Ahhhh, Andy J. Pizza is back… and just in the nick of time! I’m sure you know about Andy’s inspiring podcast, “Creative Pep Talk”… which was exactly what I needed today! HELP. ME. ANDY. Yep, we’re talking about creative slumps, being in limbo, feeling like a deer in headlights … and then following the breadcrumbs (or chip crumbs) back to our creative paths. Seriously, this was the therapy session I’ve been needing. I hope you get as much out of this episode as I did… you might want to get yourself some pizza-flavored chips to really duplicate the bliss I felt. Listen right up there, or subscribe on Apple Podcasts and/or Spotify.

Now, as I said, this discussion was more like therapy, but Andy and I did manage to talk about some artists that we both love to look at when we’re in a creative slump! Here are my three picks:

 

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Allllll of them make me wanna make stuff … and also eat cheese pizza. And, Andy’s three picks in the order he mentioned them: Carson Ellis  / David Shrigley  /  Tarō Gomi:

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Wonky and wonderful… just like Andy! Thank you so much to Dr.Pizza for taking the time to counsel me talk to me; thanks to Wireframe for supporting this episode; and of course, BIG thanks to you for listening. There will be more ART FOR YOUR EAR next weekend.

ps. Remember…

Other links:

*Okay, Andy mentioned waaaaay too many books and philosophers for me to keep up with, but here are the few I managed to grab:

1. Andy’s IG post about feeling stuck
2. “Whole Brain Living”, Book by Jill Bolte Taylor
3. “The Artist’s Way”, Book by Julia Cameron
4. Brian McDonald, “You Are a Storyteller” Podcast
5. Martha Beck, Author
6. Alex Voinea, Artist 
7. Helen Dardik, Artist/Illustrator
8. Embroidered pizza by @ipnot
9. Carson Ellis, Artist/Illustrator
10. David Shrigley, Artist
11. Tarō Gomi, Author/Illustrator
12. Wireframe {Podcast}

 

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Whaaaaat?! Oh my word, I want to push those big buttons and make tiny people float around in water! This is “Waterful : Wonder Rooms”, just one in a series of wonderful waterful-ness, by Tel Aviv based artist Liya Jacobi. Here’s her bio… which makes me wish I went to school to become a TOY MAKER!

Liya Jacobi is a Tel Aviv based artist, toy designer and a special needs advocate with experience in child therapy and graphic design. Jacobi combines traditional craftsmanship with modern intention, creating unique objects while unexpectedly merging form and function. By playing with preconceptions about art and design – the social, cultural and historical relations to objects we all share – she provides a new context. Presenting alternatives to contemporary appliances, she adds unforeseen functionality and a delicate execution to her work. Liya studied Visual Communication at Instituto Europeo di Design in Milan, Italy and Toy Design at Shenker College of Engineering and Design in Tel-Aviv, Israel.

I love everything about this. Happy Friday.

{thanks to @melaart for sharing this work with me!}

Okay, it’s a three-way tie for my fave: “Send Noods”, “Sometimes She’s a Latte”, and “I’m Sure She Had Her Raisins”. Bahahaha! Hilarious titles, beautiful drawings… WIN, WIN, WIN! This is the work of Japan based, American artist Cameron Kester. Here’s her part of her bio/statement:

Cameron’s art is visually marked by feminine and delicate details and colors, contrasted with sassy, crass and irreverent humor to showcase mundane objects, delving into their contemporary as well as their historical contexts, often pairing them with the female figure. Equally important to her work is her witty, humorous, and often poignant titles. She considers herself a “fowl-mouthed absurdist,” and while that is true, like her work, her words and her personality contain layers of beauty as well as absurdity.

As Cameron says, “Ultimately, I use oddities and silliness to question how values and beliefs are manufactured and how we construct our own place in the universe.”

Cameron’s focus is on the medium of pencil drawings, often the first step of a “serious” work of art, which makes it another element in Cameron’s brilliant and witty arsenal.

Brilliant and witty, indeed! ps. #SendNoods

This is the work {soft pastel & graphite} of American artist Pace Taylor… and every single one of their gorgeous, rich drawings makes me wish I could hug people again. Sigh. One day. Here is Pace’s description of these recent pieces:

“My drawings are constructions of intimacy between people. I build the images from found photographs of assumed queers from past decades, both alone and in the company of others. Through the translation from photograph to drawing, I invite a false memory to distort their bearings, bringing them into my world and covering them in planes of mutable soft pastel and the warmth and weight of lead. As memory and time distort appearance, the body becomes both a fixation and something inconsequential. Just an emotional shadow, vibrating color. In a rejection of the Binary, the body acts as a point of hesitation for the viewer; an opportunity to project their own experience of being in the world; an offer to be held by another’s language.” 

Beautiful and powerful. Follow Pace on Instagram… their in-studio photos are lovely.

Gasp! All of my childhood passions in one place? Yes! These oil pastel / acrylic beauties feel like a storybook dream, with just a touch of nightmare thanks to those deep, dark shadows. This is the latest work, a series titled “New World Horses”, by Denver based artist Jillian FitzMaurice. And, just like my obsession with ‘My Little Pony” back in the day, I wanna collect all of them! Thankfully, that’s totally possible… Jillian’s work is available through Visions West Contemporary {Montana}.

