Pencil leads. Elaborate sculptures made from teeny tiny pencil leads fused together {somehow?!}. Seriously. This stunning work is by New Zealand artist Peter Trevelyan. He uses triangles as the basic unit for all of his work, and then builds from there. I’m not sure what to say about his work, except this: whoa… pencil lead?!!? Oh, and did I mention his stunning work with triangular mirrors?

Yep.

{The sculpture above is titled “MIMETIC BROTHERHOOD” and was in Wellington NZ until January of 2012. Where is it now? I don’t know! Do you?}

“Do you believe in fairies? If you do clap your hands”

J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan

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“Swallow, Swallow, little Swallow.” said the Prince, “will you stay with me one night longer?”

Oscar Wilde, The happy prince

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“A black shadow dropped down into the circle. It was Bagheera the Black Panther, inky black all over, but with the panther markings showing up in certain lights like the pattern of watered silk.”

Rudyard Kipling, The jungle book

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“If you love a flower that lives on a star, it is sweet to look at the sky at night. All the stars are a-bloom with flowers…”

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The little prince

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“Do you know, I always thought unicorns were fabulous monsters, too? I never saw one alive before!”

“Well, now that we have seen each other”, said the unicorn, “if you’ll believe in me, i’ll believe in you.”

Lewis Carroll, Through the looking-glass

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Oh my. Jenny Lumelsky & Tomer Ronen founded Touchka Tales because of their love for storytelling and because they wanted to “play in between the two worlds of Illustration and Fashion”… well, mission accomplished! From The Little Prince to The Jungle Book, they’ve picked five nostalgic stories from childhood to illustrate for their first series. Sigh. Now I want to read all of those stories again… while wearing the matching scarf, clearly.

I was so excited when American photographer Mikael Kennedy said he’d stop by for the weekend! I’m not sure how many times I’ve written about him – maybe four or five – needless to say, I am super jealous of his work, but even more importantly, the passion he has for his work. And when I say ‘passion‘, I’m talking about the ‘sell your own blood in order to buy more film, and keep travelling‘ kind of passion… seriously… he did that. So, anyway,  just when I thought I couldn’t be any more inspired, Mikael sent this through. Another amazing photographer using old Polaroid film to capture America… one freight car at a time:

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I’m jealous of Mike Brodie

Sometime around 2003, I got a letter from a kid who called himself ‘the polaroid kidd‘: he had seen Mandy Lamb‘s & my Polaroids and wanted to come hang out with us in Boston, he said he was riding a freight up from Florida and should be in sometime in the next few days, he was scamming copies at kinko’s and was making little collections of Polaroid artists he met while he travelled, at the time he was shooting only SX70 Time Zero film that he shoplifted as he travelled. I said “well, alright”, and met him one night in a parking lot of a 7-Eleven. What I’m jealous of isn’t mike’s photography, don’t get me wrong, I think it’s absolutely beautiful, he captured the last of America’s wildness of a fading art of freight hopping. But more it’s the life he chose that I admire. As I always said, it’s the life that’s important, not the art.. The utter abandon with which he and his friends live. To me these kids are the wild west, and yes they are still kids, seem to always be, a thousand dirty Peter Pans riding the rails. Talk about a life of adventure, that’s all there is, sometimes it’s a short run, but at least it’s a run. I haven’t heard from Mike in years, last I heard his pop was getting out and coming home, then I heard Mike was out in Texas on the trains, I heard he stopped shooting for awhile, who knows. What I do know is that there is something to be said for this decision to make life one long adventure with not thought of the future, it’s not an act, it’s just wild pure and simple. America is his (and their) playground, every city and freight yard an adventure. Talk about living life to it’s fullest even if for many it’s a short run, nothing really matters so we might as well take a walk.

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So good. So, so good. Thanks so much Mikael… and happy travels!

Those are some seriously pissed off little girls… and I could not love them more! California based artist Andrea Zuill liked dressing up when she was young, but I guess that’s quite obvious. I love her bold colour choices, half finished figures, and the general ‘little girl lost’ feeling that each one of them delivers so successfully {they remind me of ‘the lost boys’ from Peter Pan… but oh so much girlier!} I had a pretty big bag of costumes too, which is probably another reason why I loved these paintings the moment I saw them. Although, I have to say, I don’t remember ever being this mad about wearing a bunny hat.

