F5: Jen Samson Treasures the Old, the Well-Made + the Unexpected

By in Design

F5: Jen Samson Treasures the Old, the Well-Made + the Unexpected

Jen Samson is the founder and principal designer of Laguna, California-based design firm Jen Samson Design. Her creative style often results in unexpected design elements that highlight intrigue and self-expression through combined styles. JSD’s spaces are sophisticated but relaxed, playful, and always unique. A lot of inspiration for her “curated creative abandon” comes from world travel, culture, fashion, and interiors both new and old.

The interior designer keeps filing away ideas as she travels with her family. “Traveling is basically the only thing that forces me to truly disconnect from day to day work,” Jen admits. “My husband and I have definitely passed along the travel bug to our two adventurous teenage daughters. We love to take a deep dive into other cultures, traditions, and experiences. We’ve taken our girls to Thailand, (visited Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Phuket), explored Peru (Lima, Cusco, the Sacred Valley, and climbed Machu Picchu), and spent time in Costa Rica and Panama in recent years and we’re headed to Spain as a family this summer. We love to explore art and architecture, and the whole family loves vintage/thrift and antique shopping, so that is always a must as well. These vacations allow me to check out from the day to day of the studio, shift my focus solely to my family, and fill up on inspiration for when I return!”

Jen Samson Photo: Studio Mellon

Before starting JSD, Jen began her career in the fashion and lifestyle industries of Los Angeles. While her passion for all things visually inspiring and her eye for style grew, she helped to create lifestyle driven programming for E! and the Style Network. Jen’s next step was working for renowned luxury fashion house Salvatore Ferragamo as the Director of West Coast public relations. One last project before she jumped into interior design was a successful artisan-crafted, hand-crocheted shoe brand – Painted Bird. The footwear was designed by Jen and handmade in a small village outside of Pondicherry, India.

You get an even greater sense of Jen’s passion and love of all things design after hearing about a collection of rings that belonged to her grandmother. “They are definitely my most treasured possession. We had a very intimate and special bond – I was the oldest of six granddaughters, and we shared a deep connection throughout her life. I was the only granddaughter that had a true affinity for “old” things, so over the years she gifted me a variety of things, from china and coats to handbags and jewelry. When she got much older, she gave me a few rings that I had always admired and borrowed. Whenever I wear the rings, I see her hands so clearly. It is an extraordinary gift.”

This week, Jen Samson is joining us for Friday Five!

two views of a quilted jacket

My favorite coats EVER! The craftsmanship of each of their pieces is bar-none. The fit and the the details of these Italian-made garments coupled with the ability to add to, switch out, and reverse pieces to change the look and feel makes Marfa Stance truly original. As an interior designer who prides myself on being unique and rarely, if ever, repeating aspects of my design, I truly admire and respect the originality and the quality of their pieces.

interior room of a Korean spa

2. Korean Spa

It’s like the ultimate car wash for your body and all of the relaxing and re-invigorating one could possibly want. My favorite one is ISPA in Irvine, California. I usually start in the salt room and make my way through a few other favorites, including the forest and ice rooms, before heading to the wet side of the spa. Cold plunge, sauna, steam, and jacuzzi… and that is all before your number is called for the deepest body scrub down and massage. I’m talking total heaven, and when I leave it’s as if my skin has returned to the most incredible baby soft state, and all is good in the world.

round makeup compact with four shades of red-toned lipstick colors

Just because I love a bold lip! I also love all natural, beautiful makeup (and the packaging!!). All of Gucci Westman’s products are amazing. The Lip Suede is as bright or sultry as you want it to be – and I love that I can mix the colors to create my own perfect shade for whatever mood i’m in.

4. Pottery

I am always collecting pottery for future projects and installations. I can’t seem to get enough of classic mid century studio pottery and Japanese ikebana vessels from the 60’s. I am also a huge fan of a handful of incredibly talented Los Angeles artisans creating moderns works. Two of my faves that I love to source from for clients are Bari Zipperstein (Zippy) BZippy and Heather Rosenmann. Both take a very nontraditional approach to their work, creating pieces that always bring a sense of modernism and an immense amount of creativity to what they make. Plus, both of these women are just plain cool.

neutral toned throw blanket on white background

Neeru Kumar’s textiles are beautiful, textural weaves using all-natural fibers. Her fabrics are relaxed and incredibly elegant at the same time, all hand loomed weaves that work beautifully as window coverings, pillows, and blankets. All of her patterns have a very organic feel to them and the natural vegetable dyes are to die for. Kumar’s handwoven textiles have been called “Antiques of the Future,” a design sensibility that is very much up my ally. We are currently using her fabrics in custom pillows, soft roman shades, and as bed blankets – a personal fave!

