Ever since he was a kid, Max Toth’s true passion has been painting and drawing. He’s always considered himself an artist, carrying books around with him in which he could sketch at any time of the day when struck by inspiration. It initially stemmed from comic books; he was so influenced by them that he’s literally had to keep himself away so he doesn’t spend all of his time flipping through their pages. Nowadays, Toth takes inspiration from all avenues and walks of life.

Retreat | graphite, grease pencil, oil on canvas | 93.25 x 88.75

“I deeply value experience,” explains Toth, who lives in New Haven, Connecticut. “For the past five or six years, I have driven in demolition derbies, which has been an influential experience. Derbies have a lot of the hallmarks of my youthful actions, but with a skill and an interesting comment on manufacturing. But the act itself is truly and incredibly freeing for me.” Not surprisingly, Toth also finds inspiration in other’s art. “Seeing great art is always one of the most inspiring things to me,” he says. “Honestly, seeing bad art is inspiring, too. So I’ve been trying to hunt down other activities, like derby, that I can learn from. and trying to see as much art as possible.”

Toth’s creative output ranges in scale and mediums—from oil paintings on canvas, to smaller, detailed watercolors, to wall drawings, to negative-space depictions in ink, to pencil sketches, and more. He values the “quality of line” over anything else. Compositionally, Toth admits that he’s drawn to, and inspired by, kinetic energy. He explains, “I like the moment where you’re at peak movement, the moment before everything comes crashing down, when the moment is most poised for energy. Active imagery. Minimal color base. Line work.”

Untitled work on walls | acrylic, ink, and graphite | 144 x 120

He also draws inspiration from artists Egon Schiele and Jean-Michel Basquiat. Indeed, the parallel between these two artists and Toth’s work is strong, with all three utilizing exaggerated figural imagery, saturated colors, and clear lines that lend a raw, sketch-like style to their work.

Toth, who received a degree in Fine Arts from Yale University and has a studio in New Haven, says that his work is heavily influenced by the space he occupies in New England. “New England was the birthplace for my interest in coming-of-age rites,” he explains, “in that it’s where I first experienced them. All of my original work is about my years growing up in a sleepy historic town in New England, and the games we would play to prove who was bravest or strongest or craziest.

Clamming | graphite, grease pencil, oil on canvas | size: 77.5 x 159.25

“I’m interested in the idea of manhood,” he continues, “and how we relate to it. We all have masculine and feminine traits; I like the idea of giving everyone a place to experiment with the physicality of bravery and tribal bonding found when engaging in something you aren’t sure about.”

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All images courtesy of Max Toth

The post Max Toth – Line Forms Here appeared first on Take Magazine.

“Sometimes I think my work [is conveying] nothing. Nothing at all. I am just an explorer seeing what there is to discover. On the other hand, I am a storyteller and many of my works are narrative and I have a lot of things I am saying with my work.”

Bhakti Ziek expresses herself through the art of weaving and manipulating contemporary fibers. She has lectured and taught workshops in The Netherlands, Great Britain, Mexico, Canada, as well as all over the United States. But what exactly is weaving, and what does the process involve? In Ziek’s words, “I am a weaver. I have worked on almost every type of loom from back strap looms to fully electronic jacquard looms. Each loom has its advantages and disadvantages. I don’t think one is better than another, but sometimes one is better for executing an idea than another. So I ask myself, what is the proper equipment to use to manifest my idea, and then I go there.”

Taqueté Sunset | Image courtesy of the artist

Currently living in Randolph, Vermont, Ziek completes her work in her weaving studio and offers weaving tutorials. She has lived in the Green Mountain State since 2008 with her husband who is also an artist. The two moved from Tempe, Arizona, where Ziek was a visiting professor in the art department at Arizona State University. Ziek explained,  “Before that we lived in New Mexico, Kansas, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Maryland and we also traveled around the world in 1982 for 18 months. We call ourselves urban nomads.”

