Anahata Katkin

Brickroom Mural

 I've been working this week on a special project for my Mom and Brother's new restaurant that is opening in July.  Brickroom is in a very special, historic space in the heart of downtown Ashland, Oregon.  (Right above our flagship store, PAPAYA! Living too!)  And I have been helping my family with design choices since January.  It's been a really energizing process and there's been a lot to do.  Dozens of people have been undergoing the remodeling process.  It's a labor of love because the space is so sentimental in our community and everyone wanted to take very special care of it.
I was originally inspired by the idea of ghost signs.  Which is the name for old advertisements on the sides of old brick buildings.  Using a projector and a lot of elbow grease I got this design set in it's new home.  Thanks to Ellen (one of our amazing PAPAYA! designers) who helped me with this tedious project.  I am really happy with it and looking forward to sharing more about this exciting design process.  Soon I'll be able to share with you the whole vision when everyone's ready...

PAPAYA! Lookbook Preview: "Daydream"

I wanted to share some pictures from our recent photo shoot for PAPAYA!.  This year we are dedicating our ourselves in the design team to celebrating the work that we do.  It sounds easy enough, right?  But for many years we have been buckling down and working like busy bees.  So busy we forget to actually stop and take the time to properly document what we've been up to.  And there's just so much to share!
We are going to be doing more with photography, styling and look books as well as sharing what we're up to.  Our goal is not to be too polished, but to really express a larger vision- a bigger picture if you will.
How we see ourselves and our brand is an important part of what we do.  It's so easy to make artwork and products and just power through to the next collection.  But we want to stop and take the time to play with what we've created and share more of who we are!
What I love about collaborating on this particular photo project is that we used real people.  The model here is a friend of mine, Mrs. Molly Ochoa who was not only kind enough to share her beauty with us, but also her home.  We got to play in her gorgeous, eclectic home and extended areas like campers and a fabulous outdoor lounge. We also worked with many dear friends & co workers on this project, one even modeled for us.  (I'll be sharing those soon)
Aside from some very basic styling, everything from the shoot was real.  And that's what really gets us going.  Sharing life with other creatives, friends, inspiring spaces and community that "understands us".  It's a good feeling, and that's what this work/life is all about!  You can look forward to some beautiful look books coming soon in the spirit of celebrating who we are.  Photographs by Lindsey Bolling.  

If you want the rainbow...

This pretty little lady is from the live painting last month at the NationAl Stationery Show.  We finally got her scanned and ready for a new life in the PAPAYA! collection.  She'll most likely be available in the fall.  I love how dark and stormy she is and yet pretty sweet.  My actual paintings are always quite a bit moodier than I allow them to be for PAPAYA!  So I brighten the mood a bit and make them do double duty in our collections.  I love her and I think she'll be with us for a long time.

Oregon Coast

For weeks I was craving what I could only describe as ocean winds.  Craving it like chocolate.  The pull to the sea has been mounting and I decided it was time to get my ocean ions in.  We left for Smith River just south of Brookings. Finding new spots and spending hours  in the sand was high on the list of priorities.  I suppose the wind would find me no matter what.  The weather was unusually clear and hot, and the beaches where breath taking.  Oregon Coast can be so moody and sullen, but it was not that way for us on this trip.
I would have slept in the car and lived on Doritos if it meant we got the weekend at the beach.  But instead we where snuggled into a lovely cabin, lounging by the beach fire with blankets, wine and smores, and feeling quite at home.  We did get some soft serve in our bellies though! And thankfully no need for Doritos.
More and more I am longing for the balance of back brain and front brain activities.  Life is so full of accomplishing and the "doing-ness".  I am needing so many more hours of using that old DNA.  Hunting for rocks.  Staring at the fire, and then staring at the stars.  Appreciating plants, waves and wind.  That wind means everything.  What a treat to truly unplug for a couple of days and connect with friends and family. A great start to what feels like the beginning of summer.

Behind the Scenes: PAPAYA photo shoot prep.

 We had a blast today getting ready for our summer sun, PAPAYA! photoshoot tomorrow.  We have free reign over a friends amazing home compound here in Ashland, Oregon.  Complete with tricked out campers, trailers, busses, bohemian boudoir, bikes, butterflies and Bali picnic nook!  We're in heaven and cannot wait to roll up our sleeves tomorrow and play PAPAYA!-photo-shoot.
The pictures will be sexy- cuz lets face it, our ladies...just are.  And we've been meaning to do a sassy shoot for quite some time.  So the outfits got picked, the spaces are fluffed, we ate all the food and took a million of these iphone pictures to keep track of the plan.  Nothing left to do besides cut watermelon and turn on the sprinklers!  Cannot wait to share what happens at the shoot.  Stay tuned...

The Eclectic Photographer: Feda Eid

Meet Feda Eid.  A Lebanese/ American photographer we met (and fell in love with) on Instagram.  We spotted this beautiful image of her and our PAPAYA! "Dream" card  on her blog, after a series of love notes between us.  Her work is filled with light, strong female energy and the most engaging, eclectic portraits. Many of our favorites are from her "Project Introspection" where she explores her inner and outter world by using herself as her subject and notes: "As a Muslim woman this is also a means of positive reinforcement to a common negative association with women and hijab (scarf)."  You can see by this amazing image above why we instantly feel for Feda and her outlook and captured photography.  

You can explore more from Feda on her blog, website, facebook & instagram.