Went up for my brother’s wedding over the long weekend. Amazing to be out in the stars and trees with old and new friends. It’s times like these I wish could last forever.

So looking forward to this long Labor Day weekend. Not only because it’s a little vacation, but, we are heading up to beautiful Big Sur to eat, dance, sing for the union of my little brother and his lovely, soon to be wife. It’s going to be a big old party in the forest and some hot spring soaking in Esalen. I am ecstatic, bubbling with excitement, follow us on Twitter for skinny dipping and drum circles… just kidding. But, maybe we’ll be twittering at midnight while soaking in natural hot springs on the edge of the ocean. Maybe? Join us for some hippy fun.

Artist and friend, Nathalie Roland captures this special weekend perfectly, got this in the mail with the wedding invitation. Edition of 100, I am so lucky.

Do you want to send us snail mail? We love what you want to share with us.
Poketo HQ
510 South Hewitt Street
#506
Los Angeles, CA
90013

Poketo for Target artist Leah Chun does a little bit of everything, from animation, paintings, and drawings. If you’ve been following Poketo, you know you’ve seen Leah’s designs for years now. We are always blown away by her cute characters and her fantastic imagination. We were delighted to receive little painting for her interview. Here we go!

If you were stranded on an island, what would you need to survive?

A dear friend.

If you could have a mythical animal as a pet, what would it be?

The Birdfish.

What was the last dream you remember?

Giant insects dancing to the sunset.

What would your house in an alien jungle look like?

A mushroom villa.

What does your inner child look like?

A little girl with an acorn hat

Check out some of Leah Chun’s Poketo for Target collection items below. And more designs she did with Poketo at poketo.com.

More from Leah at LeahChun.com

I wish I could be there for this. Our good friend and artist, Gina Osterloh is presenting new work at thirtyninehotel in Honolulu, Hawaii, titled Los Angeles, California to Manila, Philippines : You Are My Blindspot (Part 1). Hawaii (situated between California and Philippines) is the first stop of this exhibition. Components of the show, which include photographs and a light installation, will then travel to exhibitions in Manila, Philippines and Los Angeles, California.

For those in Honolulu, Gina is giving an artist talk on Thursday, with the solo exhibition opening on Friday at thirtyninehotel. This is thirtyninehotel’s fourth installment of the artist residency program where they invite artists from outside of Hawaii to create art installations that consider and respond to the mixed-use aspects of the site as a gallery, bar, lounge, and event space.

thirtyninehotel
39 N. Hotel Street
Honolulu, Hawaii
Artist talk: Thursday, September 2, 6-8 pm
Opening reception: Friday, September 3, 5-9 pm
Exhibition dates: September 3, 2010 – November 27, 2010

See some of my favorites and more of Gina Osterloh’s work at GinaOsterloh.com

Melissa Contreras, one of our Poketo for Target artists, is a native Californian and a nature lover, as you might be able to tell from her art. Melissa tells us below about life in sunny Los Angeles, why it is so wonderful, and how it inspires her work.

I love hanging out at the beach. Since moving to Southern California over 10 years ago, I have lived all over, from Long Beach to Downtown LA. For the past two years Santa Monica has been where I live and work. I love getting my feet in the sand, catching some live music on the pier, grabbing brunch with an ocean view or bar hopping along the beach. I also love to drive up the coast to explore tidepools and search for dolphins. It’s amazing to be able to walk, bike, or take the bus to work. Traffic? What traffic?

There are amazing places to hike in Los Angeles. The view is breathtaking on a clear day. It’s so fun to explore new places, find pretty flowers and watch bugs doing their thing. My current favorite spots are Temescal Canyon and Topanga. It’s amazing that LA is such a big city, but we are surrounded by nature, I love it.

I find myself downtown a lot these days. I’m working on a jewelry line, called Axelhoney, and everything I need can be found there. From flame-proofing to mold-making–you name it—you can find a place that does it or carries the supplies for it here. If it’s not in Downtown, it’s just a hop, skip and a jump away. Not too mention all the great architecture and street art you see from point A to point B.

I’m a sucker for art openings. Some of my favorite galleries are Thinkspace, LeBasse & Corey Helford, where I rub elbows with inspiring artists and enjoy a free drink or two. Someday, I’ll be able to take some of their art home with me! Scion Space always puts on great events—last weekend I saw an amazing show featuring one of my childhood heroes, Ed Emberley. Another favorite spot of mine is Royal T. The owner, Susan Hancock, has a collection I can only dream about and it’s an amazing space to go get inspired. They have great food, cute waitresses and fun stuff in their pop-up shops. I was lucky enough to have some pieces in the Sanrio Three Apples show there last October.

I spend most of my time at home, hanging out with my husband, having BBQs with my in-laws, and always working on something. You can often find me sitting at the computer, carving wax or painting at the dining room table. I spend a lot of time, and work hard on my artwork. It’s amazing when it pays off with something great, like the chance to work with the amazing Ted & Angie of Poketo, and the opportunity to see my art on products in Target.

Melissa, It’s always a pleasure for us to work with you. Fans and friends, if you would like to take home some of Melissa’s fantastic Poketo for Target designs, check out her water bottle, pouch (pictured below), and camera case.

More from Melissa and her jewelry line, visit Axelhoney.com.

Meet Poketo for Target artist Catalina Estrada, Colombian artist living in Barcelona. Her work is vibrant, intense– no matter of the application, be it textiles, products, or print media, you can’t help but be drawn to the fascinating worlds and characters that Cati creates–each illustration bursts with nature and energy. She was kind enough to take some time out of her busy schedule to chat with Poketo; let’s find out more about her!

What elements of Latin-American folklore appear in your work the most?

I would say that more than a particular element its the intensity of colors I use in my illustration and the extensive use of tropical vegetation and animal.

You are originally from Colombia. Why did you decide to move to Barcelona?

Initially I went to Barcelona only for a few month to attend to a short course on arts, and that was almost eleven years ago…

The artist at work on her terrace

What do you love about Barcelona? Are there any good spots for sketching besides your studio?

Well, I live in Barcelona’s city center. The bad side of it is that there are many tourists, but I really love the fact that most of the things I need are within walking distance, mostly through pedestrian streets. So while Barcelona has this sort of coziness of a small town, there are plenty of things going on there. I wish I could do more sketching, but mostly I’m in front of the computer. We just moved to a new place with a terrace, so the few times I draw by hand, its on my terrace.

Are the characters in your work extensions of yourself?

I guess they must be in some way, people have told me so, though I’m not entirely convinced.

What would you be doing if you weren’t an artist?

Dancer, singer, cook and right now, I would also add gardener.

Your husband is an amazing photographer and artist. Have you collaborated on projects together?

Yes, we did an exhibition together called ‘Backyard’, we have collaborated to make prints for clothes…. and in the everyday life he helps me a lot with all my projects. There’s no way I could have made it this far without him. He´s the best thing that has ever happened to me, he’s the love of my life

A collaborative piece between Catalina and photographer husband, Pancho Tolchinsky

Thanks to Catalina! You can check out her nature-infused Poketo for Target checkbook here.
More from Catalina Estrada at katika.net.

We loooove getting surprise goodies in the mail. This from our new friends from Portland, Jolby. Jolby is design team Josh and Colby. Josh + Colby = Jolby. Awesome. Super sweet crew, we met them up in Portland on our trip up there last month. Here are some shots of their limited edition zines and prints, enjoy!

We love getting snail mail… if you are so inclined, here you go! Only lovely things please.
Poketo HQ
510 South Hewitt Street
#506
Los Angeles, CA
90013