Paintings? Not really. Each of these is a one of a kind stencil print, printed with acrylic on cotton paper. They are the work of American artist Rebekka Connelly, and I loved them the second I saw them. I think I loved them even more after hearing this though:

“For many years, I worked as an illustrator and Product Design Director for a boutique stationery company called Snow & Graham. After staying home with my kids for a few years, I am finding time again to create and define my process. It feels great to put pen to paper again.”

Amen.

Sigh. The portfolio of New York based artist Valerie Hammond is filled to the brim with beautiful things – oh, so many beautiful things – but it was these lithographs and wax sculptures that took my breath away. Those soft delicate wax hands… stunning.

{via Colossal}

I have looooved the work of Indianapolis based artist Casey Roberts for years, so I’m a little embarrassed to say that it wasn’t until preparing for this interview that I realized these are cyanotypes, not paintings. Who knew? Well, not me. Casey met me in a quiet library in Indianapolis, with a glass of gin & tonic in hand to calm his nerves. I absolutely loved this chat… he is so talented, and an unbelievably nice guy. You can listen right under that stunning stump, or you can subscribe on iTunes. First up, some of Casey’s most recent work. They’re absolutely beautiful – like an ethereal exhale:

Sigh. So, so beautiful. Cyanotypes might just be the absolute perfect way to create nighttime scenes… for example:

Gasp! That glowing moth! Man, he’s good. Speaking of good, here’s Casey’s lovely piece that I included in my latest collection for The Land of Nod. So sweet!

Aww! And now, my favorite pieces in Casey’s extensive and beautiful portfolio. His carved trees:

Aren’t those amazing? And he does commissions with your special initials and dates… just sayin’. Also, I want one. And finally, I have to show this photo of Casey and his beard. Does his look not match his wild wilderness work perfectly?

Yeah, he can never shave that beard. It just works. And that’s that. No need for nerves, but clearly a glass of gin & tonic never hurts… unless of course someone makes you laugh and you have a small coughing fit. But other than that. Huge thanks to Casey for doing this with me, thanks to Saatchi Art for supporting the episode {and giving away a $50 gift card!}, and a big thank you to all of you for listening. There will be more art for your ear next weekend.

Other links: Parts Gallery, Toronto / Walker Contemporary, Vermont / In Search Of TV show

ps. casey’s cat heads…

Thank you so much to everyone who entered yesterday’s give-away! This is such a beautiful book/project, with partial proceeds going to the Susan O’Malley Memorial Fund for the Arts, so if you didn’t win feel free to pick up a copy via Amazon,  Chronicle Books or in any major bookstore. Ok, enough suspense… the winner is… Jess Carter {Jess Carter ceramics}! Congratulations Jess, and again, thanks to all of you for amazing comments and allowing this story to touch your heart. And remember, ART BEFORE DISHES!

Beautiful, funny, inspiring, and unfortunately, heartbreaking. This gorgeous artsy book, titled “Advice from my 80-year-old- self”, officially hits shelves today … and now I’m not sure what to say. I’ve been sitting here for about five minutes staring at the screen trying to write about this project, and the woman behind it, American artist Susan O’Malley. She’s an artist known for her text-based work that is filled with color and positive messages. Very sadly, while she was working on this project, early in 2015 Susan died suddenly and unexpectedly at the age of 38. She was less than a week away from giving birth to her twin daughters, Reyna and Lucy, who also passed away. Devastating. This book was already filled with amazing, inspiring advice – from 100 people ranging in age from 7 to 88 – but now it seems like these words of wisdom are even more important. “Try new things, it’s ok to make mistakes” ~ Emilia, 12 ; “This is your life, love it” ~ Alicia, 37  ; “Art before dishes” ~ Lea, 62… and of course, “Live each day as if it’s your last” ~ Abdul, 73. It’s a tragedy that Susan left this world far too early, but we can listen to these beautiful lessons and apply them to our own lives. For Susan.

