Archive for April, 2008

indoor tabletop garden by kikkerland

pansies are cute, but what with this downright chilly weather in chicago i am wondering if i will ever go outside to plant anything ever again. i suppose i wouldn’t feel as bad if i had this idyllic table garden from the fine folks at kikkerland to practice my gardening skills on in the meantime.

kikkerland_idyllic_table_garden

don’t you love the little urns and tidy pathways?

it’s $27 and it’s right here, waiting for me you.

erin smith mixed media art

i love the rich and humorous mixed media collection from georgia artist erin smith. these printed giclee collages are crafted from a combination of acrylic, watercolor, inks, paper, found objects and digital media. the folks in the vintage photographs are her relatives, and the witty prose of course is her own.

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erin_smith_collage_art_boots erin_smith_collage_art_humor

this may come as a surprise to some of you but the feeling of being on edge comes quite naturally to me. i think these pieces are an almost perfect reflection of some of my innermost thoughts. do they reflect your thoughts too?

find erin’s collection at uncommon goods and mud and metal, and be sure to visit erin at her website too.

natasha preenja paintings

these acrylic paintings from indian artist natasha preenja are making me dizzy in the best way. i love the patterns and lines combined with soothing color schemes and the strong feminine subject matter.

natasha prenja_painting_goddess

natasha prenja_painting_2 natasha prenja_painting_3

natasha prenja_painting_goddess_2

wah – i hunted around but found no website for natasha. i found these pieces on pav’s lovely blog, though, and you can click over there to see more of natasha’s work and more cool things!

alicia mordenti pottery

it is so cold and gloomy out the window right now so i am really happy to have found these glossy little 4″ earthenware birdie plates from connecticut artist alicia mordenti.

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alicia_mordenti_pottery_yellow_bird_plate

alicia_mordenti_pottery_green_bird_plate

i think these are too cute to cover up with a sloppy cooking spoon — put them on the wall instead!

see more samplings from alicia at her etsy shop.

handmade wood beacon bookmarks

keep your place with these supercute $6 wooden bookmarks from the beacon bookmarks. jon and kristy try to use scrap wood whenever possible.

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beacon_bookmarks_robot

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i so need that yawn one right now.

see the full collection at their etsy shop and say hi to jon and kristy on their blog too.

jake arin photography

i am thoroughly enjoying the strong compositions in this terrific photograph collection from local photographer jake arin right now. when doing portrait work, jake prefers to shoot when his subject isn’t necessarily aware of what he is doing. his goal is to capture those pure undetected moments in time that otherwise slide by us in life. whether with people or places, it is during those moments that authentic emotion and beauty come through. truly magical indeed.

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jake_arin_photography_golden

jake_arin_photography_dachshund

jake_arin_photography_rain

jake_arin_photography_lake

jake_arin_photography_fireworks

see a large sampling of jake’s portfolio on his website and purchase select prints at his etsy shop.

susan graham sculpture: miniview

susan_graham_wire_sculpture_horse

i thoroughly enjoy the thoughtful construction and loose style of these metal animal sculptures from new york artist susan graham. her handmade menagerie is created from the idea of a three dimensional drawing, with a single continuous strand of steel or copper wire used for as long as possible for stability. special attention is addressed toward the character, gestures and expression of each animal, which makes it difficult to choose a favorite! ever curious to know more about the brains behind the operation, i asked susan three quick questions…

susan_graham_wire_sculpture_rooster susan_graham_wire_sculpture_collie

q: how did you get into making these sculptures?
a: i made a wire animal a long time ago as an art assignment. a teacher brought in a live rooster in a cage (this was in ohio, where i’m from) and asked us to use wire as a medium and capture the character of the rooster.

susan_graham_wire_sculpture_giraffe

q: do you have an art background?
a: i do have an art background. i had started school in chemistry at ohio state university and then switched to art-sculpture and photography – because that’s what i had always wanted to do. i moved to new york city and started a degree at the school of visual arts, but did not finish. i was afraid of getting too much in debt and not being able to afford an art studio here. i have a whole other art career besides the wire animals – i show at a gallery in chelsea called schroeder romero.

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q: what inspires you to create?
a: i am not sure what prompts my desire to create, but it is constant – a basic need. i do my art, i sew clothes sometimes, i make the wire pieces, i like to make cakes. it just seems to be built in.

susan_graham_wire_sculpture_woodpecker susan_graham_wire_sculpture_titmouse

susan will be exhibiting in future tense: reshaping the landscape at the neuberger museum from may 11th – july 20th, 2008. be sure to see her etsy shop for her wonderful collection (or to commission your favorite animal), and go here to see some of her photographs from a recent exhibition she had at the philip morris branch of the whitney.

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thank you susan!

fun zodiac art by the primped paperie

i like the stylings of these whimsical zodiac prints from calgary’s amanda spicer that she makes for her primped paperie. and not just because my birthday is in less than a week either. amanda has thoughtfully portrayed each of these astrological signs just perfectly.

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