Studio Marcus Hay Pinterest Boards/ Polka Me Dot!

Left: Scottish designer  Eduardo Paolozzi dot pattern,  Right: Spotty Chair designed by Peter Murdoch, 1963 

Left: Poster for Haruki Murakami, Right: Vase by Jun Kaneko

Left: The Queen of The Polka Dot, Yayoi Kusama,
 Right: Exhibition, 2006, Photographs courtesy of  Yayoi Kusama Studio Inc and Huffington Post 

Left: Artwork by Jun Kaneko, Right: Comme des Garcon wallet

1950's Album covers, The Polka Dot seems to have a close relationship with expressing the idea of Music

Left: Poster by Giuseppe De Luca, Right: Famous photograph of Jean Shrimpton by David Bailey, 1965

Left: A paint palette inspires the idea of Polka Dots in everyday life
Right: Textiles by German Artist Anna Badur

Examples of work by Graphic Designer and Art Director Paul Rand

Left: Work by Alexander Calder, Right: Poster by Graphic Designer Max Huber

Left: Linus Bill Nad Adrien Horni Artwork, Right: Paul Rand's work for UCLA 

Left: Plate by Anthropologie, Middle: Stool by Artek, to celebrate this Alvar Aalto designed stool's 
80th birthday by Comme des Garcon Left: Comme des Garcon wallet. 

Nothing could be simpler than a series of rounds dots, but how universal and instantly recognizable is the pattern polka dot. Applied to so many different types of applications, It can seem fun, it can seem childlike, It can seem Fashion orientated, For instance as a child I always remembered that Minnie Mouse’s dress was always polka dot, In a way that harped back to a simpler time when the polka dot seemed a favorite of another era. It’s always had an innocence and in the 1950’s/ 1960's, Polka Dot seemed to prevail as the pattern of choice on scarves and full dresses. Fashion House Comme Des Garcon has used Polka Dot as a reoccurring theme for years, as has Japanese Artist Yayoi Kusama who created a whole collection for Louis Vuitton.

According to Wikipedia: Polka Dot is is a pattern consisting of an array of filled circles, generally equally sized and spaced relatively closely in relation to their diameters. An early recorded use of the term "polka dot" first appeared in 1854. The pattern shares its name with the dance form, making one suspect there is a connection linking the pattern to the dance. However, the name was likely settled upon merely because of the dance's popularity at the time the pattern became fashionable, just as many other products and fashions of the era also adopted the polka name

Many Artist and Designers have used the simplicity of the polka dot to inspire, I have always loved the pattern and even though in my line of work I only seem to be able to use it in Kid’s Shoots, Really I would love to use it everywhere, I think people are too quick to judge and put a label on it, It amazes me how one pattern can conjure up such resonance in people that it only reminds them of one theme. 

Champions of the Polka Dot:
Yayoi Kusama
Jun Kaneko

Paul Rand 
Rei Kawakubo/ Comme des Garcon

In my Pinterest folder Polka Me Dot, I explore all the different ways Polka Dot can be found, I am amazed how many images I find, From Graphic Designed posters to Album Covers to a pair of shoes. I hope you enjoy my collection, Again because of the nature of Pinterest, Often images are not credited, I see my images all the time without my credit, usually someone has taken it off to write a personalized comment, I would love to encourage people to keep credits on images as they are somebody’s hard and often self funded work, However in an image saturated culture, its seems you have to let go of that. If any image here requires a credit, Please let me know.

Hope you too embrace the joy of the polka dot. 

Studio Marcus Hay/ On the Farm

Photography: Marcus Hay

Photography: Marcus Hay

Photography: Marcus Hay

Photography: Marcus Hay

Photography: Marcus Hay

Photography: Marcus Hay

Photography: Marcus Hay

Photography: Marcus Hay

Photography: Marcus Hay

Photography: Marcus Hay

Photography: Marcus Hay

Photography: Marcus Hay

Photography: Marcus Hay

Last week I had the pleasure of visiting Blackberry Farm in Tennessee for a regular client, We spent a week there photographing a brochure set to come out in Fall, I will feature it here on Fluff N Stuff when it come out, stay posted! 

On Blackberry Farm, Studio Marcus Hay rolled up the sleeves, hitched up the overalls and got to work! Styling work not Farm work that is! ; )

Blackberry Farm is situated on a pastoral 4,200-acre estate in the Great Smoky Mountains, According to legend, in 1939; Mrs. Florida Lasier of Chicago snagged her silk stockings on a wild blackberry bramble while exploring the idyllic Smoky Mountain foothills, and the name Blackberry Farm was born. Now owned by the Beall Family, Blackberry Farm is More than 30 years ago, Blackberry Farm was founded on the idea of creating a home with good friends, family and good food. Today, Blackberry continues to share its southern hospitality with Sam and Mary Celeste Beall and an amazing collection of staff that were a delight to work with and they all went out of their way to help us out.

