Here at Grove, we are definitely of the mind that “art fills the void.” Much what we do with our products is in the name of art and of supporting the artist community. Since our first Bamboo iPhone Case for the 3g, we’ve been running our Artist Series of available engravings, which has now spanned into the iPhone 4 and iPhone 5 cases and our selection of leather Notebook covers for Moleskines.

We cherish providing modern illustrators from around the world the opportunity to see their works as engravings, and it’s exciting to help our customers bring a bit of art into their everyday lives through these common objects. Most of us on the team consider ourselves creative in some capacity, and we can definitely count some talented artists among our ranks. That’s why we’d like to start celebrating some of our favorite artists on our blog.

Here are a few of the artists that we admire of the Baby-Boomer variety:

From La Cité Feu, 1984, a collaboration between Geof Darrow and French artist Moebius

Geof Darrow, American comic book artist, born 1955

Darrow is known best for Hard Boiled;The Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot, which was adapted into an animated television series; and,Shaolin Cowboy. Grove lead designer Max describes Darrow’s work when he says, “It's Heavy Metal meets Where's Waldo and it was love at first sight. Darrow's method of filling every possible inch of his work has inspired Max’s own illustrations, such as this poster for the band Holiday Friends.

Excerpt from My Neighbor Totoro, 1993, Hayao Miyazaki

Hayao Miyazaki, Japanese animator, director, and artist, born 1941

Miyazaki’s career has lasted more than 50 years, and he’s gained international praise for his anime feature films. Miyazaki co-founded film and animation studio Studio Ghibli, known for such films as My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke, and Spirited Away. A fan since he was a child, Grove Production Manager Sean says of Miyazaki:

“Every one of his stories inspires thought about the deep connections we all have with each other and with the world around us. I love his work, because it always transports me to another place and allows me to reflect on parts of myself that I sometimes forget about - helping me to always view the world with a childlike wonder.”

Photograph of Within Without, skyspace exhibit at the National Gallery of Australia (NGA), 2010, James Turrell

James Turrell, American artist, born 1943

Turrell is an artist concerned with the creation of indoor and outdoor exhibits utilizing light and space. He was a MacArthur Fellow in 1984, and is acclaimed for his work in progress,Roden Crater, a natural cinder cone crater located outside Flagstaff, AZ that will become a massive naked-eye observatory. Turrell currently has exhibitions at the LA County Museum of Art (LACMA) and the Guggenheim. Grove CNC Programmer Barrett says, “I am attracted to his creativity [in] coupling architecture and nature to create inspiring spaces, as well as the importance and attention he gives to the viewers experience of light (both natural and artificial) in his pieces.”

Screenshot of Felix in Exile, DVD projection with sound, 1994, William Kentridge

William Kentridge, South African artist and animator, born 1955

Kentridge’s eclectic body of work includes prints, paintings, drawings, tapestries, sculpture, animations, and Opera productions. He is known for his unique animation style in which he uses a single drawing that is altered and filmed continuously until the end of a scene. He then displays the drawings used along with the films as a finished piece of art. Watch this full-length documentary on him here. Production assistant at Grove Mike Schultz says, “I really appreciate how inventive William Kentridge is.  He draws, makes animations, writes plays -- he basically  takes his art wherever it wants to go.”

Thank you for taking the time to learn about some of our favorite artists. We hope some of this work was able to spark a bit of inspiration for your day, week, or year to come! In the future, we’d like to feature more of our favorite art right here. Happy creating!

Written by Mary Yajko. She is a Grove customer support rep and crazed blogger originally from upstate New York. She enjoys opened minds, uncontrollable fits of laughter, and large amounts of french fries with ketchup.