COLORI – The Vibrancy of Philanthropy

 

Your compassion, drive, and creativity can make a difference in your community and the world. When you use your unique skill set and the tools that are at your disposal, there are no limits on how you can give back to your community.

One woman who gives back in a creative way is Lori Samuels. As the founder of the Colori Design shop in San Marino, Samuels uses her love for color to advance an important group of young people.

A Colorful Sojourn

Her philanthropic journey began when visiting her son in Italy. There, Lori Samuels was inspired by the quality of leather goods and desk accessories. She figured there was a market for such quality items in Los Angeles. Her instinct was correct.

After the overwhelming success of a trunk show for friends, she decided to go bigger and set up a shop on Mission Street, a neighborhood known for its old world furniture shops and fine French restaurants. The products in her shop are diverse (bracelets, necklaces, earrings, pendants, rings, keychains, leather shoes, and much more) but they all hold one thing in common: rich color.

“I love color, and I love giving back,” Samuels said. And it shows. All of the shop’s items are rich and vibrant. The desk accessories and leather goods come in colors that are meant to brighten your mood and put a positive spin on life.

And it is in that colorful positivity that Samuels gives back to her community. A substantial portion of Colori’s sales goes to helping children with special needs.

Helping The Help Group

The Help Group was founded in 1975, and is devoted to helping children with learning disabilities and developmental issues. It offers specialized classes for grades K-12, as well as therapy services for children and families. They believe in each person’s potential and encourage productivity.

Lori Samuels believes in their potential, too. A percentage of every sale at Colori goes to helping with the Help Group, providing a steady stream of aid to this worthy cause. This has allowed The Help Group to continue its campaign of public awareness, training, and education. To date, they have 900 staff members and seven campuses located in Los Angeles.

Who could imagine that, in using colorful handbags, jewelry, and leather products, Lori Samuels would be able to offer bright, enriching futures for countless children, as well as shoppers.

Whether it’s enriching a person’s life with a colorful handbag, or brightening up the life of a struggling child, Lori Samuels is on the right track. Using her passion and her abilities, she is giving back to her community, making her life and the lives of those around her a little brighter.

Read more Segmation blog posts about art and color:

A Color Manual Ahead of its Time

Cutting Edge Art Blog Inspired by Current Events

Vehicle Safety and Car Color

Be an Artist in 2 minutes with Segmation SegPlay® PC (see more details here)

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Behind the Scenes with Segmation: Meet Digital Artist Marta Guijarro De Luna

Artwork comes in all shapes an sizes. Segmation prides itself on offering a variety of digital paint-by-number patterns. Thanks to our digital artists, we are able to distribute new, colorful collections every month.

This month, we have the pleasure of interviewing digital artist Marta Guijarro De Luna.

Marta has designed a number of Segmation’s pattern sets. Some of her recent creations include aerial vehicles and winter sports.

                  

“Life is not about finding yourself, it’s about creating yourself”
– George Bernard Shaw

What is your art background? Did you go to university or teach yourself?

I studied art history at the University of Valencia in Spain. I’ve always loved drawing, but before entering college, I was only able to take one sculpture drawing course at Barreira Academy (an academy of drawing in Valencia) for two months during the summer. I learned everything else on my own through countless hours of drawing, trying different techniques (pencil, watercolor, etc.).

When I finished college, I had the opportunity to join a production company where I learned the basics of animation. Soon I was able to work on some of their productions like an animated TV show and an animated feature film. That’s how I began my career in the world of animation.

By that time, my professional life started to move in a different direction and I had to set aside my pencils for some time. I thought drawing would be something I’d never get back to. But, unexpectedly, I had the opportunity to work on a cartoon TV show and after several years I got out my pencils and made a career in the field of illustration. Since then, I’ve been lucky to straddle the path between illustration and animation worlds.

      

Marta’s artwork can be printed on t-shirts, prints, phone cases, mugs, stickers and other goodies. ALAPAPAJU is available now on Society6 and Redbubble.

 “The way to get started is to stop talking and start doing”
-Walt Disney

When did you know you wanted to be an artist?

When I was a little girl I remember saying that I wanted to be an artist or work for Disney.

Other Segmation Sets by Marta

Medieval Friends

 

Ground Vehicles

“Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working”
-Pablo Picasso

Was there a person or people in your life who encouraged you to be an artist?

Definitely! My family, especially my parents have believed in me from the beginning and always encouraged me to work on projects that were related to drawing and illustration. In their opinion, it was easy to copy something but to create something new from scratch was something that not everyone was able to do. My father, an architect, served as a great critic and helped me polish my drawings, helping me get proportions and perspectives just right. Also I found support from my brothers whenever I needed it. And my boyfriend, who made me pick up again the pencils and encouraged me to take on new challenging projects.

demo reel 2009 from martasan on Vimeo
(Marta is currently working on an updated version of her demo reel. It will include her most recent work on an animated feature film and an animated story for Ipad. For now, enjoy watching her past animation work.)

“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist when we grow up”
-Pablo Picasso

We hope you enjoyed meeting Marta, digital artist for Segmation. Follow Segmation on Facebook and Twitter to see what pattern set Marta will create next.

Read more Segmation blog posts about inspiring artists:

The Artist Who Wants to Banish Fear of Color

FEATURED ARTIST: OMASTE WITKOWSKI

The Creative, Artistic and Inventive Mind of Leonardo da Vinci

Be an Artist in 2 minutes with Segmation SegPlay® PC (see more details here)

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Behind the Scenes with Segmation: Meet Digital Artist Ana Villanueva

Most of you know that Segmation is the Art of Pieceful Imaging, but very few of you get to experience the magic that goes on behind the scenes.