Work by Jen Samson:

colorful living space with ochre sofa, tall floor plant, and palm leaf wallpaper

As featured on the May/June 2023 cover of Luxe Los Angeles, this LA stunner boasts 14-foot ceilings and bold palette of color throughout. Every corner of this architecturally stunning home is filled with art and objects that spark curiosity and conversation.

bedroom with long wood headboard and built-in nightstand

A truly modern bedroom retreat. The primary bedroom was designed to create a relaxed and warm space while allowing for the texture of the walls, bench, bedding, and rug to truly sing.

colorful kitchen with light green backsplash, pink counter stools, and open wood shelving

Drawing inspiration from famed mid-century society photographer Slim Aarons, this kitchen in Indian Wells is a modern take on true mid-century style. It combines pops of color, playful patterns, and an undeniably chic aesthetic that was found in 1960’s design in both Palm Springs and Palm Beach.

wood and light filled sitting space with four lounge chairs and a coffee table

The Lake Tahoe home sits almost on top of the blue waters in Crystal Bay. The home has four levels, all of which have spectacular views of the mountains and the lake below. Tasked with creating a light a bright lake home for the clients, this entry to the home serves as a beautiful and natural welcome to a home designed for enjoying all summer long.

Kelly Beall is Director of Branded Content at Design Milk. The Pittsburgh-based writer and designer has had a deep love of art and design for as long as she can remember, from Fashion Plates to MoMA and far beyond. When not searching out the visual arts, she’s likely sharing her favorite finds with others. Kelly can also be found tracking down new music, teaching herself to play the ukulele, or on the couch with her three pets – Bebe, Rainey, and Remy. Find her @designcrush on social.

Creating a Riot of Color, in a Studio of Her Own

By in Photography

Creating a Riot of Color, in a Studio of Her Own
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“I think we must all agree,” the British photographer Yevonde declared in 1921 to the Professional Photographer’s Association in London, “photography without women would be a sorry business.”

With a focus on female representation, “Yevonde: Life and Color,” a vivid display of her idiosyncratic oeuvre at the city’s newly reopened National Portrait Gallery, argues for her role as a pioneer of color photography.

Born Yevonde Cumbers in South London in 1893, she was known professionally as Madame Yevonde, rarely by her married name (Mrs. Edgar Middleton). On her own terms, she used the singular Yevonde, with which she signed her prints, exhibition invitations and 1940 autobiography, “In Camera.”

After a succession of private schools in the home counties and a convent school in Belgium, Yevonde was sent to a finishing school in Paris. Though her teachers there dismissed an impassioned essay she wrote on Mary Wollstonecraft, Yevonde returned to England a convinced feminist in 1909, at the height of the women’s suffrage movement. After a stint marching, chalking sidewalks and selling papers for the Women’s Social and Political Union, Yevonde glimpsed potential career independence in the examples of two successful woman photographers, one of whom employed her as an apprentice.

In 1914, aged just 21, Yevonde opened a studio with the help of her father Frederick Cumbers, the co-founder of an ink manufacturer. (A love of color was perhaps her inheritance.) The young photographer quickly placed portraits of prominent figures, including royals, in the booming illustrated magazines of the time — the so-called “midweeklies”— including Sketch and Tatler.

“Margaret Sweeny (Whigham, later Duchess of Argyll) 1” (1938)National Portrait Gallery, London
“Joan Maude” (1932)National Portrait Gallery, London

Yevonde’s career continued unabated until her death in 1975. The subjects of her pictures are a veritable panoply of Britain’s who’s who — if you can keep track of surnames and titles endlessly shifted by scandal, divorce and remarriage. Hung chronologically, portraits of suffragettes, socialites, sportswomen, sovereigns and celebrities move quickly from tentative investigations in black-and-white to theatrical studies in the saturated hues that became Yevonde’s hallmark.

