Each Little World

Angie Lewin: flowers and fabric

A few months ago I’d never heard of British printmaker and textile designer Angie Lewin. Now I find her name and her work wherever I look. Well, OK, I spend a lot of time reading English magazines and checking out blogs in the U.K. which might have something to do with it.

From her sense of color to her all-over patterns to her motifs taken from nature, Lewin’s work actually seems more Scandinavian than English — at least to my eye. Her style is instantly recognizable and practically jumps off the page where it’s featured in the September issue of the British edition of County Living.

There, serving as the backdrop to an article called “Designs of the Times,” was one of Lewin’s whimsical flower prints. The article went on to suggest that contemporary designers — like Lewin — are channeling Scandinavian influences from the 50s and 60s, thus reaffirming my first response. Lewin’s textile designs are available from St. Jude’s Modern British Gallery which sums up its approach to design as “Modern. British. Eclectic. And affordable.”

This image from Country Living May 2007 shows some of Lewin’s work along with her Eric Revilious’ Coronation mugs (top shelf, top left image). She’s used the mugs in some of her prints.

Lewin's limited edition linocut and wood engraving prints are “inspired by skeletal plant forms seen against the sea and sky of North Norfolk,” according to St. Jude’s. That’s clear the minute you look at one of them. Lewin has a deft ability to create recognizable plant images while simplifying and refining their structure — not quite to the point of total abstraction. She explores as well as explodes recurring themes like teasels and Queen Anne’s Lace. Her seed pods and stems are strong and sculptural without a hint of sweetness or sentimentality — not always an easy thing to do when the subject is flowers.

“Wild Garden,” a litho by Angie Lewin (above) is no longer available. But you can enjoy it in the gallery on her Web site. Not only is it a strong and successful piece of art but what a sophisticated color sense it exhibits. Imagine it as the starting point for an interior or exterior paint scheme!

Lewin’s “Dandelion One” and “Dandelion Two” prints (above left and right) were among the four nominations for the “Best in Fabric” category in the Elle Decoration Design Awards 2006. Other nominees were Timorous Beasties, Nina Campbell and Eley Kishimoto — very nice company and very nice work by Lewin.

All images from Lewin's Web site or St. Jude's.

Sweden: Living Design

For those of you enamored of all things Swedish, the distinctive eye (and lens) of The Sartorialist has been trained on the streets of Stockholm these last days of August.

This is my particular favorite : so Scandinavian, so traditional, so timeless.

Skip on over. You won't be disappointed ... because The Sartorialist never disappoints. He only discovers.

Photo: The Sartorialist / 8.21.08

Not just Swedes

Joni at Cote De Texas continues to amaze and inspire with her long posts devoted to one topic. The most recent, “A Swede Designs,” considers Lars Bolander, a Swede living and working in the U.S. who designs with a distinctly Gustavian attitude. The post is long and luscious with depictions of Gustavian style, both by Bolander and others.

But ultimately it sent me to my bookshelf to ferret out my favorite tomes on all things Swedish — actually, on all things Scandinavian. Up here, where we speak Minnesotan and Wisconsin, we find inspiration equally in Denmark, Finland, Norway and, yes, even Iceland.

Among many images, Cote de Texas showcased Bolander’s stunning new house on Oland Island. And for those who had their magnifiers out, you may have noticed the article about this new home was written by Elizabeth Gaynor, author of two superb books that are definitely worth owning. The following titles offer Scandinavian fare that may be unfamiliar as they are not recent publications, but all are worth searching out if you want to learn about the full spectrum of Scandinavian design.

``Scandinavia: Living Design'' (Stewart, Tabori and Chang, 1987) and ``Finland: Living Design,'' (Rizzoli, 1984) are at the top of my list. Both are written by Elizabeth Gaynor and stuffed with intriguing images snapped by Kari Haavisto.

They are arranged by broad themes and include a variety of eras and styles. So you’ll find Gustavian as well as many of the designers we think of as mid-century modern: Poul Henningsen, Alvar Aalto, Arne Jakobsen, Finn Juhl, Vernor Panton — and my personal favorite, Hans Wegner. You’ll also find the country home of Armi Ratia, the Finish woman who created Marimekko, and the sophisticated urban flat of her son, Ristomatti.

“Swedish Interiors,” by Rhonda Eleish and Edie Van Breems (Gibbs Smith, 2007) looks at Swedish design in the U.S. I can’t ignore the two Midwestern homes detailed in the book since both are here in Wisconsin: Ten Chimneys, the fabled home of the theatrical team of Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne in Genesee Depot; and New Sundborn, the Loran Nordgren ranch in Coon Valley.

Nordgren's home pays homage to artists Carl and Karin Larson, and like Ten Chimneys, is bright and lively. The two are in stark contrast to almost all the other houses where the more typical Swedish blues, grays and Gustavian furniture predominate.

Carl and Karin Larsson decorated and embellished the interior of their home in colors and a style that were innovations for the era, the late 1880s. Today the couple and their home are widely known and loved (see “Carl Larsson’s Home;” Addison-Wesley, 1978) as are Carl’s charming paintings that showed the family going about their daily lives in the highly personal home (see “Carl Larsson: A Home;” G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1974).

Lest you think Scandinavian design is all pale gray and blue, I leave you with this image of my favorite sweater (and matching mitts) from the glorious house of Oleana, whose designs are based on Norwegian folk costumes.

Uff da!