Having lived all over, Ziek truly recognizes the effect that living in New England, and particularly Vermont, has had on her work. Ziek jokes, “The lack of activities that I enjoyed in cities and colleges means that I have lots of uninterrupted time to work in my studio–so I have gotten a lot of weaving done since moving to Vermont.”

She adds, “Having lived in so many places, I understand that there is beauty everywhere.”

As for her work itself, she has a varied collection, all with different feels and aesthetics. Some of her exhibitions include Études, Stardust, Nomad Series, and Continuum Series, all with vibrant colors, intricate designs, and her impressively detailed hand-woven stitches.

Florence Cross-Sections, 1997 | silk – woven jacquard

Ziek’s more recent efforts include a show at BigTown Gallery called Lexicon. “Looking back at my work, I see that there is often a theme running through them that is referential to weaving itself. My weaving Florence Cross-Sections, made in 1997, has diagrams of the weave structures used to make that weaving as motifs in the weaving (that weaving is in the Lexicon exhibit).”

Ziek is currently on her way to Berkeley, California to begin a weaving collaboration. In addition, she will be co-teaching the Spring Concentration in weaving at Penland School of Craft in North Carolina with Tommye Scanlin, a tapestry weaver, from March 4-May 5, 2017.

Bhakti Ziek is a weaver and multi media artist living in Randolph Vermont. Her current exhibition Lexicon runs through November 24th, 2016 at the BigTown Gallery in Rochester, Vermont.

Top image: Taqueté Rabbit | All images courtesy of the artist

The post Looming in Vermont appeared first on Take Magazine.

Kristen Watson and Mary Admasian had decided they were fed up with “age appropriate” clothing and hair dyes. They wanted to know: if we’re supposedly in a movement of “post women’s empowerment,” why is it that so many women still feel pressure to wear makeup, dye their hair, and brand themselves? The SHE Project – Part 1 seeks to respond to these questions.

SHE Project Installation, Am I Pretty Enough for You Yet? | Kristen M. Watson in collaboration with Mary Admasian, 2016| Photo by Jude Domski

These multidisciplinary artists put their brains and paintbrushes together in order to create a show that represents the journey of self-discovery related to appearance, and how women reconcile with that journey from youth to seniority. The SHE Project- Part 1 is a collaborative art exhibit that comments on the self-image, self-confidence, and self-actualization of women, and the significant effect that the beauty industry has on women becoming consumers.

“I had been struggling in my own life,” Watson told Take. “I had just turned 40, and I was struggling to find the right clothing that I liked, and hairstyles that I liked, and I just felt like I was sort of at the crux of a shift in how I was presenting myself publicly.” This conversation between Watson and Admasian was the initial inspiration for the SHE Project – Part 1. What makes this exhibit particularly appealing is that it represents what so many women in America are experiencing every single day in regard to their physical appearance and self-confidence – it is overwhelmingly relatable. Watson and Admasian respond to these feelings through the artistic use of mirrors, cosmetics, and “natural elements.”

rəˈflekt | Kristen M. Watson, 2016 | Photo courtesy the artists

There’s also a huge element to their exhibit that focuses on the ingredients that are found in most female beauty products. “[The project] morphed into the whole toxic ingredient proponent of hair care products and makeup,” Admasian explains, “and that all of these multinational corporations are producing unregulated, toxic substances that are literally cancer causing and extremely toxic to everyone that uses them.” One of their pieces, rəˈflekt, does, in fact, literally, reflect the toxins that are found in so many of the products that women use every single day.

But Watson and Admasian want the public to realize something important about their work: “[This project] isn’t a public service announcement.” Watson explains. “It’s not trying to steer people towards as certain choice. To me, it’s just about – here’s what I’m seeing in my life, here’s what I’m dealing with as a woman, and here’s what I’m saying.” Indeed, The SHE Project – Part 1, is not a call to action, but instead, a resource of education and inspiration.

