Welcome Vanessa and Ryland!

We are a few weeks late on the announcement, but excited nonetheless to introduce our two newest staff members: Ryland Quillen and Vanessa Lang.

We first met Vanessa when she worked at the Frye Art Museum store. She comes to us (like both Willis and Claire) from Evergreen where she studied printmaking. She will be taking over as our new Studio Manager as Willis takes over New York.

Ryland is our first ever Design and Production Assistant. He studied furniture at Savannah College of Art and Design and originally moved west to intern for our friends at Iacoli & McAllister.

To learn more about this two (i.e. cats, Kauai, Bhutan, Dolly Parton), below is the result of their interview of each other from the ferry this morning.

Ryland interviews Vanessa:

R: I hear you graduated with a degree from The Evergreen State College in Olympia. How has your education benefited your career so far?

V: Evergreen taught me to be self-sufficient and approach problems creatively and with an open mind. My focus was printmaking and I worked in the studio throughout my time there.

R: Where do you go for inspiration?

V: I love scientific illustration and get most of my inspiration from patterns in the natural world.

R: If you could go anywhere in the world on an all expenses paid inspiration trip, where would you go and what would you do?

V: I would go to Southeast Asia, eat everything, and absorb all the beautiful colors, architecture, beaches, and textiles. Land of smiles.

R: What is your favorite everyday object?

V: Can my cat be considered an object? Oh, my Chemex! Looks sharp and makes the best coffee!

R: How about favorite designed object?

V: I really appreciate my 50's Singer sewing machine. It is very intuitive and I can fix it myself. It was made to last forever and looks great!

R: What was the last book you read and would you recommend it?

V: Drop City by T.C. Boyle. Very entertaining and based on historical events. Great plane, commuter, or beach read.

R: If you were on Jeopardy, what personal story would you tell Alex Trebec after the first commercial break?

V: I would probably ramble about my cat and it would be boring.

R: What was the best idea you ever had?

V: Moving from Olympia to Kauai for a poor man's Eat, Pray, Love experience.

R: Currently listening to?

V: Too much Molly Nilsson and US Girls with a dash of Neil Young. 'Tis the season!

Vanessa interviews Ryland:

V: What was the first thing you ever designed?

R: When I was a kid I made this horribly uncomfortable chair out of 2x4's and rusty nails with my dad. It had like a 90 degree seat back and an old carpet square as "cushioning." I think there's something so innocent and tender about uninformed design like that.

V: If you could go anywhere in the world on an all expenses paid inspiration trip, where would you go and what would you do?

R: I would definitely go to some country tourists don't go to often. Like Bhutan or Tanzania or something. I would love to go and explore and learn about the culture and hope for some kind of divine inspiration. I would probably stuff my face with foods I've never heard of and stock up on textiles, objects, souvenirs, etc. Anything that catches my eye really.

V: What's your favorite everyday object?

R: My Dolly Parton record collection. Does that count? Is that everyday?

V: How about favorite designed object?

R: This changes, like, monthly. This month it's the Hotel Ahn-Nam light by Misha Kahn. I've been really into objects that kind of blur the (fine) line between art and design. I love things that have a story and explore some kind of new material or process. It's all about the idea for me.

V: What was the last book you read?

R: Last book I ready was The War of Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts by Louis de Bernieres. I've been on this Latin American magical realism kick for about two years now. I just can't get enough.

V: If you were on Jeopardy, what personal story would you tell Alex Trebec after the first commercial break?

R: That I played the bass clarinet at Carnegie Hall when I was in high school.

V: What was the best idea you ever had?

R: Put wheels and a string on everything and call it a toy.

V: Currently listening to?

R: Eartha Kitt's "Santa Baby" on repeat.