Ray, dear Ray.

Ray Fenwick is a Canadian artist and illustrator who's hand was meant to hold a pen. Maybe the occasional sword, but definitely a pen. I got his book last year, Hall of Best Knowledge and it's wonderful wisps of swirls and lines cradling dark and humors stories spills from every page.




What lead me to this was his hand drawn type and patterns. It's so distinguishable I think I'd recognize it if he doodled on a post it note and dropped it on the ground. Here. In North Carolina. The best part about Ray Fenwick is that he has a flickr site. Okay well maybe that's not is very best attribute, but it certainly makes him obtainable. A fairly serious flickrer like myself appericates that. The following images are ones on his flickr that I can't get enough of.

"This Just In" skateboard made from book covers and deck. This was auctioned off for skate park benefit.

detail


The Final Campaign


Here is an installation he did of loads of drawings of friendship bracelets.

detail


Let's Turn This Into a Math Problem


Seamless Swords Pattern


Thee Battle of Excelsior Gulch Pattern


A Canon of Type Design Pattern


Hacked Flourishes Pattern


Cloud Diaper Pattern

And now you wrap your next gift with a Ray Fenwick pattern. Check out Naked and Angry to order.

Please buy me these art books.

I'm surrounded by readers. My husband Thurston falls asleep every night with a book on his chest. My friend May went and got a library card as soon as she unpacked her car when she moved here. My friend Steph is a professional book lover. My friend SarahRice reads for pleasure and has a job archiving things other people want to read. And even my desk neighbor Matt Wood carries a book in his pocket at all times.
Me? I read Harry Potter and Twilight. When I do read a book one of the above mentioned recommends to me, I really enjoy it, but it's like pulling teeth to get me started. I also read Readymade and Real Simple cover to cover, and I absolutely love looking through art books. (which Steph keeps me abreast of the best)
The following are the ones I want to call my own:

Fingerprint: The Art of Using Hand-Made Elements in Graphic Design
This is my #1 pick. It's exactly what I'm interested in. The title may as well be, "How Bliss Can Use Hand-Made Elements in Graphic Design".


New Vintage Type: Classic Fonts for the Digital Age
I really love typography. It's funny how in college, I didn't care for typography or textiles and now that's what I'm most interested in. I have Mike Perry's book, Hand Job: A Catalog of Type, Over and Over: A Catalog of Hand-Drawn Patterns and they're both really amazing.


Charley Harper: An Illustrated Life
A classic. One day it will be mine. One day.


Printing by Hand: A Modern Guide to Printing with Handmade Stamps, Stencils, and Silk Screens
This is my porn.


Maps: Finding Our Place in the World
My friend Smitty and I had an on-going joke that maps and puzzles were one in the same. If you like maps, you like puzzles. Like puzzles? Must love maps. At my old job, I ended up drawing/designing a few maps for some residential developments and it was really a lot of fun. I think Smitty was jealous.


Otto Neurath
This book could be the book that Thurston and I read together to reinstate family time. Otto Neurath is an Austrian sociologist who made major achievements in graphic design and philosophy. You know isotypes? Yeah, he made those.