November 1. You know what that means … unblock project 11 of 12! Only December to go? How is that possible!? {If you missed the other projects, no problem, you can catch up right here.} This project is from American artist Shannon Rankin, and it’s all about getting a new perspective on something you’ve already created…

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#creativeunblock // november // by shannon rankin, pg.249

“Use a cropping tool to find new compositions from an original piece. Enlarge this small portion of the original piece and create a new piece based on the enlarged composition.”

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Get our your scanners, photocopiers or just your eye, and turn your favorite corner (or least favorite corner) of a piece you’ve created in the past and turn into into something new! A new perspective indeed. If you’d like to share what you make, just put it up on Instagram or Twitter and hashtag it #creativeUNblock. See you out there!

Oh. Jessica Bell. She is one of the most lovely people you’ll ever meet, and someone that changed my outlook on my own artwork in one magical, caffeine/chocolate filled afternoon. She’s smart. And determined. And a self-taught artist who just finished her MFA. Yep, she has an undergrad in Art History, started making art on her own, got a teeny tiny studio space with a tarp instead of a roof {for real}, worked for years, applied for her MFA and then rocked it out. I was so excited to talk to her that, well, we just kept on talking! After we “hung up” I kept recording, so if you want to listen past the BEEP, please do. You can listen right underneath Jessica installing her thesis show, or you can subscribe on iTunes. First up, some of her mixed media work from a few years ago:

Ah. Paint, paper, tape, fabric, thread. And color. I absolutely love her sense of color. Now, as if finishing her MFA wasn’t momentous enough, she’s also just been nominated, for the second time, for the RBC Canadian Painting Prize {the winner gets $25,000 and their work in the RBC Collection… so yes, it’s a pretty big deal!} In 2013, as she was driving from Vancouver to Ottawa to start her MFA she had just been nominated, and two years later as she packed the moving truck to leave Ottawa and head back to Vancouver… you guessed it, she was nominated again! The two pieces are very different, yet you can absolutely see Jessica in both of them:

The winner {there are only 15 finalists} will be announced at the Contemporary Art Gallery of Vancouver on November 18, 2015. Good luck, Jessica… we’re cheering for you!

We talked a lot about her MFA experience. Turns out, quite a few of her final paintings were inflatable. Yes, I said inflatable:

I want to hug a painting! So, jumping back to the speed round, I purposely asked a question that would lead to this answer because I really wanted to show you the knitted wall hanging she made for me. I thought she was sending one of these smaller pieces {which would have been wonderful too}, but no, she sent me a huge, heavy, beautiful piece that gave her carpal tunnel syndrome. It’s hanging in my living room right now:

Love. So much. And with that, we finished things off. Jessica is exhausted after her MFA, so I suggested she take a nap for the winter. Look, she can do it on one of her inflatable paintings…

Shhhhhh. Thanks Jessica. And thanks to you… see you next week for another episode. xo

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Other links mentioned: Sarah Gee Miller, Ben Skinner, Being Boss podcast, Heather Craig {Heather was the artist who told Jessica, “You can’t make art in the cracks.” That might be my new most favorite saying}, and Initial Gallery in Vancouver. ps. Conan… Jessica is waiting for your call.

BOO!

Yep, you guessed it… I’ve been saving these creepy little gems for about two months just waiting for Halloween to roll around! These paintings are the work of Berlin based artist Sebastian Blinde. He has an on-going series, titled “Ghosts in Veils”, perfect for Halloween-eve, yes? Have a safe ‘n happy weekend everyone… but watch out for that bunny ghost. He looks like he means business.

Wayne Thiebaud painted the bakery, and American artist Carrie Mae Smith is taking care of the butcher block. Why all of the meat? Her father was a butcher. Yep, that makes sense. And, her love of food runs even deeper than that. Apparently, when she was in the third grade, she dressed up as Julia Child for Halloween! Amazing. Now, if you’re not a fan of meat {even beautifully painted meat}, don’t worry, Carrie has you covered:

Mmm!

Oh, be still my organization-loving heart! Grids of perfectly painted bits ‘n pieces that are… wait for it… also color-coded. Yes. This is the work {acrylic on panel} of Portland based painter Sarah Fagan. Is it weird that these make me feel incredibly calm? They do.

{Thanks to @acrossaday for pointing me to Sarah’s Instagram feed}

Sigh. These dreamy paintings by UK based artist Emma Williams make me want to travel the world. Now, who do I speak to about the fresh cut flowers and gorgeous ceramics present in each and every one of my stunning ocean view rooms? Love!

London based Jessica Dance describes herself as an art director, model maker and prop stylist… but I’m going to throw artist in there too because, damn, I wish I thought of this. Comfort food. Yum! Knit by Jessica and photographed by David Sykes. Now, if these plates full of delicious stuff are too comforting, ie., you’re trying to watch the waistline, may I interest you in this much lighter menu from Jessica’s portfolio:

“Paper plates” … get it? Ahh, so good. Happy Monday.

{via Booooooom}

Michelle Kohanzo is a huge lover of art, which works out quite well because she also happens to be the Managing Director at The Land of Nod in Chicago. Yes, she has an amazing eye and is ALWAYS on the hunt for talented artists to bring into the Nod family {hint hint}. Listen right up there under the red canoe, or subscribe on iTunes. As you’re listening, take a look at the things we talked about in the order that we talked about them. The first thing Michelle and I have in common… our love of weaving, and the work of Maryanne Moodie {ps. how gorgeous is this piece?}

Whoa. So good. Boy, I wish I could do that… one day! Next up, an amazingly gorgeous shoot that Michelle arranged with LA based photographer Stephanie Vovas for The Land of Nod. Here is a peek at the work that came out of that magical weekend at Camp Wandawega:

Gorgeous! And yes, those few final shots were a little bit special… it’s Michelle and her daughter Emily! They got all glammed up, hopped in a canoe, and Stephanie shot these beauties {including the lead image in the post… which might be my favorite}. In fact I even included the image of Emily in the camper in a show that I curated at the Bedford Gallery in 2014. Up next, I asked Michelle about a few of her favorite artists:

Soft sculpture by Tamar Mogendorff / Ashley Goldberg / Emily Jeffords / Me. Yep, those jars are two of my hand-cut collages that Nod commissioned for the Spring 2016 collection?! If you want to get your work in front of Michelle, listen to her tips on the podcast, and then send your submission straight to her inbox {for real}. michelle@landofnod.com  … good luck!

And finally, she told me about her trip to Laos and the work of this amazing woman, Carol Cassidy {the link she mentioned was wrong, but the link here is right.} Here’s her studio, and some silk weaving in action:

Such a great story… empowering women through art/craft. So inspiring. So, I could stop right there, but I feel like I should cap the post off with a few more of Stephanie’s Wes Anderson-esque shots of Michelle and Emily:

Love! But wait, there’s more… speaking of Wes Anderson, look what I found on Michelle’s Instagram feed. This is Michelle, her husband, and their kids. Beyond fantastic:

Ha! So good! Alright, NOW I’ll say thanks to Michelle, to Saatchi Art for supporting this episode, and of course to you for listening. There will be more art for your ear next weekend. Bye!

Um, how have I been writing this blog for almost seven years yet I’m just finding out about the crazy ceramics of France based artist/illustrator Lili Scratchy? Gah! I love them! Her work literally jumps right out of her sketchbook… see? Oh mon dieu, so much love for these weird little critters, and Lili’s fantastic imagination. Love.

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.