Oh. My. Those beautiful blue eyes are piercing my soul… and I like his sorbet-hued “beard” too! These are the gorgeous oil paintings of Spanish artist Andrea Castro. Loose, messy brush strokes and perfectly painted portraits living in blissful harmony. I always admire artists that take the time, and possess the skills, to create “perfect” pieces… but I have to admit, I admire them even more when they have the courage to just let loose and go wild all over those “perfect” pieces. Andrea clearly fits into that category! #trustyourself #tooscaryforme

Ok, this might be the longest post ever, but this show is just so gorgeous, I had to show you everything! I was thrilled when the Bedford Gallery asked me to curate a show in their lovely space… and after almost a year of planning, it finally opened on December 7th! The Bedford gave me carte blanche, so I decided to bring my book, Creative Block, to life! We have work from 20 of the 50 artists, unblocking stations set up so that people can try a few exercises from the book, and some of my most favorite pull-quotes are on the wall in vinyl lettering. Have a look, and I’ll see you at the bottom of this gigantic recap…

Ahhhh! So exciting! Six of the artists came to the opening from as far as Chicago and New York… it was an amazing night! So many friends, collectors, art enthusiasts, kids, and even a chihuahua {sorry, no photo of him!}. The days following the opening were action packed too. I did an indepth walkthrough with the 60+ docents that volunteer at the gallery {so many amazing people!}, and artist Trey Speegle was still in town so he stopped by to chat about his work, the book, etc. I also went to a sound studio and recorded the voiceover for the show! You know when you can rent the headset at a gallery to get the details on each piece… yep, I got to record that! Later that night we had Q&A event at the gallery… it was a packed house!

And finally, the badges. I designed these as section headers in the creative talk that I give, and so when Carrie Lederer, the gallery director, asked if I wanted to make anything for their gift shop I said, “YES. Actual, embroidered creative scout badges!” and she made it happen! Originally they were only available at the Bedford, but, I’ve arranged to have them in my online gallery too {$17.50 for the set}, so now anyone anywhere in the world can have them! They’re the merit badges you earn as a creative person. None of us are alone when it comes to asshole-ish inner critics, or being burnt by criticism, or the fact that we love making stuff. We’re all in one giant, supportive, amazing creative club… so put those badges on, and wear them with pride!

Well, there you have it. The show is still up until February 1, so if you find yourself in the Bay Area over the next couple of months you should totally go! Thanks again to the Bedford… Carrie, Eric, Christine… you guys are amazing, and I loved every second of my time with you! xo

ps. Thanks to WCTV for doing this interview/peek inside the show with me!

I wrote about San Francisco based artist Vincent Serritella in April of 2013. He was giving away a free drawing every day {?!} and I was dead set on getting one of his blow-pops… and I did! That’s mine right up there! Anywho, he finished that 365 project and has moved on to a new series titled “52 Pickup” {he’s making a free piece of art to be “picked up” once a week, every week for “52 weeks”… clever, yes?} Here’s his description of the project, and how it works:

“As mega corporations continue to grow, it’s proving harder and harder for unique small businesses to survive. With that in mind, this time around I’d like to use my art, the web, and social media as conduits to help support small businesses. How it works: I do an original drawing once a week for a full year and send it to a business (either within the US or internationally). I’ll then publish a post on my Medium account with the business’ address and a little information about what they do and why I chose them. Whoever is following the project in that town and goes to that business in person to pick it up can have it for FREE! In return, I only ask that you support that business in some way and post about it online to help spread awareness.” ~ Vincent Seritella

An amazing artist, and a ridiculously kind/giving guy! Just follow along on his Facebook page to see where the newest FREE piece can be picked up. I wonder if there’ll be another blow-pop? I’d go just about anywhere for another one those!

Sigh. I was lucky enough to see some of this work in progress when I popped in for a quick visit to Kris Knight‘s Toronto studio this past September. I love everything that he paints, but those last two pieces… the boys in their summer hats… GOR.GE.OUS! Gorgeous and absolutely perfect for Kris’s latest show. You can see this work in Miami at Spinello Projects – an Art Basel popup show – but it closes today! If you’re in Miami get yourself over there immediately, because these boys are absolutely stunning {and big!} in person. ps. That green visor is killing me.

