More ghost signs in our city, I wanted to post these more often but I also didn’t want to over do it. Even though these are fading, the ghost signs around our city are beautiful and inspiring. Whenever I come across one that I love, I can’t even begin to imagine all the hard work it took to hand paint these. Take a look:

Photos above by Don Henderson

Photo by Patricia

Photo by JMazzolaa

I posted this one before at an angle but came across this front shot by JMazzolaa

Photo by Katherine

I see this one outside my office.

Murphy’s and Robbins by erjkprunczýk

Have you seen the 1968 exhibit happening at the Heinz History Center? I saw it briefly during Pittsburgh Vintage Mixer then I decided to go back so I could spend more time looking at everything.
 
The exhibit is really impressive and interactive. You can listen to actual audio at different stations, check out items from that era, photographs, records, fashion, historic facts and more. I was born 10 years later but I really appreciate this and through my parents, I have heard a lot about the changes that took place. I noticed while walking around people talking about their memories in that time.

Actual helicopter from the Vietnam war.

Beer, food, knife and more from the war

I especially loved the design of the icons and signage.

I want this for my wall!

The first time I saw this statue of Mister Rogers, I started to cry a little bit.

This kitchen is actually upstairs but I had to add it in!

This exhibit is closing on May 12th, I sincerely recommend checking it out! There’s so much more to take in that I could even put in one post! I want to thank Quelcy Kogel of the awesome site With The Grains and the Heinz History Center.

Whenever you hear the term CSA, we think of farms + food! You sign up, pay and then receive a box of delicious fruits, veggies and eggs to eat. This year, there is another type of CSA which is really exciting and it’s called CSA PGH which stands for Community Supported Art. Instead of food, you can purchase art by local artists. Six artists were commissioned to produce one edition-able work in a quantity of 50, the examples of creations include photographs, small paintings, prints or a sculpture. The six artists include Lenka Clayton, David Bernabo, Alexi Morrissey, Kim Beck, Ed Panar & William Kofmehl III.

The artists got together earlier this month for SIX x ATE dinner and did presentations of projects similar to the ones they are creating for the CSA.

David Bernabo explaining the sound piece he’s making. This is an image of another record of his.

Ed Panar is a photographer and here he is talking about one of his photography books.
 

An individual share will consist of one work from each of the artists and will cost only $350. This is a great way to support local artists and own work without paying a ton of money. Sales go live beginning at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, April 30, 2013 on www.csapgh.com. The site has the information on there and includes information on each of the artists that are participating. Here is an interview that you can listen to about the project on WESA.

Happy Spring!!! Check out this month’s Pittsburgh Wallpaper Series by designer Melissa Frost. Melissa and her husband Brad just moved to Pittsburgh from NYC! From what she tells me, they are loving the area so far. I’m so glad they decided to make Pittsburgh their home!
 
What inspired the piece:
This is my first Spring in Pittsburgh and it’s absolutely gorgeous. Coming from NYC, I am so grateful for all the natural beauty Pittsburgh has to offer. Frick Park in particular is my zen oasis away from the city where I can revitalize myself on a walk with my dog. With all this Spring inspiration, I wanted to show my Pittsburgh love sans industrial smoke stacks and black and yellow colors. At first, I sketched out the “PGH” initials and then decided to redraw it in Illustrator to create a swirly spring monogram.
 
About the artist:
Melissa covers a diverse spectrum of user experience, graphic design and illustration. She designed Nike+ Fuelband’s Mobile App, is currently illustrating a children’s book, she runs a jewelry shop on Etsy and is now the Online Community Manager for Cotton Bureau.
 
I am in love with this piece and the colors are perfect for this time of year! I want to thank Melissa for contributing to the Pittsburgh Wallpaper Series! You can follow her on twitter and check out her work on her site and view her Etsy store.
 
2560×1440 // 1900×1200 // 1680×1050 // 1440×900 // 1280×1024 // iPad // iPhone // iPhone5

Last Saturday I finally made my way over to East End Book Exchange which is located right on Liberty Avenue in Bloomfield. Lesley has a great selection of books and I love that she features local art on the walls which gives the space a nice burst of color. I think my favorite part was the vintage Pittsburgh books I came across.