When Vivex — the first color process available to professional photographers in Britain — arrived in 1931, a spokesman described it as “the bad boy of the photographic family.” In (typically male) spheres of fine art photography, color was disdained as a distracting stunt. For Yevonde, who immediately began using the method to produce rich natural colors, it was an uncharted world of experiment: “Red hair, uniforms, exquisite complexions and colored fingernails came into their own,” she later reflected in her memoir. “Hurrah! We were in for exciting times!,” she wrote. “No history, no tradition, no old masters, but only a future!”

This new realm of visual possibility was also, she said, particularly apt for women practitioners, given their familiarity with makeup, fashion and interior design. “Let’s have a riot of color,” she demanded, as if domestic tradition might yield bold new frontiers. “None of your wishy-washy hand-tinted effects.”

The next year, Yevonde held the first British exhibition of color portraits.

Her photographs of the 1930s dazzle with crimson: The film star Vivien Leigh appears in two-thirds profile against a glinting red backdrop that intensifies her rosebud lips; the sports car driver and aviator Jill Scott pops in head-to-toe cherry red against a pale background; “LONDON CHEMIST’S S.O.S.” a tabloid headline screams behind two newspaper sellers with red lips and tawny hair.

“Mask (Rosemary Chance)” (1938)National Portrait Gallery, London
“Dorothy Gisborne (Pratt) as Psyche” (1935)National Portrait Gallery, London

A darker palette and vision emerges in Yevonde’s most famous series, “Goddesses and Others,” from 1935. These 26 photographs — some seen here for the first time in new archival prints made by the National Portrait Gallery, which recently acquired 2,000 of Yevonde’s color separation plates — are fantastical studies of women aged 15 to 40, dressed as mythological characters. Already known for her elaborate use of props, painted and fabric backgrounds, dramatic lighting and colored filters, here Yevonde elevated artifice and performative mise-en-scène to new, dreamlike ends.

Margaret Sweeny, purportedly the most photographed woman of her time (later renowned as the “Dirty Duchess” of Argyll), appears as Helen of Troy, her porcelain complexion and dark marcelled bob shrouded in a gauzy blue veil. Lady Dorothy Campbell is Niobe weeping for her slain sons, her tightly framed face shining with glycerin tears — a nod to Man Ray’s surrealist “Larmes” of a few years earlier. Sheila Milbanke, one of Evelyn Waugh’s “bright young things” (later a Russian princess), is the ill-fated Amazonian Queen Penthesilea: Scantily clad in leopard skin, head thrown back, her brightly lit throat is pierced by Achilles’s arrow.

While critics of the time, and after, derided the “Goddesses” as garish and unserious — they were “posh decadence,” one wrote — but given the portraits’ vibrant compositions and risqué interpretation of female identity, they belong with those of Yevonde’s more lauded male contemporaries, Cecil Beaton and Angus McBean.

Color printing ceased during World War II, and Yevonde returned to more conventional black-and-white portraiture. Her later playful photomontages and solarized portraits (including one of young Judi Dench) are not the strongest works. They affirm, however, that Yevonde’s photography studio remained a place of artful experiment and financial freedom — a room of her own.

Yevonde: Life and Color
Through Oct. 15 at the National Portrait Gallery, in London; npg.org.uk.

Aurora Expeditions Announces Photography Themed Voyages – Cruise Industry News

By in Photography

Aurora Expeditions Announces Photography Themed Voyages – Cruise Industry News

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Beyond the booths

By in Native

Beyond the booths

The Santa Fe Indian Market has developed a powerful gravitational force during its century-plus in operation, pulling in increasing numbers of unaffiliated satellite offerings.

It’s not just the service industry that benefits from the influx of tourists. This year, the weekend’s ancillary events include an Indigenous theater company presenting its first production, multiple gallery receptions featuring Native artists, a book launch, and a fashion show.

The Indigenous troupe Natives of the Apocalypse consists of three actors and a director who met at the Institute of American Indian Arts: Enoch Chapman , Sean Seymour (Sioux), Isaiah St. Cyr (Ho-Chunk), and Montana Miller (Diné), a Gallup native. The latter three will perform an adaptation of the 1983 Lyle Kessler play Orphans, in which two adult orphan brothers co-exist in a run-down row house in North Philadelphia. Their version is called Orphans Indigenized.



