Wednesday, December 22, 2010

new bags and my dad



New in store:
Fabric bags by Japanese designer (based in New York) Reiko Nakamura.

This wonderful one is stripey, large and roomy for porting all kinds of objects.

My dad is watching the MR KITLY shop this morning from 11am-1pm
if you pop in and say hi:)
I will be there from 1pm or so until 7pm.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

oji x design


wow wow wow

oji x design < > takahashi kougei (handmade woodenware)
rinao design < > takahashi kougei (handmade woodenware)
oji x design < > futagami (metalware)

just arrived!


Masanori Oji is a young Japanese design master.
Rina Ono runs Japanese design practice rinao.
Takahashi Kougei is a family-run wood workshop in Hokkaido.
Futagami is a 100-year-old metalware workshop in Toyama.

These designers' collaborations with Takahashi Kougei and
Futagami have produced a stunning range of functionalware.

Very, very, special.

Only at MR KITLY in Australia.




oji x design < > futagami bottle openers (3 in stock)


kakudo series from oji x design and takahashi kougei (maple dish in stock)

oji x design < > takahashi kougei kami series mug cup (m) in stock

oji x design < > takahashi kougei kami series free cup various size in stock


rinao design < > takahashi kougei cara series egg cups and milk pitchers in stock

rinao design < > takahashi kougei cara series bowl in stock


Sunday, December 19, 2010

dec/jan opening hours update

MR KITLY December/January opening hours
Sunday Dec 19 11am-5pm
NEWS FLASH: Will also be open Wed 22 for twilight shopping 6pm-9pm!
Thursday Dec 23 11am-7pmFriday 24 Dec 11am-1pm

Closed 25 Dec - 5 Jan
Re-opening 6 Jan

2011 opening hours
Thursday to Sunday 11am-6pm
or by appointment

Saturday, December 18, 2010

printed matter update 19.12.10


Sumimasen by Isabelle Boinot now in store!






ceramics update 19.12.10: Valerie Restarick


We have just received new stock from ceramacist Valerie Restarick.
A beautiful range of tea cups, vases, bowls,
pitchers and
plates now available at MR KITLY.

Valerie's craft base is British/Japanese,
evolving into her own style.
Her work is an expression of her ideal design components;
balancing subtle shapes into a whole is a
concept that Valerie finds a fulfilling and perpetual challenge.

All Valeries' stoneware is oven, dishwasher and microwave safe.







Ceramics update: 19.12.10 - Keiko Matsui


MR KITLY now stocks Keiko Matsui ceramics.

Keiko Matsui grew up in Osaka, Japan and her dedication to ceramics is
based on the respect and history she learned from a very early age.

After moving from Japan in 1999,
she completed an BFA (Hons - Ceramics)

at the National Art School, and her recent achievements
include winner of both the Fête Picasso Small Art Objects, France (2009),
and the Woollahra Small Sculpture

Prize Viewer's Choice Award (2008).

Keiko’s work revolves around a search for
simplicity and serenity

and making functional objects.
Her process revolves around working quietly.
She treats each piece in isolation and her floral, landscape
and organic motives are drawn freehand,
ensuring no two pieces are alike.
The brush strokes are sensitive yet strong,
reminiscent of calligraphy,

while the pencil drawings are innocent and quirky.

About the finjan (above)


There are many names for the long handled pot used for brewing coffee.
Traditionally, those pots are made from copper with a wooden handle,
and they are common throughout the Middle East,
North Africa, Caucasus, and the Balkans.

‘Finjan’ is the name that is used in Israel.
Keiko started making her ceramic Finjan after watching
her partner making Turkish coffee every day.
After visiting Israel she saw various shapes of finjan
and was inspired by them; the finjan were full of character
and particlarly charming, and their form is unique and
quite peculiar in comparison to Keiko's own culture where one
uses a simple tea bowl without any handles.

Keiko's finjan were thrown on a wheel and the handle was added separately.
It is not recommend you using finjan on a stove,
but it would be delightful if you use it for milk, dressing, sauce etc.





Signage

Some extra signage
to help guide.

It has been so nice that so many visitors have come up
after seeing our sandwich board,
with just MR KITLY written on,
no further information.

Thank you!

We have now added shop + gallery on the wall.

Friday, December 17, 2010

Tea time


Cup of tea?


Star of the range is the Australian-grown sencha.
This tea is gown by a local farmer in alpine Victoria,
is superb quality, and is mostly sold to Japan.

100g $8.50

:: Other teas in store include ::

a lovely ceylon orange broken pekoe;
queen mary; breakfast tea; lapsang souchong; genmaicha;
russian caravan; australian daintree black tea;
bushfire lemon myrtle; licorice and peppermint;
organic peppermint; organic gunpowder green tea;
china gunpowder; pai mu tan white tea;
delhi chai; and organic fair trade darjeeling.




