Marimekko

Though they can be nervous dance partners, when art and design succeed in marrying, the result is commercial art, a term which seems to sully both words and glorify neither. To my mind, commercial art simply means that more people have access to better-looking things and there is no better example of a successful marriage than Marimekko, the Finnish design house whose patterns have influenced the look of textiles and household objects for generations. I recently happened upon a Japanese website that reproduces images from Marimekko’s entire back catalog. Timeless motifs and surprising color combinations have inspired me to make more or less “real” abstractions derived from designs for tablecloths, coffee cups, shower curtains and sheets.