Cool Stuff: Third Drawer Down

Last week, when I was researching my post on Sarajo Frieden, I followed a link on Frieden's site that led me to Third Drawer Down, an Australian company selling limited-edition textiles screenprinted with images from noteworthy contemporary artists from around the world.

Abigail Crompton, the woman behind Third Drawer Down, believes that "placing art into domestic environments ... creates an accessibility, affordability, and functionality that does not exist within the traditional art world." Hey, I'm all for that.

Some of the TDD designs going on my wish list:

Crumbs in Beard Tea Towel by Katherine Brickman, $40 Australian (about $28 American)

Hairy Lady Tea Towel by Camilla Engman, $40 AUD ($28 USD)

Tuart Cottage Tea Towel by Holly Story, $40 AUD ($28 USD)

Attention Tea Towel by Allyson Mellberg Taylor, $40 AUD ($28 USD)

Untitled (Hair) Pillowcase by Irana Douer, $30 AUD ($21 USD)

Here I Am Still Waiting Pillowcase by Camilla Engman, $35 AUD ($24 USD)

Sweet Dreams and Good Night Pillowcases by Kat Macleod, $45 AUD ($31 USD) each

Some Demons "Artpron" by Andrew Nicholls, $75 AUD ($52 USD)

(By the way, ask me how much it kills me that these two gorgeous Lost in the Woods towels by Sarajo Frieden are out of print, and thus forever unattainable. Answer: Completely dead.)

Check out all of Third Drawer Down's artful textiles right here. International shipping starts at $10 AUD ($6.90 USD) for a single item.

The Artful Home: Sarajo Frieden

I am absolutely sick with lust for these new pieces by Oakland native (and current Los Angeles resident) Sarajo Frieden, which are part of her Let's Get Lost show at San Francisco's Rare Device. Above: Untitled (Winter Landscape) gouache and collage, $900

Frieden is inspired by "the floating world of Ukiyo-e, Persian miniatures, Paul Klee's puppets, the films of Fellini and Tati, the world of dance -- even Disneyland ... A host of disparate vocabularies from the worlds of fine, folk, and decorative art, including Shaker trance drawings, Japanese woodblock prints, and her Hungarian great aunt's embroidery influence her work and can be found wandering through her images. Using open-ended narratives, folk tales, and the juxtaposition of discordant images, she attempts to give form to the human experience in all its bewildering complexity."

Untitled (Landscape 1) gouache and collage, $900

Untitled (Sea Cloud) gouache, acrylic, and collage, $1,200

Not Drowning, Waving 2 cut paper and gouache, $375

Landscape 1 With Green Mountains gouache and collage, $800

Pocket Park gouache and embroidery, $450

Luckily for those of us on a more limited budget, Frieden has several prints available through Thumbtack Press. A few of my faves:

Droplets 2, $35

Funny Houses, $30

This Flooded World, $35

If you're in the Bay Area, you can see Frieden's show in the Rare Device gallery through November 2. Everyone else, check out more of her work right here.