Art: Erin Cone

I discovered this amazing artist by clicking through to a board that someone I follow on Pinterest repinned from. Whoo! That sounded convoluted, didn’t it? What isn’t convoluted is the artwork that I discovered by Erin Cone. Her work has an cool, almost photo-realistic look to it. I also love the strange visual jogs that are seen in a lot of her work. Here are a few pieces I really liked while surfing her website:

Perchance by Erin Cone, acrylic 44×36.

Subtle (2010) by Erin Cone, acrylic 24×20.

Chance (2009) by Erin Cone, acrylic 30×30.

Transparent (2004) by Erin Cone, acrylic 35×36 (sold).

See No (2005) by Erin Cone, acrylic 30×30 (sold).

Amazing, yeah? I think so too! You can view more of Ms Cone’s work on her website, as well as finding news, and contact information… You know, in case you’re thinking of buying. 😉

Well, I’m off to spend a few hours at the big blue box. I’m hoping to get a handle on my storage in the coming days (it’s one of many fall projects I’d like to finish before the weather gets truly bad), knock out making a vase from a Pom Wonderful bottle, and looking into what it will take to switch this here blog to a self hosted vs wordpress.com site. I’ll see you tomorrow with a few words on hats… and scarves… and gloves… OH MY!

Art: AJ Chu

“Ophelia” by AJ Chu.

Untitled by AJ Chu

AJ Chu is a high school student who is headed to art school in the fall… In the meantime she is making incredible art like the pieces above. I can’t wait to see where this young lady is heading. She has a blog call Ahh Chooo but she seems to post only when she has work to share… which is not very often. Still, what this young artist has shown so far makes her worth checking into every once in a while.

Hope all is well in your world and I’ll catch you next time!

Art: Zoe Pawlak

Zoe Pawlak is a a Canadian artist based in Vancouver (yay Pacific Northwesterners!). I’m pretty sure that I happily stumbled on her art while surfing arouond Pinterest or something like that… or maybe even while checking links from some of my favorite bloggers on TweetDeck. However it happened, I’m supremely glad that I did. Her work is full of color, movement, expression. I find myself drawn back to her website again and again just to soak myself in the color and beauty. Here are some of my favorites:

Over Oceans by Zoe Pawlak.

Every Word by Zoe Pawlak.

Spent For Fortune by Zoe Pawlak.

You Were Always There by Zoe Pawlak.

While looking for more about Zoe Pawlak and her artwork, I found this Vimeo on her process for a commission called A Sky Is For Dreaming Into. In it she chronicles how the commission came about, what influences her, all while she actually paints!

I’m definitely hooked! I have a Zoe Pawlak on my list of must own items now… If you’re interested in seeing additional works, or would like to purchase or commission original paintings, find more to love at Zoe Pawlak. Until next time!

Orange + Pink + Black

All photos via Pinterest.

I’m loving this fresh and sophisticated color combination right now! It just pops and announces that spring and summer are on the way. Amid the photos above (all from Pinterest) are new fashions from J. Crew, art from Laurie Rollit, colorblocked pillows, a pinstripe cake and other fun and infectiously colored items.

Color inspiration board from Jessica Tierney Designs.Jessica Tierney Designs

More inspiration from Pinterest: this color inspiration board from Jessica Tierney Designs (image via Noa Noa) is a sweet and sexy example of this stellar combo.

A Holly Penikas pin from Pinterest.

Holly Penikas shared this colorful sign… a little kitschy but again, I love the color combination. This just proves that it really is a timeless combo.

It could also be great as a bold choice for a girl’s bedroom…

Pink, coral, and black in a girl's room. Via Pinterest

The just right pops of color to keep a library from being just a dull reading room:

Coral pink and back library in House & Home via Pinterest.

Or a statement maker in an entry:

Tablescape featured in Lonny Magazine via Pinterest.

Check out more coral + pink + black or orange + pink + black on Pinterest. Have a happy, fun and safe weekend!

The Color of Memory

I was surfing Pinterest today and I saw this picture from the blog A Beautiful Mess. It made me smile. You see, I wanted to be an artist when I was young. I took took art classes and spent my pocket change on sketchbooks and art supplies.

After I had used a few different kinds of mediums, I fell madly in love with oil pastels. They were easy to use and so much fun to work with. I loved the colors! But the best part was how tactile it was. Using pastels is like fingerpainting. I would have pigment all over me, not just on my paper! I didn’t care though. I thought the mess was as cool as the rest of it.

