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Yes, I have a thing for still life paintings… especially when they’re filled with vibrant colors and strange flowers! These whimsical oil paintings are the lovely work of Australian painter Helen McCullagh. Gorgeous. And now I want to spend a sunny afternoon painting while eating oranges and watermelon.
Ok. I seriously don’t even know where to start. Leaves hand-sewn into perfect cubes? Delicate embroidery that transforms leaves into doilies? It’s all just too beautiful and perfect. I wrote about the sticks, stones, and leaves {way back in 2012} of German-born, UK based artist Susanna Bauer, but wow, she just keeps pushing the leafy envelope. Stunning.
If you’d like to see these delicate beauties in person, Susanna has shows coming up this March in New York {March 11 ~ April 16 at the Muriel Guepin Gallery}, and in the UK {March 2 ~ May 26 at the Centre for Contemporary Art and the Natural World}.
Ahhh, is it July yet? If you live somewhere cold, brace yourself because the work of New York based painter Samantha French will make you want to jump into the closest pool! A few episodes ago I called Sam out for blatantly ignoring my invitation to come on the podcast… so we definitely cover that. We’re also talking about living/working in New York, really big canvases, and where her love of painting water began. You can listen right underneath that gorgeous swimmer, or you can subscribe on iTunes. Ok, let’s get things started with a bunch of my favorites:
Sigh. See? Don’t you want to go swimming right now? Her work is absolutely beautiful, but seeing it online doesn’t do it justice. We talked about how big most of her work is, so I wanted to include these photos to help you understand the scale {and also to give you a peek into her New York studio}:
Ah-mazing! If you ever get a chance to see one of her shows in person… GO. You really do feel like you’re in a pool right along with all of her subjects.
Next, a few photos from the movies! Yep, these are the photos Sam took in the middle of a theater when two of her pieces were used on the set of Sleeping With Other People, starring Jason Sudeikis and Alison Brie:
That photo directly above is a self-portrait of Sam, so technically she was in the movie too! Pretty cool. Speaking of cool, Sam’s partner, Aaron Hauck, is an amazing painter as well. Since this is a post about Sam, I thought I’d show one of his paintings that happens to be of Sam… “Sam checking her phone”, 2015:
Love! So much talent in one house. And with that I will say thanks so much to Sam for saying yes {turns out I need to check my inbox more carefully}; thanks to Saatchi Art for supporting the episode {and giving away a $50 gift card at the end of this month… sign up for my weekly email to be entered}; and a huge thanks to you for listening! There will be more art for your ear next weekend.
Other links:
Seriously. How beautiful is this? Wearable art, indeed. This is a beautiful combination … fashion and the embroidery work of Moscow based artist Lisa Smirnova. Here’s the full story:
“Artist At Home” – A new collection from Olya Glagoleva’s eco-friendly brand GO in collaboration with Lisa Smirnova. Artist At Home is a story about the creative process of an artist which has been told through the language of textile. Fabrics used in the collection are cashmere, organic Indian hemp & cotton, 80’s denim jeans and vintage towels sourced from London’s famous Portobello Road; as well as plaid blankets from Flea markets in Wales. The collection tells the story of a painter whose studio and her home is a single space, where both home and work clothing mix together. The story of the creative process will captivate you and transport you to the artist’s parallel reality. Every garment is made only once, each decorated with hand embroidery in the unique style of Lisa Smirnova. The clothes themselves are pieces of art, lovingly created in a process that spans up to 100 hours each. In keeping with the GO tradition, every piece will be packed in a separate box made from recycled wood with detailed information about the item and a small book included with the full story of the creation.
Love.
Whoa. This is the beautifully bizarre, neon-hued, organic organism-ish work of Manila-born, Texas based artist Dan Lam. I already know what you’re thinking… ‘what? how?’ Let me answer you… she uses polyurethane foam, resin, acrylic on wood panel to create these crazy fantastic things. I want to touch them! That’s probably not allowed, but wait… what about these ones:
Yes! I’d have no choice but to hold these… how else could I put them on the edge of my shelf, table, dresser, countertop etc. LOVE.
via Juxtapoz
Yes. To all of this. Just imagine wandering along, you know through the woods or a corn field, and coming upon one of these text-based installations by Canadian artist Trevor Wheatley… so good! I need that SQUAD in my backyard.
*photos by Jake Sherman ; SUS photos by Jp King
via Booooooom
Holy macrame! Ok, my love for macrame might be dating me, but these gorgeous modernized wall hangings {does that make me sound younger?} are the beautiful, handcrafted work of California based artist Maya Slininger. My favorite piece is that final one… which happens to be in my online gallery {and there’s only one!} All of the other pieces are available in her shop.
When I come across a work description that includes “porcupine quills”, I stop. These are the absolutely gorgeous paintings of New York based artist Alan Reid. Those faces, those soft colors, and yes… those quills! Amazing.
{Images, and installation views, via Lisa Cooley, NY}
Houses, plants, embroidery thread, vintage ladies… yes, it’s very possible that Amsterdam based collage artist Hagar Vardimon is my soul sister. I’ve written about her a lot, so it was absolute thrill to call nine hours into the future, across the Atlantic to Amsterdam. She was nervous about her English, and her accent, but both are just perfect! You can listen to our collage-nerd conversation right underneath that gorgeous house bursting with plants, or you can subscribe on iTunes. First up, this was some of the first work of Hagar’s that I ever saw… and it was love at first sight:
Yes, we both have a thing for houses and embroidery thread! Strangely we’ve also both taken a small break from the embroidery work to play with paper… look what she’s doing with her father’s old paper punch:
So fun! She’s been posting all of these pieces to her gorgeous Instagram feed, which you absolutely have to follow. These were the women I brought up. I love this body of work so much… the colors, the strangely beautiful shapes, the geometric embroidery, and those fantastic vintage photos:
Gah! Love, love, love! As I said before, we both have a thing for houses. Here are a few from her “Lonely Houses” series from a couple of years ago:
That final piece was a commission she did for a family in California {yes, she does commissions… just sayin’}. And finally, I asked Hagar to send me a few shots from her studio. It’s a collage artist’s candyland:
Oh. I want to go to there. I haven’t told her this yet, but I laughed out loud when she sent that final photo. My clippings look almost exactly the same… except that mine are in a wooden bowl, not a wooden box. But close! Thanks so much to Hagar for talking to me {you too Liam… the youngest guest ever to be interviewed on the podcast!}. Thanks to Saatchi Art for supporting the episode, and for offering the $50 gift card giveaway happening at the end of February. And finally, as always, a huge thanks to you for listening! There will be more art for your ear next weekend.
ps. You can find Hagar’s lovely work for sale in her online shop.
Other links: Emily Barletta ; Hollie Chastain ; Glue I use
The art history nerd in me just gasped. Portraits and exquisite paper cutting… ah, yes, this is the latest work from American artist Elise Wehle. I’ve written about her before {here and here}, and I was not disappointed when I popped by again today! Gorgeous. Delicate. Oh, so lovely.
{Her work is available on her site}
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