Sooooo, these are all drawings. DRAW. INGS. Graphite, ink, tape, oil pastel, resin, mylar … and I’m sure I missed something on that list! This is the ethereal work of LA based artist Brooks Salzwedel. I’ve written about Brooks before, and even had him on the podcast {episode no.42}, but he’s got a new show opening TONIGHT at Foley Gallery in New York, so clearly I had to put up another post! The ‘Dusk and Dawn’ opening will be held during the First Annual LES ArtWalk and will be on view from October 17th to November 25th, 2018.  Oh and if you’d like to meet him, Brooks will be at the opening reception … 59 Orchard Street, New York 6-8pm. Go if you can, and tell him I say HI!

Ball. Point. Pen. Insane. This is the mesmerizing work of Korean born, New York based artist Il Lee. I’ve written about him before, but I just saw that there is a show currently hanging at Art Projects International in New York, titled Il Lee The 90s …

“Focusing on works by Il Lee from the 1990s, this exhibition brings together select breakthrough black ballpoint ink on paper works that first introduced the energetic, exhilarating mark-making which remains characteristic of his later signature works.”

The show will be up until October 27, 2018. Go!

Gasp! This is the beautiful, labor-intensive mixed media work of Bahamian artist {now based in Vancouver} Gio Swaby. I was already in love with her thread and pattern-rich portraits, but I had oh so many questions. And then voila, this excerpt from an interview she did last year with SAD Magazine, answered everything:

“I was thrust into this very small minority, that really forced me to reflect on myself, my physical appearance, what people think, feel, experience, when they interact with me, how am I perceived in public spaces, and a lot of that – a lot of the interaction I have with strangers in Vancouver – is about my hair. Hair has always been important to me, as a black woman. I think for most black women, hair is a big deal – it requires or receives the most maintenance.  [which is why she chooses her medium]  … traditionally thought of as domesticity, or female-centered activities like sewing, or crocheting and knitting relates very heavily in my work – the passing down of tradition. That’s also echoed in the theme of hair and hair care, black women passing that tradition on to one another through generations. That’s why the medium of thread and fabric was so fitting. Using the thread versus pen or charcoal, communicates to the viewer a sense of labour, a sense of process, time, and length. It’s fairly painstaking, you look at it and feel that a lot has gone into creating the work, a lot of time, a lot of energy – and also a lot of love and care.” 

So, so, so much love and care. Happy Monday.

There’s no time to be shy … that’s for sure! It’s also the mantra that has made Montreal based, Kazakhstan born artist Ola Volo a full time artist. Now, we’ve known each other for a while as friends, but honestly I don’t know all of her behind-the-scenes stories. Thank goodness I have a podcast to take my friendships to new levels! You can listen right up there under Ola in her spray paint mask, or subscribe on iTunes.

Let’s start with a key ingredient in all of Ola’s work… her love of cultural patterns and icons:

So gorgeous! Ola has totally embraced all of the cultures she grew up with – Russian, Polish, Kazakh and Canadian – to create her own visual language… a language that allows her to tell all sorts of stories!

So, how did she become a mural artist? This was the very first one. The project that made her google “what is mural”:

Um, I think she figured it out! This was the wall at Hootsuite in Vancouver that started the crazy mural ball rolling for her. Well, that and Ola’s fake it till ya make it attitude.

Oooh, and here’s the Starbucks in New York that basically got transformed into “Ola’s World”:

How cool is that? If you happen to be in New York pop in … 21st & 5th Ave. Yep, 5th Avenue, baby!

Oh yes, and also cool… a collaboration with Louis Vuitton:

So great, right!? Unfortunately I don’t have any photos of that fabulous LV party she went to in Toronto, but we can use our imaginations.

Next up, her solo show that just happened in Vancouver, titled “King Queen Lovers Fool”. This time she was working mainly on canvas, not just walls:

Okay, she had to get one wall in there. Fair enough!

And finally, proof that Ola is doing exactly what she’s supposed to be doing:

Love. Thank you so much to Ola for this amazing, warm, and super fun chat; Thanks to Saatchi Art for supporting the episode, and thank YOU for listening. There will be more art for your ear next weekend.

Other links:

1. Thrive {ps. they’re accepting new members}
2. Emily Carr University of Art + Design
3. Bitch Magazine
4. Skylight Books {my book event in LA on Oct 27th}

Oil paint and ink drawing on canvas. True story. Sigh. What a stunning combination … and a combination that, I will admit, made me do more than a few double-takes! Also, those icebergs? So, so, beautiful. This is the work of Austrian artist Julia Faber, and this is an excerpt about her work written by Susanne Neuburger, and translated by Lauren Cooke:

“Sustained by the intensity and impeccability of hyperrealistic painting, Julia Faber’s work often takes us into a grotesque and surreal world. However, perfection and discipline, pushing the limits of norms and taboos, are also Faber’s main theme, unless mythology or other historical hints play a vital role. These references are always balanced with the present, as generally a combination of old and new provides a kind of bracket for Faber’s work. This also includes the important element of drawing counteracting her often dense oil painting, as well as an archive of texts and documents which are not only important research material but also integrated into her works.” 