Andrea has a show, titled Seriously Pretending, that runs from July 29th ~ August 30th at boltax gallery on Shelter Island, NY… hm, maybe they’re just seriously pretending to be this seriously pissed off?

Quiet moments, domestic scenes, muted palettes. Sigh. Lovely. These oil paintings are the work of Melbourne based painter Prudence Flint. Who are these people, and what are they thinking about? I couldn’t find her artist statement, but I did find a really great interview she did with the University of Melbourne, so I’ve pulled a few of my favorite bits:

Initially I thought that, if I was going to be a painter, I’d have to paint mountains and landscapes and important things like that. But in my first year at the VCA the penny dropped and I started painting women. It was as if I realised that it was OK to paint the things I was obsessed with. That was huge for me – it was a really exciting time.

Self-doubt is a big part of my work; all of those unpleasant emotions like shame and guilt and feeling like I don’t deserve space. I’ve learned to make friends with it now. Some people reconcile those things in real life but I tend to do it in my work.

My main model is a friend of mine who’s nearly 30. I’ve painted older women, but the minute you put an older woman in a painting, a bit of grey hair or whatever, the painting becomes very specific, which can be distracting. So for now, I’ve gone back to doing younger women.

I’m always asked where the men are in my work, and why I only ever paint women. Do people ask Peter Booth those types of questions? His male figures represent “humanity”. It is curious to me that my figures are not described in that way.

I’ve always struggled with feeling socially confined but with my work it’s a whole other front – I feel much more free and true to myself. Art is a place where I can really feel the expansiveness of life.

Yes, yes, yes! Happy Monday.

Today is all about graphite drawings and animals… and ceramics, jewelry, stone masonry, teaching, free art, TV shows, celebrity chefs, leprechauns, and a whole bunch of other stuff. I’m talking to Northern Ireland based artist Lee Boyd. You can listen right under those elegant rabbits, or you can subscribe on iTunes.

Let’s start with the piece Lee made based on my photo taken in Venice this summer, because, well, I could look at images of Venice all day loooooong:

Isn’t that great!? Even better and more blush-inducing is his reason for choosing the panther:

“Curiosity satisfied” : Awhile back I spent some time searching out sources of inspiration and found the interviews of artists by The Jealous Curator. She gathered together an array of artists from around the world and asked the questions, and the answers were my company as I created my own work in the studio. Not long ago she posted a picture on Instagram of herself in Venice and I took the opportunity to create this artwork after contacting her for her permission to use it. The phrase “curiosity killed the the cat and satisfaction brought it back” was the perfect anecdote for the composition but rather than any cat, I chose a stronger feline – a black panther – hunting out her passion for art.

So, amazing! I will treasure this forever.

Next up, these images are from the first post I wrote about Lee, Easter 2015:

I may or may not be obsessed with his rabbit drawings.

Oh, and this! These are the shipment container studios he was talking about, aka Project 24. How amazing is this:

I would happily have people wander by and stare in at me … like the panther that I am!

Speaking of cats, this is the drawing that greatly disturbed a woman who had been peeking into Lee’s studio:

… and of course, Sophie herself. Look at that ninja attitude… yep, she could easily take out an aye-aye.

Ok, so from cats to a male chauvinist pig hitting on a swan at the pub:

Leave her alone… she’s clearly not interested.

So, it turns out that Lee did have another {non-nude} aye-aye in his portfolio! And, in case you aren’t familiar with the weird cuteness living in the trees of Madagascar, a real photo of an aye-aye too:

Gah! I need one!

Next, Saatchi Art invites various people to curate collections from time to time. Singer Carly Rae Jepson put a grouping together and chose one of Lee’s works. Rabbits. See I’m not the only one obsessed with them:

Excellent choice, Carly.

Ok, I love this … “SHOW ME THE MONET!”. This is the BBC show that Lee was on. The stories about this were so funny, from falling through the set door to likening the female judge to a duck. Oh, Lee…

The black rabbit, aka his self portrait, was the piece featured on the show and, no surprise, it made it into the final exhibition. I love the meaning behind those empty Ikea shelves. So smart. ps. that final photograph above is from the home of celebrity chef Peter Gordon who ended up buying that drawing! 

