Pyramids, flowers, and salad fixin’s… yep, I have a thing for missing faces, and clearly I’m not alone! Buenos Aires based artist/designer Larissa Haily Aguado has a portfolio full of collages featuring people with various objects instead of heads. Hm, what does she do with all of the legs, you ask? Voila…

Love.

Ya know, you think you know someone… and then they show you these?! I wrote about the paintings of American artist Mark Bradley Shoup at least three years ago. Since then, we’ve become friends, and we’re even working on a few projects together {including an art show in February 2013 in Chattanooga, GIRL CRUSH Chattanooga, and hopefully a chance for me to speak at the University while I’m there!}

Anyway, Mark is known for his muted color palettes, and mundane/beautiful Americana landscapes, which I absolutely love. We started talking about collage the other day, and he said “Oh, I do a bit of collage work – I’ll send a few over”… and this is what showed up in my inbox. Um… LOVE!!! Geesh, I wonder what else he’s hiding from me? I’ll have to raid his studio when I’m there in February!

Yep, it’s my birthday… the last one in my 30’s – um, when did that happen?! Anywho, I have always loved my birthday, and today is no exception! I thought I’d share a few of my favorite images from my “random lovely things” pinboard … because, quite frankly, most of them sort of scream birthday! Ok, here we go:

Thanks for being part of my special day… I’m going to spend the rest of the day riding my new pink bike with my lovely husband, and eating chocolate cake. A lot. See you tomorrow!

{1. Glass bubblegum paperweights 2. Painting by Amanda Blake 3. NOW mirror by Doug Aitken 4. Neon/neutral party decor 5. Donut Queen! 6. Donut painting by Emily Eveleth 7. Mixed media cake by Martha Rich 8. YOU LOOK GREAT mirror by Jade Rude 9. Mixed media photograph by Unknown … to me anyway}

Oh my word… I love this piece, titled Necklace, by Australian artist Kate Tucker. I have boxes of found bits and pieces, and I wish that they were hanging on a wall looking like this, rather than sitting in a dusty box in my studio! Gor.ge.ous. {I had to include that final photo so you could see the scale!}. And… if you’re not quite jealous enough, then have a look at these lovely, inky, gouachey, mixed media pieces that were also part of this show:

Sigh.

I can manage a paper crane, but that’s where my folding skills end! I’m in awe of LA based artist/graphic designer Eva Black and her huge installation of paper triangles, titled quite appropriately Folded.

“I began the piece by collecting paper, using all found paper – paper that was given to me, paper I had collected over time, paper from old artworks, paper bags, or paper I bought from old bookstores. The piece has about 3,500 triangles and is about 12 x 13′.

It’s fascinating working with a medium in which a new tactile experience is explored. A medium that is often regarded as common, but has also created strong connections with its viewers. Each has a story to tell, from old maps to smaller paper remnants. These have been taken from their discarded state and folded three-dimensionally to further their transformation. A transformation that finds order in its details. A transformation into something beautiful.”

She’s also a very talented graphic designer – look at the show cards she designed for Folded… Gah! So gorgeous!

Smashed cars, flower arrangements, and large fields of beautifully chosen colors. Seriously, how can I not love these collages {magazine clippings on panel} by American artist Matthew Cusick. They are all from his Happy Endings series, and they do in fact, make me very happy. The end.

{via Escape Into Life}

There are a lot of “365 days of…” projects out there right now, and, yes, this is one of them! A really good one! It’s called The Aldas Project: 366 Drawings for Good {Aldus is the Hungarian word for “blessing”}, and it was created by Philadelphia based artist Kristy Modarelli, beginning on January 1, 2012. Here’s what it’s all about:

The idea for this project is two-fold – a personal challenge to create an original drawing every day, for a year; and to raise money for three of Kristy’s favorite non-profit organizations: 826 National, The Schoerke Foundation, and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. Each original drawing, made of archival materials, will be sold for $100, with $25 going to the buyer’s choice of the three charities.

Good intentions, and gorgeous, geometric drawings… a lovely combination!

{via Inspired to Share}

Whoa. The cut and folded paper illustration work of French- born, San Francisco based, artist Chloe Fleury is, well, gorgeous! Her work for the cover of Anthology’s latest issue is amazing {look at those tiny paper lamps!}, I love those bunny heads, and her 3D San Francisco neighborhood posters… um, and now I totally want an orange popsicle sold to me from a little pink paper truck! If you live in the Bay Area you can literally be part of  the world of Chloe Fleury… her show, titled Color Me Happy – The World of Chloe Fleury, is opening at La Boutique next Friday, April 27th,  from 6 – 8pm {RSVP here}. Here’s a sweet little video to prepare you for Chloe’s lovely, bright, papery world:

Cute! And on that cheery note, happy weekend! See you on Monday!

I wrote about Barcelona based artist Guim Tió Zarraluki last June, but when I stumbled upon this little animation that so beautifully shows his step-by-step process… well, I had no choice but to post it! You know me – I love an altered fashion magazine image, and these oil-pastel covered, strange/beautiful, bug-eyed girls with lovely lips are no exception!

On Friday, I wrote about Mahmood Popal… well, this is the work of his lovely business partner/girlfriend that I mentioned in that post! Toronto based artist Danielle Hession has a portfolio full of beautiful work, but it was this series, titled Imaginary Friends, that got me. These collages make me want to eat cotton candy and pink cupcakes with my best friends… the ones you can see, and maybe a few that only I can see! Shhh…