Gina Tuzzi
b. Santa Cruz, California

Gina Tuzzi has a BA in painting and printmaking from Humboldt State
University and an MFA in painting from Mills College.

The day she was born, Mark Richards was the world champion in surfing
and Jack & Diane by John Cougar Mellencamp was the number one song in
the country.

She currently lives and works in Oakland, California.

“Chinese Lanterns”

Stephanie Martin
Natural Progression: Paintings and Etchings

Santa Cruz artist Stephanie Martin observes the California landscape, flora, and fauna through the mediums of painting and printmaking. Her intaglio etchings explore the great design and diversity of natural forms, while her oil and pastel paintings place these elements in the wider context. The serene setting of Stripe provides a unique venue for this artist’s selection of work from the last few years. Artist website: www.stephaniemartinfineart.com

This is a gorgeous mid century sectional sofa that has been reupholstered in a beautiful grey/green chenille that’s perfect for any living space. The two sections make this piece adaptable for different living spaces and the gorgeous neutral upholstery gives it a sleek finished look that will fit in any palette or scheme.

$3450

We have a gorgeous Danish Mid Century gateleg dining table with two leaves that fold down onto expanding crossed legs. This table is easy to store and move and looks beautiful set up fully. The table has a teak top and a maple base. There is a watermark on the surface which can be partially concealed with a polish.

$800

58.25″ L (25″ each leaf)
29″ H
35.5″ W

More pictures available upon request.

Spring 2010

Holiday 2009

Fall 2009

Summer 2009

Spring 2009

Daniella Woolf holds an M.A. in Design from UCLA. She exhibits nationally and internationally,
and explores issues of privacy, security and identity. She is a recipient of the Gail Rich Award
for excellence in the Arts in Santa Cruz, and the Rydell Visual Arts Fellowship. She blogs at Encausticopolis under the name Dotty Stripes. She is the author of two books, Encaustic witha Textile Sensibility (2010) and The Encaustic Studio, just released in April.

Friday May 4th, 5–9 pm

We had a great spread in the Santa Cruz Weekly last week written by Cat Johnson. To read the whole version click here.

Most  people don’t look at a rusty old hammer and see the perfect thing to hang on an interior wall, or see a pile of padlocks as potential art or weatherbeaten wood as a place to put cherished photos. These are things that you find in junk piles and salvage yards. But to those with an eye for upcycling and repurposing, these things are treasures that have the potential to add an inspired touch to a space.

“It’s all about context,” says Suna Lock, partner at Stripe Design Group in Santa Cruz. “If you see a whole heap of stuff on a tarp at the flea market or a yard sale, you have to look beyond that moment. If something’s broken or rusty, it might not be trash. It could be a beautiful object in its own right, or you could use it in a different way.”

While a single has-been tool hanging on a wall may be considered an unusual decorating touch, several has-been tools, spaced and aligned perfectly, makes for good design. Lock and Dana Norrell, her business partner at Stripe, are masters of this technique. The walls of their two downtown shops are filled with unexpected, exquisitely rendered displays and designs. Things that would be, and presumably have been, tossed aside, such as sardine tins, fruit crate labels and saw blades are upcycled into displays that catch the eye and please the mind.

“There’s a growing interest in repurposing and not wasting,” says Lock. “We’re showing people how to look at things in a different way.”

To get the Stripe look, Lock suggests finding a balance between the old and the new so a space doesn’t look “too antique-y.” She talks about the importance of knowing the space; whether you want hard or soft elements in it and confining the area. “Keeping the design to a space,” she says, “makes the design stronger.”

Lock also stresses the use of repetition in design. “There’s something about the power of multiples,” she says. “It can be something small in a large amount of multiples or five distinct, strong items. There’s no rule.” She says that the process is more intuitive than formulaic and that she and Norrell rarely disagree about a design. “We just kind of instinctively know how many is too many and how many is too few,” she says. “Sometimes we have to stand back and look at something and edit it. We’ll take 15 out and put two back in, and that’s when it feels good.”

To see a list of all the winners this year, head on over to GT’s website.

Home Decorating / Unique Gifts:Stripe

You know the curiosity shops of old? The ones that are spelled shoppe, run by wise old men with frazzled white hair and always seem to have the most whimsically unusual trinkets and gewgaws displayed appealingly like so many truffles in a confectioner’s window? Stripe in Downtown Santa Cruz is a little like that. Maybe not so much the grizzled old man part, but the part where unique knickknacks draw you in and you want to buy everything you see. With a well-edited mixture of baubles, candles, and other decorative accoutrements—big and smalle—Stripe remains the go-to spot for locals looking for something more creative for their home decorating needs. Stellar gifts are aplenty here. Keep perusing. And to the ladies operating this unique hotspot—Suna Lock and Dana Norrell—good job on keeping the store’s look and inventory always “fresh.” Visit 107 Walnut Ave., Santa Cruz, 421‑9252, stripedesigngroup.com. | LP

Necks Tuesday bow ties are all meticulously hand made in the company’s Brooklyn studio. Using high quality woven fabrics, their ties are classic with a nod to days gone by, and make a perfect compliment to any outfit.