Kristen M. Watson (left) and Mary Admasian (right) | Photo by Jude Domski

Kristen Watson and Mary Admasian are Vermont-based multimedia artists. Check out The SHE Project – Part 1 now through October 28th at the LL Gallery at University of Vermont. Be sure to follow Kristen and Mary for all SHE related updates. 

Top photo by Jude Domski

The post Who is SHE!? appeared first on Take Magazine.

“An eye for an eye helps the whole world see.” That’s the philosophy at IGo Eyewear, a sustainable, affordable, and fashionable line of eyewear that focuses on the improvement of eye care awareness and treatment for underprivileged sub-Saharan African children. Pursuing a strategy of “buy one, give one,” with every IGo Eyewear purchase made, an underprivileged child in a developing country will receive a much-needed eye exam and/or prescription glasses. In addition, IGo boasts sustainable products made out of materials such as wood or bamboo that are both eco-friendly and stylish. Partners such as A Ray of Hope, UNESCO, and ACILD help IGo continue this mission through continued support.

Adey Jaiyeoba is the founder and CEO of IGo. He is a chemical engineer with a passion for sustainability and style and, although these interests are seemingly unrelated, Jaiyeoba has found a way to beautifully merge them into a product that seeks to benefit both the environment and a community with which he is familiar. Jaiyeoba is from Nigeria, and his vision for IGo is for it to “be able to give back to the community,” and in particular, the community in Africa that raised him. He is an incredibly passionate businessman and changemaker, and IGo reflects his passion for creating well-crafted products that simultaneously improve people’s lives. Take recently had the chance to chat with Adey about the creation and motivations behind IGo.

Where did IGo start?

IGo started early last year while I was in between jobs and I was thinking of something I could do differently. I’ve always had passion for fashion. [I wanted to] make an impact on the environment that I was from. Your vision is one of the most important features, so starting an eyewear company that gives back to the community or that pays for a child’s eye exam seemed like, for me, the perfect marriage of my passions, and also my passion for giving back to the community that actually raised me.

The name of the business is in Yoruba, which is my language. I’m actually from the Yoruba tribe in Nigeria, and IGo (pronounced eye-go) is actually a Yoruba name for ‘glasses.’

Eyewear – Bwiza in Wenge Wood $105

How has being located in New England attributed to your success?

So we’re located at Hyde Park in Boston, MA. I think that being in Massachusetts has played a significant role in what the brand stands for. We are pretty much fashion-forward which is something we think Boston also stands for, [as well as] the whole New England area. We’re known for fashion, and that has helped the brand in ways that I can’t even express. It’s helped us be able to reach out to more people and has allowed people to reach out to us. The reception is great.

Was the idea of having a sustainable product something you always knew you wanted to do or was it developed along the way?

It was my thought from the beginning. It’s what I always wanted to do – something sustainable, so not only are we giving back to the community, we’re actually not affecting the environment in an adverse way. Most of the wood we use comes from commercial forests, which are specifically there for commercial purposes, so we’re not tampering with any natural resources out there. Bamboo is one of the most sustainable materials. Our goal is for all our products to say “100 percent organic,” which is what we stand for.

What are you working on for the future?

We currently have a clothing line in the works, so we’re looking at t-shirts, hoodies, long sleeves, short sleeves, and really cool graphic tees. And we’re still going to be within that sustainability. We’re also looking at the products to be made out of African fabrics.

Where can we find IGo products?

Right now the majority of our work is online, at igoville.com, and we have some retail outlets around but we’re trying to work on getting the product into more stores. We’re selling on Amazon and Etsy, but our main channel comes from our website.

Bianca Palumbo | Photography by Justin Mayotte | Eyewear; Kakaki in Zebrano Wood $105

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Prices ranges from $65 – $179
Top image of Justin Caron | Photography by Graeme Swank | courtesy of IGo

The post An Eye for an Eye appeared first on Take Magazine.