Yes, I know… I have a thing for vintage portraits in which the faces have been altered in some way {please find evidence here and here and here}. I love the patterns, the colors, and the fact that these ordinary citizens look like they’ve been initiated into some kind of bizarre art tribe! American artist April Deacon uses gouache {in stunning colors!} to turn these found photographs into my latest obsession. LOVE.

ps. that neon boy is missing a pinkie, right?

{via curate1k}

Ah yes… another day, another portrait series! Instead of being faceless {like yesterday’s featured work}, these vintage-looking people are covered in graphic, tribal, gouache markings. LOVE! This simple, yet striking series, titled Legends, is the work of Brooklyn based artist/illustrator William Hatch Crosby.

{Thank you so much to Rina for sending me a link to William’s work!}

I haven’t said this out loud in awhile, but it definitely applies today… Damn, I wish I thought of this! Brooklyn based artist Amber Ibarreche is a multi-talented gal, but it’s these bizarre collections of hers that have punched me square in the creative gut… yep, that’s gonna leave a mark.

Oh, Aris Moore. I love her work so, so much. I wrote about her in 2009, in 2010, and now in early 2012. She is currently working on her MFA and it’s amazing to go through her blog and actually see the evolution of her work! Apparently, according to said blog, she is playing around with the idea of making a little book out of the series shown here… YES! DO IT ARIS!!!

I’m not sure how I missed these amazing pieces?! Maybe it’s my insane fear of snakes, or maybe it’s because the last time I wrote about Brooklyn based artist Javier Piñón, I was so infatuated with his chandelier-riding cowboys that I didn’t make it any deeper into his portfolio. Well, shame on me, because look what was there! Sexy, vintage Medusas! I love this collage work so much… and that’s sayin’ something, because, in case you didn’t pick up on it, I am terrified of snakes! Terrified.

{Thanks to Fine Line Magazine for tweeting about this work!}

This sweet, nostalgic series by American artist/illustrator Danielle Kroll almost made me cry. It certainly made me miss my grandparents, Blanche and Frank, and has sent me on a hunt for as many photographs of their house as I can possibly find! I remember the smells, the sounds, and yes, where the Christmas tree went every single year.

{She submitted this piece to Anthropologie‘s new tumblr page, etymologie... lots of lovely things to be found there!}

I have boxes upon boxes of weird little bits and pieces in my studio… this tribal, totem-esque series, titled neonative, by American designer/artist Scott Massey makes me want to do something with all that stuff {something really, really good!}.

“With a box of scraps that I’ve been carrying around with me since life in NY, collages were made using amazing photos of Native Americans found in Lanterns on the Prairie: the Blackfeet Photographs of Walter McClintock. When the box is finished so will the project, so far there are 20 pieces.”
~ Scott Massey

Yep… actual size. Seriously. Edinburgh based artist Paul Chiappe creates these teeny-tiny, itsy-bitsy, beautiful little pencil drawings based on found vintage photographs. The drawing talent alone is amazing, but then to do it at such an insanely small scale?! love ♥

{via Junkculture}

Ok… when a post begins with a legless girl in a pink feathery dress, who happens to have a crow instead of a head, you know it’s gonna be a good day! I love, love, love these simple/gorgeous collages by Spanish artist Francisca Pageo. I love that fluffy dress, I love those albino deer, and I love the final piece because of those strategically placed forest critters, but mainly because it’s titled “September come take these feelings away”. I don’t know what it means, but I like it. A lot.

Where are my scissors?!? Seriously. I need them right now! This collage work by California based artist Jessalyn Aaland has totally inspired me to get back into the studio… I must start snipping magazines, books, and stickers immediately! I had such a hard time deciding which of her hilarious / beautiful series to show… so I just picked a whole bunch. These images are from ACCUMULATIONS {1, 2, 3} DREAMHOUSE {4, 5} and DIYSAFESPACES {6, 7}. On second thought, forget the studio time – now I just want to do some major hoarding in my dream house, and then talk about it in a DIY safe space! So. much. love.

{via Junkculture}