Why this design blog?

I have been passionate about design since my late teens, early 20s, although I was probably not fully aware of it at the time. I guess I was surrounded by 'nice things' when I was a kid - my mother purchased some really nice Swedish ceramics and glass at exhibitions in Venezuela where I was born.

I want to share some of this passion with other designers or people who might share an interest in design or maybe who just want to understand what makes a designer design.

This will be an ongoing blog, so, if you're interested in design and designing, keep returning. At a later stage I will give you my very own theory on the design process and just how easy it can be to be a creative designer.




I started creating wire and bead jewelry in the mid 60's and I made my own living room furniture when I couldn't afford to buy some of the beautiful pieces at van Leeuwen and Boomkamp (Scandinavian design shop) in Ottawa, Canada, although my wife and I did splash out on a fabulous coffee table - a thick round glass top on a teak trestle base.
When I first went to Canada I was fortunate to get a job with the Department of Indian Affairs, in the Cultural Section. Here I was in charge of a new unit responsible for building a collection of anything that could be recorded (sound) relating to the indigenous Americans. I was surrounded by native art and creativity and made some good friends. I went out into the field with my little UHER recorder to pow-wows, sometimes the only non First Nation person attending. It was exciting, fascinating and sometimes sad.
I was involved with the Indians of Canada pavilion at the Expo '67 in Montreal, firstly, when the contractors asked me to provide some Indian flute music for the pavilion. After much research I wrote back to them explaining that the Indians in Canada did not play any kind of flute although they did have bird whistles. When I visited the pavilion I heard an Austrian recorder playing 'Indian' type sounds in the background! They obviously knew better!
The artist commissioned to paint a mural on one of the exterior walls of the pavilion (Norval Morrisseau) was unable to complete the task due to illness. I, together with my wife, volunteered to complete the work which we did in February of 1967. We take no credit for the artistry - his work is wonderful and awe-inspiring - we only applied color in between the lines!