NO. I am the fanciest! I have to be honest, things got a little out of hand when I opened October’s mystery Art Snacks box. There was so much good stuff in there, but this purple meets magenta Winsor & Newton ink … be still my beating heart! Have you ever made branches with ink / blowing through a straw? Is that a 1970s thing? My mom and I used to do this with her special ink when I was little, and I haven’t done it in years. Until today! Also, there was a dip pen!? I’ve never used a dip pen in my entire life, hence feeling much fancier than both Dave and Phil. Clearly they’re a bit competitive with each other, but I’m hoping their worlds can become one somehow …

Oh, thank goodness for grape lollipops … it seems to have helped make peace between Dave and Phil. For now. Oh, and in case you’re wondering, yes, that is a little limited edition gold pencil pin {by Adam J.K.}, to wear proudly on your shirt, smock, artist beret … whatever you like! LOVE. To get in on the November box, sign up by October 31. Order one month at a time or sign up for 3 months, 6 months, or a full year… whatever works for you. Click here for all of the ins and outs. ps. enter coupon code ‘thejealouscurator’ and you’ll receive 10% off your first month of ArtSnacks. ps. hashtag your box openings / what you make with, #artsnacks  ps. Not to be bossy, but the holidays are fast approaching, and these artsy boxes would be awesome gifts. Just sayin.

In the October box: Limited Edition ‘Things Are What You Make of Them’ Pencil Pin (and mini zine!) by Adam J.K.; Marabu Fineliner Graphix Pen – set of 4; Winsor & Newton Drawing Ink; Speedball Standard Pen Nib & Holder; Connoisseur Protege Short Handle White Nylon Brush; ZIG Fudebiyori Brush Pen; Tootsie Pop!

Thank you so much to everyone who entered! The winner of this lovely book is …. PAMELA HASTINGS! If you’re not Pamela, no worries, I have lots of other amazing give aways coming up in the next couple of months!

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Well, she’s done it again. A gorgeous, inspiring, wisdom-filled book has just been released by artist, illustrator, and author Lisa Congdon! It’s titled, “A Glorious Freedom – Older Women Leading Extraordinary Lives”, and it is exactly that! Quotes, interviews, illustrations all celebrating the lives of some very awe-inspiring women. Here’s the gist:

“The glory of growing older is the freedom to be more truly ourselves—with age we gain the liberty to pursue bold new endeavors and worry less about what other people think. In this richly illustrated volume, bestselling author and artist Lisa Congdon explores the power of women over the age of forty who are thriving and living life on their own terms. Profiles, interviews, and essays from women—including Vera Wang, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Julia Child, Cheryl Strayed, and many more—who’ve found creative fulfillment and accomplished great things in the second half of their lives are lavishly illustrated and hand-lettered in Congdon’s signature style.” ~ Chronicle Books

This beauty is now on shelves, and it just so happens that I have ONE to give away to ONE of you! Please leave a comment below and I’ll draw one winner on Monday October 16th, 2017. Good luck! ps. Here is Lisa’s upcoming West Coast book tour schedule if you’d like to have your book signed/meet her:

Have you heard of NIAD? I just learned about them this past June when I was in San Francisco, and I was instantly in love. Here’s the description from their site:

NIAD Art Center’s visual art program promotes meaningful independent living by artists with disabilities—while its artists create remarkable contemporary art. In a unique open studio environment, and with the guidance of qualified staff, NIAD artists acquire new skills in artistic practice and in independent living. {located in Richmond California, Bay Area}

So exciting and inspiring! When they asked if I’d put together an online exhibit during the first week of October, obviously I jumped at the chance. My collection is titled “I Heart Art”, because I do, and isn’t that what it’s really all about? The images above are just a handful of the pieces in the show, and one of the works has already sold… because I bought it! Yes, the lovely lady at the top of the post is a piece by Jonathan Velazquez and it’s currently hanging in my living room. Get over there and buy a very affordable piece from one of these amazing artists… like this one, titled “David Bowie and His Cat”, by Ann Meade…

