Esoteric Survey

Alexander Girard  La Fonda del Sol menu Source:  ALEXANDER GIRARD Eames Office Budweiser logo and packaging Source: Eames Design : The work of Charles and Ray Eames Paul Rand Source: Paul Rand Paul McCobb wine set   Kenji Fujita / La Gardo Tackett

With my handy guide,  Arizona Designer-Craftsmen: In the Beginning,  by Dave Hampton,  I hit the streets of Scottsdale  to see the designer-craftsmen sites.   The Kiva Crafts Center was built in 1955 by Lloyd Kiva New. The center was designed by T.S. Montgomery. The center looks much the same as is did in this 1965 image from  Arizona Designer-Craftsmen: In the Beginning. The center was home to studios by some of the top artists, craftsmen and designers from the area.   Dick Seeger  had his design  gallery there,  as did Charles and Otellie Loloma and of course Lloyd Kiva.  Lloyd Kiva New and an ad from his shop.  Source:  Arizona Designer-Craftsmen: In the Beginning,  by Dave Hampton Lloyd Kiva shop Source: Beyond Buckskin  (Great article on Lloyd Kiva New) Source:  Life , 1956 The Kiva Crafts Center isn't really the hotbed of Scottsdale craft and desig...

The Dome House, 1949, in Cave Creek Arizona, by Paolo Soleri and Mark Mills. Both were former apprentices under  Frank Lloyd Wright at Taliesin West.   The house was commissioned by Lenora Woods. The story  goes that after the house was finished Mills got to keep the  tools and Soleri got the client's daughter.   Paolo and Lenora Woods' daughter Colly were married from 1949 until her passing in 1982. It looks very FLW from this angle. Photo: Julius Shulman Photo: Julius Shulman Photo: Julius Shulman Photo: Julius Shulman Photo: Julius Shulman

Paolo in his office. Source: Life Magazine, 1966 The Cosanti office today Now that's a doorknob. My friend Daniel at Cosanti gave me a little behind the scenes tour.  The office is filled with some great examples of sculpture by Soleri. I want one of these! Styrofoam sculpture forms under an array of cause bells.   This bronze tray is part of the architecture. Paolo's mailbox Pumpkin Apse and  Barrel Vault  (1968-1971) Interior of the barrel vault, 1990s T he barrel vault, today Soleri didn't want to cut the tree down so he just built the building around it.  Daniel explained that the color of the apse was created by painting the earth mound that was piled up to create the form. The ribs on the barrel vault are made of cloth dipped in plaster under a cast concrete outer shell (see photo below).   The rib forms were made in  sections under...