, printmaker, graphic designer and finally as an international artist. His silkscreen prints, paintings and sculptures are found in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Smithsonian Institution in D.C., the Tate Gallery in London and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. He also had major exhibitions in London, Paris, Frankfurt, Tel Aviv and Tokyo. Mr. Maitin is best known for his public art in communal spaces around the globe, both his signature murals and three-dimensional works. Also of note, he chose to remain in Philadelphia even though he had several opportunities to move to New York, including when he was offered the opportunity to redesign Time Magazine.

I seek out the delightful in life,” he told the Gazette in 1987. “Like I.B. Singer, I believe that life is a series of small miracles. And I think it’s important to express this vision. I try to nurture the child in me—the innocence, the curiosity, the originality, the exultant primitivism.

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For further reading:
>> The Art of Life – The Pennsylvania Gazette, 2005
>> Sam Maitin’s Sistine Chapel – The Pennsylvania Gazette, 2001
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Point Blank | Soviet Life, January 1988
by Pyotr Mikhailov

Multi-page article regarding the assassination attempt on Vladimir Lenin—the first head of the Soviet state—August 30, 1918. Reportedly, the poisonous bullet remained in Lenin’s body until 1922.
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Earlier this month I featured logotypes of the Soviet press scanned from my May 1987 copy of the historic Cold War propaganda publication Soviet Life. Above and below are intriguing spreads from another SL in my collection, January 1988. This issue chronicles the 70th anniversary of the October Revolution celebrated with gusto the previous year.

October & Perestroika: The Revolution Continues | Soviet Life, January 1988
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In October 1956, the Soviet and US Governments agreed to allow each other to publish a magazine in their own nation, but limited circulation to 30,000 copies per issue. The Soviet Government published a magazine entitled Soviet Life (formerly called The USSR, now called Russian Life), while the US Government published Amerika.

Soviet Life was generally not a political magazine, in the sense that it rarely delved into the political issues of the day, nor did it talk about political theory, etc.* Instead it focused on Soviet culture (including national minorities), science, education and health care. The last issue of Soviet Life was published on December, 1991. –Marxists.org

*Most SL issues may not have delved into political topics, but certainly this January 1988 issue did. It is a contrast to my other copies that are largely focused on the Soviet arts, culture and/or humanitarian projects. Possibly as the Soviet Union was crumbling rapidly at this stage, they were pulling out all the stops as part of a last ditch effort to glorify their dying political machine. Or simply they were keyed up from their 70th anniversary celebrations.

Humanity’s Finest Hour | Soviet Life, January 1988
by Pavel Antonov

Multi-page article featuring the festivities surrounding the 70th anniversary of the USSR. Celebrations began November 2, 1987 with the main festivities taking place on November 7th in Red Square.
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Today we address ourselves to the October 1917 Revolution, the ten days that shook the world, where we find both inspiration and instruction. Again and again we realize that the socialist choice was correct. The year 1917 proved that the choice between socialism and capitalism was the chief social alternative of our era, that in the twentieth century we progress only when we are seeking a higher form of social organization, socialism. This fundamental conclusion made by Lenin is as valid today as it was in his day.

The Revolution Continues | Soviet Life, January 1988 | Photo of Mikhail Gorbechev
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[...] the full text of the report by the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union at the jubilee meeting of the Central Committee of the CPSU, the Supreime Soviet of the USSR and the Supreme Soviet of the Russian Federation to mark the seventieth anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution, November 2, 1987.

Stalingrad: 45 Years After the Battle that Turned the Tide | Soviet Life, January 1988
by Vladimir Belyakov
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In mid-August (1942) news spread around the world about a major German push toward Stalingrad. The half-million-strong army, with 1,500 tanks to support it, crossed the Don River and rolled on across the steppe toward Stalingrad, which at that moment had no more than a small garrison to defend it. The Wehrmacht generals felt sure it was bound to fail—they saw no way for the Russians to hold it on a narrow strip of land with no room for maneuver. The Germans felt Stalingrad was a sitting duck. But the Russians thought differently…

Kostroma | Soviet Life, January 1988
by Marina Khachaturova – photographs by Vitali Arutyunov

Multi-page article on the city of Kostroma which was founded in the 12th century. Although suffering repeated raids through the 13th to 17th centuries the city has preserved much of its architectural heritage according to this piece.
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Kostroma is a truly Russian town and that is the reason directors use it as the location for films in which the action is set inold Russia or in the provinces. [...] Kostroma also attracts a large number of tourists in the summer. It has retained the charm of another era, the coziness and tranquility, even though new neighborhoods have also sprung up.

