Grain Surfboards

by Karen Day

While sheer beauty of the sloping wooden forms is enough to sell us on Grain Surfboards, their non-traditional approach—skipping the foam makeup of other boards in favor of a Northern White Cedar and air composite—makes a pretty good case for them too. The upshot is a gorgeous and sustainable product, made by a couple of East Coast surfers.

After years spent riding the waves in their hometown of York Beach, Maine, the dudes behind Grain carved their way into the board-building industry with a mission to create surfboards that have less strain on the environment and a greater impact on surfing.

By using cedar harvested at reasonable levels from family-owned Maine mills, the boards are not only environmentally-friendly, but strong enough to last longer than non-wood boards.

Motivated by quality craftsmanship and modern shapes, the team at Grain just announced a partnership with the similarly-minded outfit Channel Islands Surfboards. Beginning with Rob Machado’s board for Channel Islands, entitled The Biscuit, Grain will render some of the Channel Islands line using sustainable-yield cedar, low VOC epoxy and either a glass or bamboo cloth.

You can customize one, choose from any of Grain's regular lineup of boards or dare to build your own using their home grown surfboard kit. For any of these options, it's best to contact Grain Surfboards directly to further discuss your needs.

See more of Grain's lightweight, ding-resistant and beautifully-crafted boards after the jump.

Loren Kreiss: Say Hello To My Little Friends

by Lost At E Minor

Finding inspiration from childhood doodles, artist and furniture scion Loren Kreiss is moving his solo show, "Say Hello to My Little Friends," from his Tribeca apartment to NYC's Fuller Building.

Kreiss brings the quirky creatures to life using a combination of sketches, hand painting and silk screen printing, each name alluding to pop culture and playful minion-making. A philanthropist and businessman, Kreiss' personal artistic endeavors are the perfect compliment to his serious side.

Say Hello To My Little Friends
AFP Galleries
Fuller Building
Through 3 June 2009 (private viewings available through 18 June 2009)
41 East 57th Street, Suite 702
New York, NY 10022 map
tel. +1 212 230 1003

David Lynch: Dark Night of the Soul

by CH Contributor

by Julie Wolfson

A physical exegesis of the album Dark Night of the Soul, controversial filmmaker David Lynch collaborated with the album's creators—Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse—to create a two-room installation at the Michael Kohn Gallery in Los Angeles.

The intermingling of the music and photos was no accident. A huge fan of Lynch, Danger Mouse approached the filmmaker about working together on a project. Lynch, inspired by the music from Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse, began taking photos that fit the mood of their melodies.

Even more fittingly, music from Dark Night of the Soul plays throughout the rooms housing fifty of Lynch's photos, which, mounted on aluminum panels, appear as though they're floating on the gallery walls. The album itself features tracks created with the Flaming Lips, Iggy Pop, Frank Black, James Mercer (The Shins), Julian Casablancas (The Strokes), Suzanne Vega and many others.

On top of the album, the project also includes a limited-edition book with 100+ pages of original photography from Lynch, in addition to a 24x36-inch poster and a custom designed CD-R—Danger Mouse's way of avoiding a lawsuit with record label EMI, the blank CD-R as an artifact to use however deemed suitable. The album is available for purchase online for $50.

Dark Night of the Soul
Through 11 July 2009
Michael Kohn Gallery
8071 Beverly Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90048 map
tel. +1 323 658 8088

Dror x Target Stack Bookcase

by Ami Kealoha

Much like their wildly successful diffusion lines with fashion designers, Target's new line with Dror Benshetrit signals a willingness to take on smaller industrial designers than they have previously and package them for the masses.

Of the upcoming collection of bedding, furniture and stationery, all designed with small spaces in mind, we think the Stack bookcase ($90, due out later this month) is the most elegant execution of the concept. Capturing both Dror's "poetry" as well as his commitment to function, it's also of course an eminently affordable piece of furniture.

The modular design is especially appealing, adapting the piece to any variety of spaces and sizes while maintaining an un-boring aesthetic. Made from 83% Honeycomb board (a mid-density fiberboard), PVC and paper, the shelves are easy to move around and transport too.

The first in the limited edition series is due out 21 June 2009, with more following on 12 July 2009, both at Target stores nationwide.

The first in the series, which will include the Spin Wall Clock (pictured above, $25) as well, is due out 21 June 2009, with more following on 12 July 2009, both at Target stores nationwide. Watch Dror's video for an in-depth explanation of his collection.

The Organic Pharmacy: The Complete Guide To Natural Health & Beauty

by Karen Day

Like a homeopathic Bible, The Organic Pharmacy's book "The Complete Guide To Natural Health & Beauty" enlightens medical subjects as common as a sore throat to as complex as infertility. Margo Marronne, the book's author and co-founder of The Organic Pharmacy, fills her methodical book with guidance and step-by-step programs.

Spanning babies to adults, Marronne provides expert advice on how to stay healthy in a clear and concise format. Each ailment or problem—such as age spots—has a coinciding list of a beneficial diet to reduce symptoms, as well as a list of detrimental foods to be avoided. For example, she recommends pineapple and cranberries to help ease the discomfort people feeling the pain of arthritis, whereas a diet high in protein causes harm to joints.

Marronne suggests though, before all else, to treat your body to a detox. Removing injurious toxins first allows the body total control and greater success at restoring better health.

"The Complete Guide to Natural Health & Beauty" is available from The Organic Pharmacy's online shop or from Amazon. For a quick look at the interesting information The Organic Pharmacy advocates, have a glance at their downloadable fact sheets.