I opened Shadowbend Studios because I truly enjoy design work and the creative process. After being exposed to other excellent design work and continually thinking to myself that I could produce at least the same level of quality work, I decided to stop talking about it and put my money where my mouth was. I began putting together websites and producing design projects for friends and family and it was not long before "Shadowbend Studios" was born.
At the turn of the 20th century, the Arts & Crafts movement strove to retain authenticity and integrity in the design and creation of everything from the smallest stained glass window to complete homes. Set against a marketplace that was overrun with the poor quality of cheap mass-produced goods, the famous "Morris" Chair remains a symbol of the timelessness of this design philosophy. I recall a powerful quote from the film version of Ayn Rands "The Fountainhead", "...artistic value is achieved collectively, with each man subordinating himself to the standards of the majority..." Shadowbend Studios embraces the concept of retaining authenticity in a cookie-cutter, paint-by-numbers web and graphic design marketplace. We design for the individual, not for the majority.
There is an old Russian saying on the island of Paramushir, “As you cooked the porridge, so must you eat it”. The young boy whom the locals called “справедливый волос лайка засада” (fair haired kid who gets in the way) never understood its inherent wisdom. As the son of a prominent Scottish Pastry Chef and a Balinese Puffin trainer, James “Skip” Sommer never felt completely at home in the windswept, barren fishing villages of the Kuril Archipelago. Ever since his family landed in Utyosnaya Bay after a freak storm sent their traveling Persian rug framing business off course, Skip would spend many a long afternoon weaving old fishing nets into creative macramé coffee mug holders in the shadow of Mount Chikurachki while dreaming of a life as a graphic designer and artist. The only outlet for his creativity consisted of painting unusual ship markings on the bows of fishing boats, until one day when he found himself a stowaway in a cargo of black market fish balls being smuggled to the United States by the Cypriot leisure food cartel. Skip was on his way to America and his dream...
ACTUALLY...
Skip was born in Alameda California on December 15th, 1962 and is a card carrying Sagittarius. He doesn't speak Russian, has never been any farther west than Hawaii and had not even heard of the Kuril Islands until he needed an obscure place with a cool name for his little exercise in ridiculousness. He currently lives in the beautiful San Francisco Bay Area with his wife and two children. Skip studied Commercial and Fine Art in college, spent some time as an Art Director for a graphic design firm in the late 80's and has spent most of his life creating art and expressing his creativity through a multitude of medias. In his "spare" time he wrangles his kids, finds time for his photography makes some really good mead and tries to remember that every day is a blessing.
As an artist, sometimes I see things clearly in my mind that others can’t quite understand. Either I’m not explaining my vision correctly, or people just aren’t getting it! In any event, I needed six logos designed for my new company as quickly as possible. And after several failed attempts with other designers, fate introduced me to Skip! I had an idea about how I wanted my logos to look and it was very important to me that my vision be reflected. We began with three out of six logos and within one week, Skip had nailed them all! Needless to say, I’ll be working with him on the remaining three logos and who knows what else down the line. From one artist to another I can honestly say that Skip just “gets it”!
Brand Walker-Gullatt- Founder/President, Hot Water Cornbread