Maker post series #2: Jessica Hans


MR KITLY is so very pleased to introduce the second of the maker post series.
This series aims to introduce some of the artists
who have provided work for MR KITLY
via a little q & a and a collection of images curated by the maker.

maker post series #2: jessica hans

(picture 1) sampler tapestry, hemp warp, wool weft, 19" x 34" (on floor, in MR KITLY shop)
(picture 1) handwoven tapestry, cotton warp, wool weft, 20" x 38" (in basket, in MR KITLY shop)
(picture 2) ceramic work
(picture 3) PARIS UND WALD, zine, 32 pages, b/w digitally printed, silk screened cover, edition of 200
(picture 4) FELSGARTEN, zine, 20 pages, b/w digitally printed, hand sewn, edition of 100

Jessica's woven textile work and zines are available at MR KITLY.

Scroll on for the q & a and jessica's curated images.




maker post series #2: jessica hans

What do you make?

I make a large variety of things, usually functional and for the home.
I am a sort of jack-of-all-trades.
I'm a very dedicated weaver,
I mostly use a 24" Baby Macomber floor loom.
I do a lot of work in ceramics.
While I most enjoy making weird hand built vessels,
I have been spending a lot of time throwing (totally off-center) on the pottery wheel.
I also enjoy making little books of photographs that I take.

Where do you make them?

I do mostly everything out of my home in Baltimore, MD.
I have my loom set up here as well as all of my yarn and dyeing supplies.
The material that I dye with I usually get from the
woods right outside of the city or from up in Pennsylvania.
I use the facilities at a local art college here in Baltimore to make my ceramics.
Sometimes I trade rugs for time in my neighbor Nick Gottlund's (http://www.gottlundverlag.com)
book binding studio when I am working on books.

How long have you been making them?

I have been weaving for three years. Ceramics is something very new to me;
I have only been working with clay since this summer.

Please choose 3 interweb links that you most enjoy to click on.

What were you doing this morning at 11?

Baking a sour cream coffee cake, doing laundry, weaving.
I am a bit of a multi-tasker.

How did you first start working/creating in your field?

My grandmother taught me to crochet when I was seven years old.
I grew up in the country in South Carolina where there many
acres and acres of cotton growing everywhere.
Working with fibers has always been something innate.
The repetitive nature of the medium is really cathartic I think.

where do you see beauty in the everyday?

I like the mountains a lot. I also like the ocean very much too.
I enjoy things that much bigger than I am, in every sense... I travel frequently.

what book do you find yourself returning to often?

I have three books on natural dyeing and herbology.
I use them as a resource but also always as a constant source of inspiration.
They were all published between the 1920's and 1950's.


what is your favourite space in your home or studio?

My favorite place is not actually in either my home or studio
but in the garden I have a couple of blocks from my house.
It was my favorite place to be over the summer.
I put so much labor into our little farm and the harvests were all so rewarding.

could you describe one object that you treasure?

I have a collection of fossils and geodes that a good friend gave me a couple years back.
They're all very small but he collected them himself
from the shores off the coast of London when he was very young.

who inspires you?

My friends inspire me. Everyday.
I love watching people grow into their selves.
I enjoy watching the decisions my friends make, creative and otherwise,
that mold them into who they are. It is such a special thing to be a
part of their lives and be witness to the incredible people they are becoming.

how would you describe your hometown to someone from overseas?

Have you seen The Wire? I think it's a pretty accurate depiction of Baltimore.
It's a small city, below what we call "The Bible Belt",
meaning that it's still very rich in its southern heritage.
It's small but it's very tight-knit. The creative scene is
unlike anywhere else I know, it has such a funny personality.
And the music scene here blows my mind all the time.
I think people here are completely full of genius or otherwise completely insane.
I love them.

what do you think of when you think of Melbourne, Australia?

I don't know if one thing strikes me when I think of Melbourne.
When I think of Australia, though, I think of the Nic Roeg movie Walkabout
and I want to image that that is all of Australia.
I also think of marsupials, obviously.

Please choose 5 pictures or images that tell a small part of your life or inspiration.






thanks Jessica!

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Bridget Bodenham jewellery


Melbourne ceramic artist Bridget Bodenham
jewellery now in store.

New drop earrings in multi-hued palettes, brooches, rings and neckpieces,
and especially for Christmas - porcelain decorations on ribbons
for your window or Christmas tree.

Look out for a maker series post soon on Bridget
here on MR KITLY new blog.

photos #1 and #3 by Karl Scullin.










Exhibit K


Absolutely stunning resin, sterling silver
neck pieces and earrings.

Exhibit K jewellery available at MR KITLY,
by Melbourne jewellery artist Karla Way.


above image by Karl Scullin.







Krushka Town


MR KITLY is very happy to announce we
now stock Melbourne artist
new product design line.

Krushka Town: designed for everyday pleasures.

Set of 4 cork-backed placemats
with original artwork by Madeline Kidd.
$40