Frances Pelzman Liscio turned me on to the work of Sebastien Feraut aka Niark1 – very cool paintings and illustrations.

We’re thrilled to welcome Erik Otto back to The Working Proof, with Refresh, a gorgeous limited edition of 30 screenprints. Erik’s work is always thoughtful and filled with symbolism.

Just like a snow globe that needs to be shaken up so that all the bits swirl around and land in their undetermined new places, every now and then our lives need that same shaking up. A fellow traveler explained this to a friend, my friend told me, and now I am passing on this perfect metaphor. Refresh is about moving on from past ideas and moving forward with a positive and new outlook.

We’re heading into a big change ourselves – moving from the East Village to Brooklyn, and this print is a perfect reminder that change is good! Change brings growth and new opportunities. Besides being a gorgeous pieces, I love the sentiment behind it.

15% of each print sold will be donated to 826 National, which Erik chose because Refresh is about taking a confident leap in a new direction, but without a quality education, one might not even know that there are bigger opportunities out there. Read our interview with Erik here, and buy the print here.

Suprising that aliens haven’t been part of the Lego product line until recently. But they’re here now and abducting businessmen and farmers right off the street! They even have a little face-hugger minifigure too.

I’m not always a huge fan of kooky high top streetwear sneakers, but I do like these new Society Mids by Supra. They’re made for Neon Deion’s induction into the NFL Hall of Fame, but they have a little Jordan-esque quality to them.

I love these bright Sinus Trestle table legs by L&Z - simply a bent steel tube, you can put two together with the table top of your choice, and voila! An awesome table!

We have a set of the Fred nesting measuring cups, but it would be cool to have a hidden kitchen timer to go with them.

These Mixed Media Rings by Wenhui-Li are interesting…They are made from salt crystals grown on a ring. Wenhui-Li describes her process:

The way I create jewellery for this project is just like a child playing with toys. The process is full of wonder, discovery, combining and unexpectation. I don’t make pieces based on design; I make them based on passion and curiosity. I try to invent processes I cannot control (such as making salts grow on rings), I try to make things happen, I´m spontaneous and attentive, and I follow my instinct most of the time. This process of not knowing and not wanting, just playing, remaining free, being without intention, casual…and suddenly getting excited…and then recognising the point when one has to take control again, is a balancing act. I like accidents to occur during the creation process; sometimes they lead to a happy end result, and sometimes not. However, regardless of what happens, the results always bring inspiration for my creations. I enjoy such uncontrollability, as it is the key element that makes my pieces individual and unique. During the process of creating them, I focus particularly on the texture, colour and details. I want people to also wonder about the materials, feel the texture, pay attention to detail, and most importantly, feel my passion.

A nice array of 2-tone colors in the OXO water bottle. The very smart double cap allows for sipping (small) and filling/cleaning (large).

MINIMAL USA recently introduced The Sliding Top – a countertop system that slides open to reveal an induction stainless steel cooktop and a retractable faucet. I like the idea, but what do you think of a system like this? Would you use it in both configurations? Or would you end up leaving it open all the time so that the sink was always accessible?

Ken Garduno has a new solo show coming up at LeBasse Projects. It opens August 19th and runs through September 10th.

In his new body of work, Garduno continues to explore themes of how people respond to one another, particularly in relationships. Influenced by the overly dramatic Spanish Novelas, Garduno puts into question our own relationships and suggests that real life can easily turn into soap opera-like situations.

Garduno sheds light on our tendencies to construct unrealistic expectations of our loved ones and explores the disintegration of these ideals. The exhibition title, ‘Golden Structure’ is based on an idea of this precious structure that slowly ages and falls apart.