Um… little houses AND embroidery? Yes. This is a direct path to my heart! I wrote about Amsterdam based artist Hagar Vardimon-van Heummen last year, and then yesterday I saw her latest body of work… well, you know I had to post it! These pieces are from a series titled “Lonely Houses”. Hm, they wouldn’t be lonely if they were hanging together in my house! But wait, there’s more! Look at these strange little gems:

Sigh. Gorgeous. And with that, have an amazing weekend! Make sure you come by on Tuesday… it’s my 1000th post, which can only mean one thing – it’s time for “THE 1000th POST GIVE-AWAY EXTRAVAGANZA!!!!” Seriously. Some amazing artists have donated work that I’ll be bundling up and sending off to one of you! Can I get a ‘woot woot’!

Whoa. Lovely, and kinda weird…. my favorite combo! These portraits are the work of American artist Serena Cole. I was in Minneapolis in June, and I wish I was still there because Serena has a show opening at SooVAC on September 15th. If you’re there… go!

Well hello sweetness! I found these gouachie little gems on Buy Some Damn Art today. They are the work of American artist Jane Schmidt, and I think they are just the loveliest things ever! Candy-hued backgrounds, strange vintage bits n’ pieces, and oh my… that pig with his Paris snow globe… ♥

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.

Ah, the muted palettes, mundane subject matter, and delicate white keylines of Melbourne based photographer Damien Rudd. Ok, I’ll be honest… it was the combo of the sunny eggs, and the peach panties that totally got me.

{via Fine Line Magazine}

I thought this was perfect for the last day of the long weekend! This is a pretty funny/very relatable drawing project by Barcelona based artist Soledad Penadés. It’s titled “Summer Struggle”, due to Soledad’s seasonal attempt to clear out her closet. Let’s just say, she has a hard time saying goodbye to the old friends stashed away in there… oh, just to be clear, I’m talking about the clothes that she loves. She doesn’t have actual friends living in her closet… I hope. Anyway, she has documented all of these beloved bits and pieces in a lovely visual journal that you can find right here.

ps. I have those shoes too, and I will never throw them out. Ever.

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.

My goodness ~ so many childhood memories come rushing back to me when I look at these paintings by Canadian artist Janet Hill…. my fancy ruffle blouse saved for picture day at school, prancing around in my mom’s high heels, and making pickles in my grandmother’s kitchen. Sigh… good times.

{via Artsy Forager on Pinterest}

Atoms, and spikes, and hives, oh my! The ceramic work of Brooklyn based artist Pamela Sunday is killing me. I want to pick them up, touch them, and most importantly… own all of them! She is inspired by nature and science, and I am inspired by her ~ sigh ~ such beautiful work.

Ok, apparently these striking images are photographs. I have no idea how Montreal based photographer Jessica Eaton created this work. Mind you, that’s part of the reason I love them so much… they are an artsy mystery to me! If you’re not happy with a mystery, and want a little more info, here is a quote from her bio on the Clint Roenisch Gallery site that might help explain… maybe:

Using a wide array of experimental, analogue-based photographic techniques such as colour separation filters, multiple exposures, dark slides and in-camera masking Jessica Eaton builds images on sheets of 4×5 film that address fundamental properties of photography such as light, chance, duration, illusion and spatial relations.

{Thanks to my friend Patrick for pointing me to Jessica’s amazing work.}