things i'm fond of today

latest work by street artist tellas

left: beautiful piece on flickr by common elements;  right: graduation project by kirstie van noort, a student at design academy in eindhoven, netherlands

aunt by inca pan

this put a smile on my face today.  photo by artist sabine timm.

things i'm fond of today

The Obliteration Room.  Installation by Yuki Nakano.  Visitors help "obliterate" a white room by adhering colored dots on walls and furniture.  The top photo was taken on day one.  The bottom photo is seven weeks later.  The Obliteration Room is currently at the Gallery of Modern Art in Queensland, Australia. 

Furniture by Los Angeles-based designer Tanya Aguiniga.  Shown are Felt Chairs, Birch Bench, and Zinacantan (steel and wool yarn).

Cendrine Rovini.  I've been following Cendrine's art for awhile now.  This particular piece, La récolte d'oraisons, is one I'm particularly fond of.    It's part of her current solo exhibition "Liquid Vermeil" at the Da-End Gallery in Paris.  Cendrine talks about her latest works in this video.

Bags and slippers (linen and leather) by Tarco Nakazato.  I love the color combinations and graphic elements.

Cal Lane.  Lane describes her art as "pullling together industrial and domestic life." Above are two of my favorite works of hers: Plasma cut steel wheelbarrow (2007) and Dirt Lace installation at Purchase Collage, New York (2004).

  

things i'm fond of today

drifting in the depths, tiel seivl-keevers [brisbane, australia]

paintings by michelle breton [melbourne, australia]

tussle by melissa castrillon [cambridge, england]







ceramic vessels by shino takeda  [brooklyn, ny]

I had this idea of recording my sketchbook via video.  Then I came across this video that artist adriana lozano [buenos aires, argentina] uploaded onto her flickr last week.







Adriana's sketchbook reads like a book.  Did you notice how the drawings continue onto the next page?  This is another project I have been wanting to do but just haven't had the time to work on . . .  one day.



To see other videos of adriana lozano's wonderful work, go here.

things i'm fond of today

>> emily barletta's thread and paper series

>> pattern by sandra dieckmann

>> ballpoint pen drawing by linda kim

>> porcelain bangles // a golden ink collaboration

>> anni albers, always a favorite

>> acrylic and graphite work by hollis brown thornton

Artists I like: Laura Carlin

Laura Carlin is an illustrator from London whose works have been featured in numerous publications.  I came across her blog a few days ago and was taken aback by her ceramic work, particularly her painted bowls.  The bowls are a wonderful representation of her illustrative work in 3-D form.  The ones with flora and fauna are quite charming.

My favorite one is the one below.  There is a tribal feel to it that just draws me in.

A couple more fantastic designs . . .

[image source: lauracarlin.blogspot.com]

It looks like these bowls go fast, so if you're interested in snatching one for yourself, you'll need to get on her mailing list here.  To view Laura's illustrative works, click here. 

Artists I like: Yukari Miyagi

Line is the most basic element of art, yet it takes an adept artist to render a subject using a few simple lines.  I have always been captivated by the organic line drawings of Picasso and Matisse, so it only seemed natural that I would instantly be enamored by the beautiful art of Yukari Miyagi.  Her child-like illustrations have been featured in numerous international magazines and books, including this one based on the Little Red Riding Hood.

 

I always find it exciting when art and product design come together.  This classic tote takes on a fresh look with Miyagi's animated lines and colors.  See more of her product collaborations here.

Ana Ventura's illustrations on cloth

Lately, I've been thinking about working more on fabric.  Then I saw these illustrated pages today by Portuguese artist Ana Ventura.  The illustrations are printed on cloth and part of a special edition children's book published by Topipittori.  I just love the decorative edges and thread binding, a perfect complement to Ventura's charming drawings.  The paper edition will be released in February 2011, but, oh, to be a recipient of one of these lovely cloth printed treasures! 

Artist Interview: Esti of Pintameldia

Spanish artist Esti Hernández de Miguel is the talented illustrator behind Pintameldia.  I came across her captivating "ghost" images earlier this year and became an instant fan (that's Esti with "good morning" on her lips).  I was reconnected with Etsi's art recently when she won Habit of Art's big birthday giveaway.  I was so smitten by her latest work, I just had to ask for an interview.  