And the winner is…. HOPE THIER! Congratulations, Hope! I’ll be in touch to get your mailing address. Thanks to everyone that entered… it looks like a fabulous book. Here’s to making our own paint in 2015! ; )

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Ah, so inspiring! Doesn’t this make you want to live off the land… or at least try making your own art supplies!? Vermont based author, artist, educator Nick Neddo has written this book, “The Organic Artist” to teach all of us how to do exactly that. Paints, paper, paint brushes, oh, and charcoal pencils made with branches… I want to make all of it! This book hits shelves in January, but since I have no self control, I’m going to do a giveaway today {Nick will ship a copy to the winner as soon as it’s available}. So, leave a comment below and I’ll draw one winner on Monday December 15 at noon PST.

{If you can’t wait, you can also preorder the book at QBookshop, Amazon, or Barnes & Noble}

Colorful explosions of paint/ink, and totally controlled graphite living in perfect harmony. Sigh. This is the beautifully composed mixed media work of American artist Kim Largey … she also does some really cool abstract sculpture, but for me, it was all about those very orderly fences holding back that clearly out of control paint. Love.

This is a painting series {yes, they’re paintings!} titled “Selfie” by Swiss artist Urban Saxer. I love this take on a self portrait, and at 41″x39″, I love them even more! Gorgeous color palettes, amazing technique, and what I assume are the most comfortable shirts ever. I want that plaid button up… it looks perfect for the Canadian winter that I have ahead of me!

{found on Saatchi Art}

I wrote about Brooklyn based, Australian artist Liesl Pfeffer YEARS ago. I featured her series of mountain collages, but when I saw this new work, titled “Garden Study”, I knew it was time to write again! I’m seeing cactus and succulents in a lot of work at the moment, but I haven’t come across any others that made out of lakes and skies… sigh… I would love to spend an afternoon in this garden.

I cannot even express how much I love this. I wrote about both of these artists during 2014… the first is the paper-sculpture work of San Francisco based artist Tiffanie Turner, and the second is the manipulated photographic work of UK based artist Simone Truong. Have a look:

Gorgeous, right? Well they thought so too! Tiffanie saw Simone’s work when I wrote about it, and reached out to see if Simone would be up for doing a collaboration… she said YES! Amazing! Here’s the result:

Gasp! Tiffanie’s paper flowers melting like birthday cake icing in July! Here is their joint statement about this project:

“Although working in different mediums, different scales and even different countries, artists Simone Truong and Tiffanie Turner both have one element in common; their subject matter. Flora are at the center of both of their works, inevitably forging an exploration into the difference in scale and mediums. In this new work, Truong strays away from exploring the transitionary states that occur in natural phenomena to embrace the delicate and still beauty of Turner’s giant, intricate paper flowers. By scaling these large, explosive blooms back down to a size manageable on the printed page, Truong captures their solitary beauty in a way their original capacity never would have granted. Truong and Turner worked together to find the tension and balance in these compositions, which were executed by Truong in her UK studio.”

Love. You can find & buy these lovely pieces right here.

And the winners are… Jay Barnham (UK), and Jill Ehlert (Can)! Congratulations! {I’ll email both of you to get your mailing addresses.} Thank you to everyone that entered, and thanks so much to Jp King for giving away two of his gorgeous calendars! If you’d like to buy one, you can find them at his site here. ps. Yet another giveaway coming up this Friday – stay tuned : )

Ahhh, I love this so much… a stunning, super designy, neon-hued calendar by Toronto based artist Jp King {he’s a featured artist in my book, “Collage”!} This is one of his projects done through Paper Pusher, his experimental Risograph print and design studio. Last year he gave me one for my office and I love it so much, which you’ll know if you follow me on instagram… I take a photo of it on the first of every month because each design is more gorgeous than the last! Anywho, the 2015 version has just come off the Paper Pusher presses, and Jp has offered to give TWO of them away to TWO of you! YAY! Leave a comment below and I’ll draw TWO names on Monday at 9am PST. Good luck!

ps. It’s only $24, so if you want to buy one, please do! Click here >