In the Michigan home of designer Lisa Price passed down traditions reign and are reimagined. Price is the ideal representative behind her whimsical, nostalgic textiles printed with squirrels, cherries or a charcoal grill, further emboldened by bright colors. Her organic pieces are all handmade in the classic wood cut technique, which add a time-honored cache of connecting to the artist—a rare skill in an age of fast fashion and Amazon Prime. Under the early tutelage of her “Grandma”, Price spent summers at her home where they would garden, feed wildlife, stock up on farmer’s market produce and “can up a storm.” She learned to sew and was inspired by her grandmother’s collection of vintage fabrics, which she would repurpose into clothing and aprons. Her creative instincts are atavistic, as her grandfather was a chef in the navy and wrote a cookbook, she owns multiple quilts made by her great grandma, along with a collection of antiques from her great aunt. “So the idea of a unique home, textiles, cooking, etc feels even more deep rooted,” says Price.
A selection of tea towels with wood cut prints of nostalgic emblems that work in the modern day from their color and retro appeal.
Price shares her home with her recently wed husband Stephan. They partner in such activities as creating a grass free lawn so they can garden on their “.007 acre plot” and acquiring vintage items that they prop in their home. A house filled with spider plants, retro prints in mossy green and diner-styled fixtures that reflect all the happy nostalgia of a Drive-In theater. Her influences come across in her wares. Tea towels, pillows and aprons that comfort us by knowing that such a person exists and still designs nostalgic textiles the old-fashioned way. A true creator who upholds a quiet yet powerful existence drawn from baking, outdoor activity and nature.
“I’d say my work, inspirations, and how I design my home really meld together nicely,” says Price. “My work is a way to weave together my printmaking degree with fabric, kitchen time, color, nature, and sometimes some sweet treats, all while giving me that nostalgic feeling of childhood and time with family. I think there’s an energy and playfulness crossed with a nostalgic feeling that keeps people coming back. I certainly feel very sentimental about all of it.”
Price’s enthusiasm for her craft parlays to her activities, such as transforming the spare room into a media room where she showcases a large wall map that her father had since he was nine. Or spending the summer and fall seasons at a home that has been in her family since 1948. “We have a nice cottage garden there as well as a butterfly garden I made for my mom. The first artgoodies print was actually created in reference to Diamond Island. I was living out West for a short period for a previous job and it was the first time I hadn’t been to the cottage in the summer my whole life. I missed the swallows flitting about the lake so it only seemed fitting that coming back home and then starting artgoodies would begin with a with a place and subject dear to me and full of comforting memories.”
The media room designed with a vintage map that belonged to her father.
As the world engages in the hyper speed pace of a what’s next approach, Price’s ambition is to slow down. She is sensitive to grueling work days, seeing friends through health hardships along with her own health scare. “That means working in the garden, cooking even more, working on recipes for the cookbook I’d like to create, and spending a lot of time with my husband,” she says.
Old-fashioned appeal in the simple art of preparing food.
At art goodies you can always stay abreast as to what slowing down means for Price, where you may find more traditional paper prints and her arrangements of wedding flowers. “I feel very fortunate to be able to do all these different things I love!” Says Price.
Photography courtesy of artgoodies.
Artgoodies textiles: www.artgoodiesonline.com.
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