Dana Tanamachi

We’re, like, REALLY excited about this post. REALLY. Amanda stumbled upon this last week and we’ve been practically bursting to share. Dana Tanamachi’s work is nothing short of frickin’ AMAZING. Can you imagine having her do an installation at your reception venue? Dana is available for custom lettering on chalkboards, chalk walls– basically anything covered in chalkboard paint!

Hire her! Do it. Doitdoitdoit.

Her specialty is large scale installation pieces, things make a statement and that people can really interact with and enjoy. Um, we’re sold.

And a bit about Dana’s work, from the artiste herself:

“A big inspiration behind my work is the idea of community. It brings me great joy to see people dancing, eating, and laughing with my chalk pieces as the backdrop. Even the idea of creating these pieces was birthed out of my community of friends here in Brooklyn. I find that I am continually inspired by so many of the creative people that I live life with—it’s those friends who initially saw my love of letterforms and encouraged me to explore that passion even further.

What I love about chalk is that it is such an ephemeral medium. We use it to scribble or doodle with, but rarely do we consider carefully crafting something with it. Maybe it goes against our practical nature—why spend time on something that will be gone in a day, week or month? But that’s why it’s the perfect medium— because for me it’s about the process. I love starting out on a clean wall, climbing up on a ladder, sketching with broad strokes, refining the letterforms, adding little details, etc. It’s a chance for me to take a break from the computer and create something purely by hand. I’m such a crafter at heart!”