And finally, Lee’s new portrait series that he has just embarked on. Portraits of people, with just a hint of animal. Here he is in action:

Beautiful. That’s Lee’s partner, Andrea, and her reflection as a rabbit. Sigh. Gorgeous. Thank you so much to Lee for telling us his hilarious stories, and for giving such insightful advice; thanks to Saatchi Art for not only supporting the episode but also supporting artists far and wide; and of course, thanks to you for listening! There will be more art for your ear next weekend.

Other links:

1. Saatchi Art (yay!)
2. Project 24, Ireland
3. David Kassan’s Art Crit Academy
4. Carly Rae Jepson’s picks on Saatchi Art
5. “Lee Boyd : One to Watch” on Saatchi Art
6. Peter Gordon, Chef
7. Lee on Instagram

Hoozy Thinky Iz? Wayne White, that’s who. Ok, let me start by saying that Wayne is one of my favorite artists ever. I tried to be cool, but alas, I spent the first quarter of this episode having a fan-girl panic attack, and I’m pretty sure you’ll be able to tell. So, to make it more entertaining for yourself, please feel free to take a shot of tequila every time I say, “WOW!” or “relaxed”… (sigh)… yep, embarrassing – but not the beautiful kind. You can listen to our conversation right up there, under that embarrassingly beautiful painting, or you can subscribe on iTunes.

So, I could have talked to Wayne for five more hours, I had so many questions. I wish I’d asked about his amazingly talented/creative wife, Mimi Pond (pictured below hugging Wayne in a giant LBJ puppet head). I didn’t even get to the part about his work on the Smashing Pumpkins Tonight, Tonight video or Peter Gabriel’s Big Time video… and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Oh well, just go watch his film, Beauty is Embarrassing (directed by Neil Berkeley) and you’ll get the gist. Oh, and try not to cry. This is one of my most favorite movies of all time, so that’s where I jumped in:

It really is such a great documentary. Yes, it covers his work and his life, but it also hits all sorts of nerves about getting burnt out, self-doubt (hoozy thinky iz), and finding your way to a place where you’re just creating work that makes you happy. Yep, I cried at least three or four times as I thought, “Yes! Me too!” … and don’t even get me started on Mrs. Stoddard, or when Wayne’s dad starts crying. Yeah, you’re going to need a tissue.

Ok, now for all of you kids from the 1980s, you’ll remember this from Saturday morning TV … Pee-wee’s Playhouse! Wayne was part of the team from the beginning – designing sets, puppets, and he even did a bunch of the voices (Dirty Dog, Randy, one of the flowers, etc etc). Hello, childhood flashback:

Oh, Pee-wee. Good times. “Beauty is Embarrassing” covers all of this so well (including the pre-cursor to Pee-wee’s Playhouse, a Nashville Kids’ Show called Mrs.Cabobbles Caboose)… so again… go watch this movie!

And of course, Wayne’s thrift shop landscape word paintings that I love more than I can say. He does all sorts of amazing things (sculptures, puppets, drawings etc) but these paintings have definitely become something he’s known for:

So hilarious! I have a thing for funny art, probably because it’s pretty hard to find. I just love that he’s taken these forgotten landscapes and turned them into beautifully painted text pieces… text pieces that allow him to say whatever the hell he wants to say! You know, things like “all that fake laughin for nothin”, “just a picture / shunned by scholars / now it costs ten thousand dollars”, and one of my favorites… “just leave the awards on the kitchen table / i’m back here paintin a fuckin masterpiece” … Ha! That makes me LOL, as the kids say.

And finally, this is the book we mentioned a couple of times. Designer Todd Oldham loves Wayne’s work too, and one of the results of that is this beautiful book, “Maybe Now I’ll Get The Respect I So Richly Deserve”:

And that’s that. I am so thrilled that I got to do this with him… and I hope you enjoyed all of your many, many tequila shots. Next time I’ll be super cool. Maybe. Thanks so much to Wayne for taking the time to do this, and thanks to you for listening. There’ll be a special holiday podcast next weekend, but until then, please sit back and relax to this little gem that came out of the good old speed round… the first song that Wayne ever slow danced to: “Poor Side of Town”. Enjoy.

