studio clean out= 2 big paintings on sale!

yesterday was the day i decided i couldn't stand the mess in my studio any longer. stuff had been piling up in corners, messes hiding behind messes, and it was contributing to my scattered and unfocused attention while working. so i said "enough!" and then i cleaned. and now it feels so much better in here! i de-cluttered the walls as well as got rid of a whole lot of junk that just needed to go. i reorganized and vacuumed, and i feel a little bit lighter today. YES!

but one good thing i found amidst the clutter was these 2 paintings that i created several years ago, when my work was quite different than it is now. they are BIG (24x24") monoprints that are covered with glossy resin, and they are quite lovely in person. I'm tempted to keep them and try to find a place in our house for them, but I thought I might offer them up here first to see if anyone is interested in owning them! (sorry, the sweet kitty doesn't come with them.) :)

they are just $150.00 apiece (+shipping), which is a major steal! when i was selling work like this, these pieces were going for $900.00. that's, like, 1/6 of the original price!! if you are interested in purchasing either, or both, of them, please email me! i would be happy to ship them to you whenever you please.

***UPDATE: the top piece is sold, but the one of the church is still available!***

ps- isn't anika cute? she wanted to help take pictures. :)

hernan bas

this is not the type of artwork i typically post about, but WOW, i'm totally into these paintings by hernan bas. i discovered his work when i was checking out the miami-based fredric snitzer gallery website-- and i was checking out THEIR website because i was alerted to this amazing sounding new TV show that will showcase emerging visual artists creating and competing on Bravo. Seriously, you ask? Yes, seriously! They are having open casting calls RIGHT NOW, so if you are in chicago, new york, or miami, you may just want to get your butt over there and show 'em your stuff- click here for the full details.

but back to the artwork-- aren't these paintings incredible? you can see more of hernan's work at the fredric snitzer gallery in miami, lehmann maupin gallery in new york, sandroni.rey gallery in los angeles, and the victoria miro gallery in london.

and did i mention he's just 2 years older than me? sigh.

vintage illustration: w.t. cummings

well well well, another weekend has come and gone. i hope it was a good one for you!
mine was relaxing yet busy at the same time. i like it like that. some things i did: finished clothes shopping for the wedding, applied to renegade craft fair in chicago, sunbathed, made lots of glittery tiny flags to hang around at the wedding, worked on some illustrations for a couple of clients, and went to the gym TWICE. there was lots more, but i don't want to bore you. :)

anyway, this morning i'm smitten with these illustrations from this children's book by w.t. cummings that was published in 1959. what is it about vintage illustrations that is just so charming? i think part of it is that the colors are usually quite limited-- i think i'd love to try working that way more, because i normally use a crazy amount of colors. it would be a good challenge for myself!

i originally saw one of these illustrations over on ffffound, and then clicked through to find this blog post about the book on this super cute blog called doe c doe. definitely worth checking out! in fact, i'm going to add it to my blog roll right now.

we say meow: new blog!

i wanted to make sure you all know about this brand new blog called 'we say meow' that artists/illustrators mary kilvert and anke weckmann have put together. the concept behind it is so wonderful-- they're featuring illustrations of cats and also a photo of the artist's cat(s)! i was honored when they asked me to participate, and excited that i'd get to show off my sweet little kitty, anika.

you can see my cat pattern below, and the top illustration is by leila shetty, the one directly above is by lisa evans.

do check out the blog-- it's marvelous so far! i'm hoping anke and mary will post their own images soon, too, because they're both fantastically talented and inspiring.

i want you: by jesse wright

i love this. that's all there is to say about it.

