modern love note, designed and hand embroidered by birmingham-based artist smallwoods studios. 

a wink and a nod to “live, laugh, love” — and an acknowledgement of my southern snark and impatience. - tamara

black embroidery floss on natural seeded quilting cotton, framed in a 6” wooden hoop, finished with twine for easy display.

modern love note, designed and hand embroidered by birmingham-based artist smallwoods studios. 

you’re the one I want next to me when you’re on your phone and I’m on mine.

ah, true love.

black embroidery floss on natural seeded quilting cotton, framed in a 6” wooden hoop, finished with twine for easy display.

“you are a low effort acquaintance in my life” is honestly one of the nicest things that a person can say. it’s a nice compliment, as aren’t we are all low on energy? a person that requires “low effort” might even be pleasant to be around. the acknowledgement of fact that “you are” (indeed) “in my life” is a heartwarming reminder to be sure.

birmingham-based artist tamara has teamed up with jordan, who says hilarious stuff all the time. tam writes some of it down and hand embroiders it.

original art by smallwoods studios. 

this piece is framed in a 5” embroidery hoop with red & white twine for easy display.

“you’re neat” is honestly one of the nicest things that a person can say. because don’t we all feel messy sometimes?

birmingham-based artist tamara has teamed up with jordan, who says hilarious stuff all the time. tam writes some of it down and hand embroiders it.

original art by smallwoods studios. 

this piece is framed in a 3” embroidery hoop with red & white twine for easy display.

“you are generally tolerable” is honestly one of the nicest things that a person can say. because most people are gross, you know? ick.

birmingham-based artist tamara has teamed up with jordan, who says hilarious stuff all the time. tam writes some of it down and hand embroiders it.

original art by smallwoods studios. 

this piece is framed in a 5” embroidery hoop with red & white twine for easy display.

can crochet explain the complexities of non-euclidean geometry? how does the 1804 jacquard loom relate to modern computing? radical fiber celebrates the overlap between art, science, interdisciplinary creativity and collaborative learning.

for centuries, fiber arts have influenced sciences as diverse as digital technology, mathematics, neuroscience, medicine and more. radical fiber explores this relationship through contemporary art and historical artifacts that address five key themes: shape, machine, body, brain and community. how did the accidental discovery of synthetic mauveine dye in 1856 pave the way for modern pharmaceuticals while also generating toxic waste? why do we respond differently to a woven photograph than a printed one? these and other questions reframe the fiber/science intersection and ask how the medium can be used to improve our world for the future.

the offbeat sari celebrates these innovations in sari design, with photography of pieces by leading contemporary designers. commissioned essays by notable indian writers such as pragya agarwal and sonia faleiro explore ideas such as gender fluidity, politics, sustainability, female empowerment and the self-image of india, alongside interviews with the designers whose work illustrates each theme.

carrie mae weems has often confronted the uncomfortable truths of racism and race relations over the course of her nearly 40-year career. in The Shape of Things, she focuses her unflinching gaze at what she describes as the circus-like quality of contemporary american political life. for this new work, weems created a seven-part film projected onto a cyclorama―a panoramic-style cylindrical screen that dates to the 19th century―where she addresses the turmoil of current events in the United States and the “long march forward.”

drawing on news and tv footage from the civil rights era to today, elements of previous films such as the madding crowd (2017) and new film projects that bring us into our tumultuous present, the films in The Shape of Things combine documentary directness with poetic rhythm to create an enveloping experience.

carrie mae weems (born 1953) has received numerous awards, grants and fellowships, and is represented in public and private collections around the world, including the metropolitan museum of art, new york; the museum of fine arts, houston; and the museum of modern art and the museum of contemporary art, los angeles. weems lives in brooklyn and syracuse, new york.

an exploration of the visual corollary to didion’s life and work and the feeling that each generates in her admirers, detractors and critics―including artists from helen lundeberg to diane arbus, betye saar to maren hassinger, vija celmins and andy warhol.

arranged chronologically, the book highlights didion's fascination with the two coasts that made her. as a Westerner transplanted to new york, didion was able to look at her native land, its mores and fixed rules of behavior, with the loving and critical eyes of a daughter who got out and went back. and from her new york perch, didion was able to observe the political scene more closely, writing trenchant pieces about clinton, el salvador and most searingly the central park five.

this beautifully designed clothbound book brings together the 'Palabrarmas' series by the chilean-born artist, poet and activist cecilia vicuña (born 1948).

images of these works―each a powerful juxtaposition of color, poetry and politics―appear alongside new essays and historical references chosen with the artist. palabrarmas, a neologism that translates to "word weapons" or "word arms," imagine new ways of seeing language. taking the form of collages, silkscreens, drawings, poems, fabric banners, cutouts, mixed-media installations and street actions, vicuña’s palabarmas bring together her work in poetry, activism and visual art. each one unpacks and deconstructs single words to reveal other words hiding within them, allowing new meanings to emerge.

the artist began making these visual anagrams while in exile in london and bogotá after the pinochet-led coup of 1973 in chile, and has always seen them as a form of liberation―as a way to "open up minds by opening up words," as she puts it. the palabarmas have taken on new relevance in today’s political climate, and appeared on the streets during chile’s 2019 revolution as protest signs. this book presents a range of palabrarmas in color for the first time, with new essays by mónica de la torre, carla macchiavello, cecilia vicuña and jeanne gerrity, and reprinted texts by rené daumal, robert randall and simón rodríguez.

original art by mallory lane. painted december 2022.

dimensions |

10"H x 10"W |

materials |

acrylic on canvas

description |

there are variations of this entry throughout many of mallory's journals. she's found that in times of loneliness, it helps immensely to reflect on all of the love she possesses - via family and friendships - and that in just a few moments of this practice, she is bursting with feelings of love. 

color-wise, this piece consists of shades of a cool purple. in places where it looks black because of the photograph, it is actually a deep purple. it is finished with a high-gloss varnish, so it looks sleek & shiny. 

each piece in the contentment collection is stamped with an item pulled from gratitude lists in the artist's journals, which she's been writing consistently for ten years now. they are meant to be mix & matched so you can choose the colors and phrases that speak to you. mallory hopes when you look at them, they serve as a reminder to practice gratitude.