Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/106710
KABEL IMAGES COURTESY THE ARTIST AND HEMPEL DESIGN Lights, TILE, ART HEMPEL DESIGN Larassa Kabel's Bo in the Snow, 2012 to the White House COURTESY MCCLAIN GALLERY While we're not on the Presidential holiday list (yet), we do have a personal connection. Iowa-based Larassa Kabel, a mistress of drawing represented by Houston's Hempel Design — and recently exhibited by their Montrose art and design gallery — was just tapped for the 2012 White House Christmas card, selected by First Lady Michelle Obama from a slew of artistic submissions in a contest through the Social Secretary's office of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Did you get a Bo Obama card in your mailbox? Catherine D. Anspon Larassa Kabel's Any Minute Now – Flyboy, 2011 COURTESY ANYA TISH GALLERY Two Houston dealers are showcasing artists who dip into the design pool. Texas talent Adela Andea employs a hypnotic hybrid of materials — LED lights, fans, snaking plastic filaments of neon, computer parts and liquids — in Renée Lotenero's La Cucina de Elia, 2012, at Peveto her illuminated installations, while L.A. it-girl Renée Lotenero deconstructs home environments then photographs the result (she's particularly obsessed with the humble household tile). Adela Andea light works from $3,000, at Anya Tish Gallery; Renée Lotenero sculptures and photographs from $1,200, at Peveto. Catherine D. Anspon COURTESY PEVETO DECORATION Architecture of the Object: A CARRIER FOR YOUR SUDS Surrealist + Post-Pop + FEMINIST Rosa Loy's Gehör (Hearing), 2008, at McClain Gallery Beer Sling designed by Dillon Phillips, Mike Rhodes and Michael Viviano All three of those adjectives describe Rosa Loy's art-making: pitch-perfect canvases and works on paper that hypnotize the viewer with an unorthodox, albeit compelling amalgamation of surrealism colliding with pop. Her works are smartly informed by a cast of memorable femmes who enact unsettling parts in complex narratives — enchantresses, explorers, guards, girlfriends, matriarchs, schemers, dreamers, workers and sphinxes. Come Thursday, January 24, Leipzig-based Loy takes a bow at McClain Gallery, marking her first visit to Houston from her native Germany and the solo debut in Texas for this internationally exhibited conjurer of images. From $3,000, "Rosa Loy," January 24 – March 2, at McClain Gallery; mcclaingallery.com. Catherine D. Anspon BOCCI We are fascinated with the lighting line by in-demand Vancouver, BC–based manufacturer Bocci. The sculptural 28 Series lights, created by Omer Arbel, allow one to customize the size and scale of fixtures based on the perspective of each project. An exercise in form married to function, each glass pendant is mouth-blown, with no two exactly alike. The unique canopy system lets pendants be grouped together or hung individually throughout a space, which provides infinite combinations of color, composition and shape. From $500, through Hempel Design, 832.620.8532; stevenhempel@gmail.com; stevehempel.com. In December, students from the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture at the University of Houston unveiled an enticing exhibition of craft and luxury goods entitled "Made in Houston." The project, now in its third year, is the brainchild of UH architecture professor Cord Bowen and gives its participants the opportunity to create and sell works in a realworld environment. The architectural students worked in groups to design, market, manufacture and sell their work, which is showcased at PH Design Shop in Rice Village. Among the offerings produced by eight teams, the creations of Unnecessary Objects stood out. Taking cues from current design trends towards "softer" materials as well as the fast-growing artisanal beverage market, Dillon Phillips, Mike Rhodes and Michael Viviano devised the Beer Sling. Simple, yet elegant and refined, the carrying case is a great example of form converging with function. The handsome editioned case, made from Herman Oak leather, will patina over time and includes side buckles for packing any size brew, as well as well as a strap for easy traveling. Limited edition of 10, $94 each, through PH Design Shop. Steven Hempel HAPPY TAKE 28 FOR Reminiscences of Hill Country summers may spark memories of canoeing down the Guadalupe, tribal campfires and shortsheeting your counselor's bed. But designer Ann Sutherland does nostalgia one better with Camp Wannagetaway, a newly launched collection of vintage-inspired stripes and toiles for Perennials Outdoor Fabrics that evokes lazy summer days spent near a favorite watering hole. The large-scale Boathouse Stripe has a heavily slubbed hand; Vintage Stripe alternates two colors for a rustic linen look; Ticking Stripe provides perfect companionship for solids and prints; County Fair showcases a pastoral countryside; and the softly textured chenille Crepe de Jour offers a homespun feel. All boast Perennials' Nano Seal finish for extra protection against dirt, fading, rough-housing and, assumedly, the occasional dropped s'more. To the trade through David Sutherland Showroom, Decorative Center Houston, 5120 Woodway Dr., Suite 170, 713.961.7866; Boathouse Stripe in Berry Patch davidsutherlandshowroom.com. Amy Adams Camper Omer Arbel's Bocci 28 Series in amber and gold Adela Andea's Machine Visions, 2012, at Anya Tish Gallery