Interviews
God or Gardening – Part 1
An interview with Graham Cousins During a family vacation to Provence in the Summer of 2011, Graham Cousins and I sat down in the shade to talk about gardens and
Isca Greenfield-Sanders
Isca Greenfield-Sanders Recently I interviewed the artist Isca Greenfield-Sanders when she visited Paulson Bott Press to make a new series of prints. You can find that interview here: http://www.paulsonbottpress.com/about/oktp/oktp_greenfield1.pdf
Jeremy Mende Interview
Visual artist and designer Jeremy Mende recently returned from spending eight months as a fellow in design at the American Academy in Rome. His project “100 Years from Now” was
Staying with Art: An interview with Seattle artist Jenny Fillius
I first met Jenny Fillius when she transferred to our high school in 1974. She was the tallest and most stylish student I had ever seen. I couldn’t quite believe
Finding the Right Line
A Conversation with Jenny Phillips Jenny Phillips is showing her encaustic artwork at the Inclusions Gallery in Bernal Heights from July 8-August 14. Although her pieces retain traces of her
Squeak Carnwath
I met Squeak Carnwath in the early 1980’s through her husband, architect Gary Knecht, who belonged to the same preservation group I was in. Gary and Squeak lived in Alameda
Different Perspectives on Julius Shulman
When Sam Lubell, the West Coast editor of the Architect’s Newspaper, told me that he was working on a new book on Julius Shulman, I thought he was crazy. We
Looking at French West Africa
A Conversation about the Work of Photographer Seydou Keïta Seydou Keïta 1921-2001 In May 2010, my niece Maya Caldwell graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a degree in history and
Radcliffe Bailey House
I was interviewing the artist Radcliffe Bailey for Paulson Bott Press, and the conversation drifted from art-making towards architecture and his house, which was designed by the noted firm Mack
Placewares: A Big Well-Designed Circle
Maynard Hale Lyndon and Lu Wendel Lyndon Maynard Hale Lyndon and Lu Wendel Lyndon were integral parts of the famous Design Research (D/R) store before they founded their own firm,
Verda Alexander: Artist & Designer In Dialogue
This morning Verda Alexander and her husband Primo Orpilla were named Designers of the Year by Contract magazine. They have ridden a few technology waves providing office spaces for all
Alexander Girard: Deep Modernist. A Conversation with Ruth Keffer
A few years ago, my friend the architect and NorCalMod author Pierluigi Serraino took me to see a house designed by Don Knorr with interiors by Alexander Girard. It was
Handmade Portraits in the Modern Age
A Conversation with Leslie Williamson Handcrafted Modern by Leslie Williamson Every now and then, a book arrives which is not just a handsome presentation of information but also a completely
Joanna Howells: A Potter in Wales
One of the United Kingdom’s most innovative potters lives in Wales with her husband Tony in a small house with a big garden. In the summer we sat for hours
Beyond Googie
A conversation with the director of Infinite Space: The Architecture of John Lautner Director Murray Grigor Infinite Space: The Architecture of John Lautner (http://www.infinitespacethemovie.com/) immerses you in the architect’s legacy
Art Surrounds You: An Interview with Kota Ezawa
Kota, 2006 Color Aquatint Etching 19.5 x 23 inchesEdition of 35Courtesy of the artist and Paulson Bott Press Recently I interviewed Kota Ezawa at Paulson Bott Press about some new
Interview with Kristina Hagman
Kristina Hagman grew up in New York and Los Angeles and moved to San Francisco to attend college in the late 1970s. Since then, she has lived in New York,
Interview with Robert Holgate
Holgate Residence, San Francisco, CA Photo: JD Peterson A few years ago, I met an interior designer who wasn’t obsessed with fancy labels or excess, who – to borrow a
Remembering Julius Shulman
July 17, 2009 I was saddened to hear that Julius Shulman died on Wednesday, July 15. He was 98. I only knew him slightly, but he hardly seemed to age
Marvin Rand Interview in LA Architect
Marvin Rand passed away last week. I remember interviewing him in a restaurant in 1990 for LA Architect. He was cranky, competitive, and endearing. Here is the interview as it
A Conversation with Raphael Sperry Part 1
The end of 2008 brought the long-anticipated collapse of the economy. With the global recession threatening to devolve into a depression, its potential impact on the architecture industry has led
Designers of the Year
On January 30, architects John Peterson and John Cary were named “Designers of the Year” by Contract magazine. They are the first design professionals to receive this honor for their