Gasp! Vintage images that have been found, copied, mirrored, and folded into beautiful installations by American artist Nicole Crock. Both of these stunning pieces are from her series titled Tessellate… I think my heart might be tessellating a little bit.

I’m so excited to finally tell you guys about this! Last April, The Land of Nod asked me to collaborate with them on a series of “Jealous Curator” art collections for nurseries & kids rooms… um, OK! I immediately reached out to ten artists who I thought would be perfect for the Spring collection. I chose them as a curator, but I also had my mom hat firmly on! You see, when my son was a baby, I had a really hard time finding cool art for his room – art that he would like, but also something that I wanted to look at while rocking him in the middle of the night, and during diaper changes, and when we were lying on the floor pretending to be [insert any farm animal here].  That’s what this collection is all about. I chose fun, fresh, candy-hued pieces that your little ones will love, but that can also transition smoothly into the “grown-up” areas of your home… you know, art that you’d be happy to hang in the living room when your baby turns seven and decides to cover his walls in Minecraft posters. Trust me, it happens.

I’ve had to keep this collaboration top secret until the Spring 2015 collection was finally released, and at long last, it’s here! I’m beyond thrilled with this grouping, and so honored to have been able to work with these ten incredibly talented artists. Watercolors, embroidery, paintings and photographs… I love each of them on their own, but also kinda crazy love how they work together! Here’s more info on the full collection {snatched from the LoN site}:

And a closer view of each one {links at the bottom}:

Ahhh, I love them all so, so much. {ps. there are only 100 of each piece!} Thank you to The Land of Nod for bringing me into the family, and thank you to the artists… you’re all insanely talented, kind, and really fun to work with!

1. Sarah Gee  2. Stephanie K Clark  3. Trey Speegle  4. Cassia Beck  5. Aimee Bee Brooks  6. Alice Ferrow  7. Valerie Chiang  8. Joël Penkman  9. Alicia Bock  10. Melissa Ryder

Sigh… collapse and decay has never looked so beautiful. This is the gorgeous, really BIG, layered mixed media collage work of American artist Seth Clark. I wrote about him in 2011 and, after seeing his new work, I’m writing again! I love Seth’s artist statement/description of his process, so I’ll let him do the talking today:

“My work focuses on deteriorating architecture. I see an inherent honesty in the face of my subject. These man-made structures, designed to be huge forces of permanence, are now collapsing in on themselves. Among all of the clutter—the shards of wood and layers of rubble—there remains a gentle resolve. It is as if the buildings were content with their circumstance. As I work, I study these structures incessantly. They are on the brink of ruin, yet appear dignified in their state. Something very energized and present is trying to escape out of a slow history of abandonment.

These images are created through an ambitious layering process. I collage with found paper to reflect the fragmented and complex tactility of decay. Once a dimensional foundation is achieved, various mixed media are used to bring definition and depth to these raw materials. The processes of collage and drawing alternate between themselves lending to a seamless blend of the two mediums.”

Love. ps. most of this work ranges in the 4 – 6 foot range!

Rich, colorful gouache and portraits of women… two of my most favorite things! Speaking of “two”, how fabulous are these two-faced ladies by Stockholm based artist/illustrator Amanda Senneby?! I want all 3 of them… or 6 of them? Anywho, this series is titled “You & You” – here is Amanda’s statement:

[These are] portraits of unknown women. Women are often portrayed in a specific way, passive and simple. I wanted to show the diversity of a person, we are often more than what shows.

{prints available on “Arrivals”}

Flowing bubble gum, gold dipped mountain tops, and hot pink slices through the landscape. Yep, I am totally in awe, and completely in love with the work of Spanish painter Paco Pomet. Stunning monochrome oil paintings {that would be amazing all on their own} made even more stunning by a perfectly bizarre, colorful pop of surrealism… love.

{via Honestly WTF / Artful Desperado}

This is my last day in Hawaii, and I can’t leave without writing a post about Pegge Hopper. She was born in California, and studied painting in Los Angeles. She lived Milan working as an illustrator for two years, and then moved to Honolulu in 1963 to work as an art director at a local agency. It was a visit to the state archives that would change everything… she found old photographs of native Hawaiians and was inspired to start painting again, and boy did she!  She opened her own gallery in Honolulu’s Chinatown in 1983 and hasn’t looked back! Her color palettes are stunning, and I love the combination of the solid dresses and detailed faces/hands. So simple. So unique. So Hawaiian.

Simple, clean, quiet. I love the work {especially the boats!} of Kona, Hawaii based painter Jason Wright. He studied painting & graphic design, which is pretty obvious when looking at these gorgeous, beautifully composed oil & acrylic pieces on panel. Here are Jason’s words about his work:

“I paint what I see.  You can stand anywhere in the world, look any direction, and you will see hard vs soft. The terra with its hard geometric lines against the sky and its fluidity.”

Handmade sewing needle perforations through paper. Seriously. This is the stunning work of Hawaii based artist {and Associate Professor of Art at the University of Hawaii at Monoa} Wendy Kawabata. I’m going to let her explain what this series, titled “Blind Worlds” is about:

This series looks at a range of social engagement from pacifism to activism, 

futility, rebuilding; the paths we travel, the ones we donʼt, the urge to protect, 

to defend, or withdraw; the voices heard, the ones drowned out. Wrapping 

thread, piercing paper with a needle, or staining and seaming together paper, 

reveal a process that is overt in its construction and economy, and provide 

a space for quiet, reconciliation, and attentiveness. The repetition is the insistence 

and pressure of exterior environment onto interior experience.

I have loved the watercolor work of Hawaii-born artist Kiana Mosley for quite awhile, so clearly it only makes sense that I stalk her, I mean follow her, on instagram… she has so much amazing work there! Kiana calls them “studies”, I call them “gah, where can I get this!?” She has always been a master of florals, but she’s recently been playing around with sake cups/vessels and I love them so much. In fact, I’ve even convinced her to sell a few of these {and a couple more} in my gallery! YAY! I think that calls for a pina colada by the pool … I’ll ask them to put it in a sake cup. And so, until tomorrow,

Ahhh, Hawaii. I wrote about Honolulu based artist Brenda Cablayan when I was here just over a year ago, and she seemed like the perfect painter to kick off my week in Maui. Her everyday scenes of local life make me want to turn my vacation into something a little more permanent… you know, something along the lines of moving into in a little pink house, just down a sun-drenched lane from the beach. Sigh.