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For further reading:
>> Russian Life magazine – Wikipedia.org
>> Soviet Life magazine – Marxists.org
>> Amerika magazine – Wikipedia.org
>> The Press: The Voice of Amerika – 1949 TIME Magazine article
>> The Press: A Red Victory? – 1952 TIME Magazine article on the demise of Amerika magazine
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Brasília Residence | Architect: João Filgueiras Lima (also known as Lelé), 1980
Photo by ©Seier+Seier (see neighboring residence)

Brazilian Modernism cannot be reduced to two or three famous names, there is so much talent around. Three near-identical towers in Brasilia show the hand of a master, this is one of them.

Late modernism, c. 1980, dealing beautifully with the issues of climate in plastics, fiberglass and concrete. Detailing and surfaces nothing short of perfect.

Standing in front of a house like this, it becomes very difficult to remember exactly what postmodernism rebelled against. –Seier+Seier

Brazilian Parliament Building – Brasília | Architect: Oscar Niemeyer, 1960
Photo by ©Rick Ligthelm

Catedral de Brasília | Architect: Oscar Niemeyer, 1960
Photo by ©Daniel Fatori

Brazilian National Library – Brasília | Architect: Oscar Niemeyer, 1960
Photo by ©Luiz Felipe Castro

Brazilian Parliament Building – Brasília | Architect: Oscar Niemeyer, 1960
Photo by ©Rick Ligthelm

Cultural Complex of the Republic – Brasília | Architect: Oscar Niemeyer, 1960
Photo by ©Luiz Felipe Castro

Cultural Complex of the Republic – Brasília | Architect: Oscar Niemeyer, 1960
Photo by ©Florian Knorn

National Congress of Brazil – Brasília | Architect: Oscar Niemeyer, 1960
Photo by ©Marcelo Jorge Vieira

Palácio do Planalto – Brasília | Architect: Oscar Niemeyer, 1960
Headquarters of the Executive Branch of the Brazilian Government located at the Plaza of the Three Powers. Photo by ©Anne Marie
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Brasília, celebrating its 50th anniversary this past spring, is not only a planned city but it is also a planned capital which serves as a historic landmark in urban planning. The new capital—located in the center of Brazil—was inaugurated April 1960. Prior to the city’s remarkably quick construction, the area resembled a desert with no people, scarce water and plants.^[1] When seen from above, the main planned part of the city’s shape resembles an airplane or a butterfly.^[2]

Urban planner Lúcio Costa and architect Oscar Niemeyer intended that every element—from the layout of the residential and administrative districts (often compared to the shape of a bird in flight) to the symmetry of the buildings themselves—should be in harmony with the city’s overall design. The official buildings, in particular, are innovative and imaginative.
–UNESCO World Heritage Centre

Brasilia’s History:

President Juscelino Kubitschek ordered the construction of Brasília, fulfilling an article of the country’s constitution dating back to 1891 stating that the capital should be moved from Rio de Janeiro to a place close to the center of the country. The plan was originally conceived in 1827 by José Bonifacio, an advisor to Emperor Pedro I, who presented a plan to the General Assembly for a new city called Brasilia with the initial idea of moving the capital farther westward from the already heavily populated southeastern corridor. The bill was not enacted because Emperor Pedro I dissolved the Assembly.

