A list of reasons to be jealous of Montreal based artist Kirsten McCrea, by The Jealous Curator:

A little self-conscious lucha man, & Kim in his shades, & an insanely ornate deer head {that would make gorgeous/painful tattoo}, & a jaunty jockey at a rodeo. Oh, & she also runs Papirmasse, “an affordable art subscription that delivers a print with art on the front, and writing on the back to your mailbox every month for the incredible price of only $5 a month.” …What?! Yep, it’s true.

Oh, that lovely pine cone. My mother is an artist, and I clearly remember her teaching me how to draw a pine cone. She said hold it upside down, and then draw it as a series of shapes instead. So I did… but it did not look like this. Clearly Israeli artist/illustrator Gabriella Barouch has a few of her own tricks for creating gorgeous pine cones… and birds, and folded hands, and deer-headed ladies!

What do you like to color with? Crayons? Paint? How about sand? Yes… sand! Japanese artist Naoshi creates these cute, and slightly bizarre, images using brightly colored sand on art board. In Japan it’s referred to as “SUNAE”. I, however, refer to it as “AWESOME”.

{via Dear Japan NY, a fantastic art project that continues to help Japan after the disaster in March. Their auction/event is on June 4th in New York. Find out more here.}

Ok, I’m not sure if I could pull off any of these looks… it takes a special woman to wear a shark, and not have it wear her, am I right? Well, these lovely ladies had some help form Swedish born, Milan-based artist/illustrator Daniel Egnéus. He transforms his daydreams into washy, beautiful, totally engaging paintings, and I love every single one of them… hmm, what about a goose hat? Do you think I could make that work?

Oh, how I wish I could step into the pages of this wordless book, by Rotterdam based artist Masha Krasnova-Shabaeva… although, the gas masks are a little disconcerting. Oh well, I could deal with that. I think it would be worth it to wander through magnified gardens, ride giant bumper cars in a city square, and spend sunny afternoons poolside with sea lions. Hmm, and maybe after a dip in that pool I’ll grab my crayons and get started on those fantastic coloring book pages. See… who needs words? This story really just writes itself!

{Thank you to my nameless friend at Junkculture for knowing that I’d love Masha’s work… xo}

I have to admit, I’ve had a hard time writing light-hearted posts every day since the disaster in Japan. I can’t even begin to imagine what the people there are going through. My heart goes out to everyone whose life has been changed by these catastrophic events. Much love to you all. If you’re able to, donate now to the Canadian Red Cross, or to the American Red Cross.

{A few of my favorite Japanese artists: 1. Yuko Takada Keller 2. Yasuhide Kunimoto 3. Toshiaki Uchida I hope all of them, and their families, are safe.}

Ahh, Paris… home to croissants, fancy poodles and Ma + Chr, a design studio created by Mathilde Aubier and Christine Delaquaize. So, where should I begin with my list of things to be jealous of? I already mentioned that they live in Paris, right? Right, ok, then, moving on. Well, how about the fact that they cover the spectrum when it comes to creative endeavors… print, textiles, mixed media, web, interior design! Basically, if it’s creative, they do it. Oh, and of course, those cats! I love those cats with their giant, vintage lady eyes! Yep, je suis très jaloux.

Sigh. These lovely drawings by Dublin-based designer/illustrator Denise Nestor are exactly what I’m in the mood to be jealous of today… something soft, beautiful, and chock-full of amazing artistic skill {…and the bunny ears are just icing on the cake!}

{via my love for you}

So, when I say I’m jealous of INSPIRED, what I actually mean is that I’m jealous of curator Brian Downey, of The Arts Company in Nashville, for coming up with the concept of this brilliant show! Oh sure, it  just looks like a regular two-man show, but as we speak there are two special pieces covered in black paper waiting to be unveiled this Saturday night. Illustrator Julianna Swaney {Portland} and printmaker John Welles Bartlett {New York} will be showing their work side-by-side, but under that black paper are pieces created by each of them, completely inspired by the other… hence the name of the show! Sigh. So smart. I wish I could be in Nashville for the big reveal… someone take photos and send ‘em my way, ok? Thank you!

{INSPIRED ~ The Arts Company, Nashville, September 4 ~ September 25}

ps. not all of the images above will be in the show… they just happened to be a few of my favourites!

This book is amazing… well, exquisite actually. Julia Rothman, Jenny Volvovski,  and Matt Lamothe of Also, a small American design company, are the creators of The Exquisite Book {which, fyi, just became available for purchase two days ago}. The book features 100 contemporary fine artists, illustrators, designers and comic artists, each of whom were “given the page that precedes theirs to connect their own image to. They needed to extend the horizon line of the last page onto their page.” Such a great collaborative idea, with absolutely gorgeous results! Oh boy, that Christmas list of mine is just getting longer and longer by the second.