{by jesse wright. see more from this series on his flickr page, and his gorgeous photography on his website}

flickr favorite day!

my dears, my blog is suffering these days! i'm so sorry-- i'm working on all these projects that i can't show you (as they are for other people and need to be left under wraps), and with all the wedding stuff going on it's preventing me from really doing much of my own work these days!
i hope you'll bear with me-- i'm going to continue to post things that are inspiring me lately, but i'm afraid posts about my own artwork are going to be fewer and further between for a little while.

but here are some things from flickr that have been catching my eye lately-- i hope you enjoy them! flickr favorite mosaics by big huge labs are one of my favorite things.

here is a list of the images:
1. Untitled, 2. londi creations, 3. ice cream chap, 4. 2007 Unicorn, 5. Preparing the Path, 6. Untitled, 7. how to disappear, 8. these girls, 9. star chart, 10. star stack, 11. welcome to the bubble world...:-), 12. gift for Natasha, 13. edward and lola at night, 14. little blue horse in the savannah, 15. Untitled, 16. op game, 17. all the fun of holga, 18. bumpercars, 19. sand mountain, 20. trees, 21. DSC03081, 22. Toothy Blue Whale, 23. Where You Wish, They Will Take You, 24. Pocket journals with handprinted covers, 25. Garden Girl in snow

more soon, i promise!

illustration: maria goldfarb

these gorgeous images are by artist maria goldfarb-- i'm pretty smitten with her color palette, aren't you?

i think her stretched and squished perspectives are really lovely, and the stripes juxtaposed with areas of big flat color are wonderful.

maria doesn't seem to have a website, but you can see more of her work on altpick.

bergdorf goodman + visionary art museum

i just read about this amazing collaboration over on prêt à voyager and had to tell you about it here, because it looks so amazing! bergdorf goodman (on 5th avenue in NYC) teamed up with the american visionary art museum in baltimore to create this fantastic window displays that you can see now through july 20th in manhattan.

the american visionary art museum shows work by outsider artists (self-taught, untrained artists whose work is often guided by inner voices or the soul and are not based on folk art traditions-- a few examples are howard finster, madge gill, and bill traylor.) i think this collaboration is not only intriguing, but also important, as outsider art is fascinating and an entirely different view of what "art" is. i love it.

if you are in nyc, please go check out the windows!! i'd love to hear from someone that's seen the display first hand....

patrick gildersleeves

i've written about patrick gildersleeves once before, but i couldn't resist posting about these 2 pieces-- wow, they're incredible! the color schemes are too good to be true. i love how his work seems to capture a moment in a story, and it leaves me wondering what the story is.

you can find much more of his work on his flickr page, blog, website, and in his etsy shop.

http://wowoutrageous.com/

my first attempt at long exposure photographs

good morning, dears!! gosh, i had such a fun weekend-- what about you? i think the 4th of july is such a fun holiday, and i really love watching fireworks. so this year, inspired by the photos i posted on friday, i dragged my camera and tripod with me to the fireworks display and tried out some long exposure shots. i'm pleased with how they turned out! don't get me wrong- all i did was turn off the flash and click the button on my digital camera (no manually adjusting apertures or anything), but i'm still excited about the photos!

ryan and i barbecued and went to a baseball game for the evening of the 4th, and it was so fun! it doesn't get more all-american than that, my friends. :) some other things i did this weekend: sun-bathed (i'm determined to get a tan!), ate watermelon, made 7 green & white beach blankets for my upcoming wedding, and worked on a whole bunch of sparkly, sculptural type decorations, also for the wedding. all in all, the weekend was a success.

tell me about your weekend! did you see fireworks? did you relax with friends and family?

happy 4th of july!

who doesn't love sparklers? they've always been one of my favorite parts of the fourth of july. and these photos by grey bunny are just amazing. i think i might take my tripod and camera with me to the fireworks display tomorrow night to give some long-exposure shots a try.

i might actually try it tonight, because my little atlanta-suburb town celebrates the 4th of july on july 3rd, with a big fireworks show, a band, skydivers trailing colored smoke..... it's very strange. it's a fun night, but why don't they just do it on the 4th of july, like normal people? so weird.

i hope you have a lovely holiday weekend complete with lots of sun, sitting by a pool, hot dogs (or tofu hot dogs if you are vegetarian like me!), and lots of sparklers.

i'll see you monday!!

