So you perused the craft fairs, you scoured our books guide and you still don’t know what to get for the loved ones in your life? Never fear. Just throw back some wintry cocktails and look here: five perfect objects under $50 for the artistically-inclined, the human in your life who already has everything, or — let’s face it — yourself. (C’mon, you deserve a little something after all that shopping.)
Kota Ezawa Meta Umbrella
$45; THE THING Quarterly
El Niño is upon us, so why not thank the rain gods in style with a meta-umbrella? Designed by local artist Kota Ezawa for THE THING Quarterly, this piece of precipitation protection is just begging to be twirled, with illustrations of a Victorian woman opening her own umbrella printed on each panel. It’s an umbrella zoetrope!
Lauren DiCioccio Candle Trophy
$35; Headlands Center for the Arts
Instead of sitting on your mantle as markers of bygone athletic prowess, these trophies actually provide warm, flickering light. Choose from one of local artist Lauren DiCioccio’s three noble figures: lady bowler, man bowler or gender-neutral basketball player. The melting candle provides a nice metaphor for the changing use of the Headlands’ Gymnasium (once a site of games and matches, now host to resident artists’ performances and installations).
Things Will Work Out Pin
$10; People I’ve Loved
Flair is back, people. Wear your heart on your sleeve — literally — with this pin by the Oakland-based print workshop People I’ve Loved. What better message to carry into the new year than this cautiously optimistic one? Plus, it’s only $10.
Hannah Quinn Broom
$38-$48; Workshop Residence
When I first spotted these artfully-made brooms at a California College of the Arts craft fair a few weeks ago, I fell in love. Who knew sweeping could look so good? (Snow White and her animal friends, that’s who.) Quinn designed the bevel-handled, straw-bristled brooms at the Workshop Residence, working with Duane Penner, a third-generation broom maker from Dinuba, CA. They come in American walnut and cherry with black bristles, which looks especially witchy. A kid’s size might even inspire cleanliness in the younger generations. (One can only hope — Ed.)
2016 Everyday, Confetti Calendar
$25; Leah Rosenberg
Calendars are calendars, right? Big deal, I have my phone for that, you say. But when’s the last time you actually enjoyed the passage of time? Thanks to local artist and color-enthusiast Leah Rosenberg, every day of 2016 is a perforated circle waiting to be punched out, collected in an accompanying baggie and tossed in the air like, well, confetti, at the end of the year. Isn’t it nice to have something to look forward to?
