I just spent the better part of my weekend obsessed with cutting things out of old books, and the always stunning work of Utrecht based artist Anne Ten Donkelaar makes me want to put Monday on hold so that I can just keep cutting! Perfectly snipped flowers, leaves, and cacti delicately pinned into position creating the most magical gardens EVER. Sigh. Happy Monday.

A few strategic folds in the pages of a fashion magazine, a little peep hole or two, and voila, an eye-catching {no pun intended} series titled “Belladonna” by UK based artist Claire Pestaille:

“Belladonna or deadly nightshade is a perennial herbaceous plant that produces toxic berries that if ingested can cause hallucinations delirium and sometimes death. In Italian, belladonna means beautiful woman, however historically women who wanted to look more attractive and seductive used the juices of the berry cosmetically as an eye drop to enlarge the size of the pupil. The use of the toxic belladonna as an eye drop resulted in visual distortions, increased heart rate and prolonged use caused blindness…“

Simple. Clever. Strangely beautiful. Happy weekend.

Washy portraits AND cut Japanese paper? Oh, yes please! These pieces are from a new mixed media series, titled “Dressed” by American artist Lisa Krannichfeld. I wrote about her back in the summer of 2013, but the moment I saw that Japanese paper outlined in acrylic, I just had to write again. Those rich, gorgeous, precise patterns next to three ladies who, well, are a little less than precise {um, you’ve got a bit of lipstick on your face} … it’s really kind of a fabulous combo.

I want to see these amazing little things up close, and hold them in my hands… very carefully. Perfect, delicate, tiny sculptures made with Japanese paper by Toronto based artist Cybèle Young…

“Cybèle spends her days creating miniature worlds from fine Japanese papers. Engaging with abstract and familiar motifs, she juxtaposes sculptures to create a sense of dialogue or play between them. Her intricate sculptural artworks are inspired by seemingly insignificant day-to-day experiences, where objects imply human interactions and small observations become fantastic.”

Fantastic, indeed.

Project No.3, given to us by American artist Kate Pugsley {p.175 in Creative Block}, is easily one of my favorite ways to get unstuck: Paint sheets of paper with a color palette that inspires you, chop that paper into abstract or representational shapes, and then move them around until you arrive at a composition that gets your creative fires burning! The day after I posted this project, I woke up and thought, “black!” … so I painted a bunch of watercolor paper black and started snipping. I loved every single second, and apparently so did lots of you! Here are just a few of my faves so far:

Oh. So many fabulous bits ‘n pieces… I hope you’re feeling as inspired and recharged by this as I am! There’s still a week to go until I put up the April project {Sat Apr 4th}, so grab your paints & scissors and start chopping!

Staples. Whoa. This is the very clever, very careful work of Portland based artist Alison Foshee. Why staples you ask? I’ll let Alison explain:

“Thumbtacks and pushpins explode into extravagant floral arrangements. Staples trace the jagged contour of a leaf. Office labels spin out in hot, firecracker explosions. Over the past 20 years, I have been exploring the artistic potential of everyday stuff. I enjoy working these raw materials with the geeky intensity of a Rubik’s cube puzzle master and relish the challenge of finding new meanings in objects that have become banal…”

Oh. So, so good! Many of her originals {and custom commissions!} can be purchased through Good Eye Gallery.

Vintage meets contemporary, and they fall madly in love! Found images, bright pops of color, and simple/modern compositions… hm, I think I’m madly in love too! These four collages are the work of Chattanooga based artist Hollie Chastain. They were in my show at the Bedford Gallery in California – what an absolute thrill to see them in person. The show came down yesterday, and I’m feeling a little bit sad… but you know what’s cheering me up? I just added these four pieces as prints {insanely affordable prints … $25!} to my online gallery! There are only a few of each so pop over now if you want to scoop one up. Happy weekend!

I have loved French born, London based artist Annie Kevans‘ work for years {I wrote about her in 2009}. These pieces, oil on paper, are a selection from her latest series, “Women and the History of Art”… which I have a very soft spot for. I minored in Art History, and as a female visual arts major, I was curious to know who came before me. More than half way through my first year of Art History I put up my hand and asked, “Um, when are we going to learn about women artists? Surely there were women creating art at this time… right?!”  Here is Annie’s description of this work:

This exhibition centres on women in art history who were once part of the art world and whose history and significance have been gradually eroded so they are ultimately forgotten to a modern audience… Kevans was astonished to learn throughout the course of her extensive research that, despite the massive obstacles in their path, many women managed to have successful careers as artists as early as the 16th century. Although many have been championed in the last decades having been ‘rediscovered’ by later art historians, these women still remain ‘separate’ from art history…. Kevans has selected to paint artists who were as successful and in some cases, more so, than their male counterparts. Kevans shines a light on artists such as Sofonisba Anguissola (1532/5-1625) who was the first Italian woman to become an international celebrity as an artist in her own time. Other artists are known for their personal lives but their works remain invisible. Despite being the first woman painter admitted to the Société Nationale des Beaux¬Arts, Suzanne Valadon is more famous for her personal relationships with Renoir, Erik Satie and Degas. Likewise, Victorine Meurent is more famous for being the subject of Manet’s paintings than she is for being an artist. Her paintings were selected for the famous Salon numerous times including in 1876, a year in which Manet failed to get any of his work accepted. Like many of her female contemporaries, her name means nothing to the general public or to many female artists working today.

A beautifully painted spotlight on some very talented women… by another very talented woman.

If I was a bird I would absolutely want to live in one of these gorgeous, layered, mixed media bird nest collages by Los Angeles based artist Andre Yi. Pencil shavings, paint, paper… and is that pink masking tape I see? Love, love, love!

{Thanks to Good Eye Gallery for showing me Andre’s work}

Gasp! Vintage images that have been found, copied, mirrored, and folded into beautiful installations by American artist Nicole Crock. Both of these stunning pieces are from her series titled Tessellate… I think my heart might be tessellating a little bit.