{ps- as you may have noticed, my posting is a bit lighter lately.... i'm going to be posting a little less than i normally do this month as i prepare for my wedding on august 1st- there's so much to doooooooo! and lots of work-work on top of it. you understand, i'm sure.} :)

dana davis

love love love this illustration by dana davis. she's a junior at RISD, and oh so talented! more (and varied) work can be seen on her website.

society 6

have you all heard about society 6 yet? i just discovered it yesterday, and boy am i excited! society 6 is a vibrant social networking platform for artists to promote their work and connect with unique opportunities. it's a verycool concept-- you can create studios within your page to showcase different bodies/styles of work, follow other artists, promote other artists' work on your page, and connect with fellow creatives all over the world. plus, they have a crazy awesome artist grant program, where organizations/companies/individuals can offer grants to artists, and the society6 community nominates who they think should receive the grant. and the grants are really amazing! (you can check out the full list here.) i found out about society6 through threadless, who are offering a grant to design an exclusive t-shirt for their select series and $1,000!

anyway, i thought you all might be interested since many of you are artists, and we're all always looking for new ways to promote our work and connect with other like-minded folks. (i started a page and am in the process of getting some work uploaded and starting to follow people and their studios! so much fun.)

*you can also read more about society6 over at cool hunting-- they wrote a great post about it!*

anika mari + i'm back!

good morning, friends! i'm back from sunny (well, foggy) california, and i am happy to tell you that my wedding plans are coming together beautifully. i spent 4 days doing things like renting tables/chairs/dishes, buying candles and glass holders, walking around the beach figuring out how everything will be placed and how it's all going to work, going to my fabulous wedding shower, and soaking up the sun in my fiancé's parents' backyard. it was a highly successful and relaxing trip, and i'm *so excited* for the wedding. it's just a month away!!

i'm also excited to share these drawings and sewn leaves by anika mari with you-- we recently became friends on flickr, and i can't get enough of her work. isn't that top piece stunning? i'd love to have it framed on my wall.

and i *love* her series of sewn leaves. they're so delicate and interesting. these are just 2 of them-- you can see more here, and also a lot more of her work on her flickr page and blog. 

enjoy!

another short break (this time i'm going to california!)

my dear sweet readers, i'm leaving you again! can you believe it? 

i'm hopping on a plane this morning to palos verdes, california to do some wedding-related things (including going to a bridal shower that is bring thrown for me!!) because my wedding is in 5 weeks-- WHAT??? oh my goodness!

so you can picture me all weekend running around southern california with my dear fiancé's mom, tasting cakes, buying fabric and jars for candles and flowers, renting tables/chairs/dishes, figuring out how everything will be laid out on the beach where we're getting married, possibly getting showered with embarrassing gifts..... it's going to be great.

so i'll be back here blogging with a vengeance on tuesday-- i hope your weekend is full of fun and relaxation!

{image via maralina!'s flickr photostream}

animation: firekites "autumn story" by yanni kronenberg

ok, i want you to prepare yourself before you watch this animated music video by yanni kronenberg, because you'll likely be as blown away as i am. it is just simply *beautiful*, and i don't quite know what to say.

not to mention the song, by an australian band called firekites, with whom i'm surely about to become obsessed.

i hope you enjoy it. i think i'll be watching it all day long....

beautiful artwork at yes gallery & studio

as promised, here is some of the beautiful artwork at yes gallery & studio in warren, RI.

i was absolutely captivated by these waterolor pieces by alyn carlson-- they are so incredible up close. you can see more on alyn's flickr page. (her photos are way better than mine, too!)

below are some crazy-amazing wire "drawings" by c.w. roelle. i have no idea how he does it, but they are really something in person-- see more on his flickr page.

(and that is monkey below the wire pieces, hanging out in the gallery! he's leigh's, and the sweetest dog ever.)

below are some embroidered pieces by joetta maue-- also outstanding in person. i'd seen her work on etsy before, but it was alltogether a different experience seeing them up close and personal.

and last but not least, i loved these hanging sculptures by doubleparlour. they are so quirky and fabulous!

you can contact leigh at yes gallery & studio if you are interested in knowing more about any of this work-- she'd be happy to chat with you!

i'm back!

hi friends! i'm back from rhode island, and goodness, it was such a fun weekend! my show opening on friday night at yes gallery & studio went marvelously-- you can see some shots of my work hanging below, and the photo above is the outside of the gallery. isn't that building amazing?

this is a photo from the opening-- i am in the middle in the gray dress, and next to me (in black & white) is leigh, the gallery owner. she is too wonderful for words! the other 2 women are georgia (left) and judith (right), who work in the gallery.