The grounds are just simply amazing and really took my breath away, sure beat working in an indoor studio. While we did long days at work and while I could not take advantage of all the amenities, we were treated to an amazing dinner and catering each day with produce fresh from the Farm. While it is a full functioning farm, Blackberry Farm also boasts Fly Fishing, A Pool, A Wellness Spa, Hiking, Horseback Riding, Kayaking and much more. 

Being a city boy, I was just so awe struck by the produce and selection of different fruits and vegetables constantly being harvested. I can’t wait to return one day to the Farm.

I hope you enjoy the pictures, I certainly enjoyed taking them. 

Studio Marcus Hay Pinterest Boards/ Classic Blue & Whites

Left: Watercolor by Jose F.Sosa, Right: Blue pigments, Still Life, Photography: Kate Mathis.

Left: Bruce Wayland and Marcello De Simone, Little Owl Design, Wall Prints, Right: Work By Artist Laurie Ried

Left: Ceramic bottles by Brenda Holzke, Right: Image styled by Studio Marcus Hay
Photographed by Lucas Allen for Real Simple Magazine

Left: De Gournay Wallpaper, Right: Schumacher Nanjing pattern

Left: Fabric by Laura Slater, Right: Work by Artist Cy Twombly

Left: Oscar Niemeyer Tiles in Brazil, Right: Furniture by Jean Paul Gaultier

Right: Delftware Tiles, Source unknown, Left: Artwork by Ethan Cook

Right: Delft Ceramic by Mark Hall, Left: Heritage Sideboard by Boca do Lobo

What could be fresher then the classic combo of blue and white, clearly people have thought this for centuries and it has be the favorite of a lot of collectors, porcelain collectors in particular!

It could be said that Blue is the color of Stylist,I don’t know many who don’t go ga over it. I have always loved blue but when you team it with white, it just pops.

In the Netherlands, Delftware denotes blue and white pottery made in and around Delft in the Netherlands from the 16th century. Delftware includes pottery objects of all descriptions such as plates, ornaments and tiles. The Chinese have also used Blue and White wares, Tang and Song eras are particularly collectable and rare. The true development of blue and white ware in China started with the first half of the 14th century, but have been used as inspiration for Western style porcelain for centuries as seen in Wedgwood and Schumacher patterns.

Many contemporary Artists and Designers have used the combo in their works and even though it can appear quite traditional it really looks so fresh and amazing when applied with new silhouettes and designs, One such Designer is Laura Slater, Based in the U.K in West Yorkshire, Her Assemble/ Configure fabric in particular works so well when applied to modern accessories such as pillows and shades.

All these images can be found in my Pinterest folder Classic Blue & White.

DWR/ August Catalog

Photography: Jim Bastardo

Photography: Jim Bastardo

Photography: Jim Bastardo

Photography: Jim Bastardo

Photography: Jim Bastardo

Photography: Jim Bastardo

Photography: Jim Bastardo

Photography: Jim Bastardo

Photography: Jim Bastardo

Photography: Jim Bastardo

Photography: Jim Bastardo

Photography: Jim Bastardo

Photography: Jim Bastardo

The latest August released DWR Catalog was produced over a series of weeks using 2 teams. With a new fabric program in place, it meant all existing imagery had to be replaced to illustrate the new fabric line. Studio Marcus Hay was part of one of those teams. Shooting in a number of great locations, our team travelled Upstate NY, A number of locations in The Hamptons and one amazing Tribeca loft in Manhattan.

It was very exciting to see the new fabrics on both new lines and existing product, some of the new product included sofas designed by Jeffrey Burnett and Nicholas Dodzuik and a new range of beds also designed by them also alongside Piotor Woronkowicz. 

The two teams shot equal share of images and although we were often in close proximity, we never really met on a day-to-day basis; it was amazing to think all of this new imagery could be produced in such a short time. Here are the images I worked on with Jim Bastardo and Art Director George McCalman, both who were fantastic to work with. To check out all the images, Check out, download it here. 

Many Thanks to my great team including Mykl Cummins and Molly Hartman. Also thanks to the many companies that helped us out with props including, Dinosaur Designs, Mud Australia, Baggu, and Urban Ears