Beyond the booths

LewAllen Galleries honors John Nieto, whose work includes Pueblo Dialogue (1990, acrylic on canvas), in an exhibit titled Images of Ancestry.


John Vokoun Fire Dragon Color




Beyond the booths

The feature film We Are Still Here is one of the free screenings at the New Mexico History Museum as part of the 2023 Native Cinema Showcase. Courtesy Visit Films




Beyond the booths

The Messenger by Rebecca Lee Kunz is representative of the artist’s work being showcased in the exhibition Ever Green at MoCNA. Courtesy IAIA




Beyond the booths

[World Photography Day] Visual Masterpieces by Samsung Members that Ignite an Unrivaled Passion for Capturing Moments

By in Photography

[World Photography Day] Visual Masterpieces by Samsung Members that Ignite an Unrivaled Passion for Capturing Moments

How often do we click photographs in our daily lives? With the advent of social media & smartphone technology, photography is not just limited to professionals. In fact, smartphones have empowered less experienced yet passionate photographers to capture fleeting moments that could be relived and cherished forever. World Photography Day celebrates the spirit and passion of millions of photographers around the world who believe in making every moment of life precious.

Since the Samsung Galaxy ecosystem offers state-of-the-art camera features, we asked members of our community to send us their favorite clicks under the themes of nature, wildlife, travel diaries, family moments, seasons, India’s diverse culture, and nightography. The results are nothing short of magical!

Some of the best captured masterpieces are featured below, each narrating a breath-taking tale of the inspiration behind the developed passion for photography.

Vaibhav Rao – @khichta_firta

Shot on a Samsung Galaxy M Series device, this picture flawlessly embraced the spirit of Indian Independence Day. The Indian tricolor stunningly spread over Mumbai’s iconic VT station is surely a sight to behold!

Talking about his inspiration behind the shot, Vaibhav explained, “I was feeling truly patriotic last week and everything around me felt like it is colored in saffron, white and green. I chose this particular shot since it had just rained, and the wet streets were almost glowing. The passerby served as the perfect addition to my shot. The entire aura of that evening really inspired me. I have been extremely passionate about capturing rare shots and my Galaxy M Series Device is a perfect partner”.

Siddharth Abhishek – @Sidhabhi

Open skies filled with birds and lush, green mountains oozing charm – Munnar’s every corner is simply stunning! Touted as god’s own country Kerala’s jewel, this shot captures the true essence of the hill station- nature at its best.

Speaking about the inspiration behind this shot, Siddharth said, “Whatever can be said or written about the beauty of Munnar is less! This place is truly blessed by God and a true treasure trove of beauty and peace. Maybe that’s why Kerala is called God’s own country. As an advocate of good photography and Galaxy devices, I can say without a shadow of doubt that this picture takes me back in time. The beauty of Munnar inspired me and my Galaxy device empowered me to take this shot”.

Anjani Kumar – @anjanikumarkode

Shot on Galaxy S Series, this click will instantly make you feel at peace. Focused on a single giant rock, embraced by an unending blue ocean on one side and the city on the other, this picture perfectly captures different shades of nature.

Talking about his love for photography and Samsung devices, Anjanikumar said, “Samsung #Galaxy S Series was the first smartphone that I’ve tried mobile photography with. The phone enabled me to express my passion. Samsung Galaxy has stayed my phone of choice ever since. I’m currently using the Galaxy S22 Ultra. The smartphone has helped me keep up with my photography aspirations with their exceptional quality. For me, the phone has become a sketchbook, an instrument of intuition and spontaneity. Photos remember little things long after we have forgotten everything. That is precisely what I love about photography. I thank Samsung for enabling me to pursue my passion with ease.”

Haroon Rafi – @CrazyBoy28

 

Don’t confuse this click with a painting! It’s actually shot on a Galaxy device. The photographer aptly describes it as “behold the sunrise as it paints the sky and whispers its golden secrets onto the tranquil canvas of the lake’s reflection.” And we couldn’t agree more. Pink, grey, purple, blue, yellow- the sky truly imitates a canvas through this picture. Add to that the surrounding green trees, and it’s picture-perfect!

Talking about the shot, Haroon said, “Photography is more than just clicking a button on a camera; it’s about capturing the essence of a moment, freezing emotions in time, and telling stories without uttering a single word. It’s a medium through which I can express my creativity, connect with people on a profound level, and share my perspective with the world. Through the lens of my camera, I’ve witnessed the beauty in the mundane, the elegance in simplicity, and the magic in everyday life. I believe every moment, every scene, every interaction has the potential to spark our creative souls.”

