Wallpaper Sale!

_{you can click on the mosaic to expand the view}

We’ve been having a bit of a spring clean this week. We’re letting go of a few things – one of the first things is this collection of Wallpaper* Magazines.

The group consists of the very rare and covetable launch edition and the following fourteen issues – they span late 1996 to late 1998.

They’re currently up for sale as a single lot on eBay!

Feathered Friends

We did a recent post about owls, but forgot to include the illustration below – a charcoal & wash study of barn owls by John Busby.

However, it’s given us the opportunity to blog about this collection of magazines from which the illustration was taken.

They’re vintage 1970s RSPB magazines that we picked them up in a local charity shop – 20 or 30 of them in total.

We’re very fond of birds and see numerous species on our dog walks, but it was the magazine covers that were of initial interest…

…with their varied & striking artwork.

Artists featured in this post include Keith Shackleton, John Paige, Eric Ennion, Kenneth Waterfield, Robert Greenhalf, John Busby, Jean Young, Michael Warren, Ian Willis, Ken Wood, Fulco Pratesi, Philip Rickman and Robert Gillmor.

Some of the work has a real period style – and the magazines are very frame-able as the title & date are kept very restrained.

Inside there are lots of bird related features, stories and advertisements of course… and even more artworks!

It’s virtually impossible to pick an absolute favourite, but it might well be the paper collage below…

…a great spotted woodpecker by John Paige dating from 1973.

We holidayed in North Norfolk over the summer and these woodcuts & silkscreen take us back to that lovely corner of the world.

We’ll be keeping an eye out for some more of these vintage issues.

The modern editions have high-tech photographic covers, with attention grabbing banners & adverts. That’s OK of course – but we think these earlier copies are actually more interesting – and far more charming.

Midcentury Mag

We have a regular book review feature on our blog, but today we’re looking at a magazine.

The biannual publication of Midcentury has recently been launched, so it’s especially nice to be able to cast our eye over edition number one.

It’s a subject close to our hearts too – namely Mid-Century Modernism.

We’ve been reading our copy over the weekend and have been thoroughly enjoying it.

Articles in this edition include an in-depth look at the ever-expanding Midcentury Modern Show and an interview with the founders & organisers, Petra Curtis & Lucy Ryder Richardson.

The Festival of Britain features prominently – both details of the original spectacular exhibition and current events to mark this, its 60th anniversary.

There’s a look at the hit TV show, Mad Men and its influence on the current Mid Century Modern renaissance.

Regular features are set to include the Buyer’s Guide to a design classic (the Eames rocker); Collector’s Perspective (the sculptures of Brian Willsher), Designer’s Eye (fashion designer, Margaret Howell‘s choice of 3 fave MCM pieces)’ Curator’s Choice which highlights a current exhibition (Robin & Lucienne Day at Pallant House Gallery, Chichester) and Mid Century Home, (in this edition, a tour of Cathy Spooner & Peter Walls’ house in Crystal Palace, London).

There’s an excellent directory of specialist MCM stockists, designers & dealers.

Format wise, it’s between A4 and A5 – and there are 66 pages in all. A subscription costs £6.95 per year for two issues, £10.95 in Europe and £13.95 to the rest of the world. The price includes postage.