For this reason, we are eager to answer a burning question some of you have asked:

Where do we get the artwork that YOU bring to life?

Digital Artist Ana Villanueva creates some of Segmation’s pattern sets. Her most recent creation included our Independence Girls.

                            “One of the best things in life is to love what you do, so you can get better at it.”
~Ana Villanueva~

Ana Villanueva is a digital artist from Valencia, Spain. Since she was a child she was always drawing and creating characters. She has been able to make a living of her talent and provide illustration and animation services all around the world. A lot of her inspiration comes from comics, funny cartoons and pop culture. Ana really enjoys making people smile with her art and to illustrate beautiful and colorful characters.

 

 

 

 

Ana’s artwork can be printed on t-shirts, prints, phone cases, mugs, stickers and other goodies. AnishaCreations is available now on Society6 and Redbubble.

“If you really want to catch your dreams you will have to chase them.”
~Ana Villanueva~

She majored in Fine Arts and focused on computer animation and illustration. At a very young age her talent in drawing and creating characters was easily noticed. Years later she turned her natural talent into a career.

Other Segmation Sets by Ana

Have some Ghoulish Fun!

 

 

 

 

Santa’s Girls

 

“Whatever you decide to do in life makes sure it makes you happy!”
~Ana Villanueva~

In addition to filling Segmation with stellar pattern sets, Ana provides illustrations, animation and creative services all across the globe. She pulls a lot of her inspiration from comics, cartoons and pop culture. The digital artist enjoys making people smile with her art and to illustrate beautiful, colorful and fun characters.

Demo Reel: Anisha Creations from Ana Villanueva on Vimeo.

“Life is better when you are laughing.”
~Ana Villanueva~

We hope you enjoyed meeting Ana, digital artist for Segmation. Follow Segmation on Facebook and Twitter to see what pattern set Ana will create next.

Read more Segmation blog posts about art

Tips for Improving your Landscape Drawing Skills

Extracting Art from Science

The Creative, Artistic and Inventive Mind of Leonardo da Vinci 

Be an Artist in 2 minutes with Segmation SegPlay® PC (see more details here)

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The Artist Who Wants to Banish Fear of Color

Kaffe Fassett has often said that his mission in life is to “banish the fear of color.” He plays with rainbow hues the same way a painter mixes shades on a palette, using needlepoint, patchwork, painting, knitting, and ceramics to create a veritable feast of color.

An exhibition of his work, titled “The Colorful World of Kaffe Fassett,” is on display at the American Museum in Britain until November 2. Laura Beresford, the exhibition’s curator, describes the show as “textile art.”

The spectacle begins at the entrance to the exhibit area, where knitted strands decorate the garden lamps and multicolored pom-poms hang from an aged tree like jewel-bright fruit. Once inside, the visitor is treated to even more dramatic visual treasures: a royal red Chinese vase presides over other scarlet-hued creations, a deep blue patchwork rug replicates Turkish tile flooring, and crisp green vegetable patterns (from artichokes through onions to cabbages and leeks) are woven into cushions with startling detail.

The author of more than thirty books, Kaffe Fassett has hosted TV and radio program for the BBC and Channel 4 in the UK, where he currently resides. In 1988 his design and color work was the subject of a one-man show at London’s prestigious Victoria and Albert Museum, marking the first time a living fabric artist had a dedicated show there. The same show went on to tour nine countries. He has designed stage props and costumes for the Royal Shakespeare Company and exhibited his quilts, knitting, and needlepoint at the Modemuseum Hasselt, Belgium in 2007. Not surprisingly, his autobiography is titled ‘Dreaming in Color.’
Among the items on display at the American Museum is a knitted bodice and skirt with flowing and dotted sleeves that he created with UK designer Bill Gibb, walls of hand-knitted sweaters made from silk and alpaca, and a vibrant full-sleeved coat that Fassett knitted after seeing Rudolf Nureyev in a ballet of “Romeo and Juliet.” The exhibition also includes Fassett’s pen-and-ink drawings from 1964, which hang in a room dedicated to artwork from the 17th century.

Fassett, whose self-proclaimed motto is “When in doubt- add twenty more colors” has even made his famous craft-related quotes part of the exhibition. They have been printed on posters and hung on a multicolored wall, silently reminding visitors of the philosophy that drives his vision.

The American Museum was founded in 1961 to showcase American artwork and crafts. Situated inside a 19th-century manor, it features wood-panelled rooms full of handcrafted furniture from Connecticut or Massachusetts. A collection of more than 250 patchwork quilts provided plenty of color to offset the neutral shades of the Shakers.

When asked about future exhibition dates and details, Fassett smiles affably and shrugs his shoulders beneath a multicolored shirt. He wears a purple sweater tied around his neck and deep green corduroy trousers. This vagueness about date and place is understandable from an artist who turned his back on black and white long ago and has remained staunchly faithful to a playful color credo.

Read more Segmation blog posts about colorful artist:

Leonardo da Vinci – The Renaissance Man www.segmation.com

Paul Cezanne Post-Impressionist Colorful Historical Art by www.segmation.com!

French Floral and Portrait Painter – Henri Fantin-Latour

Be an Artist in 2 minutes with Segmation SegPlay® PC (see more details here)

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