About
Oberon Design is a small, family run company passionate about customer service and the quality of leather and pewter products made in our studio shop in Santa Rosa, CA.
Art Nouveau
The Art Nouveau, or ‘new art’ period, 1890-1910, describes a movement that influenced fine art, architecture and the decorative arts and developed as a philosophy which embraced Art Nouveau as a life style, influencing the design of furniture, textiles and crockery, utilitarian objects, jewelry and clothing.
The Art Nouveau style, inspired by nature’s curving lines, is perhaps most familiar in the work of architect Antoni Gaudi in Spain, the Czech artist Alphonse Mucha in the form of lithographed posters, the American, Louis Comfort Tiffany, famous for lamps and jewelry, book illustrator and graphic artist Aubrey Beardsley in England and Scottish born Charles Rennie Mackintosh whose furniture and textile designs were influenced by both Scottish and Japanese forms. Perhaps the most famous paintings of the period are that of Edvard Munch’s “The Scream”, Gustav Klimt’s “The Kiss” and the dream like paintings of Maxfield Parrish.
Though the Arts and Crafts style and the Pre-Raphaelites preceded the Art Nouveau movement by thirty years many of the most famous participants are also identified with Art Nouveau. William Morris’s textile designs, the illustrations of Walter Crane and Arthur Rackham, Edward Burne-Jones, Dante Gabriel Rossetti and John Everett Millais as well as the enduring wok of architects such as Julia Morgan, Frank Lloyd Wright and Bernard Maybeck.
Historically, Art Nouveau imagery at Oberon Design has incorporated the designs of Aubrey Beardsley, William Morris, Alphonse Mucha, Munch and Mackintosh. Current Art Nouveau designs we offer are a Beardsley flowering thistle, Morris acanthus leaves, M.P. Verneuil dandelion dragonfly, and our butterfly, flower fairy and peacock images as well as a number of jewelry pieces that express an Art Nouveau theme.
http://oberondesign.com/journal-covers/oberon-journals/peacock-journal-57-00-72-50.html
http://oberondesign.com/journal-covers/icon-journals/buddha-icon-journal.html
It’s spring, the most divine weather of the year and with a nod to Vesak or Buddha’s birthday we’re celebrating serenity. The actual date of Vesak in the month of May varies according to the lunar calendar. May 24th is the date in the 2013 calendar.
By the way, for the curious who ask….how do we do we know the date of Buddha’s birthday… it was decided in Sri Lanka in 1950 at the first Conference of the World Fellowship of Buddhists. Conference attendees chose the holy day of Vesak as a day to celebrate the birth, enlightenment and death of Siddartha Gautama Buddha.
“Here’s looking at you, kid.”
99 Pieces to Make an
Oberon Design Messenger Bag
http://oberondesign.com/oberon-accessories/messenger-bags.html
The Messenger bags are live! Thank you for your patience while we made our first run. With over 90 separate pieces, the highest quality waxed canvas, vegetable tan, latigo and bullhide leathers, plus hand cast pewter findings, we’re convinced we’re offering one of the best messenger bags around.
We’ve altered the order process slightly. Since only 1 customer in 50 did not order an image, the cost an image is now embedded in the price Thanks again for your support and enthusiasm. It motivates us every day. Cheers! Becca
http://oberondesign.com/oberon-accessories/messenger-bags.html
Heads Up Bargain Hunters!
The Oberon Attic is brimming with gorgeous, discounted covers at the moment. Also some deeply discounted old style handbags and interesting prototypes.
Check it out here: http://oberondesign.com/e-reader-covers/older-models.html
Wow! Its Marcel Monday again already! Today, May 6th,
5:30 PM - 6:30 PM PDT. Win $50!
You have one hour to find Marcel in his hiding place on our web site and win a $50 gift certificate ! NEW! No more e-mail problems, clicking on his picture will open a form for you to fill out.
Details: http://oberondesign.com/contact/contest-page.html
Archive Special - The Three Graces
Our image is a rendering of Sandro Botticelli’s painting La Primavera (Spring) painted between the years of 1475-1478. It was painted by Botticelli for the Villa di Castello belonging to the Medici family of Florence Italy. Extensive analysis and interpretation have been given to the allegorical painting that includes the figures of Venus, goddess of love and patroness of change and renewal and the three Graces that our image depicts. The Graces were the daughters of Zeus, and they represent beauty, chastity and passion. Their names are Aglaia ‘who gives’, Euphrosyne ‘who receives’ and Thalia ‘who returns’. For those interested in the Renaissance period and/or the fascinating life of Botticelli, interpretations of La Primavera are a wonderful starting point of study.
Are you waiting? Oberon Design Waxed Canvas & Leather Messenger Bags! Almost Out the Door!
Format: The Garden Observed
Remember with gardening or yard maintenance, it’s easy to slip into the all work no play mode that drains the enjoyment of gardening over time. If your love of nature lead you to gardening, consider creating a space that welcomes butterflies and bugs, birds, and small creatures, squirrels, rabbits, even deer or fox or a fish pond. Whatever thrives in your neighborhood. There’s nothing more satisfying than developing a mini eco system where fellow creatures can find sustenance and feel safe. It should be free of pesticides and herbicides to protect animal life and areas that need protection should be fenced. Bird feeders are a must. Hang as many as you can afford to supply.
A great benefit of this type of garden is the relaxed, informal style that invariably evolves, lowering the stress of high maintenance lawns and crisp edges. This means there’s plenty of time for observation.
How:
Find the perfect spot in sun or shade for a really comfortable chair. Create a kit to have with you: a pen or pencil, journal, I.D. books on birds, insects and small mammals in your area, binoculars and a camera.
First allow yourself to sip a drink, relax your head an neck, letting yourself drift until you feel that you’re absorbing where you are, not thinking at the speed of light about work, bills, family issues, etc. The more relaxed you become the more you’ll begin to observe. Journaling your observations along with whatever is on your mind is deeply satisfying and a wonderful reference tome not just for you, but for whomever might inherit your garden.
Great references for this type of journal keeping are the writer Ernest Thompson Seton, founder of the Woodcraft movement (inspired the creation of The Boy Scouts) and many books on wildlife, A Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard and if you’re more in the mood for the greatest memoir garden book ever, check out Green Thoughts by Eleanor Perenyi, a very original, funny and knowledgable writer.
Don’t use Facebook? There is a button on the left that says “RSS” that allows you to subscribe to our blog posts. If you haven’t used RSS feeds before, here are some instructions for Windows & Mac:
How to Subscribe to a our Blog using RSS:
Using Outlook on Windows
Using Internet Explorer on Windows
Using Safari on a Mac
Using News Feeds in Mac OS X Mail
Tree of Life
Rooted deep in the valley floor, roots drinking clean river water, a solitary oak endures for 400 years. Generations of birds, small creatures and insects have occupied its branches and nested within it, its canopy safe haven for deer and fox. The life of tribes, villages and towns has orbited its sphere through years of changing seasons. The searing cry of the hawk and children’s hands at play, gatherers and cultivators, harsh and fair weather, starry nights and the near miss of axe and saw, making up the history of its days.
Oberon Design celebrates Arbor Day this week:Celebrate National Arbor Day every year on the last Friday in April. Learn how you can celebrate Arbor Day in your community.