Lúcio Costa won a contest and was the main urban planner. Oscar Niemeyer, a close friend of Lúcio’s, was the chief architect of most public buildings and Roberto Burle Marx was the landscape designer. Brasília was built in 41 months, from 1956 to April 21, 1960, when it was officially inaugurated. –Wikipedia

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For further information:
>> The History of Brasília
>> Wikipedia
>> About Brasília
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J.R. Geigy, Swiss Pharmaceutical Works Booklet Cover | by Jörg Hamburger
(booklet contained instructions for maintaining a uniform advertising style)

Leaflet for a French Sedative | by P. Praquin
Graphis Annual 56/57

Folder Cover for Deberny & Peignot, the French Type Founders | by Crous-Vidal
Graphis Annual 55/56

Large Envelope for Materials from a Photoengraver | by Walter Bosshardt | Switzerland
Graphis Annual 59/60

Card for Liver Ailment Remedy for South America | by Bucher-Cromières
Graphis Annual 55/56

Roche Vitamin Direct Mail Folder Cover | by A. Calabresi | Italy
Graphis Annual 59/60

Broadsheet for a Swiss Pharmaceutical Firm Specializing in Veterinary Products
by Gottfried Honegger (also listed as G. Lavater & G. Honegger-Lavater in other Graphis Annuals)
Graphis Annual 56/57

Promotion Folder of a Swiss Loan by a Belgian Bank | by Gottfried Honegger
(also listed as G. Lavater & G. Honegger-Lavater in other Graphis Annuals)
Graphis Annual 56/57

Direct Mail Piece for Pharmaceutical Product of Hoffmann-La Roche
by Oscar Julius Weiss | Germany | Graphis Annual 59/60

Folder Cover for Eardrops from Burroughs Wellcome | by B. Quayle | Great Britain
Graphis Annual 59/60

Booklet Cover Issued by an Organization to Promote the Use of Steel
by Jaques Nathan | France | Graphis Annual 59/60

Cooperative Mailing Piece Cover | by Sudler & Hennessey
(published by Saturday Evening Post for one of their advertising clients)
Graphis Annual 56/57
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Another serving of fantastic mid-century corporate design—this time featuring works from the 1950s. Check out Part 1 which highlights business communications from the 1960s.

>> See more in my MCM Illustration flickr set
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Sandi Vincent grew up in the bay area of California surrounded by mid-century modern architecture and other influences responsible for her affinity for the period and its pop style, including her early exposure to The Monkees, The Avengers and Gerald McBoing-Boing. Sandi now resides in Portland and is a board member of a local nonprofit preservation group, the Mid-Century Modern League. In her day job at a community foundation, she sports the web/social media/print materials coordinator title.

Follow Sandi on Twitter > @SandiV
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Disengage (music cover) | collage & mixed media
Original artwork included in the Society of Illustrators and Institutional show in NYC this spring.
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As promised, I am back with a terrific interview with nationally award-winning illustrator and designer Wayne Brezinka who is based in Nashville, Tennessee. I had the privilege of doing a preview of Wayne’s rich and conceptual work on AQ-V back in April. (Check it ↑) Via our interview I learned that Wayne has only being doing commercial illustration for largely the past 2 years which is quite impressive considering both the depth of his work and his client roster. Prior he worked as a graphic designer and art director.

Read/look on and enjoy. And as before I encourage you to follow the “see more” links to his blog where he documents his works and working process, frequently revealing his initial thought process and sketches.

Shop at David’s. Not Goliath’s. (Washington Post) | collage & mixed media | see more
Editorial illustration for an article on the death of small business.
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Q: Who is Wayne Brezinka?

A: I was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota and later moved to central Minnesota. I have one sister who is 2 years older, so there were just the four of us (Mom, Dad, my sister and me). We lived out in farm country on a dirt road. We had to drive about 25 minutes to the nearest town to do all of our shopping and what not. I had 39 kids in my high school graduating class. I’m a coffee and music snob and I’ve always been creative from an early age and remember feeling odd, different and not understood by my peers at school for being so.

I enjoy antique and junk stores, yard sales, anything old, worn and used as I’m always looking for what I might be able to make out of it or how I might use it within a collage or project. I started out as a designer way back when and have worked for several agencies, design houses and was an art director for EMI records for about 4½ years. I’ve been on my own and doing my art for about 8 years or so. I’m married and have three children, My daughter is 12, my oldest son is 8 and my youngest son is 3.