i was in love with the shadow that the sign on the window made-- it would just make me happy to see it on the floor every day! such a positive reminder.

i'll post more about the gallery later today and some of the fabulous work there-- it was such an inspiration.

a teeny blog break + a show!

my dears, as you read this i'm on my way to the airport to go to providence, rhode island where my show "connect/intersect" is opening at yes gallery and studio this friday night!!

if you are in the area and would like to check out the show, i would love to meet you! the opening is friday june 19th, from 6-8:30 pm.

it'll be a little quiet around the blog until i get back on monday afternoon-- but please feel free to dig through the archives, as there are some real gems buried in there!

hope to see you friday night!! and if i don't see you, have a fantastic weekend, and i'll meet you back here next week. deal? ok, good. :)

molly b bikinis

i live in georgia. it is quite hot here in the summertime, and HUMID. needless to say, a dip in the pool can bring some much needed relief in this weather!

so imagine my excitement when molly of san diego-based molly b bikinis contacted me about her bathing suits. first of all, i haven't gotten a new bikini in years. second of all, her suits are adorable, and entirely handmade!

molly makes each suit by hand, and she has so many styles to choose from that it was really hard to decide which one i wanted! ultimately i decided on this bandeau-style bikini, which arrived in my mailbox yesterday, and i am completely in love with it. i tried it on immediately, and it fits me just right and is totally cute. i can't wait to wear it to the pool! (and to the beach-- ryan and i are planning to go to florida for the 4th of july, so i'll be able to test it out in the ocean waves.)

if you are in the market for a new bikini, i would HIGHLY recommend molly b-- check out her etsy shop to see her many styles of suits, and support a fantastic independent artist in the process! (plus, do you really want another bikini from target or old navy? i didn't think so.) :)

you can also follow molly on twitter, if you are a twitterer. and if you aren't a twitterer, why the heck aren't you? it's fun!

*huge thanks to molly for making my dream bikini for me!!*

my free desktop wallpaper at kindred

my dears, i've been excitedly waiting to tell you about this, and now today i can, because holly and ez (of decor8 and creature comforts, respectively) unveiled the kindred summer edition yesterday-- and i'm thrilled to tell you that they asked me to create one of the 10 free desktop wallpapers!

if you don't know, kindred is a collaborative site between ez and holly, and they invite a select group of artists each season to create free desktop wallpapers, which are free for the world to enjoy!

here is the wallpaper i created:

isn't it summery and fun? it just makes me think of fruit! (and if you want to know a secret, that girl on the right is drawn from a photograph of myself...)

you can click here to download mine and the 9 other gorgeous wallpapers by verrrrry talented ladies. believe me, you're going to have a hard time choosing which one to use first- they're al beautiful!

*big thanks to holly & ez for inviting me to participate-- i'm honored and thrilled to be there!*

a finished commission for a family

this painting is being popped in the mail today to make its way across the country to its recipient. have i mentioned how much i love doing commissions? the premise of this one was to represent this family at this time in their lives. isn't that special?

if you are interested in a commissioned piece, please don't hesitate to contact me! i'll give you the deets if you so desire.

alice stevenson

good morning, dears!
i can't think of a better way to start off this new week than with these *gorgeous* and amazing illustrations and patterns by alice stevenson. oh boy, am i ever crazy about her work. i think it's simply perfect! her sense of color is incredible, and i think i might be staring at these beauties all day long.

visit her website to see many more where these came from. wowza, i'm completely floored.

projections by jenny holzer

these projection photos by jenny holzer are so mysterious and strange to me.... can you imagine happening upon something like this, projected on the side of a hill or onto the side of a building? it would be incredible, and moving, too, i think. it makes me wonder if she does this anonymously, or if the projections are big, publicized events.

there isn't any information about the projections on jenny's website, but there are tons of images to browse through, and they're all fantastic. i also learned a bit more about jenny and her work here and here, and now i'm totally fascinated by her!

stephanie homa (aka: C A K E on flickr)

i'm totally and completely enamored of this piece by Stephanie Homa (C A K E.)
just look at that rainbow behind the word 'disappear.' perfect.

see more of stephanine's work on her flickr page and website.