Esoteric Survey

  Unknown ceramic sculpture and C. Carl Jennings Roy McMakin for Heath Ceramics (2003). I bought this at the Heath Market. Apparently it never went into production. It was part of the inventory when current owners Cathy and Robin purchased Heath Ceramics. Sori Yanagi  I guess I can't stop buying things from Japan

Completed in 2022, Roy McMakin designed Punta Paloma to serve as his home and studio in the Banker's Hill neighborhood of San Diego. He calls it his Postmodern love letter to California. And yes, that face is on purpose.    Although not a native San Diegan, Roy received his B.A. and M.F.A. from UCSD. Also, I learned from Roy that most of his Domestic Furniture was made in San Diego. An ode to Irving Gill. The massing hints to 1950s apartment buildings. The diamond window pane is a reference to 1940s California cottages.  Early Bauer Pottery A cabinet and Heath vase, both designed by Roy. I love this detail. Going along with the California focus, there's a John McLaughlin print. You might recall, his Slatback chairs were used in the galleries at  John McLaughlin (1898-1976) Paintings: Total Abstraction at LACMA in 2016. More about that, here .  A number of years before that, in 2011, Quint Gallery in San Diego mounted an exhibition they called  Roy McMakin ...

  Roy McMakin Domestic Furniture Cove dining table Kenji Fujita Eames Office.  Perhaps a little contact magic from 901.  Evelyn Ackerman

La Gardo Tackett and Hans Bellmann  Roy McMakin Van Keppel Green and Ferris Shaknove Ellamarie Woolley MillerKnoll A couple friends made a Good Design tote and gave me one. Speaking of friends, there's nothing like getting a group together in a parking lot at 4am on a Sunday morning.  It was  Downtown Modernism . This is pretty much my favorite flea market these days. The 8am view

  I've been slacking. This post is from the last two weeks.  Here is a Domestic table by Roy McMakin and Sintesi lamp by Ernesto Gismondi. San Diego art score. I was happy to get another painting by Conrad Woods.  The lady who owned the art was an artist herself. She also was a longtime supporter of the San Diego art scene and had the ephemera to prove it. Tom Mcmillin, David Stewart and a jewelry box.  I'm sure many of these McMillin vases (top left) have been sold as David Cressey. McMillin called them Shadow Vases and this one is hand signed. Many aren't.  This is from last weekend. It was slim picking. I did pick up a couple more Richard Allen Morris paintings.

Roy McMakin for Domestic Furniture chest of drawers and nightstands. Alvar Aalto stools, La Gardo Tackett and Dansk rare woods tray.  Hans Bellmann stool Desert pickings

Finn Juhl ice bucket, Roy McMakin table for Domestic, Martz planter and an Arne Norrel chair Greta Grossman table for Glenn. Yes, there are leaves for it.  Gerald Thurston for Lightolier "Cricket" lamp More books JB Blunk and Espenet ephemera

John McLaughlin (1898-1976) Paintings: Total Abstraction at LACMA The exhibition contains 52 pieces by the self taught Dana Point artist. 1949 There is a room of earlier paintings in the exhibition, like this one from 1949. This only a few years after he started painting full-time. It's a good painting, but he still isn't there. McLaughlin started painting in his 40s. He was heavily influenced by Japanese art and culture. Along with inheriting his uncle's Japanese art collection from his mother. In 1935 John moved to Japan for two years.  1950 He's getting there. 1951 and 1952 1952 This is when he nails it. McLaughlin said his goal, with rectangular compositions, was "to liberate the viewer from the tyranny of the object." 1953 1954 1965 1975 In addition to a superb catalogue, LACMA produced a short documentary.  See it here .   Along with Roy McMakin chairs in the ga...