I feel a bit torn looking at these amazing realist paintings by Lee Price. The subject matter is so heavy and sad, but the images are so soft and beautiful. You quickly realize that what, on first glance, looks like an afternoon tea party is actually a very lonely prison. I’ve had a few friends with eating disorders and I believe these paintings sum up, in a 4foot x 5 foot space, exactly how they felt.

I love the overhead view, the large scale, and the amazing attention to detail. Beautiful and powerful work.

Found imagery & hand drawn illustration… ah, they go together like peanut butter & jelly. Yum. Clearly, New York based artist Jacqueline Kari Bos likes this combo too. Well, the mixed media part that is… I’m not sure how she feels about peanut butter & jelly.

Nothing says sweet, innocent and girly like a pair of Mary-Jane shoes. However, these oil paintings by Finnish artist Tiina Heiska took a detour at sweet, and ended up at slightly disturbing.  And that’s why I love them. The innocence of little candy pink shoes, combined with dark, shadowy rooms – you can’t help but fill in the blanks to the stories above… even if you don’t really want to.

{I found the link to Tiina’s work on Women Painting Women}

Ok, so I’m not sure why they have knee socks on their arms, but does it really matter? The end result is beautiful! There’s got to be a story there though… Ali Cavanaugh, if you’re out there, we’d love to know more about these lovely watercolour frescos.

Scott Shuman is my hero… oh, and he’s also the world famous blogger known as The Sartorialist. He was a huge reason behind my decision to start The Jealous Curator. His blog is so simple, and so positive. He takes photos of people whose style catches his eye on the street, and points out what he loves about it. That’s it. Not one negative word, even though the fashion industry is known for that… much like the art world, if you see what I’m getting at.

I am completely inspired by him, and so, surprise surprise, I’m totally jealous of him too. Well, let me clarify. I am inspired by his story, his reasons for starting The Sartorialist, and his amazing taste in fabulous fashion from around the world. I’m only jealous of what a giant success he has become. Listen to this. In 2005 he left his job in the fashion industry to stay at home with his daughter, and he started this blog for his own interests/passions. He had no idea what it might lead to. Only a few years later he’s still doing it, but now has a huge and dedicated following, not to mention a monthly page in GQ, recurring guest blogs and videos for Style.com, and is front row at Fashion Week – every Fashion Week, from New York to Milan. See what I mean? How can you not be inspired… and just a little bit jealous?

Ok, I usually have a hard time picking just a few pieces of an artist’s work to show. In the case of Mikael Kennedy it was nearly impossible. His Polaroid series, Shoot the Moon, has 500 amazing images that he captured while wandering around the United States between 1999 and 2009. He had no plan, and no money. Picking 4 photos was tough, but I guess my task was easy compared to what he and gallery owner Peter Hay Halpert had to do in preparation for Mikael’s upcoming solo show in New York {details to follow}. They chose these 500 photos out of 3000 that Mikael has taken over the last decade. See… I had it easy.

I’ll keep you posted on show location and date, but you might want to pick your favourites now. The details aren’t even finalized yet and these Polaroids are selling like hot cakes! So, looks like he’s got a plan now, and is about to get some very well deserved money.

So creepy &  so beautiful.

These strange and haunting figurative paintings are by Tamara Muller, an incredibly talented artist from the Netherlands. I love the attention to detail in the faces, and the lack there of everywhere else. I think it’s the eyes that impress me the most. You really get the feeling that they are truly looking at  you… shudder shudder…

{Thanks to Eric Cator‘s blog, paintblog.ca for introducing me to Tamara’s work. Instant jealousy.}

Typography, bold graphics and a touch of domestic imagery? Oh D.Billy, you had me at AAAAGH!

Inspired? Yep. Jealous? Yep. A tiny bit scared? Yep!

Lynn Whipple is a fantastic, and very accomplished, American collage/assemblage artist. These pieces are from her lovely, yet kind of absurd, mixed media series called ‘Ninnies’. She has work in galleries all across the US, and is featured in more publications than I can list. I love her work, but what inspires me even more is a little section on her blog called 100 Bad Paintings. All of you artists out there – listen up! The idea is that when you’re starting out, or changing your style, or just working on new ideas, chances are you’ll do 100 bad paintings… so you might as well get started. ‘What really happens is, it frees you up to play and not worry. Now you can enjoy the process. The truth is you get better really quick, maybe even by #19. Try it!’ She has bravely posted a bunch of oil paintings (not her usual medium of choice) that she considers bad, but in progress.

That’s it, I’m starting on canvas #1 tomorrow.

What category am I supposed to put this under? Painting? Well, yes, he’s covered in paint. Installation? Kinda. Street art? I guess so. I should probably just start a new category called ‘Slightly Mind Blowing’. All of these pieces are from a series called Hiding in the City by Chinese artist Liu Bolin, also known as The Invisible Man. I’m sure you can see why… if you look really hard.