SEA GLASS! I love sea glass, and have collected it periodically over the years… but I could never figure out what to do with it. Well, UK based artist Jonathan Fuller clearly had a plan for the bits of wave-worn glass he’s gathered along the Cornish coastline. Beautifully gradated sea glass, embedded into cut wood panels. Ahh, so lovely.

Oh, this is such a sad, beautiful, inspiring project, titled “If We Lived Here” by Portland based artist Paula Rebsom. Usually my posts are quite short, but I had to give you the full {although, slightly shortened} story. Here’s where Paula’s story begins:

Thirty-one years ago, when my mother was 3 months pregnant with me, a harsh winter forced my parents off the farm that has been in our family for over 50 years. The 1,300-acre farm is tucked away in the little Badlands of North Dakota and only accessible by 9 miles of scoria road. After my parents’ left the farm they moved to nearby Dickinson, the land was rented to neighbors and the home was rented out to a couple that left the home in such disarray it was no longer safe for human occupancy. That is when the barn swallows, rabbits, raccoons and mice began to settle into their new home… Last February, after my grandmother gave my parents power of attorney over the property, they burned down the farmhouse, barns and chicken coup for liability concerns … This past September I returned to North Dakota and built a 16-foot tall by 40-foot wide billboard like replica of the home with the assistance of my father just over the hill from where the original homestead was:

I used the last image taken of the home before it was burned as my model for the front of the structure and attached 20 birdhouses that spell out the words “If we lived here, I’d be home by now.” to the back of it.

In its simplest form “If We Lived Here” was built in an attempt to provide shelter for the birds that were displaced when their home was destroyed. In it’s most complex form it is a quiet and haunting, ghostlike reminder of what was, what is no longer, and what may never be. It holds memories far beyond my years and comprehension while at the same time providing a new presence of hope and possibilities for this rural landscape. The landscape my mom was raised on, the land that her and my father would try to make a living off of, a place that I dreamed as a child to call home, the land my sister and I will someday inherit.

See? Sad, beautiful, and oh so inspiring.

Oh my goodness. Brooklyn based artist Claire Oswalt and her wooden paper dolls {ok, I realize that’s not a ‘thing’, but I couldn’t figure out how to describe these amazing pieces?!} are my newest obsession. Graphite and paper on wood, that I assume can pivot thanks to those little pins… although, let’s be honest, I would never have the guts to move these girls into different positions – yep, I’m a rule follower, plus, their perfect symmetry is part of why I love them oh so much.

These arrived in my inbox the other day. Yep, I love this “job”! Chilean artist, Pascuala Lira made my heart skip a beat with her lovely compositions, gorgeous color choices, and yes, I kinda love that lady behind the couch! Blue-soled shoes? Amazing. These pieces are from her painting portfolio, and I thought I had my post… and then I discovered her “lumber” portfolio:

Gor.Ge.Ous. On that note, have a happy weekend! I’m going to spend mine looking for scrap wood.

Ooh, a flash from the past! I love vintage imagery, especially old packaging & advertising. Clearly, American artist Dennis Bredow does too. Found images that have been cropped and mounted to wood panel, with just the right amount of  acrylic paint. And, for obvious reasons, I think this one might be my favorite:

Ha! Remember that ad? Well, I’ve got my brush and pen… still waiting for the money to start rolling in… any day now!

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}

Yep, I have a thing for portraits. I also have a thing for work that combines beautiful detail, with absolutely no detail. Oh, and let’s not forget the fact that I have a thing for wood grain. Ok, clearly I have no choice but to have a thing for the work of Berlin based artist Tilo Uischner. Sigh ~ that woman’s lovely face, and gently crossed hands… ♥

So, a few weeks ago I found these amazing little arrowheads, by American artist Britt Bass, on Pinterest {via Kate Roebuck}.

So cool, right? Yep, I loved them right away! And then today, I was poking around on the always fabulous curate1k, and found more work by Britt… also in the ‘arrow family’:

Gasp! I love them so much. The real trick, of course, is deciding which ones to buy… pink? gold? neon red?! I literally cannot decide… {please stand by as I take a quick break in the writing of this post.} Ok, I just popped over to her Etsy shop and bought the final pair in this post…. Pink, gold, neon red it is! YAY!

Ooh, look what appeared in my inbox on Friday afternoon! Lovely, neon, geometric laser cut wood & styrene sculptures by Denver based artist Sandra Fettingis. LOVE! These were just a few of my favorites, but there are 23 new works in this show, titled “Tell Me When You Hear Me Falling”. You can see all of them at City O’ City {206 13th Avenue, Denver, CO} from March 13th – April 8th. Ok, I’m going back to my inbox to see what else is in there!

Every day I take my laptop to the same lovely coffee shop to write my posts. And everyday a lovely young woman, named Lauren Brevner, makes me a yummy latte. I knew that she was an artist, but she hasn’t wanted to show me her work… but I a few days ago I convinced her, and look what I found!

Yep. Fantastic, right? These are all works in progress, but I love them just the way they are! Lovely paintings on wood, and hand-made ceramic ball-jointed dolls! She is completely self taught, and actually just found out that she was accepted into art school this coming September – of course! How could they not have accepted her with a portfolio like this! I can’t wait to see how her work changes and grows over the next few years ~ good luck Lauren! xo