Take a peek:

April is National Poetry month!

Throughout the store, vintage pieces are around and they are also for sale! Bess Dunlevy of Red Pop Shop and Pittsburgh Vintage Mixer is responsible for these. You might leave the store with books and a great lamp!

This local mural is fantastic, it’s “Bridging the Generations of Bloomfield” by Monika McAndrew
 
To keep posted on East End Book Exchange’s happenings, go like their Facebook Page. Also, Lesley is always interested if you have any ideas for workshops at the store!

I was so excited when we were finally able to set a time up to visit Alissa and Jeb’s lovely home in Lawrenceville. Their home is in the 48th street rowhouse I posted a few weeks ago. The architecture and interior help was by moss architects and Botero Development is responsible for all the hard work that was put into the rowhouse to make it beautiful and livable.

When you walk in, their home has a very warm, contemporary and rustic feel to it. What I noticed right away in their space is the artwork, patterns and wood everywhere. It all goes well together and makes you feel like you want to move in!

Television sets are the first thing I notice when I walk into a room, only because they never blend in and some people love their big screen tv’s! This is where their television is hidden in a creative way. The wooden cabinet was built by Wade Caruso.

Alissa gives us a little insight to the inspiration for their space: “We’re inspired by travel and wanderlust, nature and animals, a love of color and textiles, and an appreciation for the uncommon and all things handmade. Our home is illuminated by the presence of books, music, flickering candles, and sleeping dogs.”

Alissa: I’m also obsessed with lighting and the mood it evokes when done well.  Most of our lighting fixtures are outfitted with Edison-Style lightbulbs (equipped with dimmers, of course.)

Alissa: The majority of our art collection is comprised of work by Pittsburgh-based artists.  Often jokingly called “The Paris of Appalachia.” Pittsburgh is rich with amazing art, architecture and a vibrant cultural scene. Our art is a reminder of how lucky we are to live in a city brimming with creativity and reinvention.”

Their biggest Indulgence:  Our built-in bookcases constructed of reclaimed wood made by a local friend and craftsman Wade Caruso.  We’re in awe of them and they prove to provide a beautiful backdrop for our beloved book collection.

Poster was created by Thommy Conroy

Advice: I’m a firm believer that kitchens should be bright, playful and whimsical. The kitchen is the heart of the home and therefore shouldn’t be too stuffy or serious.

I’m a fan of the simple subway tile on the kitchen walls and the use of the open shelves.

Alissa:Another splurge was the tile used in our powder room and guest bath. The tiles were hand-screen-printed by award winning UK textile designer Dominic Crinson

Alissa: Our staircase was constructed from new oak, but felt out of place, so we stained the oak a dark walnut color to match some of the darker, richer elements in the home.

The record player is from the set of “The Perks of Being a Wallflower!”
 
I want to thank both Alissa and Jeb for having us over and letting us take a peek into their lovely home. Alissa is the owner of Pavement in Lawrenceville which has been in the neighborhood since 2006!

I was pretty excited to hear that my friend Val Head was putting together a workshop that combined Coding + Screenprinting! I have sort of heard about this process but I haven’t seen any workshops like this in Pittsburgh.
 
If you do not know who Val is, she is a designer, speaker, consultant and does various other fun projects that are rad. Her and her husband Jason started the awesome one day conference Web Design Day and they also run Refresh Pittsburgh! I was curious about this workshop and decided to ask her a few questions:

I know you are passionate about silkscreen printing and coding, when did you start combining both: I had been doing both separately for quite a while but never really considered combining the two until I realized the kind of PDF output you can get from Processing. With just a few lines of code, you can save PDFs with vector shapes from Processing that you can pull into Illustrator. Discovering that was key to me finding more ways to use Processing. I know the idea of combing coding with screen printing isn’t totally unique to me, but I think it makes for a really fun process.
 
Taking a piece from the digital to the physical can give it a completely different feel than it had on screen. There’s such a rigidness to programming but you can make tiny changes endlessly. Screen printing is messy in comparison and harder to control. Once the ink is on paper, there’s no going back and you just have to go with the flow. They’re two very different headspaces to be in, so it’s like a little adventure every time.