“Hanging By A String”, 2020. You can say that again. All of these pieces are part of a personal series {graphite, colored pencil} by Chicago based artist/illustrator Vicki Ling. Here are her words about this work:

“The theme I am exploring with this series of work is the feeling of insecurity brought forth from the potential catastrophes of modern life.  Contemporary lifestyles tend to obscure various crises that spontaneously erupt, from privacy invasions to public health issues and from climate change to personal emotional disorders, etc. I’m interested in surfacing that sense of tension and insecurity and raise these issues to our collection consciousness in this collection of work. Each composition leverages a red string as a visual device to represent the tension of modern life. Fragile objects interact with the string in an almost impossible way to create a direct challenge to the balance and harmony of the overall scene.”

Well said, and beautifully executed. As I write this post on the afternoon of November 3rd, I can’t help but wonder about the balance and harmony tomorrow may or may not hold.

Le sigh… this is the absolutely lovely work of Norway based, Quebec artist / illustrator Isabelle Feliu. I have been a little bit obsessed with seashells in my own work lately, so when I came across these personal pieces {ink and gouache on paper} by Isabelle, well, I was instantly smitten. Soft pastels, elegant lines, feminine subjects… is it just me or can you smell the powdery, rose-scented perfume that would go perfectly with this post? Happy Friday.

ps. Isabelle’s personal work is available in her shop, or reach out to her for commercial illustration projects right here.

It’s rare for me to begin a post by saying: this artist has a BS in Biochemistry, and an MS in Environmental Science… but in the case of Denver based artist Noelle Phares, that is exactly right. Suddenly her gorgeous architecture-meets-landscape paintings make even more sense, each of them exploring “the ever-encroaching presence of humanity into previously pristine open spaces.” Here is Noelle’s full artist statement:

“People often remark at seemingly unique marriage of abstract structure and landscape in my work. But in reality, that is what the world looks like these days: the stark break of a distant mountain view by the foreground shapes of the built environments we live in. I choose to paint places that have been altered, for better or for worse, either directly or indirectly by human development. I hope to both raise awareness of the fragile beauty of these places while also highlighting how beautiful and functional manmade design + nature can be if done with symbiosis, instead of nemesis, in mind.”

Well said. Happy Monday.

Soft, quiet, elegant… and a little bit sad? These dreamy pieces are the work of Netherlands based artist Tamara Jungnickel. I can’t find the ‘why’ behind these lovely faces, but I’m pretty sure they’re feeling all the feels. Behind that foggy pink, I think these ladies have some very deep thoughts, and a lot to say.

*A few of these pieces are available via Tekenkabinet {scroll to the bottom of page 1 on that site to find Tamara’s work.}

Yep, as promised today’s guest is LA based artist, cartoonist, writer and graphic novelist Mimi Pond. I had so many questions for her – from her early days in New York, to a hamster show in California – and lucky for us, she had all of the answers. Mimi’s comics and graphic novels are filled with crazy stories, mostly from her own life, so you know she’s a good story teller! Listen right up there under Mimi’s self portrait, or subscribe right here.

First up, two gigantic projects… her first two graphic novels, “Over Easy”, and “The Customer is Always Wrong”:

I had to include that Instagram post with her book mug in the shot… A. because that mug is kinda perfect, and B. her hilarious captions about things like killer blueberry bread is just one of the many reasons I follow her!

Next, a bunch of her earlier illustrated books. They’re, like, totally awesome:

Hilarious! Speaking of hilarious… Mimi’s currently in progress graphic novel, featuring her latest obsession:

 

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Time for a little #workinprogress #wednesday – thought I would let you see a little of me lettering. I actually like lettering. I find it soothing and the least nerve-wracking of all the processes. This page finally gets us up to Nancy Mitford’s grand awakening via HER GAYS! #mitfordsisters #nancymitford @mitfordjessica @mitfordsociety

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Ahhhh, I love it all. The stories, the illustrations, that lovely blue, and oh my word… the hand lettering! I’m not sure when this fabulous Mitford Sisters book will be out, but I’ll keep you posted.

Alright, this is a little random, but I purposely asked Mimi about this in the Not-So-Speedy-Speed-Round so that I could include a few snippets from this weird ‘n wonderful real life adventure. “A Squeak From The Void”, 2013:

Hahahaha! But there’s more. The whole story is right here.

And finally, a little look through the Pond/White family album, starting with Mimi in high school:

 

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It’s the Monday edition of #Mabelbrown and her #stickoftheday – no one loves a little flair more than Miss Brown does! #labradorretriever #worldsbestdog #dogsofinstagram

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Oh, Mabel Brown ♥ … that is a really, really great stick! Thank you so much to Mimi for doing this with me {thanks to Wayne for asking her for me}, and of course, thanks to you for listening. I will be taking the summer to recharge and get more interviews lined up for SEASON FIVE of ART FOR YOUR EAR starting in September! ~ Danielle xo

Other links:

1. Mimi on Instagram
2. Mimi’s books
3. Drawn & Quarterly
4. Wayne White on AFYE, Episode no.176