bill fantini photography: miniview

i am always on the lookout for beautiful sepia toned imagery and so when i saw these pieces from bill fantini, aka etsy seller houseofsixcats, i thought the mothership had landed. the lighting, texture and composition is so lovely in each and every photo. fortunately for us, bill’s skills are not exclusive to the sepia style. as i dug deeper, i found his shop to be a virtual treasure trove of through the viewfinder, sepia, black and white, still and urban photography. it is inspiring and impressive to see such a breadth of work in just one shop, which really got the old hamster wheel in my mind running, so i thought i would ask just a few questions…

q: where do you live and where do you create your artwork?
a: well, presently i live in ossining, ny. that is in westchester county, about 45 minutes north of the city. but i have lived on both coasts and we are planning on moving back to portland, oregon in october.

i don’t have any one particular place i create my art, i shoot in many different locations. i guess the one constant is that i use adobe lightroom and photoshop to help make the shots i took into images of art.

q: how did you get into photography?
a: i got my first 35mm SLR, a Minolta X700, for my 16th birthday, and have been hooked ever since!

q: browsing through your collection, it is clear that you have a broad mastery of several different styles. do you have a favorite piece of equipment, a location or technique you like to use?
a: thank you for the wonderful compliment! i really like shooting ttv, through the viewfinder, it’s great fun using the old argus 75 to compose the shot.

i have to say my favorite shot is rusted gear (below), and it is also from my most unique location, an abandoned power station.

q: what inspires your creativity?
a: that is the most difficult question. i really don’t have any one thing that inspires me. what i love to do is walk around a location and look for unusual angles or ways to shoot what i find interesting.

q: if you could shoot anywhere in the world, where would it be?
a: the first place that comes to mind is japan, i love the asian culture, and from what i have seen that country looks fascinating. another photo journey i would love to take is to explore more abandoned buildings here and in europe!

q: are any of the six cats in the house photographers too?
a: when i started my shop we had six cats, and i wanted a unique name that people would hopefully remember. since then two have passed, but i think it is a nice homage to their memory.

see more of bill’s broad portfolio of work on his flickr stream, and purchase these prints and more at his etsy shop.

thank you bill!

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cloud chair by lisa widén

i think i need this puffy cloud chair by lisa widén for opportunistic cat naps. i love the sculpted sides and funky metal feet.

i haven’t been able to sleep for several weeks now, and despite this the blog is still running pretty smoothly. maybe it is more efficient than usual because i am a shut in, rehabbing my dog, who is almost able to stand up and walk by himself, and not able to leave my house because of it?

i don’t know, but i’m thinking if this came with a cumulus ottoman i would be all set.

see more work from lisa on her website and find the chair at design house stockholm.

via pan-dan

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irena sophia art prints

i need neutral today. i need to see simple fleshy color palettes and soft lines, serene scenes and quiet, so i am connecting so nicely with the work of new york artist irena sophia at this exact moment.

purchase these pieces and see more at irena’s etsy shop, and say hello to irena on her blog too.

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gorgeous helen, gorgeous candlelight

(ed. note: please bear with me and this goofy internet connection in michigan through the holiday and this weekend — when i’m inspired i can’t get online, and then i can’t write the way i normally do because i have trouble uploading photos. it is rather irritating and the posts are coming haphazardly, but at least it’s pretty up here. :))

i just found out that we are going to host a bbq for 70 people from my husband’s work sometime this summer, and i want these supercool gorgeous helen paper shades by the german design collective dekoop for the party really badly. they are simple little pieces of vellum paper that have little printed designs on them. take a wine glass, drop a tealight into it, put the shade on and poof! instant shadowy ambiance.

other excellent applications: setting the mood for the nerve-wracking i’m-cooking-for-my-boyfriend-or-girlfriend-for-the-very-first-time dates, as well as making small spaces a ittle more festive. and if i were a shop owner i’d find a dark corner in my store and light these babies up everyday. it’s probably pretty hard to imagine how lovely they are if they come flat packed and under cellophane.

available in sets of 3 at charles and marie and pedlars.

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illustrations by koyori

there is a talented and mysterious person in japan named koyori, who makes beautiful illustrations. i love the beautiful delicate style and strokes and the perspective in the scenes. and i can’t say much else due to the language barrier.

see more goodness and mystery right here.

via mint-unz

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michelle moode mixed media art

my thoughts today are light, sprinkled and not particularly struggling to be organized (case in point: that last post was supposed to go live yesterday, but somehow i clicked private and it never went), so these mixed media works by california artist michelle moode are a perfect fit. michelle says her work is non-linear and that the repetitive processes she uses — like piece or scrap undoing and redoing, tea staining and stitching — help to create a record of her personal thoughts. very nicely put if i say so myself.

softly colored, abstract and free-formed in the mind — what’s not to like?

say hi to michelle on her blog and purchase her work right here.

