a blog about photography, design, art, architecture, ephemera, found objects, pop culture, anonymous, outsider art, folk art, self-taught art, illustration, beauty, esoterica, auctions, discovery, art environments, mystery, vintage stuff and the magic that can be found in everyday things.
(Above) Primitive general store nut and bolt bin with 87 drawers; c. 1900. (Above) Hand hooked and mounted rug (shirred), found in Pennsylvania; dated 1916.
(Above) Early 20th century folky 1915 banner weathervane.
(Above) Metal 7-Up advertising sign, 1950s.
(Above) Early 20th century circus banner, 7’ 11” tall x 9’ 2” wide.
(Above) Hand pieced and hand sewn early 20th century Amish mounted crazy quilt sham, 1914.
(Above) Primitive, over sized game board, c. 1940.
NUMBERS FASCINATE ME, ALTHOUGH I WAS ALWAYS TERRIBLE AT MATH. So, whenever I see numbers incorporated into a work of art, or on an object, I take an extra look. These numerical things were found on 1st Dibs.
Using Florentine brand papers from the Italian paper-maker Rossi, the Mast Brothers have given a quality look to their packaging. For a new business just getting off the ground, it’s a good move.
MICHAEL AND RICHARD MAST MAKE CHOCOLATE THE OLD FASHIONED WAY. And this is no hollow advertising slogan. These guys make their chocolate like 19th century artisans, a small shop making small batches. According to their Website, Mast Brothers Chocolate is the ONLY “bean to bar” chocolate makers in NYC and one of only a handful of chocolate artisans who do this in the entire United States. I call that significant.
Why is this significant? Part of what this blog is all about is passion. Passion to do something that you believe in; moving ahead at the risk of failure—something done in spite of others who say you can’t. I have showcased artists and dreamers, products that inspire not only me but others, architecture that dares to be different and sustainable products that recognize our ever pressing need to save our planet. Forgive the play on words, but Mast Brothers Chocolate fits that mold for me. What they are doing is about passion and we need more of that. Here’s a company who’s original intent is about making the best chocolate a person might taste. The brothers may find success beyond their wildest dreams if they never compromise on the quality of their product. Of course, “success” to these young entrepreneurs will have its own definition—and it may not be about money.
Speaking of chocolate, what have we Americans grown up on? Hershey’s chocolate would be the most common answer, if you can call it chocolate. Did you know that an actual Hershey’s “chocolate” bar contains only between 4% and 10% chocolate? Yep. The rest of it is various sugars, emulsifiers, milk solids, and other fillers.* (WikiAnswers.com)
The Mast Brothers chocolate is described as “handmade in delicate batches,” with 70% cacao! To accommodate this statement, their Brooklyn shop is only open on weekends and they ship (small batches, of course) to a handful of small shops around the country. In terms of packaging, they have simply wrapped their fine chocolates in pre-existing Florentine papers, by the Italian paper maker Rossi (who has been making fine papers since 1931)—not a bad choice for a new business like theirs. This is not to say that they will not need to create their own, uniquely branded packaging someday—but for now they have made a sound choice.
Bio: Rick Mast is a classically trained musician, playing piano and as an amateur—the banjo. He culled his culinary craft in heralded NYC kitchens such as Gramercy Tavern, Soho House, the Outermost Inn on Martha’s Vineyard and under Jacques Torres at his Manhattan chocolate factory.
Michael, prior to his career in chocolate, spent many years in finance for independent film and television in New York. Making chocolate was a studious hobby. Now, combining his love for cacao, travel and photography, he makes many trips to South America—selecting only the finest chocolate beans for his shop. Most of the cacao beans are sourced from small family farms in places such as Madagascar, Venezuela, Dominican Republic and Ecuador.
(Above) Unknown Hinson poster that was on the door. Click any image for larger view.
(Above) Unknown Hinson last night, photos by John Foster. Click any image for larger view.
Click any image for larger view.
Click any image for larger view.
(Below) Unknown Hinson at Stubbs in Austin. Performing “Silver Platter.” This was a private NAMM show sponsored by Tascam and Coffin Cases.
UNKNOWN HINSON IS A FELLOW NORTH CAROLINIAN, THOUGH TO CLAIM A CONNECTION TO HIM IS WELL, SORT OF FUN... I GUESS. MAYBE? My buddy Bob and I went to hear him perform last Thursday night at Mad Art Gallery in St. Louis, and the KING was rocking down the house. Yes, I said THE KING, baby! With just his 3-piece group—Unknown is one weird, straight ahead, hard rocking, hellava Rickenbacker-playin’ SOB!
How would I describe this Carolina cat? Hmm-m-m. He’s a conglomeration of many things—rockabilly, tent evangelist, “ladies man” vampire maybe? I like to think of him as something one would hope to stumble onto while on a road trip.
Here’s the scenario: You and you best buddy are traveling through the South... how about North Carolina? You get off the highway to take a back road to save time. It’s late, almost midnight and you find you are low on gas. Hoping to find a station open— you now wish you hadn’t committed to this back road! Hoping against hope, and finally driving on fumes, the car dies. Dammit! You pull over. It’s dark as pitch and kind of creepy when... you hear… music!! There must be a club nearby, someone there can surely help. The sound of an electric guitar is rifting across your ears—and not from down the road, but from across the tobacco field to your right. The music is intoxicating —what’s that? Was that a gunshot, or were you just hearing things??
You start walking through a red clay tobacco field and after about 15 minutes—finally—you see lights—looks like a little clapboard house or club of some kind. About a dozen cars are there—all of them beaten down redneck crappy cars and trucks, most with gun racks. There is a man with no shirt passed out in the bed of the first truck you pass as you step up to the screen door of the club. Yikes! You exchange glances with your friend and both of you know—this is gonna be interesting.