Chronicle Books will donate partial proceeds from this book to the Susan O’Malley Memorial Fund for the Arts. You can find this book on Amazon, or at Chronicle Books… and keep your eye out in bookshops all over the world.

ps. I have one copy of this beautiful book to give away… just leave a comment below and I’ll draw one name tomorrow, Wednesday January 13th at 9am PST. Good luck xo

Ok, this is very cool! First of all, one-off neon risograph prints… cool. Secondly, uploading photos from your phone to make your own custom neon risograph prints… cool. But here’s where it gets really cool: to celebrate the holiday season a lovely friend of mine, who happens to be on the inside at Parabo Press, asked if I’d like to give 100 of my readers {first come first serve} a FREE 12″x17″ risograph print, made from one of your own photos… COOL. I tried it and it’s super easy… well, except that whole ‘which image should I use’ part! Here are some picture-picking tips from the folks over at Parabo:

“Like any monochrome printing process risos look best when the photo you are printing is high contrast. That means the dark spots are really dark and the bright spots are really bright. That is because monochrome printers only distinguish light/dark and not color. Not every amazing color photo will make a great monochrome print. The simplest way to visualize it in your head is to think of a pretty red rose on a green background. Pretty pretty in color, but if you turned that image black and white, it would just look like medium grey on medium grey … not so stunning. You can open the Parabo App on your phone and choose a photo from your camera roll to preview as a risograph. Easy peasey.”

Love it, let’s do this! Download the free app, pick a photo, choose your color, and away you go… use promo code JEALY before checkout, and you’ll just have to pay $8 for shipping. Have fun!

*One per person. Offer lasts until December 13th, which just so happens to be their cut-off for holiday shipping… so make those decisions quickly!

Well hello latest addition to my Christmas wish-list! These are the wood-cut print sculptures of American artist Nic Annette Miller. They are “hand printed from an original woodcut onto mulberry paper with oil based ink. The print is then pasted onto 3/4″ plywood and the exact image is sawed out, sanded, wired, and made ready for your wall. Being that each one is hand printed, they all slightly vary from one another.” Hear that, Santa? READY FOR MY WALL.

Ah, I think collage and printmaking fell in love and had a bizarre little family. So dark, so intriguing… they’re like strange dreams. This is the work of Jaco Putker, an artist from the Netherlands. He combines many techniques {photopolymer, or solar plate, etching} to produce these wonderfully weird scenes… mushroom parachutes and hippo-balloons? Yes, please.

This is the vintage, pin-up-esque mixed media {paint, collage, printmaking} work of LA based artist Laurie Raskin. Beachy bombshells, bright colors, and clearly, the perfect amount of bras. Obviously, I had to include Laurie’s work in “California Girls”… which by the way opens tonight… [biting nails]… “don’t worry. everything’s under control”. I’m nervous, but so excited to finally meet all six of the talented women featured in this show. Hope to see you there!

{Her work is available on Saatchi Art}

Oh. My. Letterpress on found ephemera by LA based artist/designer Ophelia Chong… gorgeous! Ophelia is the first of six female artists that I’m featuring this week. They are all part of “California Girls”, an art show I curated that opens this week! I have loved Ophelia’s work for years and I’m so excited to see a few of these beauties in person. For more info on the show, click here, and to RSVP for the opening on Thursday night click here.

{Some of her work is available on Saatchi Art}

Oh, I have been dying to announce this! Earlier this year the fabulous curator at Saatchi Art, Rebecca Wilson, reached out and asked if I’d like to curate a show in LA. Um. YES! I decided on a “California Girls” theme and chose six, very talented LA based female artists. In exactly two weeks from tonight I’ll get to stand in a room, with a glass of wine in hand, surrounded by the work of these amazing women. It’s feminine, strong, and just a little bit sexy. Ok. A lot sexy. If you are in LA you should absolutely stop by! Here’s all of the info, and then a tiny peek at some of the work:

Opening reception: Thursday September 24 6~9pm / Saatchi Art at Helms Bakery District : 8745 W Washington Blvd, Culver City {RSVP  here}

Show runs: Tuesday September 22 ~ Tuesday September 29 / 10am ~ 5pm / Monday to Friday / By appointment Saturday & Sunday

So. EXCITED. See you in two weeks, LA.

{Erin Tenquist // Laurie Raskin // Stephanie Vovas // Jill Sykes // Kelly Puissegur // Ophelia Chong}