good morning! i’m shattering personal records left and right this week- because yesterday i managed to walk the stationery show and surtex in one day (and still have time to talk to everyone!). the show was smaller this year but for some reason it still took from 9am to 6pm because there was still plenty to see.
rather than post a full line-up first thing in the morning (more from nss and icff coming today) i wanted to start with my pick for best in show at this year’s stationery show: kamal. this year’s show was hit particularly hard by the recession (with almost a 40% drop in booth numbers) so the numbers of new designers were much smaller than previous years. but my favorite new comer was designer kamal from richmond, virginia.
after attending pratt, kamal moved south and started designing her collection ‘art on paper‘. her work was the perfect combination of detail + minimalism- each piece felt like kamal had distilled the pattern down to its essential parts and left only what was necessary, and beautiful.
her peacock cards were my favorite, but she also has a beautiful series of cards with vintage beads and details on them, and a gorgeous series of coasters. this was kamal’s debut so there’s no online shopping for her work yet, but i’m sure we’ll be seeing her in stores soon. click here for more info and to contact kamal.
[update: and my apologies about the guest blog snafu yesterday- i left too early to get paige's posts so they're now live on the d*s guest blog- including a seriously fun 3-d cracker animal project- click here to check them out]
 and guest blog update){kind=link}
29 Comments
just wonderful!!!!!!!
what beautiful things… what did she study at pratt? do you know?
not sure- i forgot to ask that, sorry ;)
these are gorgeous, and so refreshing to see! to me, they really stand out from the crowd with the bright colors and unique patterns.
I love these! All those circles make every piece they make coordinate. Lovely.
Very simple and elegant!
LOVING all the ICFF coverage Grace! What a mammoth task. Keep it up! :) It is such a huge job to attend and cover everything.. and get it posted within 24 hrs or so…! I am so grateful for your exhaustive coverage. x Lucy x
Embellishment on cards can get over the top so easily – this works so well. Amazing work.
thanks lucy ;)
So simple, so pretty! Can’t wait to hear/see more from Kamal!
absolutely stunning.
so happy to see Virginia get some design love! The gold accents are gorgeous.
Thank you sooo much for covering the NSS Grace, it’s really great and helpful to see what’s out there! I would LOVE to visit one day but for now I’m staying put as I don’t live in the US.
I’d love to see the booths as well but I guess photography is not allowed?
photography is allowed for the most-part, but i really only shot booths that went above and beyond in terms of design. a few of those are coming up tomorrow…
I’ve never seen such a thing and I’ve seen a lot of design work in the past…it’s absolutely beautiful
so beautiful and unique …definatley different from what is out there… thanks for representing richmond so well….can’t wait to see more from kamal
Beautiful design by kamal and great production by a local letterpress printer too! I’ve seen these pieces up close and they are all amazing. Nice job RVA!
I have been in the speciality card business for a long time and this is a unique product that will past the test of time. It will be great on my shelves as long as it stays on there. I will be contacting the artist shortly
i just got home and wanted to thank you grace for posting my passion on your blog. i am truly grateful for your wonderful words as well as everyone’s comments! based on the show’s response, i really hope you will be seeing a lot of me.
kate b – i studied graphic design at pratt.
these are just stunning! i have known kamal for a long time now and all of her work is amazing. so happy to see her get the national recognition she deserves!
wow! amazing work! i love the attention to every detail. the simplicity and charm in your work is refreshing. a true treat for the eyes! looking forward to seeing more…..
Simple and elegant. I love the blend of modern and subtle classic Indian influence. What brilliant pieces on onkamal.com . Kudos!
Ditto! Kamal’s designs were my favorite of the NSS show – the color combination of the peacock designs are to die for.
just wanted all of you to know that i will be launching my online boutique very soon…i’ll keep all of you updated, and again – thank you, thank you! Also, I wanted thank Stacy from Pancake and Franks and Susan from Susy Jack for their support and insight.
I love the detail. So unique, so universal – amazing!
there’s only one word to describe kamal’s artistic ability to display art on paper: exquisite! her work has a timeless charm that attracts a wide audience… it’s hard to believe this was her debut. best of luck kamal! ~vaishali
hey the cards are amazing.
the colours, detail and forms are so extremly soothing but speaks for itself… gives a very earthy feeling.. i wud love to have some of these..specially th one with flower motifs…will look fwd for more work from you.. all the best kamal
The designs you’ve made a just so amazing. For me, it’s the simplicity of the designs and the thoughtful use of colours that make is so very enchanting. Very inspiring work. Congratulations!
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