The Book

A New England transplant with European roots, Bay Area artist Claire Petitt makes luminous watercolor illustrations, drawings, and collaged works on paper that celebrate everyday life. Dogs, people, maps, patterns, urban vignettes, and iconic places in San Francisco—they all provide equal fodder for her imagination. “I walk my dogs on the beach every morning and bike through the city with sketchbook and iPhone in hand,” says the artist. She often works from photos, layering multiple views and elements to create an entirely new image, and she also enjoys working collaboratively to express others’ ideas and stories. “There are so many cultures in proximity here—I love watching people and observing them go about their lives. And I always try to stay open to seeing something new.”

For Michele Bell, the medium is less important than the idea. “I may be making 3D objects one day, then putting ink on paper the next,” she says. Her approach yields interesting material cross-pollinations—including the painted sculpture for San Francisco’s Hearts in SF public art installation, currently on view in Union Square—and brings diverse subject matter into focus. “I’m addicted to drawing buildings,” she says. “I try to stay out of political lanes but do find inspiration in current events.” The artist’s “life stories”—drawings made for clients based on a selection of their personal photographs—are a cherished part of her practice. “I lead with my heart on those,” she says. “They feel like a gift to me too.”

With their narrative intrigue, intense California light, and saturated hues, Hiroshi Sato’s representational oil paintings are, among other achievements, a conscious nod to Bay Area Figurative School masters like Richard Diebenkorn and David Park. “The rich history of art production in San Francisco is the reason I moved here,” says Sato, who studied at Academy of Art University and is now represented by Marrow Gallery in San Francisco. But the artist’s use of 3D modeling to create the subjects and environments he paints—speculative worlds that reference digital gaming logic—contemporizes the genre and makes it his own.

Dreamlike yet specific, Caroline Pacula’s print photography—which we proudly feature in this book—marries a painterly aesthetic with the soft view of memory. “I play with light, color, and scale to reveal an almost surreal quality,” she says of the editing process behind her images. About her love for the medium, she explains, “Photography is powerful because it both captures and transcends a moment in time.” The tranquil hues, ethereal light, and intriguing composition in Pacula’s work are what made the artist’s name, landing her among local design brand Serena & Lily’s print photographers. When not following her eye to misty coastlines or open fields, Pacula takes on commissions and art consultations.

Cute wild animals keep the internet alive, but who keeps the critters alive as their habitats change with the climate? People like Kellie Menendez, whose sophisticated line of wallcoverings and textiles, Half Full, helps preserve the fragile beauty it depicts. “I wanted to express my love of nature through pattern while doing something to give back to the planet,” says Menendez of the company’s model, which allocates a percentage of proceeds to wildlife conservation. Just like the upbeat approach that has brought the San Francisco–based artist success, her brand’s designs— inspired by flora and fauna and proudly featured in these pages—remind us that the environmental glass is still half full.

Some artists can easily cite what moves them—nature, politics, mythology – but painter and textile designer Serena Dugan is inspired by the act of creation itself. “I’m just expressing my ideas as completely as possible,” she says of her luminous abstract works on canvas and original hand-painted patterns, which for more than a decade have fuelled the vision behind home furnishings brand Serena & Lily. Recently Dugan opened an independent studio in Sausalito, where she enjoys her own artistic outlet while preparing to launch her first solo fabric collection this fall. Proudly featured in these pages are the latest dispatches from her evolving creative journey.

Since its storied brand revival 15 years ago, Heath Ceramics has become a touchstone of the modern craft renaissance. The iconic California-based factory—known for tiles and tableware of timeless, organic beauty—has expanded to offer other products with the same sensibility, including flatware and the captivating wallpaper designs we proudly feature throughout this book.

At once bold and lighthearted, Katja Ollendorff’s patterns have stylistic origins in Scandinavia. The San Francisco designer spent part of her childhood in Helsinki—birthplace of Marimekko, the design house famous for its fearless use of form and color. “I really responded to that kind of vibrancy and still do to this day,” says the artist, who started her career in advertising as a project manager, pivoting to art and design because she wanted to be “the person doing the creating.” Following the epiphany, Ollendorff became a student of the Institute of Textile Print Design in Berkeley, ensconcing herself in a supportive community of inspiring artists.