“Identities Now” will be a book comprised of select images submitted by photographers around the globe. The mission is to explore the current state of the photographic portrait through gathering the best work from a diverse cross-section of artists. ~ Peter Hay Halpert of Peter Hay Halpert Fine Art, New York

That could be you! If you’re a portrait photographer, you have until Friday December 3rd to submit your work to be included in this amazing book. Peter Hay Halpert has assembled a very impressive crew* to review the work, and make the selections… is it too late for me to try and be a portrait photographer? Yeah, ok, i know… but it’s not too late for you! Good luck!

* Selection committee shown above:1) David Harris, Design Director, Vanity Fair Magazine  2) Laurie Kratochvil, Photography Editor/Director  3) Sam Shahid, President and Creative Director, Shahid & Company  4) Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, Photographer/Director  5) David Schonauer, former Editor in Chief, American Photo Magazine  6) Peter Hay Halpert, Principal, Peter Hay Halpert Fine Art

Art and fashion have, and always will, go hand in hand. I cannot sew to save my life, but I can absolutely appreciate the creativity and beauty in all of the fashion inspired work shown below. From the artistic minds of designers, illustrators and photographers come the beautiful initial sketches, the elaborate runway shows, the high fashion magazine spreads… and oh yes, let’s not forget the actual clothes themselves!

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Warhol spent the early part of  his career as a commercial illustrator. He worked for Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and the I.Miller shoe company. If you want to see more, you can pick up Andy Warhol Fashion, a book that has gathered up a sampling of this work in a nice little paperback.

I love this. A Wizard of Oz inspired fashion spread, photographed by the amazing Annie Leibovitz. What’s extra special though are the models involved. Dorothy is played by actress Keira Knightly, but her ‘supporting’ cast might leave you feeling like you’ve been hit by a tornado. The tin  man is John Currin, Jasper Johns as the lion, the scarecrow is Brice Marden and the flying monkey is none other than Jeff Koons. Now that’s art and fashion going hand in hand… all the way down the yellow brick road!

Before she started working her magic with a black marker, Charlotte Mann actually studied and worked in fashion design until she truly began to focus on her art. Thank goodness for designer Peter Jensen that she did. This is a set she created for his Resort 2010 presentation. His collection was inspired by photographer Diane Arbus and ‘every aspect of the room [Charlotte] drew is taken from a Diane Arbus photograph, except the wall paper, which is pure Peter Jensen, and every single bunny drawn freehand.’

Gorgeous.

What do you get when you have 7,000 handmade white paper flowers, made out of 4000 square meters of paper, taking a total of 4,800 hours of work to assemble? The stunning cut paper art work that lined the runway of Chanel‘s Spring/Summer show in Paris. And it didn’t stop there. All of the models wore elaborate paper headdresses designed by Japanese hair and makeup artist Katsuya Kamo. Why so much white paper? Karl Lagerfeld, Chanel’s head designer and creative director, explains:

“A white page”…”It’s like a starting point for the story of this new era for which all the details still need to be written. That is why I chose paper as the theme for the couture collection this season. It’s also the fabric that I prefer most… I love paper! Everything begins on paper. Without paper I would be lost!”

Russian born, now New York based, fashion illustrator Eduard Erlikh is the master behind these graceful, multi-layered water colours. Ready to hear a little fashion name dropping? Here’s his client list: vogue usa, vogue germany, vogue sposa italy, vogue japan, elle germany, marie clair france, madame figaro paris, bazaar japan, frau japan,  wallpaper, w, town &country, tush, royalton hotel nyc, tiffany, bloomingdale’s, limited, federated, holt renfrew, nk stil, cinzano italy.

Yep.

Ah, Springtime in Paris. The flowers are in bloom, and art & fashion are more in love than ever. Ok, it was actually October, but love was definitely in the air. New York painter Trey Speegle was commissioned by Stella McCartney to create the backdrop for her Spring 2010 show in Paris this past fall. In his signature paint-by-numbers style he, and a small team, painted this huge YES painting just in time for Stella’s amazing designs to walk down the runway.

{To see video of the show, and a quick interview with Trey, visit Style.com.}

Ah, haute couture. Fine art strutting down a runway instead of hanging on a gallery wall… especially when it’s done by designer John Galliano. Voilà!