Modern designophiles! If you haven’t gotten yours already, pick up the March 2010 issue of Dwell. Gracing the master bedroom of the “My House” featured home, is a Mina Javid for Blik custom headboard. We think it looks pretty terrific in the Venice, CA home of Eric Grunbaum, an Oregon-raised creative director for an LA ad agency. Besides being our neighbor, transplanted from the Pacific Northwest (like Blik’s Jerinne Neils), Eric selected esteemed architect Barbara Bestor to design his home. Well, it just so happens that Blik co-founder Scott Flora knows Barbara from his UCLA Architecture days. Bestor commissioned the “big red wall project”, a Blik custom installation outside of her office in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles. It’s a small, small world.

Today we trekked to Hollywood and toured the Manifest Equality gallery. Blik will be helping transform the raw space into a pop-up art gallery showcasing over 200 artists. We can’t wait to show you the finished space in a few weeks; below is a sneak peek of the before. Fun fact: the space was formerly used to house Oscar statues.

Lead by the Yosi Sergant of Taskforce, the gallery will gather an array of the nation’s most talented visual artists under one roof to celebrate and demand full and equal rights for all Americans. Taskforce’s mission is to give voice to the voiceless and to utilize art and creative thinking to engage the country for progressive action. We are proud to support Taskforce in their effort to engage a community of independent artists to make change in America.

The Manifest Equality gallery will be open to the public, March 3rd - March 7th, 2010. Check out http://www.manifestequality.com/ for more details.

Judges Jerinne Neils, Scott Flora + Christina Cody

Our friends and neighbors at the Boys & Girls Club of Venice invited our very own Scott Flora and Jerinne Neils, along with Christina Cody from Storyboards, Inc., to adjudicate at the Fine Arts Exhibit, part of their, “No Strings Attached” Art Show this past January 15th. Winners from this local competition will be submitted to the Pacific Regional Fine Arts Judging & Exhibit in Kennewick, WA and could go on to the National Fine Arts Exhibit, displayed at BGCA’s annual National Conference. The judges were responsible for selecting nominees, based on the age of the member, skill and artistic sensibility expressed in their work. Out of 50 entries, 4 pieces from the exhibit were selected. Jerinne shared, “Scott and I had a great time and were thrilled to participate. There are some very talented artists in the Venice club. We’re hopeful that these winners go all the way!” Good luck artists!

"Italy" x Amaya, 9+Under

"My Guardian" x Sophie, 10-12yrs.

"He Sang to Me" x Laura, 13-15yrs.

"Untitled" x Tara, 16-18yrs.

Photo Credit: Ken Anderson

Blik is happy to introduce Amy Ruppel, aka @my, into our roster of amazing artists. Nature’s inspiration is clearly at the forefront of this Wisconsin native and Portland-based artist’s work. Blik co-founder, Jerinne Neils first came across @my’s work on mutual retailer, Velocity Art & Design, about 5 years ago and has been collecting her work ever since. “As a Portland native, I connected with her work. The nature themes are so much a part of growing up in the Northwest. I also loved the idea of supporting an artist from my home town. Five years ago Portland was not the hot spot it is today for artists.” ~ Jerinne Neils.

The initial release of @my’s collection for Blik includes Branches, Night Owls and Night Owls Window. All have her signature birds, owls and orange & ochre color palette. Although suited for many tastes, her graphics have a feminine and vintage appeal, delicious for nurseries, bedrooms or any place you want to add a modest statement. As for @my’s resume, Blik joins the ranks of such brands as Target & Kid Robot (seen below), Burton Snowboards and Converse. For more on @my, visit her website.

Upcoming Blik artist, Saelee Oh opened her solo-show, “Infinite Roots” at Jonathan LeVine Gallery NYC this past weekend. The narrative for this collection is that all things are connected and that no one is ever, truly alone. The artist has said: “The roots of a plant are what secure it to an interconnected underground where all life is nourished, as the buds and leaves bloom above. The show title, Infinite Roots, alludes to the deep reaches of our intrinsic inner desires. The tone of the work in this series is bittersweet with hints of nostalgia. The pieces appear delicate and frail but the stories they tell are about timeless strength.”

