design obsession | vintage wallpaper
Whenever I am on the lookout for interesting patterns, one of my go-tos is old wallpaper samples--the 60's and 70's are particularly ripe with florals, but older can work too if you're looking for subdued patterns, colors, and textures. Some I lift from the internet, but I also have a collection in the studio that I have scanned and used for projects, as well as to make the cutest little notepads a few years ago. One of the first lit mags I ever appeared in , Poetry Motel, was the coolest journal bound in old wallpaper scraps and I've been obsessed with binding things in it ever since and may just use it as a binding for a future artist book project..
I also tend to use them a lot in my own designs, either the physical scraps or the patterns electronically. Especially in something like taurus, where the house (the labyrinth) itself, plays such a big role in the poems, and in exquisite damage, when I'm searching for a visual that reflects the feeling claustrophobic sort of suburbaness. Though, just as often, I'll catch site of something and use it merely becuase it's pretty...it varies.
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