Charcoal, oil pastel, acrylic, cut paper … I love everything about the work of German born, Netherlands based artist BD Graft. His color palettes, compositions, line quality, subject matter, EVERYTHING. I haven’t used oil pastels since I was a kid stealing them from my mom’s art studio, but now I need some. Immediately. Here is a little more about BD discovered via Uprise Art:

“Graft’s focus primarily lies on exploring concepts of ownership and the deceptively decorative. His collages combine found imagery and his own painting, referencing images from art history, landscape, architecture, and nature to craft pared-down scenes that viewers can imbue with narrative.” ~  via Uprise Art

Did I want to save this post for Halloween? Yes. Was I able to control myself? Nope! These gorgeous / creepy pieces are the work of American artist Amy Earles. Whether she’s working in pencil or paint, the results are just as elegant … and just as disturbing. Perfection.

ps. Some of Amy’s work is available in her shop … including a few fantastic paper dolls!

Oh boy… do you know what this means? Yes, my podcast – “Art For Your Ear” – is back! I’m kicking off season no.3 with the talented and hilarious Sara Khan. Born in England, raised in Pakistan and now based in Vancouver, Sara has all sorts of experiences and stories to draw from. We’re also covering important topics such as giving birth to kittens and / or dragons. Listen right up there under “Womens Games”, or subscribe on iTunes.

First up, images from Sara’s series “Ubiquitous Follies” which I fell madly in love with last year. These pieces are a great introduction to the magical watercolor worlds she’s been creating recently:

See? Her own worlds, filled with mythology and hidden meanings. LOVE.

Speaking of love, here’s a peek at the gigantic wall Sara did for the 2018 Vancouver Mural Festival:

Oh my word. Seriously. So gorgeous, but even more impressive … that she figured out a way to translate her smallish watercolors into a large-scale mural done with house paint. House. Paint.

I thought this would be really interesting for you to see. Sara talked a bit about her work from a few years ago – which of course ultimately led to what she’s doing now – that involved using mainly charcoal:

These are great too, but you can see that she was looking for her style. Well, she found it!  Here’s what is happening in 2018… I found these on her site and her Instagram feed:

Gasp! Those figures?! Stunning. And finally, I couldn’t wrap up this post without a little look into Sara’s home studio. Ahhh, sunshine streaming in… see, it doesn’t rain in Vancouver all the time:

When there’s stuff all over the floor, you know some major work is getting done! Thanks so much to Sara for being my very first guest of this new season … and congratulations on your big news, Sara xo. Thanks to Saatchi Art and Create Magazine for supporting the episode, and thank YOU for swinging back over for a whole new season! There will be more art for your ear next weekend.

Other links:

1. Pennylane Shen, Art Advisor Extraordinaire 
2. Vancouver Mural Festival
3. Thrive 
4. Video of Sara’s mural by Joe Bronson  {Joe Bronson’s IG}
5. The Other Art Fair presented by Saatchi Art

Now this is some mixed media… and all of it is exquisite! Drawing, painting, and that paper-cutting!? Oh my word. This is the gorgeous work of Toronto based artist Christine Kim. Honestly, I don’t know what else to say… I’m too busy staring at that paper lace.

{via Thrive’s Instagram feed}

Oh, I love this so much. I have loved the drawings of Brooklyn based artist Langdon Graves for years, but I had never seen her installation work… until now! These images are from her May 2016 installation, titled “Spooky Action at a Distance” {Victori+Mo, Brooklyn}. I am completely smitten by Langdon’s color choices, her elegant style, and … wait for it… THIS subject matter:

“The drawings and sculptures featured in Spooky Action at a Distance take as their starting point scenes from first-hand accounts of ghost stories told by the artist’s grandmother, as illustrated by her childhood imagination and memory of them.  They speak in a blend of domestic fragments from her grandmother’s home, and imagery borrowed from a variety of traditions and rituals involving death and the afterlife, including the spiritualist practices of séance and spirit communication; funereal objects; and ancient symbols of death and rebirth. Building on Graves’ formal tendency to insert negative space throughout her subject matter, these images and objects are incomplete and removed from their context, and so approximate the inevitable clouding of memory; they offer stand-ins of the familiar and impressions rather than distinct representations.”

Grandmothers, ghosts AND art? Loooooove.