Seriously. Odd portraits have been the name of the game over here lately! Well, why stop now… these paintings on panels are the work of American artist Chambers Austelle. She did a huge series of these ladies {in all of their black & white B-movie meets cartoonie beauty} for the Charleston Supported Art’s Spring 2015 share. To see the full series, please visit her site.

{seen in the latest issue of FreshPaintMagazine}

Historic, yet modern … beautiful, yet disturbing {I particularly love that cigarette in the final piece}. This is the work, oil on canvas, of UK based artist Lisa Wright. This description from her site says it better than I ever could, so:

The childhood adornments of bonbons, ribbons and laces may have altered considerably but what they represent has not: the growing desire to escape prepubescence and the trying on of the adult persona is inevitable. By pulling visual threads through time and fastening them to the present, these gently unsettling images pinch the viewer and connect them with a shared history.

Gently unsettling, indeed.

{Lisa has a show opening soon at Coates and Scarry , from Thursday 1^st to Sunday 18^th October at Gallery 8, Duke Street St James, London}

Bizarre portraits? Yep, my favorite! These are the oil paintings of New York based painter Tracy Kerdman. Her “models” are a combination of found images: “There are shops that collect vintage, black and white photographs. Sometimes I buy a bulk selection of photographs and derive my paintings from them.” Love.

{work available on Saatchi Art}

This is the work of Montreal based artist Laurent Craste. All of these pieces are from his series titled, “Abuse”. So strange to see something as delicate as porcelain treated this way, yet not actually broken. Never broken. So beautiful and so powerful… and could be interpreted in so many ways. {I survived an abusive relationship, in my early 20s, and this work gives me chills/makes me a bit sad… but also incredibly proud. Proud that, just like this porcelain, I didn’t break either.}

*photo by  Liz Daly

Have you ever wanted to write an art book? Well then you’re going to want to listen to this episode of Art for Your Ear! I’m talking to San Francisco based book editor and literary agent, Kate Woodrow. She was my editor on Creative Block, and she’s working on my new book now {and has talked me off a few creative ledges along the way!}. She’s got four important ingredients that should go into every pitch, so grab a pen because you’re going to want to take notes. Listen right up there, 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. First up, a few of my favorite books that Kate worked on during her decade at Chronicle Books:

Um, yes, I put my book on that list! And of course Art, Inc and Blog, Inc … and there’s Mom, Inc and Creative Inc on that list too! Here is the link to the blog post she wrote after speaking at Alt Summit 2012 {where we met}, titled “From Blog to Book: How to Turn Your Ideas into Reality”. Next I totally put her on the spot and asked her to list a few of her favorite illustrators. It was hard for her to only name a few, but here is who she mentioned/the projects she worked on them with:

So many fantastic projects! Then of course there were her answers to the speed round… two of her favorite novels that she’s read this year: All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, and Purity by Jonathan Franzen. And clearly I had to include a link to this answer: The first slow song she ever danced to… In Your Eyes. Sigh. The light, the heat.

So… if you have an idea that you want to pitch, Kate is ready to hear it! You can find her at her new company {so excited for her and this whole new chapter… pardon the pun}, Present Perfect Dept., and she’s on Instagram and Twitter too. Oh, and if you’d like to sign up for the webinar she’s doing with Modern Thrive on September 21, 22, 23 you can find more information right here. Thanks so much to Kate for sharing all of these behind the scene secrets, and thanks to you for listening. There will be a new episode up next week!

Ahh, and now I want to spend my weekend running through these candy-hued, foliage covered hills… or maybe snorkeling through coral reefs! Strangely wonderful that these oil paintings could really go either way depending  how you look at them. This gorgeous work by South African painter Jenny Parsons makes me want to go outside. Right now. Here I go. Have a lovely weekend!

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}

Oooh. This is the work of Belgian photographer Jef Claes. This is obviously two different series, but I couldn’t decide which I loved more… the simple shapes against that dreamy blue sky, or that Wes Anderson-esque pool. Sky? Pool? Nope. I can’t decide.

{I found Jef on Subject Matter… a fantastic gallery site specializing in photographers. You can find some of his work there for sale.}

To say that Jen Stark‘s work blows my mind would be a major understatement. I’ve written about her before, and I’ll write about her again. Her attention to detail, her color choices, her unique way of making you look at her work… and INTO her work in the case of those insanely stunning pedestal pieces. Sigh. Yep, all of this colored paper and perfectly “drippy” paint has me wishing that I was going back to school today.

If you happen to be in Sydney between September 9th ~ 13th, you should stop by Booth A16 at the Sydney Contemporary. There you’ll find the gorgeous work of New Zealand based artist (and surfer) Scott Gardiner. These striking mixed media pieces (pigment ink print, acrylic, gloss and matt varnish on canvas) are from his latest series, titled Three Oceans. Here’s a bit about this project:

… The three locations of the project, Sri Lanka, Sydney and Gisborne all represent significant points in my life and development, places I have forged meaningful relationships with the environment and its people, centered around and reliant upon the ocean. In these instances the ocean became a powerful familiar environment, allowing me to connect on a deep level to a new and unfamiliar locale. During the project I wish to examine this complex relationship through my own personal experiences, understanding these are universal issues that relate to all human beings and our  sense of place and belonging, an awareness of our mortality and a connection to something beyond ourselves…

{all images are courtesy and copyright the artist and Palmer Art Projects.}