The Art & Soul of America

I recently discovered these fantastic WPA-inspired posters designed by the Anderson Design Group‘s Joel Anderson and Andy Gregg for their Art & Soul of America collection.
 
Coincidentally, I also finally got around to watching Stephen Fry in America a couple weeks ago, which I highly recommend if you haven’t seen it already. Perhaps that’s why these posters resonate so much with me. Either way, I think the printmaking-influenced illustrations, vintage typography, and subtle aging effects perfectly capture the American aesthetic of the early 20th Century.

We created these posters for our new collection of classic American travel posters. Created to look like vintage prints from the early to mid-1900s, the series celebrates our cities and national parks. In addition to colors and well-crafted lettering, choosing dramatic perspectives adds to the grand travel era vibe of these prints.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

posted in Design · Read full story · Comments { 0 }

Cinnamon Walnut Banana Bread


 
Banana bread is the dish I bake most often, since I hate seeing overripe bananas go to waste and the rest of the ingredients are usually on hand. Lately, I’ve been experimenting with adding cinnamon and walnuts to give it an extra kick of flavor and texture. I have finally found just the right amount of both ingredients and would like to share my altered recipe. Enjoy!
 
 
Ingredients:
 
3 or 4 ripe or overripe bananas, smashed
1/3 cup vegetable shortening or melted butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts*
1 1/2 cups white or whole wheat all-purpose flour
 
 
Directions:
 
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). With a wooden spoon, mix shortening or butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, cinnamon, and vanilla extract. Sprinkle the baking soda, salt, and walnuts over the mixture and mix in. Mix in the flour last. Pour mixture into a 4 x 8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Remove from pan to cool on a rack. Slice to serve. Yields one loaf. Store at room temperature for up to one week.
 
 
* The amount of walnuts can easily be altered to your preference or can be left out entirely.
 
Please also note that using vegetable shortening instead of butter and whole wheat flour instead of white flour does not affect the taste. I prefer using the former ingredients to make the bread a bit healthier.

posted in Food · Read full story · Comments { 0 }

Dawn Gardner

Dawn Gardner is a print based graphic designer, digital illustrator, and book artist from the UK. Her work incorporates collage from found images, typography, and geometric elements to create dynamic compositions.

Creating collages both by hand and digitally is a huge passion of mine and I love collecting vintage magazines, books and other ephemera, finding beauty in recycling forgotten images into new narratives.


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Check out Gardner’s website to see more of her extensive portfolio.

posted in Design · Read full story · Comments { 0 }

Advanced Style for Karen Walker

While I was browsing my favorite blogs this week, I was delighted to see that the ladies from Ari Seth Cohen’s Advanced Style were chosen for Karen Walker‘s Spring 2013 Forever Campaign.
 
Advanced Style showcases fashion-forward seniors who prove that personal style truly gets better with age. Ilona Royce Smithkin, Joyce Carpati, Linda Rodin, and Lynn Dell, who are regularly featured in the blog, were photographed in their New York homes by Cohen for this campaign. Their fearless, eccentric, and sophisticated style truly enhances Walker’s creative eyewear designs.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Visit Advanced Style to see more photos for the Forever Campaign.

posted in Fashion · Read full story · Comments { 0 }

Hannah Christenson

Hannah Christenson is an American illustrator currently living in China. Much of her work is inspired by fantasy, history, and mythology, and contains a strong narrative quality. Each illustration has such exquisite mark-making and a dramatic sense of movement. The splashes of vibrant color and diagonal compositions add striking contrast within her body of work.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 
To see more of Christenson’s work, stop by her website, tumblr, and blog.

posted in Art · Read full story · Comments { 0 }