There is something so exuberant about Tad Carpenter’s work. When you see it, it feels like everything is going to be okay. Perhaps it’s his Kansas City roots or maybe it’s just his obvious love for the art and artistry of children’s picture books. Either way, we’re simply lucky to have his bold, joyful work on Poketo. Meet Tad Carpenter!

Tell me a bit about yourself without using the words illustrator, artist, designer.
I am a very disciplined person and love being active. I work out everyday and love that feeling. If it is running, weights, biking whatever I love to be active.

I am all about my family. I am an only child so I am very close with my mother and father. I also have the best wife in the world. Those 3 people mean a great deal to me.

I collect a lot of vintage goods like vintage advertising memorabilia, vintage toys, mid-century books and furniture, old globes and signage. I just love to dig and collect.

What words describe you best?
Disciplined, optimistic, softy, dreamer, glasses, structured.

Your work is full of bold colors and happy monsters. Could you share a few of your illustration inspirations?
I love color. I really try to work that is fun, whimsical and full of optimism. Growing up my favorite thing in the world was picture books. I feel so lucky to be working on my own books now. When I work I think back to some of how Bill Pete‘s drawings made me feel. Or Maurice Sendak, and try to captre a similr sentament.

When I was 5 or 6 years old I met Maurice Sendak and that always stuck with me. His ability to tell a story with made up creatures is amazing and something I try to do as well. Using a fictitious character makes it easy to get your own point across. All preconceived notions that a person or animal has are lost.

I think I slept with my signed Sendak doll for a month after I met him.

You have a diverse career working in illustration. What’s the biggest challenge you face at work?
Time management. When you run your own company you have to do it all. Take out the trash, write proposals, invoice and actually design and illustrate.

You really have to be able to multitask in a major way. But I would not change anything and am a bit of a control freak so having my hands in several things at once is fine with me.

What’s your philosophy on work?
If you don’t love it, don’t do it. Plain and simple.

What has been your favorite project so far?
That is so so hard to say.

I have been branding a restaurant out of Atlanta called Yeah! Burger which I am very proud of. Actually several of the restaurant brands I have created come to mind. I really love branding on that scale.

I am working on several children’s books right now that I am ecstatic about.
Also several smaller projects like the Zion snowboard line, my Holiday Homies and personal holiday cards each year…not sure I can ever pick one. I would say whatever piece is the newest tends to be one of my favorite.

You’ve always lived in Kansas City. Could you tell us a little bit more about Kansas City and share some of the reasons why it is home?
I actually live in Kansas City, Missouri. I love this city, I actually really love the Mid-West in general. Sometimes I feel like Kansas City is secret. A place that people have not tapped into yet.

What I love about Kansas City is pretty simple. Yes, it is obvious the Mid-West is a much lower cost of living than the coast. But, what is amazing about Kansas City is the high level of art and design. A city where Walt Disney lived and created what would eventually be Mickey Mouse, a school like the Kansas City Art Institute that had teachers and students like Robert Rauchenberg, Thomas Hart Benton and John Stuart Curry.

And most important for KC is this is the birth place of the greeting card and Hallmark Cards. Hallmark is still world head quartered here employing hundreds of artist, copywriters, designers, stylist and photographers from all over the world. Because of Hallmark alone a smaller city like Kansas City is loaded with talent.

Tell us a bit about your wallet design for Poketo.
It’s pretty simple. Sailing and boating is an amazingly fun hobby and something that seems like a great get away. This past summer it was so, so hot and all I wanted to do was just get away from the heat. In my mind the idea of a night boat ride under the moon and stars sounded like the perfect remedy for the awful Mid-West heat wave. The closest I came to that night boat ride was this wallet. And that’s just fine.

What do you wish you had the nerve to do?
Become a boxer, skydive or pick up and move to Europe for half the year. Any of those sound so fun to me and totally outside what tend to do.

Did we mention Tad also designed the blue version of the Artful Flyer?

What’s next for Tad Carpenter?
I mentioned several children’s books I am working on. So excited for those. I have a holiday based book I wrote and illustrated , a 4-book board book series I also wrote and illustrated a poetry book all releasing in 2012. I really hope people will like these. Have been so fun to work on.