I don’t think I have seen a workshop like this in Pittsburgh, how and when did you come up with the idea to teach your own: I don’t think I’ve seen one around here before either, which is pretty cool. I first thought of putting the workshop together while teaching an Intro to Creative Coding with Processing workshop last year. I was talking to one of my students about how Processing can be used for print pieces in magazines. His response made me realize that a code to screen printing workshop might be something I could get people interested in.
 
The hardest part was finding a venue. Luckily the guys at CommoWealth Press and Nina at Assemble are all awesome folks and were really excited about the idea too!

 
Do you think coding can be considered a whole new way of creating prints and artwork:
I don’t think it’s a new concept. ( Creating printed works from code is something that’s been done in a variety of ways both in print production and art applications.) But, I think it’s definitely something artists and designers should try if they haven’t before. I find that designers and artists approach coding with a completely different viewpoint than programmers which results in some wonderfully creative work. Code is just another tool to be creative with when it comes to creating art.

Are you thinking about doing more of these workshops in the near future:
I’d like to! I don’t have any scheduled beyond the one on April 6th yet, but I’d like to do more in the future. I’ve had some enquiries from events and studios in other cities. It would be really fun to take this workshop on the road too!
 
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There are only a couple spaces left in the Processing: From Code to Print workshop! Val decided to keep it small, so go to the site and purchase your ticket NOW! Thank’s so much to Val for the interview and I hope to see more work shops like this soon!

This year we got a sneak peek into the creation of these lovely awards they are giving out. They are porcelain trophies that were sketched by Nick Caruso and created by Amy Hamley of RedRaven Studios. I think it’s great that the winners get to take a unique handmade item home with them. Also, Nick Caruso created this year’s logo and invitations which were pretty amazing. All the folks at AIGA Pittsburgh put a lot of work into this event so high fives to everyone and I know tonight will be a lot of fun!

This is Lindsay’s 375 square foot apartment on the North side. A few years ago when she rented the place, these before photos give a you an idea of what it looked like! Despite the space being a little rough looking, she decided to rent it anyway. At the time she wanted an apartment close to her job and within walking distance.

There are people in NY that will completely give their rental a makeover but it’s not so common in Pittsburgh unless you own your home. I really admire Lindsay for taking on the task of creating a comfortable space for herself. She did an excellent job with the help of her friend Thatch. You can see in the after photos there is a beautiful brick wall hiding!


Typical dingy Pittsburgh attic.

 

AND……….TA…DA……..

The stove, sink, the wood countertop and fixtures are from Construction Junction.

by Ayanah Moor

by Lindsay O’Leary

She has a great collection of artwork , these pieces are just along her stairway.

by Lindsay O’Leary

by Keny Marshall

left by Shannon Knepper and right is by Michael Cuccaro

by Lindsay O’Leary

Lindsay loves tiny figurines. This one is on her stairs.

by Tom Sarver

by Katherine Young

She turned her attic into a bedroom, even though it’s small and you can’t stand up all the way, it’s so cozy and warm looking.

A little nook that was built for her computer and books.

by Anne Angyal

This is Eli
 
I want to thank Lindsay for inviting me over to her lovely home and showing off her space.

My friend Josh showed me this new quarterly magazine that is being produced, which goes by the name Rustbelt Almanac. It’s a new quarterly magazine that wants to cover all the amazing people doing things in the Rust Belt region which goes from the Northeast area across to the Midwest. I do like that it’s more than just a Pittsburgh magazine. There are a ton of creative folks in other cities and there is a need for an interesting magazine that’s not full of ads and designed well. So far, I like what I see.

Whenever I released the Steeltown magazine, people said I should have done a Kickstarter, I was shy and didn’t listen. It doesn’t look like it’s all that intimidating! I think seeing how these guys did it so well is encouraging to others like myself to produce more independent publications. One thing that they say in the video that I completely agree with is, it’s nice to hold something in your hands and keep it to look through. Visit their Kickstarter page and support this publication!