I think reason why I enjoy interiors so much is because it reminds me quite a bit of using pastels. It can be vibrant or muted, tactile, and messy… But the end result? Yeah, that makes me smile.

Works in Progress…

Paintings by UK artist Tom French.

Artist Tom French presents some of his new works in progress on his blog. They are beautiful black and whites with a kinetic sense of movement. I’m a huge fan… and hoping that at some point he offers prints for the budget conscious among us. In the meantime check out his post
Works in Progress…. You can also check out my previous ode to his work here.

Yucky yucky snow in Seatown. 😦

We’re getting acres of snow here in Seattle. That’s definitely put a damper on my storage clean out activities!

I hope you all are having an amazing and snow free Monday! Until tomorrow!

Art: Kim Davies

I don’t know what is lately but I keep coming across links to amazing stuff and getting so caught up in it that I can’t remember how I got there. That’s totally the case with the artwork of Australian artist Kim Davies. I landed first on her paintings page and immediately fell in love with the tonal ranges of her abstract pieces… that prompted more exploration, which led to the best part of Kim’s website: the illustrations.

Felicity

Lip Service

I think it’s safe to say that her work falls firmly between portraiture and modern fashion illustration. Her colors are pinks, buttery yellows, and pale grays. The subjects are provocative and provide an interesting counterpoint to the palette.

Blue Sky Dreaming… on a side note: I bought the original drawing a few days ago and I’m, rather impatiently, waiting for its arrival from Australia!

Needless to say, I’m totally smitten. I actually went ahead and purchased the beautiful illustration above. My first piece of real art ever, can you believe it!? I’ve got to wait for it to come from Australia… does that take a long time? I hope not, I’m already on pins and needles as it is!

Blushing Nude

Check out Kim Davies illustrations and paintings or follow along with her blog, where shes shares news and inspiration. For more on Ms Davies’ process and what inspires her, see the interview that the online magazine, Ivy & Piper (also based in Australia), featured her in here.

Rouge

If you end up loving Kim’s work as much as I did, you can purchase originals and limited edition prints directly from her website by simply clicking the ‘buy’ button on available works. The prices are amazingly good, even with the exchange rate… and I have a strong feeling they’ll only gain more value! Have an amazing, artful Thursday all!

Art: James Nares

James Nares is a well known artist who paints large canvases with giant paint laden brushes while suspended from a rigging system. The paintings have a lush, sensual quality to them. The colors and textures that are created through the movement of the brushes is just incredible.

I’m a huge fan of these dark canvases with the lighter colored brushstrokes on them. The blue pieces above remind of the sea; they are full of a dark, mysterious energy.

Check out the artist’s website and this cool post from Habitually Chic which highlights a lovely roster of interiors decked out with Nares work!

Once you start…

I haven’t done any crafting of any kind in some time but at one time or another I’ve drawn, painted, crocheted, knitted (or attempted to anyway), made bead jewelry, made cards, and sewed. I stopped doing anything a few years ago. Just hung up my crafting ways and concentrated on nothing but work, work, work all the time.

The sad part of all that was that I had this pent up creative energy that I desperately wanted to do something with and I was effectively denying a part of my essential nature by laying aside my favorite pastimes. I spent the greater part of the last two years pretty much in an mode of complete creative misery. Then a few weeks ago a friend of mine sent me a message on Facebook, saying “I just learned how to crochet!” and something in me clicked over. I felt like a light bulb got switched on in a room that’s always been in my house but that I didn’t use because the rest of the family thought it was a waste of the space.

Because of that moment I decided to go all out in the opposite direction. Not just picking up one of my old pastimes but also inviting my friends and neighbors into the mix and actively looking for ways to extend that excitement and desire for conscious community. I started this blog, set up a Facebook Page, invited people, started looking for projects and materials, and signed for an invite to Ravelry.

I got my Ravelry invite today and I started surfing, not hoping for much, more because I didn’t know what to expect than any sense of it not being all it was cracked up to be. I haven’t been disappointed. I’ve pretty much been surfing the site since I logged on a few hours ago. There is a wealth of information on the site and it’s very encouraging to see that I’m not the only gung-ho creative type out there.

So, I’m looking at my project with a little bit less apprehension and a little more enthusiasm. I’m looking forward to the upcoming meeting that much more. I’m excited to try out and find new yarn and new patterns. Now that I’ve started… well, I’m not gonna stop.