Street Seens: “Good” Reasons to Revise
04/23/2017
Spoiler Alert
You are about to see the indisputable evidence that you will need to revise your belief in the old axiom that “A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words.”
Stop right here unless you are prepared to be witness to the fact that some pictures, some images, are worth so very much more.
Disclosure
I have been seeing, following, collecting examples of the glorious, profoundly creative and moving work of graphic designers Peter Good and his partner in life and artistry Janet Cummings Good since the early days of the marriage of these college sweethearts. They had made their home in Chester, Connecticut and had welcomed their two sons, Justin and Jesse.
My space-limited Manhattan apartment is filled with the time capsule containers of their dazzling Tall Calendars that I could not bear to part with since they began issuing the annual calendars. To my mind they are the gold standard of thoughtful and provocative examples of how art serves life enrichment. I rejoiced when I learned that after a three year pause they are back to all of us who lament the paucity of paper calendars in an era of electronic disposability.
And now, I deliver on the spoiler alert.
In all the years I’ve known them, I have been enriched by Peter’s fabric collages and Jan’s astounding images of nature: fruits, flowers, and cats that leap off the page.
I had the print of one of their astounding posters in pride of place in each of the offices of successive locations of my company. It sounded a clarion call to the companies we served, happily known for their own elegant creativity. It invited them, and us, to set ever more ambitious goals in our collaboration for thoughtful beauty and power. The poster suggested that we might do well to be inspired by Peter and Jan’s insight. It called us all, in eloquence beyond words, to be brave enough never to turn our backs on the moment; to recognize Change as a precious path to a Chance to be better than we might otherwise be.
As you will see on their website they have created graphic identities for Universities, Corporate, Cultural and Civic events and even one of the early Love Stamps for USPS. Personally, I think another of my treasured Cummings and Good posters captured the very heart of the Beatles iconic anthem of our era.
It is an indisputable reason for celebration that the Good Tall Calendar is now available to dedicated collectors and those who want to join the passion for new ways to look at time at a high point.
I will not apologize for sharing with you in this Sunday’s visit that I hope I leave you wanting to know so much more about the gentle, courageous creators who have inspired me so deeply. I will return as soon as possible with some bits of “the rest of the story.” And I won’t make you wait as long as it may take to see the cover they have designed for the 21st century iteration of the book you will meet as soon as I can complete the update of the born-again manuscript “Aunts, the Best Supporting Actresses.”
Let us plan to meet for our Sunday stroll as soon as I can tell you more of the creators of Cummings & Good. I’m sure you will not be surprised when you learn details about a couple turned graphic arts gurus. Any artists imaginative enough to choose a stately Gothic Revival building in the Connecticut River Valley community of Chester, Connecticut as their corporate HQ and then, in the recent past, to expand it to include a boutique for singular fashion and giftware would expect no less.
Check your Good “tall calendar.”
All images courtesy of Cummings & Good