Thursday, October 11, 2007

GUEST BLOGGER - REBECCA SOWER'S WEB LOG - JUNE .07


RAW AUTHENTICITY

In this cookie-cutter, copycat world, there's a designer who refuses to be swayed by convention. I met Chris Brown via his blog and he kindly agreed to be a guest here. Chris gives us permission to dig down to our raw, authentic selves and unearth the style that's always been dormant there, wake it up and let it fly. Instead of finding our style in the magazines or on tv, what about starting with what we love and being bold enough to go with it. Chris has done just that with his collections of old cracked doll heads, well-worn baseballs...even teeth :) I'm so inspired by this guy! Thank you Chris for helping us strengthen our wings of authenticity. Here are Chris' words on design:

COLLECTIONS:
When I began collecting vintage objects and incorporating them into my design work, whether it was graphics, home décor, photo styling or even fashion, things changed. I notice that I wasn’t drawn to the same kind of things that others saw as pretty or collectable. I think I’ve always seen things a little different. I like to take things people don’t see as beautiful and somehow make them beautiful. I find inspiration everywhere, in everyday things. It’s in those simple, rusted, faded; almost mundane things that I force people to look at in a new light. All of my collections seem to fall in a very limited color palette – white, black and faded red.

URBAN PRAIRIE STYLE:
For me, style is a very personal thing. Everyone has it, how you display it is what makes you unique. Urban Prairie style is all about living in the present while embracing the past. It’s more about attitude than address. My thoughts, worldview and feelings can be seen in my work. Anyone who has ever taken a look at my website, read my blog, visited a home I have decorated or has witnessed a photo shoot I have styled, will see me.

INSPIRE:
When I began Urban Prairie over two years ago, I had no idea it would become this “cult” style thing. My Urban Prairie website began as a way for me to showcase my design work and hopefully inspire others. It seems I have struck a cord with the “new” generation of designers and collectors. Within the many emails I receive, one message rings forth - It’s acceptable to view things differently. Although it’s inspiring to me to know that I’ve been told that I have made it “cool” to collect and design with odd finds, I would never take the credit. I simply feel design should always have an element of surprise. Don’t just think outside the box, deconstruct the box and turn it into something new and different altogether. I held a dinner party outside at our home earlier this summer. At each setting were antique white ironstone plates with tarnished forks. In place of the standard knife, I replaced them with a pair of vintage scissors from my large collection. Each couple poured wine from old enamel Swiss canteens, sealed with vintage glass decanter tops. A large, rusted scale, which held two cracked and faded doll heads served as the centerpiece. White roses overflowed from old glass fly catchers. Again, it’s in those simple, rusted, faded, almost mundane things that I forced my guest to look at things in a new light.

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

GUEST BLOGGER - RIVER BEND RANCH - AUG. 07


While I was thinking about what I would write in this post, I started thinking of all the emails I get asking questions about the same three things: my odd collections, my inspiration and my tattoos.

ODD COLLECTIONS:
I’ve collected things my whole life. As a child I collected butterflies, plastic army men and art supplies. Today I seek out antique bug collections, cracked doll heads and vintage scissors. Some things never change. Why am I drawn to things like bent & rusted bird cages, worn out softballs & vintage dental samples? Maybe it’s their colors, their shapes or their textures? Or maybe it’s just their oddness? I never have been one to follow trends, see a room in a magazine and try to copy or see the world through rose-colored glasses…I prefer faded red. I like to take things people don’t see as beautiful and somehow make them beautiful. It’s in those simple, rusted, faded; almost mundane things that I force people to look at in a new light.



INSPIRATION:
I’m not sure where my inspiration comes from for my design work. Whether it’s graphic design, home décor, photo styling or even fashion, I rely on a feeling. My collections speak to me and it’s in those vintage objects that I get a feeling for a project. Rust, dirt, scratches, dents and worn imperfections come alive in my work. When I began Urban Prairie over two years ago, I had no idea it would become this “cult” style thing. My Urban Prairie website began as a way for me to showcase my design work and hopefully inspire others. It seems I have struck a cord with the “new” generation of designers and collectors. Within the many emails I receive, one message rings forth – It seems I’ve made it acceptable to view things differently. Although it’s inspiring to me to know that I’ve been told that I have made it “cool” to collect and design with odd finds, I would never take the credit. I simply feel design should always have an element of surprise. Don’t just think outside the box, deconstruct the box and turn it into something new and different altogether.

TATTOOS:
Tattoos are another thing I’ve loved since I was a child. I remember studying my dad’s tattoos for hours. I pretended to tattoo them on with a color pencil. My youngest daughter does that to mine now. Again, like my collections, I think I’m drawn to their colors and shapes. Their meaning is personal, but their designs I want to make a statement...a statement about me.
The same goes for by work.

Friday, October 5, 2007

GUEST BLOGGER - GARDEN ANTIQUES - JULY .07


Theresa and I share a great passion for vintage things. It was through that passion that we met. She has been a great supporter of Urban Prairie and myself. Thanks Theresa for inviting me to be a guest on your blog.



INSPIRE:
I've been designing my whole life. Whether it was graphic design, home decor, photo styling or fashion. When I began collecting vintage objects and incorporating them into my design work, things changed. I noticed that I wasn't drawn to the same kind of things that others saw as pretty. I think I've always seen things a little different. I like to take things people don't see as beautiful and somehow make them beautiful. I find inspiration everywhere, in everyday things. It's in those simple, rusted, faded; almost mundane things that I try and force people to look at in a new light.



HUNT:
I live in the heart of Texas with my loving wife and our two beautiful daughters. For the most part, I never find it necessary to leave the Lone Star state when in search of great treasures and oddities. Why would I when Texas offers probably the best Antique Shows twice a year? One of the greatest things Theresa and I have in common is our pure love, almost obsession, with the Round Top/Warrenton Antique Show. Theresa sells her vintage wares and finds there to collectors that come from all over the U.S. and Europe. It's there that I go to recharge my creative battery, visit old friends and add to my collection of oddities.



BOOK:
One of my collections I've seem to become most known for is my cracked doll heads. There is something strangely beautiful within those faded, worn faces that I love. I have put that collection together in a soon to be released book called "Crack Heads". It showcases the collection in a way, which again, forces people to see beauty in vintage, sometimes odd objects.

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

BROCANTE HOME - NOV .05


Ok, I want you to stop whatever you are doing, right now and go see "Urban Prairie". There isn't any point in me raving hysterically about how utterly wonderful it is. I want you to see for yourself...
Any site with the byline "This Is Not Your Aunt Mary's Country" does it for me. So go now: find your way to the Style section and meet the man himself, Chris Brown and then swoon at the sheer scrumptiousness of the rest of the site...

Go on! Now!

BROCANTE HOME - JAN .07


Blogs are just about the closest thing we get online to a conversation with those we have yet to meet, so I'm just plain old thrilled to tell you that Chris Brown of Urban Prairie has gone and got himself a blog. Let's face it there is stuff we need to know about this enigma of a man...

Oh and Chris? Though it makes me blush to say so, you are right: I am a true fan.
P.S: Go check out his style tips too, then get out and start hunting down those glass bottle tops and vintage canteens...

BROCANTE HOME - JAN .07


Chris Brown has done it again. Go see his newly designed & "REFUELED" website urbanprairie.net. Order the 2007 calender. Absorb his utter style and download the wallpaper...The man is the nearest thing we've got to a BrocanteHome God, with more taste in his little finger than most men could conjure up for a big clock.

This, my darlings, is a bona fide , countrified, hellified crush.