The sound inside is hard rock and deafening, and there are whoops and hollars and catcalls coming from the inside.
Anyone want to finish this story line for me? Just go to comments!
IN THE UKRAINE, A COUNTRY WHERE FEMALES ARE VICTIMS OF SEXUAL TRAFFICKING AND GENDER OPPRESSION, a new tribe of empowered women is emerging. Calling themselves the “Asgarda,” the women seek complete autonomy from men. Residing in the Carpathian Mountains, the tribe is comprised of 150 women of varying ages, primarily students, led by 30 year-old Katerina Tarnouska. Reviving the tribal traditions of the Scythian Amazons of ancient Greek mythology, the Asgarda train in martial arts, taught by former Soviet karate master, Volodymyr Stepanovytch, and learn life skills and sciences in order to become ideal women. Little physical documentation existed on the tribe, until recently, when renowned French photographer, Guillaume Herbaut, met the Asgarda back in 2004 in the midst of the Orange Revolution.
Finding their involvement with the revolution intriguing, Herbaut spent fourteen days photographing the tribe for “Le Retour des Amazones.” As apparent in several of the photos, the Asgarda idolize Yulia Volodymyrivna Tymoshenko – a key figure in the Orange Revolution and leader of the “Fatherland” party. Hoping to convey “the tradition, the legend, and the uneasiness among women in Ukraine”, Herbaut’s photographs portray devout and austere females in traditional and newfangled garb brandishing braids, battle axes, and boxing gloves.
While Herbaut is uncertain if the photos are a good representation of the tribe, he adds “They were very happy when they saw the pictures. They want to show their strength.” When asked of his impressions of the Asgarda prior to and after photographing them, he remarked, “My first impression was ‘Asgarda is the root of a new sect’. My second impression was ‘Asgarda is the root of a new sect’!” New sect or the rebirth of a previous one, the Asgarda are reclaiming their lost independence, and, if Herbaut’s photographs are any indication, they aren’t afraid to fight for it.
(Above) Alison ’89 AR and Medallion, Baltimore, MD
(Above) Alison, ’92 Stephen and Tuna Salad, Baltimore, MD
(Above) Alison: ’82 AR Ballerina, Bel Air, MD
THE FIRST TIME I LAID MY EYES ON THE PHOTOGRAPHS BY JACK RADCLIFFE, I WAS HOOKED. I can tell you this, I have looked at a lot of photography in my life, and I am hard to please. Radcliffe is one of those photographers who has a unique ability to get inside his subjects life. What he does is difficult—gaining the trust of his subjects in order to find what is real and what is not. As well, Jack has that special set of eyes—where he can see (and capture) the extraordinary moment within an everyday, mundane, constantly changing experience.
If you like what you see, you can learn more by checking out his Website here. He is also represented on the Behance Network.
(Above) Americana and folk art dealer Tim Chambers stands next to his booth at the Queeny Park Antiques Show in St. Louis, Missouri last Saturday. Click on image for larger view.
(Above) This 100-year old architectural gable caught my eye immediately. I had to learn more, and Tim Chambers obliged not only with an oral history, but a 100-year old photograph of the house it came from just outside of Rochester, Minnesota. Click on image for larger view.
(Above) Detail. Click on image for larger view.
(Above) Tim Chambers believes strongly that what you see of paint on this gable is the original paint and it was painted at the turn of the 20th century. Click on image for larger view.
(Above) Look at this beautiful detail, showing the tree of life at the center, with the rays of the sun extending from each side. Click on image for larger view.
(Above) This photo, dated 1906, is the holy grail of the architectural piece. If you click on the image, you can see the gable, right at the peak of the roof. This is a great photo, the Dee family, (Frank, John and Katharine and their Collie dog) standing proudly in front of their Minnesota homestead—a personification of the American dream.Definitely, click on this image!
WHENEVER I AM FORTUNATE TO SEE FOLK ART DEALER TIM CHAMBERS, you can bet he’ll have some great objects for sale. Tim is not only a great guy, he’s an expert in early American folk art gameboards, and his book The Art of the Game is widely considered one of the finest books ever published on the subject. You can order it here (while it lasts!)
Now let me tell you about the find of the day. The architectural Victorian-styled gable from a Rochester, MN farmhouse was just outstanding. The piece is hand made and measures about 10’ long and 5’ tall overall. Gabled ends such as this were considered the crown jewel of these otherwise simple dwellings. This example is in a near perfect state of preservation. The design elements include the expected stick and ball as well a a center “tree of life” with sun bursts on either side. This beauty has survived well over one hundred freezing Minnesota winters and summers—so imagine the stories it could tell.
The house today is, unfortunately, near ruin. Tim says that some farm animals have been housed there—and hay is stored in the house as well. It is really a blessing that this particular architectural remnant could be saved, as the house is about to be torn down.
If you are interested in the piece, or if you would like to learn more about it, you can email Tim by going to his Web site, Missouri Plain Folkhere. Or, give Tim a call at 573.471.6949.
(Above) Primitive general store nut and bolt bin with 87 drawers; c. 1900.
(Above) Hand hooked and mounted rug (shirred), found in Pennsylvania; dated 1916.
(Above) Metal 7-Up advertising sign, 1950s.
(Above) Early 20th century circus banner, 7’ 11” tall x 9’ 2” wide.
(Above) Hand pieced and hand sewn early 20th century Amish mounted crazy quilt sham, 1914.
(Above) Primitive, over sized game board, c. 1940.
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