Originally published on May 23, 2021

Violet Daze: A collaboration with Camilleeeoo

[camille hero image]

A big reason for starting Cypress was to create excuses to make art with friends. It's one of the best parts of surrounding yourself with designers and artists: sharing ideas, iterating on each other's work, and creating something brand new together. And in a space where there are no wrong answers, it's fun to see how far you can push each others' creative boundaries.

Making a print with Camille Villanueva was a no brainer. She's a dear friend, a great designer, and one of the most talented people I've ever met. So when she came up with the idea to do something together, it was an instant yes. But don't take my word for her talent, check out her print shop and instagram to see what she can do (and to buy her work).

[text messages]

Printing 'Violet Daze' together was as much an experiment in collaborating in a 2020 pandemic environment as it was playing off of each others' styles. It was all planned, sketched, critiqued, and finished via text message and USPS during the height of the COVID quarantine. Before the world came to a screeching halt, we would've passed each other in the office or been able to hop across the bay — but what made this project funny is that we were mailing each other packages for new print layers and signatures over only a 10 mile span. San Francisco and Oakland don't feel far from each other until you're all too nervous to take Bart.

[sketches image]

We started with Camille's initial sketch of a woman surrounded by her houseplants. It was immediately clear that the weight of the work would be supported by her illustration, so I got to work on a background.

[camille's final image]

My intention was to cycle a viewer's attention around the page and then always back to the woman. She's calm and relaxed at home in the company of herself. And she has this beautifully nonchalant gaze that points off page. The pattern drifts up and around the room in a way that I imagine mirrors her own focus. The colors are soft and cool, similar to the tail end of a Sunday sunset that you catch while accidentally staring out of your window.

[background image]

With this piece, Camille taught me more about how to capture movement with abstract patterns than I thought I could manage. You can thank her influence for any future collaborations that you see from Cypress that appear organic and effortless.

Here's the final image of the first print layer that I texted her. Below, you can see the final print. If you're interested in purchasing it, please go to camilleeeoo.com and buy 'Violet Daze' directly from her.

Featured

Violet Daze

The final print – a limited run of uniquely varied hand-inked and hand-printed pieces.

[violet daze image]

https://www.camilleeeoo.com/product/violet-daze/46?cp=true&sa=true&sbp=false&q=false

Playing in the studio

Mk.gee

Pronounced McGee is another one of those albums that I constantly return to. I can thank a co-worker's roommate for not only exposing me to the album, but also dragging us all to a show at the Fillmore to watch Mk.gee play as an opener for the night.

Several of these songs will live on forever in my playlists. And conveniently, the song 'If He' pairs very nicely with the vibe of this issue's print selection.