We’ll be seeing more of you in the bookstores then! Thanks, Tad.

Check out Tad’s wallet at poketo.com.
Find more of Tad at TadCarpenter.com.

We like to add a bit of fun in everything we do, so starting this July we’ve cooked up some extra surprises for you guys. Want in on our little secret?

Starting this month, we’re releasing a limited-edition set of artist postcards with every order you place. No, there is nothing special you need to do to get it. It’ll come with every package we send out to. The best part? We change it up every month.

This is our July postcard by one of our upcoming featured artists. Want to guess whose work this is? We won’t tell (at least, not yet)

It looks great with a package.

It’s even better on your refrigerator.

We’ve also gotten a lot of Poketo orders meant as gifts, so we’ve designed a special gift tag for you. We have mean gift-wrapping skills but we think this will make every package even more special.

Hope lies in dreams, in imagination and in the courage of those who dare to make dreams into reality. -Jonas Salk

Designed by world renowned architect, Louis Khan, The Salk Institute is described as the single most architecturally significant sites in San Diego. It’s view of the Pacific, the clean lines, the angles, and mix of concrete and wood are gorgeous. Built in the 60s, it will continue to age gracefully, a truly timeless, modernist architecture.

After the talk we gave, we toured the UCSD campus and it’s dotted with world class art installations. The students are so lucky to be surrounded by the likes of John Baldessari, Tim Hawkinson, Barbara Kruger, Bruce Nauman, Nam June Paik, Terry Allen, Michael Asher, and more. I wonder, do they end up taking it for granted as they walk by them day to day?

At nearly 24′ high and over 180 tons, “Bear” is a massive work by Tim Hawkinson.

Starting from the bottom of a hill to the top, “Snake Path” by Alexis Smith was enjoyed by dogs, cats, joggers, and students going to and coming from the library.

The Geisel Library. Amazing, it’s like a space ship. But, what I want to point out here is the “Trees” installation by Terry Allen. This one, specifically, a silent tree…. as opposed to the bottom two images.

This is also part of the “Trees” installation. But, it’s in a different location among a grove of trees. Among the grove of trees, there is a single tree. The cool thing about this is that it’s a talking tree. Meaning, there is a crazy loop of experimental sounds, music, and “talking” coming out of the tree! If you look closely, that single tree is not real, but, looks like the others from afar. This was my favorite.

John Baldessari’s invitation to the entrance of the library. Perfect.

Barbra Kruger’s “Another”.

A former Rastafarian meeting house and dental office, artists Nathan Danilowicz and Alexandra Wetzel has taken a once run down space in South Central LA and transformed it into an artist run gallery, Latned Atsar (Rasta Dental spelled backwards).

Latned Atsar has the feel of being in a home, a studio, a gallery because in fact, it is all of those things. Nathan and Alexandra are both artists, they had a space that was large enough not only for their personal studios, but, to also have exhibitions and showcase artists. And that is exactly what they did. Essentially inviting artists, giving them the keys to the space and allowing them to create and exhibit a body of work.

Co-founder of Latned Atsar, Alexandra Wetzel

Inside the studio of Nathan Danilowicz

We biked through somewhat desolate, non pedestrian parts of South Central, it’s not an area you will usually stumble upon, because there isn’t much around. Even the front of the gallery is gated up, there is no signage, it doesn’t look like anything exists. Going around the back side, we find the actual entrance in the parking lot. Alexandra greets us with a smile and invites us upstairs.

Flip the switch, all of sudden, we see the heart of of this space- A main lobby (kitchen) where people are invited to hang out and eat freshly baked goods that Alexandra made, artwork by three different artists in three different rooms, like solo shows for each artist, and Nathan’s studio is in plain sight, an open invitation. This is a different kind of space, an artist run gallery, no pretense, a showcase of exceptional artists, and art for art’s sake.

Artist, Gina Osterloh

Artist, Gina Osterloh

Artist, Jacin Giordano

Artist, Jacin Giordano

Artist, Yaron Michael Hakim

Artist, Yaron Michael Hakim

From the outside of Latned Atsar, you would have no idea what’s inside