 Ramdas S Pai – @Ramdasphotography

 

Captured on a Galaxy S Series device, this picture is adding some international flavor to our picks. Capturing a golden sunrise over the mountain peaks of Switzerland, this picture looks nothing short of a painter’s masterpiece.

Talking about the inspiration behind this picture and photography, Ramdas said, “I’ve always been passionate about photography, ever since I was a child. When I got my first smartphone, I was amazed at the quality of the photos I could take with it. I realized that I could use my phone to take photos anywhere, anytime, without having to lug around a bulky camera. I started taking my phone with me everywhere I went, and I would always be on the lookout for interesting things to photograph. All you need is a smartphone and a creative eye. All we need is a passion for photography and a willingness to experiment. I’m excited to see what the future holds for smartphone photography. I’m committed to using my phone to create beautiful and meaningful images, and I hope to inspire others to do the same.”

These pictures inspire us and goes on to show how photography can create magic. Here’s to capturing beauty and creating visual masterpieces. Wishing a Happy World Photography Day to all artists.

Calling All Aspiring Surf Photographers

By in Photography

Calling All Aspiring Surf Photographers
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The 2023 ‘Follow The Light’ surf photography grant program is back and looking for the next generation of surf photographers

Going back to A.R. Gurrey’s 1914 The Surf Riders of Hawaii, the art of surf photography has inspired and been a guiding light in the development and evolution of wave-riding for more than 100 years.

With legends of the lens such as John Severson, Ron Stoner, Art Brewer, Tom Servais, Jeff Divine and Larry Moore all calling this area home, San Clemente and Dana Point have unquestionably played a super-sized role in this evolution.

With Surfer and Surfing magazines headquartered here, the ’80s, ’90s and early 2000s were a high-water mark for the form. As the photo editor of Surfing, Moore, more commonly known as “Flame” (a nickname he acquired because of his red hair) turned the emerald-green tubes at Salt Creek into his own personal photo studio.

But more than that, he was instrumental in creating surf photography as a viable occupation, and perhaps most importantly, scouting young, new talent both in front of and behind the lens.

After a hard-fought battle with brain cancer, Flame departed the physical plane in October 2005.

Determined to keep his spirit alive, a group of friends and family formed the Follow The Light Foundation to ensure his legacy of passionately supporting up-and-coming surf photographers continued.

Follow The Light dedicated itself to honoring this next generation through an annual grant program, including an awards presentation ceremony. Bringing together our community of surf media, industry professionals, athletes and friends, honorees include some of today’s most important and talented photographers, including modern luminaries such as Chris Burkard, Todd Glaser, Ray Collins and Morgan Maassen.

The 2023 Follow The Light Surf Photography grant program is here, and the submission window is open through Thursday, Aug. 31. This is an incredible opportunity for aspiring young surf photographers between the ages of 16 and 25 to introduce their work to the world and have a shot at a $5,000 grant, as well as real working opportunities.

“Being involved in Follow The Light has been an amazing experience all the way around,” said 2022 winner Kalani Cummins. “The grant helped me get on my feet a little more, and winning opened up some great opportunities, but more than that, it’s amazing to be part of this next generation of surf photographers and get the chance to meet them all and be part of something bigger.”

Recognizing that the arena in which surf photographers work today has changed dramatically since Flame was at the helm of Surfing, the Follow The Light organizing committee has focused its energies on helping up-and-coming lensmen and women get their start in the business and develop the tools and relationships necessary to take their careers to the next level.

“It’s never been easy to make it as a surf photographer, but it’s harder than ever,” explained Summer Chew Meek, who chairs the Follow The Light committee.

“With changing media landscapes and business models, what this next generation faces is really challenging, but it’s so important to support and foster their talents. Photography is how the sport, culture and community of surfing has thrived over the last century,” he continued.

In their prime, Surfer and Surfing magazines battled for cover shots, A-list talent and ace photographers. But that was then, and this is now.

If the art of surf photography is to survive for generations to come, it’s going to take amazing programs like Follow The Light and the support of surf media and business to keep the flame lit.

For more information and to enter, go to usbrc.org/follow-the-light.

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