art + design
Informed by his studies in History of Art and work in interiors and galleries, Blake’s art and design work aims for beauty and comfort. Blake has worked with AD 100 designer Nate Berkus, Matthew Rachman Gallery, High Line Nine Galleries, the University of Michigan Museum of Art, now Artnet. Everything can be beautiful, from scissors to measuring spoons to pillows and frames, and it should be. Places to sit should also have somewhere to put up your feet and somewhere to set your drink. Things look weird put in corners. Pull furniture away from walls.
For production design, Blake works closely with the text and the director. He has production designed Nick Beardslee’s short Bird in Hand, costumed designed Tij D’Oyen’s Nepotism, Baby!, as well as full design concepts for each of his own works.
Nick Beardslee’s Bird in Hand premiered at Newfest 2022 and on Short of the Week. As production designer, I guided all costume and set choices. The aesthetic world of the film takes inspiration from the 90’s and 2000’s, dressing the characters as the most fashionable version of themselves and putting them in beautiful places.
Located in the charming Old Town neighborhood in Chicago, this space was Blake’s favorite to design so far: his own apartment. This space emphasizes the importance of collecting and always being on the look out for new things. Lamps were found in the garbage and estate sales, tables from grandpa’s house, chairs from family friends— never be afraid to root through some trash to find a beautiful treasure. The best way to honor the memory of someone attached to something is to use it. The challenge in this space was to showcase personal items and many books without looking cluttered.
At High Line Nine, Blake had the opportunity to take on curatorial projects in developing solo exhibitions with artists Wes Aderhold, Djivan Schapira, and Kerry Irvine. Working closely and collaboratively with the artists, he developed narratives, wrote press releases, selected works to include, and designed layouts.
This project was to design a living space design for a young family with a dog. Given the complex floor plan of doors, windows, and a fireplace, the best arrangement called for floating the furniture. The project includes a collage of proposed selections, plan, surface schemes, and inspiration. The design is centered around creating a beautiful, functional space that was not too precious.
The brief for this project was to create an usable structure through interconnecting negative spaces stripped and etched away from a solid cube. The aim was to create a piece that was directionless, something that could perhaps be turned on any surface and maintain its beauty and function, leading to details such as a scalloped underside. Expansion and contraction were emphasized through scale and juxtaposing winding corridors and large openings. Although the structure was ultimately functionless, aspects of art viewing spaces underscored the project and popped up in renderings.
