This is NOT the best of list for 2011. Neither is it the hottest new artists list of this year. This is our best of 2011 at the Poketo studio. From looking at the images below, you’ll think we are stuck in the past. I guess we are nostalgic for the good stuff, dare I say, music that is timeless. This is not to say we don’t love new bands or don’t collect current releases… we do, trust me! This records below have been on heavy rotation everyday when we come into work. Who’s putting the records on? Well, we have an in-house dj that sits in a dj booth and plays whatever we desire. Just kidding. Well, it could be me, could be Angie, mostly it’s Charlie, Joe, or Dikka. Either way, it’s been good year of music… old and new.
This Portugal album is a new release for 2011… and one of my favorites.
Tanya Aguiniga’s signature Rope Knot bracelets and necklaces make a huge fashion statement. We met Tanya years ago, picking up a number of her pieces for ourselves. All of the objects in her collection are designed, hand dyed, hand sewn, all of it put together by hand, by Tanya and her team. We’ve been been fans since day one, so no doubt, it was an honor to visit her studio in Atwater Village, Los Angeles, to see her process and catch up on all the new goods and projects she’s been working on. Check out those chairs!
We had a chance to tour the impressive BLIK studios over in Venice, CA. A fairly massive double warehouse operation that houses their design studio, offices, research, fulfillment and even production! Wow! For those who don’t know BLIK, they are the wall art innovators. Scott Flora and Jerinne Neils started the removable wall decal company in 2002 as an alternative to wall papers and painted walls. They wanted to freshen up their space, but, without the headache and hassle that comes with paint and glue. And that is exactly what BLIK does, they make recreating your space easy and fun. Forget the hassle, ditch the paint, and throw up a piece of art or a cool pattern on the wall.. and if you want, remove it and change it up. Done.
We’ve known Scott for some years now, running into each other often and finally got to reconnect at Creative Mornings, Los Angeles a couple months back. If you don’t know Creative Mornings, you need to know and can find out about their monthly creative talks here. As a matter of fact, we are speaking at the next installment on July 15th! Tickets are available starting July 11. Back to Scott… he’s a good guy running a thriving, awesome business. BLIK is now going on its 9th year and they have done amazing products and custom walls for the likes of Nintendo, Disney, Upper Playground, Google, Studio Jan Habraken, Keith Haring, Threadless, and so much more. Keep your eyes on the horizon and ears to the ground… who knows what will be next?
On a side note…a visit on the west side not complete without a quick lunch at the Mitsuwa Market.
Meet the young, new upstarts of Cartoon Network, The Problem Solverz. From the mind of artist, writer, and cartoonist Ben Jones (of art collective, Paper Rad), Problem Solverz is a new show surrounding three characters – Alfe, Roba, and Horace. The three of them are The Problem Solverz. They solve pretty fantastic problems involving ninjas, magicians, elevator racers, and the likes of other evil minded antagonists. Their world has a problem, they solve it.
Creator of The Problem Solverz, Ben Jones selecting rad art lying around the office… thank you Ben, I owe you!
Jones has a long history in art, comics, zines, music, video and animation. This is his first stint in television and it’s cool to see an indie artists’ vision translate to a major TV network. After all, he has been developing these characters and animation over the course of 10 years now. In typical fashion, if Jones is going to do television, he’s going to go big and stay true to what he does. Known for his hyper-unreal colors, patterns, and tripped out characters, the visuals for The Problem Solverz is a combination of 80s, lo-fi video game graphics, psychedelia, and a big dose of humor. In short, it’s rad.
After inking a deal with Cartoon Network, Jones moved out to Los Angeles last year from Providence, Rhode Island and quickly built a solid team, recruiting John Pham, Martin Cendreda, and John Vermilyea, all of whom are deeply rooted in the indie arts and comics scene. And, as you know, have all collaborated with Poketo in some form or another. This show is the real deal, not a watered down cartoon for the networks, but, indie artists executing their vision for the masses. We had a great opportunity meet with The Problem Solverz team, get a tour of their studio and see the awesome offices of Cartoon Network… enjoy.
On a side note… while getting the tour of their studio and Cartoon Network, had the wonderful opportunity to meet Pendleton Ward of Adventure Time. Another incredible show.
And Hellen Jo and Calvin Wong of The Regular Show. Hellen is an old friend and an amazing comicbook artist, one you’ll be seeing more of on Poketo next month!
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