Curtis Steiner plays with blocks

As I was using my new pink and green Midori paper (the one with the whimsical pea pods), I noticed it was designed by a Curtis Steiner. I remembered a Seattle artist by that name who has a funky cool store in Ballard named Souvenir. A few years ago, I went with a bunch of artgirls to the Seattle Art Museum to see an amazing exhibit he designed.

It was a vast assemblage, a sort of Cabinet of Curiosities, brimming with ornate and mysterious wonders, that he describes as "gently beautiful". Every single treasure was placed just so, and I could have looked at it for hours, and in fact would have done so, except the museum was closing and the artgirls were calling.

So I checked out his site to see what he was up to these days and it turns out he has a new exhibit at the Seattle Art Museum which incorporates 1000 walnut blocks. Each block is identical, with a different pattern on each of its six sides. This allows for an infinite number of astoundingly beautiful patterns to be created, and visitors are encouraged to play with the blocks to create their own designs. Check out this slideshow of 100 designs: