Weddings, photoshoots, fancy events … and trash cans! Yes, New York based floral designer Lewis Paul Miller is turning the city’s trash cans into huge vases filled with stunning, colorful, joy-filled bouquets using any flowers that might be leftover after those aforementioned fancy events. Brilliant and beautiful. Here’s why he does it:
“I am in the business of fantasy and flowers, and it’s my job to transform key moments in my clients’ lives into joyful, everlasting memories. I wanted to recreate a similar feeling for the everyday city-dwellers and tourists of New York City.”
“A contemporary take on chinoiserie wallpapers, producing unique and luxurious embroideries that transform walls into works of art.” Exactly! Oh my word, this is the gorgeous work of London based artist Claire Coles. Could you imagine having your walls covered in this kind of art? Exotic birds, flowers in full bloom, and elegant embroidery living in perfect harmony! Here is a little blurb about her process, materials etc:
“Claire designs and handcrafts couture wallpaper murals and appliqué artworks. Papers, silks and leathers are collaged and freehand embroidered to create a range of decorative surface patterns inspired by flora and fauna. Claire uses the sewing machine as others would use a pen or a pencil in a loose and fluid way, intricately stitching her motifs together. All designs are handmade in her London studio.”
This post is filled to the brim with so much amazing work, AND such an interesting back story! From a dairy farm, to art school, to working in flooded basements to selling huge installations in New York. Yep, Molly Hatch has seen it all. Of course, so has Molly Hatch Studio. That’s right, she has a few lives happening at once. No.1 commercial artist designing ceramics for companies like Anthropologie, The Land of Nod, Target … No.2 Fine artist creating huge, detailed, amazing installation work … No.3 Mother to a sweet six year old girl. I’m not sure when she sleeps, but she claims she does. You can listen right up there under Molly installing one of her ‘plates as paintings’ pieces, or you can subscribe on iTunes.
First up, a few of her pieces that you might recognize {and that Mick might like, since they’re blue!}
Next, stepping back a tiny bit, these were a few of the pieces in her show at The Clay Studio in Philadelphia a year after completing her MFA {2010}:
Ah, yes… back where it all began!
So during that time there was a lot of hard work, and not a lot of money. I loved this story… not the poor part, but the hard work part… oh, and that very well-timed email she got from Anthropologie. She’s been working with them for years now, and here are a few of my recent faves:
Clearly, I’m going to need that unicorn mug. And the dachshund.
So, from functional pieces that can be found on shelves in lovely stores around the world, to breathtaking installation art that hangs in galleries and museums around the world. This is the piece she was talking about that is permanently installed in the lobby of the High Museum of Art in Atlanta:
Ooh, I would love to see that in person!
Now, If you happen to be in New York you could pop by Todd Merrill Studio, the gallery Molly’s been working with for the last few years. Here are just some of her insane fine art pieces:
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Right?! Oh my word – so much talent in one person.
And finally, you’ll be happy to know that Molly’s no longer working in a flooded apartment basement {wearing rain boots with her supplies in tubs}, now she works HERE:
What the wha! Gorgeous and so well-deserved. Here’s to being an “opportunistic optimist”, and saying yes to all of the amazing things that come along with that outlook. Thank you so much to Molly for sharing her story – the good, the bad, the hustle, all of it. Thank you as always to Saatchi Art for supporting this episode, and thank YOU for listening. There will be more art for your ear next weekend.
Today we’re taking a little trip into the woods, to a magical place called “Yawnder”. I’m talking to Canadian drawist {that’s an artist who draws}, Jay Dart. You can listen right up there under that bearded log driver, or you can subscribe on iTunes.
I’ve been a fan of Jay’s work for years, but I’m embarrassed to say it wasn’t until his most recent show, “Greetings From Yawnder”, that I finally began to understand his work, and more importantly, the secret meaning behind it. The “Field Guide to Yawnder”, a lovely little book that he created for the show, is to thank for this. It’s insightful, insanely detailed, and a true field guide complete with maps, glossaries, definitions and introductions to characters that I want to be friends with… like Jiggs and his trusty dog Floyd, for example. Jiggs is Jay’s muse/alter-ego who travels Yawnder searching for creative inspiration:
I want to go to there. Geist trees growing ideas, “Beyawnder” where you’re free to be as creative as possible, and a land called “The Unknowns” … nobody knows what happens there, obviously. This is the part in the podcast when I made Jay read his own poetry. I love this, especially the bit about the referers:
Hilarious and so smart! If you have no idea what this is about, then you haven’t listened to the episode yet. What are you waiting for!?
Next, this is the self-published book, “Wanderer of Yawnder”, that Jay was telling me about. I have a copy and it’s so lovely, magical, and beautifully made:
Note the author: writing credit to Jiggs! LOVE. Speaking of love… magical mystery beards, and branch libraries:
Oh, the geist trees. The entire idea behind these rainbow-hued beauties is absolutely brilliant:
Sigh. Wouldn’t you love to spend an afternoon in Jay’s mind?
Aaaaand here we are… we’ve arrived in “Beyawnder”. This wonderful, creatively-carefree place is a collaboration between Jay and his little boy. One of them is in charge of scribbles, the other takes care of the wanderers:
Yep, anything is possible in this wonderful little corner of the map.
Now, we thought we were finished and then I realized I forgot to ask about these fabulous album covers that Jay designed for his friend, and talented Canadian musician, Donovan Woods:
Ah! I love all of them, but that geist tree cut-away?! So, so good.
And finally, in case you want to see his ginger beard, a photo of Jay mid-install at Galerie Youn in Montreal {they were the first gallery to represent his work, and he’s forever grateful.}
I think I see a bit of Jiggs in that photo of Jay, can’t you? Thank you so much to Jay for taking us to Yawnder; Thanks to Saatchi Art for supporting this episode; and you guessed it, big high-fives to you for listening! Now normally I say, “there will be more art for your ear next weekend”, but I’m in Hawaii at the moment and didn’t get organized enough to have an episode ready for next week… but there will be one waiting for you the weekend after that {I promise!}.
I wrote about London based artist Claire Brewster for the first time in early 2009. Yep, I have loved her delicate, intricate, paper-cutting work from the moment I saw it. Since then I’ve written about her several times, always keeping an eye out for what she might be up to next! It was so lovely to finally speak to her in person and to hear her story. From a little girl cutting kittens and saucepans out of magazines at the kitchen table, to a full-time artist using those same {although honed} cutting skills to cover gallery walls with lace-like birds. Listen right up there under that stunning bird and his shadow, or subscribe on iTunes.
Ok, a little taste of what I love about Claire’s work:
I mean, come on!? How beautiful are those? All of the old maps? The colors? THAT CUTTING SKILL!? And I’m just getting warmed up. How about these insane shadows, that were basically happy accidents:
Sigh. Stunning. Speaking of which, her metal pieces:
Right? Those birds are insane… they look like metal lace.
Now, we talked about commissions and installations, both of which Claire loves doing. Here’s a peek at a few of my favorites – from a hotel lobby, to a gallery, to a corporate office:
Magical! If you’d like to work with Claire either in a commercial space, or in your home… call her!
And finally, at the end of our conversation we got a little political. She’s working on a new top secret series, but what she could tell me is the premise, and why she’s feeling compelled to move in a new direction. It is simply, and beautifully, this thought:
Yes. Yes we do. Thank you so much to Claire for doing this with me; thanks to Saatchi Art for supporting yet another episode; and of course, thank you so much for listening! There will be more art for your ear next weekend.
Gasp! Flower-bombing!? How do I even begin to explain how happy these beautiful, blooming beards make me. These magical interventions are the work of Brussels based florist / installation artist, Geoffroy Mottart. Here are his words about why he does what he does:
“This project consists in the decoration of statues, somewhat forgotten, which are part of the decor of our parks. A small note of color making a call to passers-by. This idea came to me, because I realized that most people pass by these statues without paying attention. Apart from many of these works, they are testimonies of the past. I believe they are worth seeing, they are part of our cultural heritage! … My job as a florist gives me the opportunity to restore a new life, a new breath of originality to these forgotten statues, which no longer arouse the interest of passers-by while flourishing public places.”
Maps, cut into perfect little leaf shapes and attached to the wall with tiny red pins. What?! Yeah. Today I’m talking to American artist Shannon Rankin all about maps, vellum, more maps, constantly pushing yourself, and pizza… in that order. Shannon’s currently at a residency in Roswell, New Mexico, so that’s where I called. You can listen right up there, under that gorgeous installation, or you can subscribe on iTunes.
As always, let’s start with a few of my favorite pieces from Shannon’s beautiful portfolio:
Now THAT is some insane precision. So gorgeous.
Next, we were talking about Justin Richel… Shannon’s long time partner, and amazing artist. I’ve written about Justin before, and both he and Shannon are in my first book, “Creative Block”. Justin’s with Shannon in Roswell at the moment, experimenting with sculpture! Cannot wait to see that:
Couples that make art together, stay together! ♥
Alright, and now the craziness that is Shannon’s installation work. This first piece is “Germinate (5000 seeds)”. Yep, thousands of tiny pins and map dots make up this 12′ beauty:
And of course, I had to include a close up of “Matrix” from the first image in the post. I also had to include that shot in the gallery for scale. Cra. Zy.
Up next, her latest work! These are the pieces she’s been working on in New Mexico:
Embroidery, and paper, and maps, oh my!
Ok, who knows “Selflesh” on Etsy? Yep, that’s Shannon’s alias. I loooove these simpler, smaller works too. And yes, more maps:
Sigh. Right?!
The reason this episode is titled “not enough hours in the day” is because of the diverse, insane amount of work Shannon does. This leads me to her vellum work. If you couldn’t tell on the podcast, I LOVE THESE:
That’s mine! And there it is hanging in the GoCA (Guest-room of Contemporary Art)… ps. there’s an original by Justin just to the upper right of Shannon’s work. Both very coveted pieces in my GoCA collection. But wait, there are new ones that are black and white!
And there’s Shannon in her Roswell studio. Enjoy every moment of the next four months, Shannon! There is one more “Art For Your Ear” left in 2016, and it will go up next weekend. See you then!
Other links:
Saatchi Art Sweepstakes Info: Ready to #stART2017right with new art? Saatchi Art is gifting one original artwork from this collection to a lucky winner every day for five days, Monday December 19th through Friday December 23rd. Follow @saatchiart on Instagram and share your favorite artwork from this featured collection with hashtags #stART2017right#sweeps for a chance to win. Good luck!
A “disciplined free spirit” … that is officially my new life goal! Also, I want to change my name to Bunnie. This was such a funny, inspiring, and yes, cosmic conversation with Los Angeles based artist Bunnie Reiss. I only discovered her work last month, but the moment I did, I knew I had to have her on the podcast! You can listen right under those fabulously “cosmic animal gloves”, or you can subscribe on iTunes.
First up, a few magical/cosmic paintings to put you in a Bunnie state of mind:
Oh. My. Well, that leads perfectly into this next batch of cosmic work. This is the book Bunnie made, titled The Cosmic Child, that we were talking about. It’s absolutely stunning. And cosmic:
Beautiful! It’s currently sold out (no surprise!), but she’s organizing another run very soon so keep your eye on her shop!
Next, I mentioned that Bunnie seems to really like painting on, well, everything. She agreed. Here’s proof:
See? We weren’t kidding! Boots, walls, books, and yes, her car.
These next images are so dreamy. This is what she was working on while she was in Paris last month … pastel and quiet and soft:
Lovely. It’s so cool that the work continues to look like hers, but the palettes and details often change depending on where she’s traveling. And yes, Bunnie travels a lot! {ps. these three images are from her inspiring Instagram feed}
And now, her murals. Of all the things Bunnie paints on, buildings are her favorite. Oh, and if you want her to paint on, or in, your building, CONTACT HER, because she’ll end up doing something like this:
Love! I included that scaffolding shot because she had talked about gridding out her murals by using the squares of the scaffolding… I’m going to have to trust her on that one, because my brain would not do that. My brain, however, can totally understand squirrels and rabbits eating donuts ♥
And last but not least, her gloves. This is how I first discovered the wonderful world of Bunnie Reiss, so I just had to share them again:
Gah! I love them so much… so much in fact that included a pair in the upcoming show, PRETTY / PECULIAR, that I co-curated at the Alison Milne Gallery in Toronto! If you’re in Toronto from Dec 1 – Jan 7th you have to go see them in person {ps. Dec 1 opening party info below}
And finally, a meringue-covered result of the not-so-speedy speed round:
Oh, that photo makes me so happy. Sunshine, laughing, and a GIANT lemon pie in Paris. Ah, oui… c’est parfait. Thank you so much to Bunnie for doing this with me and sharing all of her goosebump-inducing wisdom; thanks to Saatchi Art for supporting yet another episode; thanks to audible.com for making my new book into an audio book – it’s officially available now – and of course, thank YOU so much for listening! There will be more art for your ear next weekend.
Other links:
Bunnie’s shop (ps. A new series of affordable works will be available first weekend of December… including 6 new sets of Cosmic Animal Gloves!)
Not long ago, I was asked to contribute a must-see show in the US for this article. Um, that’s really hard! There are so many amazing shows all over the place… but, I decided to go with one that I would really love to experience. “Infinity Mirrored Room – The Souls of Millions of Light Years Away” by Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama at the Broad Museum in LA. It had just opened last time I was in LA but I wasn’t able to go! The cool thing about this installation, other than all of the mirrors and tiny little lights that seem to go on forever, is that you go in by yourself. Yep, no gallery crowds, just you for one magical minute. Note: tickets are FREE but you need to make a separate reservation to see this exhibit.
Wow. This is the work of Philadelphia based artist Rebecca Rutstein. She describes her work as “exploring geometric abstraction with a vision inspired by science and scientific data.” Now this is my kind of scientific data! Gorgeous.
ps. I want to sit down in the middle of those metal clouds. Happy Monday.