{Artists shown above: Jonathan Velazquez, Sarah Malpass, Carlos Fernandez, Phyllis Carr, Jeremy Burleson, Mimi Englin, Adonia Douglas, Sarah Malpass – again!, Ann Meade}

Sometimes, when you open a box of surprise art supplies/candy, you are overwhelmed with memories of doodlin’ as a tween in the early 80’s. That may have happened when I opened the September ArtSnacks box. See for yourself:

Gah! I couldn’t control myself! Those colors screamed unicorns and rainbows to me … perhaps I’m alone there, but the heart wants what the heart wants. Also, bubble letters. I haven’t drawn bubble letters in YEARS, and I’m not embarrassed to admit that I loved every bubbly second of it {well, those lowercase bubbles were not up to par, but then I got my groove back!}  There are only a few days left to get in on the October box, but you can still get it if you sign up by September 30th! Order one month at a time or sign up for 3 months, 6 months, or a full year… whatever works for you. Click here for all of the ins and outs. ps. enter coupon code ‘thejealouscurator’ and you’ll receive 10% off your first month of ArtSnacks. ps. hashtag your box openings / what you make with, #artsnacks

In the September box: Stabilo pointMax Pen Set; Plumchester P4 Fineliner; Alvin Draft-Matic Mechanical Pencil; MOO Professional Artist Eraser; a  green apple lollipop! 

Drawings? DRAWINGS! The work of LA based artist Brooks Salzwedel never ceases to amaze me, and when I found out that he has a bunch of new pieces in this upcoming show, well, perfect excuse for another post! But wait, there’s more… this show, titled “Forget What You Know” at sp[a]ce in Pasadena, California, is curated by artist, illustrator, curator Mark Todd! Mark has lined up an insane roster including Brooks, obviously, Gary Taxali, Megan Whitmarsh, Jason Holley and more! Opening reception, Saturday September 30 from 6-9pm RSVP here. GO! 

{The show runs from October 1 to December 31, 2017}

“The outdoors spills through a window or door, location or setting. Pots and plants teeter on the edge of a table whilst trees grow convincingly from rooftops and pillars are cut off abruptly, hovering slightly above ground level. The interiors are minimally furnished with large glass open spaces, leaving it exposed to the vulnerability of the outside world that encroaches upon us. The landscape has no boundaries; we are unable to control and confine it, forcing the inside out and the outside in.” ~ Charlotte Keates, Artist Statement

Ah, I love that artist statement. I also love the insightful words of the grandmother of today’s guest… ‘Nothing in nature clashes.’ Sigh. Grandmas are so smart. London based artist Charlotte Keates and I are talking all about architecture, nature, epic trips in small vans, and even an up close and personal mama bear sighting. Oh boy. You can listen to our chat right up there under Charlotte in her studio, or you can subscribe on iTunes.

First up, these are the architectural “cut-aways” that I brought up right out of the gate, because yes, I totally want to live in one of her paintings:

Ahhhh! So beautiful. And can you see why I asked her if these pieces are mixed media or paintings… doesn’t her chalky underlay look like marbled paper or something? Those dreamy backgrounds are also an excellent example of how wonderful “happy art accidents” can be!

These next few images cover a bunch of things we talked about – she has started working on dark backgrounds lately, not just the light wood she normally uses as her starting place; her love of Palm Springs and the Florida Keys; and of course, the epic North American road trip she went on last year. Here’s a peek:

Palm Springs influence? Um, yep! And, clearly, the Canadian in me had to show some of her Canada-inspired pieces, including the boat house in Banff and the cosmic ray station…

Oooh, I can almost smell the fresh mountain air! So, if you’re going to do a crazy amazing, super scenic trip across North America, it’s a very good idea to travel with your professional photographer boyfriend, Ian Froome, who will capture some very lovely moments along the way:

Gorgeous! Charlotte drawing in their van {before it died}, and Charlotte standing on the edge of a cliff that you could not PAY me to stand on. I wonder if this was moments before the mama bear showed up!? Thank you so much to Charlotte for taking time from her very busy schedule to chat with me; thanks to Saatchi Art for continuing to support me and this podcast; and big high-fives to you for listening! There will be more art for your ear next weekend.

