So, some of us just pick up a gingerbread house kit from the store… but if you’re an artistic genius, like Vancouver based artists {and married couple} Ben Skinner and Genevieve Dionne, you choose to make “Sugar Mountain” craziness instead. Take a peek, like this little fella…

See? Geniuses. Oh, and in case you’re wondering… yes, all of this is edible! ALL OF IT. Genevieve was the master behind most of the fondant and gum paste critters, but they also had some help from two of their talented friends, Sara Ryan and Morag Kydd. Merry Christmas Eve eve… see you tomorrow for one final “Art For Your Ear” podcast episode to finish off 2016!

I can almost hear the sleigh bells in these dreamy winter scenes… oh, Dare Alla Luce, the absolutely magical ongoing series by Canadian artist/photographer Amy Friend. I’ve written about her several times, but I just had to post these twinkly winter pieces leading up to the holidays. In case you haven’t seen my previous posts about this series, here are Amy’s words about this light-filled work:

Through hand-manipulated interventions I alter and subsequently re-photograph the images “re-making” photographs that oscillate between what is present and absent. I aim to comment on the fragile quality of the photographic object but also on the fragility of our lives, our history. All are lost so easily. By employing the tools of photography, I “re-use” light, allowing it to shine through the holes. In a playful and yet, literal manner, I return the subjects of the photographs back to the light, while simultaneously bringing them forward. I play with the light and use it metaphorically allowing for new readings, sometimes through heavy-handed applications and at other times delicately. The images are permanently altered; they are lost and reborn, hence the title, Dare alla Luce, an Italian term meaning, “to bring to the light” in reference to birth.

Gasp! Be still my house-loving, flower-obsessed heart! This is the beautiful, surreal, encaustic collage work of New Orleans based artist Miranda Lake. Oh, those tree top homes. I want to go to there.

{via Uprise Art … ps. there’s a great interview with Miranda here.}

Yeah, that’s all jewelry! WHAT?! I know, I had to do a double-take when I saw what I assumed were simple, lovely, illustrated squiggles… which they are of course, but then Australian artist/designer Iris Saar Isaacs (aka inSync design) turns her simple gestural marks into gorgeous wearable art. That necklace, though! Santa, are you listening?

Whimsical collages that make me want to play in the studio… in a polka-dot bikini? No no, it’s too cold for that, but I still want to cut ‘n paste all day long! This is the mixed media work of Vermont based American artist Athena Petra Tasiopoulos. I’m betting Athena spends as much time in thrift shops as I do, considering she feels “lured by the mystery of found photographs – ‘instant relatives’ discarded and forgotten in musty antique stores.” Yes, I understand. Now, see those bikinis I mentioned earlier? They’re part of this artsy giveaway happening on Saatchi Art’s Instagram feed this week. Here’s all the info in case you want to play along. Good luck!

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, starting today, 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. Fingers crossed!

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!

Swoooooon  ♥  You can buy her vellum pieces in this lovely shop.

Now, if you’re wondering where Shannon was during this chat, wonder no more! This is a peek into the Roswell Artist-in-Residence Program:

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!

1. “Selflesh” (Shannon’s Etsy shop)
2. Maine College of Art
3. Shannon’s Instagram feed
4. Roswell Artist in Residence ps. Feb 15, 2017 deadline to apply!
5. Ali Cavanaugh – Episode No.63

Whoa. I feel like I just woke up from a really weird dream … and I wanna go back to sleep so I can wander around in there a little longer! These are the paintings of American artist / children’s book author & illustrator Kyle Skor. I already wanted to be friends with him when I found his beautifully bizarre work, and then I read his bio…

Kyle Skor grew up playing in the prairie snows and forests of the upper midwest, which nurtured in him the spirit of the wandering mystic. At one point he went to Williams College and studied art history and psychology, and chose somewhat prematurely to enter a doctoral program at Harvard at the age of 22. As a graduate student, he spent more time skipping class to read poetry and sketch at the museums of greater Boston and Cambridge than not, an awareness of which ultimately led him to drop out of school and assume a variety of odd jobs, working by candlelight on his “work”. Between 2005-2013, the fruits of most of these efforts found themselves consigned to various landfills around Asia and California. 

See? Now I really want to hang out with him! Happy Friday.

Um, can we all collectively agree that these acrylic paintings on panel are insane? PAINTINGS. I’ve written about Canadian artist Lindsay Arnold and her painted doilies before, but she has recently kicked it up a notch by adding pins, and clothes pegs, and trinkets, oh my! All of these pieces are from her ongoing series, titled Tedium. Here are her words about this work:

“In my grandmother’s time the doily was required for protecting surfaces, concealing imperfections, ornamenting surroundings, and measuring status. Today doilies are found in abundance at thrift stories, auctions and forgotten linen closets. Hours of female labour are represented in these worn, stained and unfashionable objects. The imperfections which have rendered the doilies unusable for their original purpose inspire narratives which are further explored through interactions with objects such as scissors, pins, and utensils. The doilies are stretched, torn, and misshapen, such as we are by marriage, illness, motherhood and more. “Tedium” is way to honour the difficult experiences which leave us worn, acknowledge thankless repetitive labour, and reveal a part of the anonymous doily maker’s story.”

Amen, sister.

I am totally in love, and a tiny bit scared. These pieces, from a series titled “Dolly”, are the work of Vancouver based artist Andrea Hooge. Oil, ink, and handmade scratchboard on wooden cutout. Wooden cutout! That means I could have one of these weird ‘n wonderful doll heads floating on my wall! {I’m wondering if this has something to do with my “Cabbage Patch” obsession as a kid? Hm.}

* Some of her latest work, a show titled “Toy Babies”, will be showing in Vancouver at Hot Art Wet City in February… Feb 3 ~ 25th 2017

Forgotten plastic bags that have been embroidered into unforgettable works of art. This is a series from 2013, titled “El Barrio Bodega”, by Baltimore based artist Nicoletta Daríta de la Brown. Why embroidery on old bags? Here are Nicoletta’s words on exactly that:

“Embroidered corner-store grocery bags. Rescued from the gutter; blowing down the street like city tumbleweed. I reclaim and elevate what once was discarded by creating embellished art objects. Growing up in Brooklyn and Harlem I’d visit my block’s bodega daily, with pennies in hand, and leave with priceless treasures. More than just bags, they reflect a sense of pride for my neighborhood and are a symbol of my cultural identity.”

Beautiful, in every way.