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jennifer simpson photography

tennessee artist jen simpson has some very pretty and intriguing images in her photography shop. jen, a former portrait photographer quit that to shoot what she loves, which makes her much happier (and less stressed out).

bonus: jen is having a sale in her shop right now: buy 2 10″ x 10″ prints and get one free. nice!

see lots more right here, and while you are out and about, stop by her blog to say hi too!

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organic cotton veggie toys (cute)

it’s farmer’s market season and what better way to teach your child about the benefits of organic farming than with this adorable set of 100% organic cotton vegetable toys, from janice masoud and the folks at the sekem farm in egypt. little ones can use them as teethers and bigger kids can engage them in creative play.

the set comes in a useful wooden crate and is available at janice’s online shop and also at uncommon goods.

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brigette barrager art print(s)

UPDATE: hurrah! brigette has loaded her shop up with many more fun prints and some original works too!

right now there is only one print available in los angeles artist brigette barrager’s etsy shop, which shows us a kinder, gentler scene of urban living i wish i could jump into for a little while. actually i can and i do, now that i have found it! among other things, i’m enjoying brigette’s cats and lace curtains in the windows, her lighthearted stylings and soft color combinations in this piece, created from her original gouache painting.

while we wait and hope to see more of brigette’s whimsical prints soon in her shop, let’s say hi to her on her blog and view her portfolio here.

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andrea moneta photography

i am a big fan of street photography and italian artist andrea moneta has a fantastic, moody collection. this passion started as an occasional hobby but gradually became more and more important to him. andrea shoots exclusively with a leica camera. he prefers to work in black and white exclusively now, due to its expressive quality. no argument there, that’s for sure.

see many more gorgeous images on his website.

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elfine photographic art: miniview

oh! what a terrific way to start out the week here. the fabulous australian artist linda kruger of yellow monday has opened a brand new shop called elfine, which features work quite different from the whimsical prints in her other beloved shop. linda is taking original photographs and enhancing them manually and digitally to create a beautiful new series of giclee prints. these new pieces have a more organic, worn feel to them — so welcoming and familiar even when seeing it for the first time. those qualities, coupled with a contemplative color palette and very affordable ($20-$60!) price range, makes each piece highly stare-worthy and collectible. ever curious to know more, i decided to ask a few questions…

q: have you always been into photography? how did you decide to put all the elements together for the collection?
a: i have always loved photography. i studied it at university as part of my film studies course, and loved shooting with film and using the darkroom. i mostly use my digital camera at the moment, but am interested in photography from older cameras. a while ago i stumbled upon some images taken with a diana camera - a cheap plastic camera made in hong kong in the 60’s. the diana is quite unpredictable with her results - random light flashes, soft focus, super saturated colours - and the effects are fabulous! so i was partly inspired by this. i also have a background in printmaking (etching) but had stopped doing it about six years ago due to space issues. anyway these photos reminded me about the work i was doing back then - abstract landscapes and details of buildings, with very coarse textures, and simple designs. so i guess these two things came together and i ended up with something new. i really wanted to get a particular look in the photos which was a combination of rough textures and a gentle softness, so i ended up working in layers (like in etching) but with paint, and pencil, and also with photoshop.

q: now that you have opened the elfine shop, what is in store for yellow monday? will you continue to work on both?
a: oh yes. i will continue to work on both shops. i like the fact that they are very different, and that i can engage with the different styles according to my mood, or whatever is inspiring me. but i have loved doing the elfine images, and feel like i am getting back on track with a side of my work that i’d taken leave from for a while.

q: do you have a favorite piece in elfine?
a: i don’t really have a particular fave - they all have very personal associations for me, and each is from a place which has had some meaning for me. i feel like i layer each image with colour and texture and also something of myself as well. if i had to pick, i might choose the warrumbungles tree series.

purchase all the pieces shown here at elfine, see linda’s other work at yellow monday and be sure to drop by her blog to say hi and see what else she is up to!

thanks linda!

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lola chaise

i am enjoying the details of this lola chaise: the tufted upholstery with versatile color palette, the retro modern sensibility and the knee notch, for our comfort.

find them in single and double options at chiasso, and be sure to check out their blog too for other cool things.

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