How would you describe your work?



I’m not sure. It’s definitely feminine, calm and intuitive. I just do what I can. My work is best defined by my own boundaries and my will to learn, to evolve and to discover new paths and techniques.

What inspires you to create?



Everything, really. Especially dreams, music and music lyrics. Sometimes I get images from a conversation, ideas from my kids’ words or colors from a subway poster. Photography is a great source for me, too. If I am having a rough moment drawing, I might read a book or a comic and let the images flow in my mind.

What artist tool or material do you love using at this moment?



Eraser. Well, it might not be what I love using the most, but I have definitely learned to restart from the beginning if I don’t like where a piece is taking me. Apart from that, I love my black ink pens, my piles of stones and papers, and some textiles. I keep telling myself that I should go more digital, but I am pretty faithful to pencils and pens.



Esti collecting stones at a nearby beach.



What accomplishments are you most proud of?



My family, of course. Also, I am happy to live where I live, surrounded by people that I care about and that care for me. I am happy to have the chance to live doing what I most love. Considering I am a self-taught artist, I am proud of all the things I have learned from scratch. And I am proud of looking back over my shoulder only to see the way I’ve walked up to now.  Of course, I’d be most proud of communicating something through my art.



A couple of Esti's latest projects- a 2011 calendar and character illustrations for a children's book.



What are the greatest challenges of being an artist today?



First of all, making a living. Secondly, managing the time. And lastly, changing the general idea that art is a hobby for young people. Art shouldn’t be thought of as a selfish or lazy option but a work. It improves people’s lives, whether it’s music, literature, filmmaking, plastic art … Many people think that it comes to you naturally and it’s effortless, when it’s quite the opposite. Even if you enjoy making art, it takes time, effort, energy and resources, just like any other job. I don’t know how it is in other countries, but around here people think of art only if it’s something big to see in a museum. “Small art" goes completely unnoticed, even if it’s in the everyday. Thanks to the internet, any artist can reach the audience interested in “small art."

If you could change one thing about your art space, what would it be?



For one thing, I would like to have a studio where I could store my piles of stuff. It’s hard to keep things tidy at home when you have two kids trying to imitate you and use your art materials. My art space is right now very limited.

Amazing hand drawn rocks by Esti.



Apart from art, what else do you love to do?



For twenty years I have been involved in the music industry one way or the other, although I am not a musician. But I love music and I love playing records when I’m home. I also love the beach, walking on the sand and watching the waves. And I am lucky to live very close to the seafront. I like taking pictures, writing, traveling, reading, comics and red licorice. Above all, I like having some tender mom moments.



To see more of Esti's beautiful work, check out her website here and her new Etsy shop here.  Thanks Esti for such a lovely interview! 

Fashion illustration

In my last post, I featured Tina Berning's illustrations of women.  Fashion plays an essential part in Berning's art, which is one of the reasons I'm drawn to her work.  When I was thirteen, I desperately wanted to be a fashion designer.  So I spent countless hours sketching new outfits and even sewing my own clothes.  (The first article of clothing I ever made was a hot pink jumpsuit!) 



My mother knew that I was really into fashion, and one day, she came home with this amazing Japanese book.  This book full of fashion illustrations became my prized possession.  I studied the drawings and would try to copy every little detail until it was perfect.  I couldn't begin to tell you how many times I drew this face:

Unfortunately, I can't read Japanese, so I don't even know the title of the book or the name of the illustrator.  Here's the biographical page of the author.  Maybe you can help me out?

Artists I like: Tina Berning

I have 15 tabs open on my browser right now, nearly all of them having to do with art. One of the tabs currently open features the work of Berlin artist Tina Berning.  I find Berning's portraits of beautiful women to be alluring yet so haunting.

Much of Berning's work is done on vintage and found paper.  A few years ago, a collection of her sketches were made into a book called 100 Girls on Cheap Paper.  You can view the 100 drawings on Berning's website.  And while you're there, be sure to check out her diary of daily drawings.  I just finished looking at all 387- what a treat!