Other links:

1. Charlotte on Instagram
2. Golden Acrylics
3. Arusha Gallery, Edinburgh
4. London Art Fair 2018
5. Ian Froome, Photographer / Boyfriend
6. US & Canada… VOTE FOR ME! Bombay Artisan Series

Um, how have I never written about Los Angeles based artist Michelle Kingdom before?! Well, as of this moment I’ve corrected the error of my ways. I absolutely love it when artists use materials traditionally considered a “craft material”, for fine art purposes instead… I also happen to love artists with this kind of skill! Here is part of Michelle’s artist statement that touches on the use of embroidery in her work:

“Decidedly small in scale, the scenes are densely embroidered into compressed compositions. While the work acknowledges the luster and lineage inherent in needlework, I use thread as a sketching tool in order to simultaneously honor and undermine this tradition. Beauty parallels melancholy, as conventional stitches acquiesce to the fragile and expressive.”

Love. Happy Friday.

Love love love … these are the latest, Japan-inspired, paintings of Portland based artist Ruth Shively. I popped over to her site to see if I could find more, and I did! Granted, she had sent me a link to her paintings {which I love}, but oh my goodness… her drawings. I’ve written about them before, but I hadn’t seen these pieces. Obviously I had to show you:

Gorgeous.

Deep blue denim and a lot of fire power! This is the gorgeous, “American West” inspired, work of Wyoming based artist June Glasson. These gouache & pencil pieces can be seen right now at Kenise Barnes Fine Art in New York. Here is their description of her work:

In her multidisciplinary practice of drawing, painting, and installation art, Glasson explores and questions iconic “Western” imagery. Depicting women juxtaposed with buffalo, beaver pelts or pistols, for example, sets up a visual investigation into dominant narratives about the region and narratives that often ignore its complicated and violent history. Glasson’s figurative work depicts semi-realistic representations of the women in her life, a personalized way of expressing concern for the treatment of the female figure in art and popular culture while challenging historic and contemporary notions of gender roles.

From the artist’s statement: “Through drawing, painting, and installation, my work often deploys iconic “western” imagery — buffalo, weaponry, truck nutz, etc. — to investigate dominant narratives about the region, narratives that often ignore its complicated and violent history.”

ps. This gorgeous show will run until October 28th, 2017.

Oh, I love this on so many levels. This is the latest series by St.Louis, Missouri based artist Katie Donovan. I’m going to let her explain the smart, insightful, and hilarious ins & outs of this work:

“If No Publicity Is Bad Publicity, Am I Any Good?” is a drawing and performance-based project. In creating this work I was thinking about my experience as an artist and a question posed by the Jealous Curator, Danielle Krysa. Often when Krysa interviews artists she asks them how they introduce themselves at parties. Generally Krysa asks this to see if they feel comfortable claiming their art calling and how they describe their day-to-day work. Often when I tell people that I am an artist, specifically a draftsman/drawer, they immediately ask, “Are you any good?” I find this question more compelling than insulting. While I assume that these individuals are actually inquiring whether I can draw realistically or not, this question has provoked me to consider the artist as a worker, albeit a very different kind of worker. I decided to make a series of drawings advertising myself as an artist, but in the way that one would advertise themselves as a dog walker, house cleaner, or babysitter. I added the type of imagery that I typically use in my drawings to give the viewer a sample of what I am selling, so to speak. I also added value-based statements about myself as an artist to continue to play with the question, “Are you any good?”

During the fall of 2017 I will be putting these drawings up in public places. Look out for a piece from “If No Publicity Is Bad Publicity, Am I Any Good?” in Starbucks, at the park, in a gallery or any other public space near you. 

Are you really hoping these show up in your city? Me too! So. Smart. {ps. Also, honored to have been a tiny catalyst for this… who knew!?}