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How best to get to know your neighbors? May we suggest a sleepover?
(American Way magazine) | collage & mixed media

An editorial assignment created for American Way magazine. Stemming from a book by author Peter Lovenheim’s In the Neighborhood: The Search for Community on an American Street, One Sleepover at a Time. The article is entitled “How best to get to know your neighbors? May we suggest a sleepover?”

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Q: What was your first illustration job?

A: I think it was when I was 24 or so, and a recent transplant to Nashville… and if I’m not mistaken, it was to create marker renderings for a T-shirt or something… I was not that proud of it so I think I must have blocked it out! My first real professional illustration gig was with the Los Angeles Times right around the Obama, McCain campaign for presidency. I’ve really only been marketing my illustration to various AD’s and editorial publications in the last 2 years.

How best to get to know your neighbors? May we suggest a sleepover? (illo detail)
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How best to get to know your neighbors? May we suggest a sleepover? (sketches)
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Q: Your work is visually rich with layers and textures making it quite tactile as well. And it is also conceptually driven. Tell us about how you developed this style. And what does your work process looks like?

A: Early in my design career, I was ribbed quite a bit by my peers because I was always experimenting with the scanner. Old nails, wood, vintage papers, and even water and sand at one point!  They all ended up on the glass to see how they might scan and render! I also love paper and would run paper bags, canvas, acetate and many other things through the color copy machine. I do not recommend that however. It’s an expensive machine and God forbid something might jam it up or melt to the drum. YIKES! I would find some way to work all of this into the project I was working on at the time! It wasn’t until I began creating editorial images for clients such as The Los Angeles Times, Neiman Marcus and The Washington Post in the last couple of years that I began working on visual concepts and the message within my illustrations. My current goal is to work on creating smarter, simpler editorial images that communicate quickly and make people think. I believe the illustrator’s job is equally as important as the editor’s and find it a great honor and challenge to create the best image to accompany the article.

Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum | collage & mixed media | see more

Several weeks ago, I received a call from the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. They were nearing the end of compiling their latest, 2nd floor exhibit featuring all new artifacts, videos and music spanning several decades… from 1965–present. Their creative team thought I might be a good fit for this campaign and commissioned me to create 3 illustrations. A billboard, an illustrated version of their existing logo and a vertical and horizontal print ad were rendered. It was a hit upon delivery and continues to be successful campaign for them.

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Music (Illustration Friday) | collage & mixed media
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Q: What inspires you? And what/who has influenced your work?

A: I’m inspired by many things. God, coffee, beer, reading, honesty (this includes being honest with myself), passion in others, my children, my spiritual journey, the kindness of my wife, creative folks and of course other illustrators. One of my favorite collage artists is Romare Bearden. The first time I saw his work I couldn’t get enough! So rich, visually stimulating and creative. I believe it was on the cover of an album. I’m also influenced by some more contemporary illustrators such as Brian Stauffer, Katherine Streeter, Carin Berger (AQ-V interview with Carin ↑) and David Plunkert. I’m a huge music fan… artists like Nick Drake, U2, Miles Davis, Ray LaMontagne, The Black Keys and The Swell Season and often find my ears bending towards NPR programs such as All Things Considered and Fresh Air.

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Q: Curious to learn what fills your shelves, nooks and crannys?

A: Old vinyl LP’s (in particular, jazz icons such as Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, John Coltrane) tons of vintage papers, old books, yarn, sewing patterns, photographs of my family, artwork that my kids have made over the years, an original Mr. Potato Head that I’ve had for 10+ years or so, an original Etch A Sketch, anything vintage baby! I’m telling you, they don’t make things like they used to… toys, cars, homes, food packaging, it was all so cool way back when!

BarlowGirl project (cover detail) | collage & mixed media |  see more

16 page booklet, digipak on uncoated paper stock. The entire book will be filled with artwork, vintage photos (some, never before seen) of their past 10 years in the business.

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Q: What are you currently working on? And upcoming projects in the queue?

