Dana Tanamachi - Chalkboard artist extraordinaire

Dana Tanamachi is a chalkboard artist. Her works have been commissioned by the likes of West Elm, Ralph Lauren and Adidas. Take a look at her wonderful skill with chalk on a blackboard.

From the specials on the chalkboard at your local cafe to your more specialised delicatessen announcements, chalkboards and white chalk are becoming highly popular.

 Dana Tanamachi started out as a graphic designer graduating in 2007 with a BFA in communication design.

From the University of North Texas she moved to New York and undertook her first fulltime career position at an advertising agency which creates advertising campaigns for television, media, entertainment businesses plus theatre and Broadway.

Creating a profile and a buzz for the newest productions to hit broadway through to publishing and music companies has been the mainstay of her early career.

 So it comes as no surprise to see her work influenced by typography on a grand scale of the major theatrical billboard. Yet is is a juxtaposition since it is created with the modesty and humbleness of the lowly mineral - chalk - to create pieces of art that can last only as long as a whim.

Dana has taken the art of typography and handwritten script from the early 20th century and 1900's where font foundries and freehand appear to merge in her wonderful adaptations.

Picked up by big names who want to establish a cultural credence and lay down a history beyond their years with standout designs. Dana has laid out an identity that is a perfect compliment.

She is an absolute expert in pairing three dimensional letters with one dimensional decoration.

Giving vintage appeal to a highly regarded fashion designer brand with fabulous visual merchandising is an art work in itself. 

I adore her work and am delighted to write a post about such skill, but sad in a way that the art might not have longevity that is expected from putting media to media.

I hope to see more of her works springing up around New York. You can read all about Dana here.

You can see her in action with time-lapse motion capture here.

 She has been influenced by the great skills of old sign artists from a bygone era.

And breathes new life into a school classroom classic that has since been rendered obsolete and unwanted. Not so say we.!!

School blackboard's disappeared in the last 10 to 20 years, replaced with roller green vinyl wind up board still worked with chalk. 

In our era of plasma and led screens, where the lowly blackboard is upgraded to a smartboard, kids can now take new interest in what's happening at the front of class, as they stride to the front of class and touch the smart board, draw on it, get an immediate reward for their efforts in learning.

So the school classroom relic has found a new home, new audience and a new popularity.

Room to Breathe was an installation she did for Google in their newly renovated offices.

Enjoy your Holiday and Christmas break and make sure you visit her website to see the timelapse photography that is a must.

Cheers:)