Saelee’s work primarily consist of drawings, paintings and cut paper; however, she often experiments with different mediums. Her designs for Blik are true to her signature style of feminine, delicate strength and fairy tale-like stories. Saelee is an exciting talent who, like her art, is brimming with the depths of life and is blossoming creatively and professionally. Visit Saelee’s site for more information on her current show and works. The Saelee Oh for Blik line will drop within the next few weeks, so be sure to check back with us or sign up for our newsletter. ☞

Do you have a photo of a Blik Wall Graphic in your home or office that you’d like to share with us? We’d love to show off what you’ve done with your Blik and include your photo in our Blik Flickr photostream and maybe even our Website. If your photo is selected, we’ll send you a swanky fresh Blik logo tee shirt.

Please send us a photo of Blik Wall Graphics in your space. (No clever photoshopping, shots of your recent vacation, celebrities or that naughty photo you found online.) Photos chosen must be (1) in focus, (2) of Blik wall decals, and (3) show off your creative use of the graphics. Email your hi-res JPG photos to Photos@whatisblik.com and if your photo is chosen, we’ll email you for your shirt size and shipping address.

Start snapping!

Ilan Dei Studio + concept eyewear & fashion boutique, A.Kinney Court = HEAVEN! The shop, from Garrett Leight, offspring of Oliver Peoples founder Larry Leight is the latest Venice, CA trendsetter and newsmaker to take up residence right here on Abbot Kinney. Keeping it local, Leight commissioned Blik collaborator, neighbor and force of nature Ilan Dei to create the entire space, including the striking woodwork & custom cashwrap design. Dei drew inspiration from the Eames molded plywood process as well as the natural forms of the pacific ocean, a strong influence on the area. His powerfully inventive, organic and clean style is the perfect match for A.Kinney Court which offers a discerning selection of rare and vintage finds along with cutting-edge fashion brands. Vintage Oliver Peoples frames definitely included. Guess where we’ll be going to blow our paycheck at lunch…

Blik is delighted to welcome Blaine Fontana to our roster of artists and collaborations. Influenced by religious myths, worldly folklore and current social dynamics, the work of Blaine Fontana is diverse, compelling and often spiritual. You’ll find some of Blaine’s trademark “templings” (a fusion of temple and being), in Cinematic Prayers and the beautiful floral rorschach of Fernwood. Fernwood Mirrors come in 3 different sizes & designs with optional mirror to place in the center. The elegant silhouettes of Fernwood are of plants clipped from Blaine’s family property in the forest on Bainbridge Island, WA. The land has had tremendous influence on his work over the years. We are excited about this collaboration and look forward to growing the Blaine Fontana line. Please visit Blaine Fontana to learn more, view his work and for news on upcoming events.

TheLofts@Cherokee Studios in Hollywood, California mark the first “green” LEED Platinum Certified mixed-use or market rate multifamily building in California. The development of 12 condo lofts and 2800 square feet of retail space pays homage to the amazing musical and Hollywood history of Cherokee Recording Studios, MGM Studios before it and all the artists who recorded music on the site. From Frank Sinatra to David Bowie to Dave Matthews…to now, BLIK. Four designers were chosen to vamp up 4 lofts for the Rock-n-Platinum Showcase: Dennis Design Group, Rogerio Carvalheiro, Cisco Home, and Jennifer Siegal & Sandra Sharma. PreFab designer extraordinaire, Jennifer Siegal of Office of Mobile Design, enlisted us to design, manufacture and install a giant graphic for her loft dubbed, “30 Seconds to Mars Penthouse”. She said she wanted something organic, tall, with the color yellow and we ran with it. Here’s the 18 foot high by 10 foot wide graphic our crackerjack designer conjured up. We think it rocks the house…but then again, we are biased.