A: I’m working on an editorial illustration for The Society for News Design and just finished an image for American Way/American Airlines magazine. I’m also working on 4 CD package(s)/covers. One for Los Angles based band A Cursive Memory, and another CD project which will be a 16 page booklet, digipak printed on uncoated paper stock. The entire book will be filled with collage artwork, vintage photos, and other random, cool things related.  I have a few fine art pieces in Bennett Gallery and am working on finding additional homes around the country/world for more of my original collage work.

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Otter (children’s illustration) | collage & mixed media | see more
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Q: What type of project haven’t you done yet that you would like the opportunity to?

A: I have many dream clients such as Starbucks, Rolling Stone, The Guardian, Target, The Atlantic, TIME, Newsweek, The New Yorker, The New York Times, and so many others! The world of print is changing so quickly due to the internet and little by little I’m seeing how these and other companies are still utilizing and commissioning illustrators for their online business(s). It gives me hope.

FINGERPRINT No. 2: The Evolution of Handmade Elements in Graphic Design

Four Five of my illustrations (those above + the further above Death of Small Business editorial illo) have been selected for the upcoming Fingerprint 2 book compiled by Chen Design in San Francisco and published by HOW books. This has a tentative Spring 2011 street date. It is now available for pre-orders.

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Q: You have had such a terrific career to date which is very inspiring along with the wonderful nature of your work. What bits of advice might you offer to new illustrators who are just starting out in the field?

A: Create. Always create. Continue to move towards your dream. Figure out what it is exactly that you want and do something everyday to move toward it. You will get a lot of “no’s” and static buzz along the way but every now and then a “yes” will come in and that is how you grow your portfolio. Build on all of those “yes” opportunities and those open doors. Once a door is open and you are allowed in—push it down and blow ‘em out of the water by giving 110%. Always return your phone calls and try to return every e-mail and correspondence. You never know who you might be working for one day!
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Thank you Wayne for sharing your remarkable work, background, inspirations, advice and generous time! I look forward to keeping up with your upcoming projects.
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Wayne Brezinka is Brezinka Design Co., a multi-disciplined, nationally award-winning, independent illustration and design studio specializing in the arts and entertainment industries.

Clients include The Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Neiman Marcus, PASTE magazine, Robert Plant, Alison Krauss, John Carter Cash, Downtown Records, Lost Highway, Warner Brothers, Columbia Records and more.

See much more of Wayne’s work on his website + blog

[ All work & images ©Wayne Brezinka ]
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The Magic of a People | Poster, 1968
(image courtesy of máXimo: art & design research)
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Twentieth century New Mexico architect and designer Alexander “Sandro” Girard (1907–1993) is best known for his bold and playful, folk art-inspired textile work for Herman Miller; that is if you are familiar with this lesser known design star. Born in NYC to an American mother and French-Italian father, Girard was raised in Italy where he graduated from the Royal School of Architecture in Rome.

Fellow graphic designers may know Mr. Girard from his iconic mid-60s re-branding of Braniff International Airways—officially “the end of the plain plane”—where he designed a staggering 17,000+ items for the airline; everything from the textiles to the matchbook covers to sugar packets to travel language cue cards to the ticket counters to the color of the planes themselves. However less has been published about Girard’s poster designs. An internet search uncovered only a spattering of his print works. Fortunately being a former resident of New Mexico I knew who might be able to help, Albuquerque-based máXimo—the official agent to the Girard Estate.

The máXimo company has worked to re-introduce Girard designs to the contemporary marketplace since 2000 via strategic partnership with companies such as Chronicle Books and Vitra; in addition to introducing new works informed by Girard such as the fantastic Girard product line at House Industries.

If you are a Girard fan then I encourage you to join their mailing list to receive information about new products, special sales, upcoming events, etc.

Many thanks to máXimo’s Sarah Sheesley for sending me these terrific Girard poster images for this print-centric post. Keep scrolling to see and learn more…

Clean Up Our Land | Poster, 1970
(image courtesy of máXimo: art & design research)

The Girard Collection | Museum of International Folk Art – Santa Fe, New Mexico
Poster, ca. 1978-1981
(image courtesy of máXimo: art & design research)

Sarah informed me the original design is a large plexiglass movable sculpture that originally stood at the entrance of the exhibit.

Exhibition of African Fabrics | Museum of International Folk Art – Santa Fe, New Mexico
Poster, 1974
(image courtesy of máXimo: art & design research)

59 | New Fabrics designed by Alexander Girard for the Herman Miller Collection
Poster, 1955
(image courtesy of máXimo: art & design research)

The Nativity | An International Exhibition of Folk Art Celebrating the Birth of Jesus
Poster, 1962
(image courtesy of máXimo: art & design research)

Table Setting | by Alexander Girard for Georg Jensen
Poster, 1956
(image courtesy of máXimo: art & design research)

In 1956, Just Lunning, president of Georg Jensen, commissioned Girard to design seven table settings for an exhibition on 5th Avenue in New York. Each setting was created around a vignette outlining the personalities and situations of the company at the particular table. He created place mats and dishes specific to the project. –Wikipedia

[ All designs copyright Alexander Girard © ]
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(photos courtesy of Museum of International Folk Art)

Amongst the poster works highlighted on up above you see reference to Girard’s folk art collection and the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe. When guests came to visit me, a trip to the Girard Wing at the MoIFA was “required” tourism and always inspired awe.

Over the years, beginning on their honeymoon trip to Mexico in 1939, Mr. Girard and his wife Susan amassed a vast—in fact the largest cross-cultural folk art collection in the world totaling more than 100,000 works. 10,000+ of those items are on view permanently at the museum. The massive exhibit in the museum’s Girard Wing, Multiple Visions: A Common Bond, was designed by Mr. Girard himself. It opened in 1982 and includes toys, costumes, masks, textiles, nativities and other religious icons, paintings and more.

Objects were selected for their beauty, humor, whimsy, enthusiasm, spontaneity and directness and they illustrate humankind’s universal need to give form to a sense of ornament, play, delight, and wonder. The Girard collection of more than 100,000 objects is unique in part because of its size: intentional multiples in the collection resulted in a great depth to the holdings in many village traditions that are represented only superficially in other collections that contain similar material. The breadth is also staggering: more than 100 countries on six continents are represented. –Museum of International Folk Art

If you find yourself in Santa Fe or frankly anywhere close in northern New Mexico, I urge you to take in this exhibit and the other fine exhibits at the MoIFA. You will not be disappointed.
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For further reading about Alexander Girard’s legacy:
>> máXimo
>> Herman Miller
>> Dwell
>> Wikipedia
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“Art is only art when it is synonymous with living.”
–Alexander Girard
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Beecham Berlioz Overtures
Cover art by Rudolph de Harak | Date unknown

Dvorak Dumky Trio, Opus 90 – Smetana Trio, Opus 15
Cover art by Ernest Socolov | Date unknown

Strange Interlude – Lew Davies & His Orchestra
Cover art by S. Neil Fujita | 1961

Modern Piano Sonatas – Istvan Nadas
Artist unknown | 1964

Chaaaaaaa Chaaaaaaa Cha Cha Cha – Pepito Pavon & His Orchestra
Cover art by Bert Steinhauser | Date unknown

Ivor Novello’s Music Hall Songs
Cover art by Rudolph de Harak | Date unknown

Anatomy of a Murder – Music by Duke Ellington
From the Sound Track of the Motion Picture
Cover art by Saul Bass | 1959

Flutes and Percussion
Cover art by Murray Stein | Date unknown

Italian – McGraw-Hill Speak-It
Artist unknown | 1961

Magnificent Marches
Artist: unknown | Date unknown
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And yet another new batch of album covers from the thrifts. As always, more coming.

>> See previous installments here + flickr
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Cat on a Wall

Alligator in a Rainstorm

Tan Sketchbook 2007 | watch movie

Vagabond

Green Sketchbook 2004-2005 | watch movie

As Far as the Eye Can See

Black Sketchbook 2005-2006 | watch movie
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More remarkably rich and imaginative work by artist/illustrator Jon MacNair whose fiendish pen and ink/mixed media drawings I highlighted on AQ-V this spring. In my previous post you can learn about Jon’s background and his key inspirations. (Check it ↑)

[ All work ©Jon MacNair ]
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See additional sketchbook movies + much more work at Jon’s website + flickr + blog + shop
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