Okay, as a control freak, this work makes my chest a little tight. Look at that hand in the final photograph? Or the head in the first image? How did he? What the? Whoa. These stunning, while completely accidental, compositions are the work of German artist Martin Klimas. And, not only are the final images exciting, so is the process! The vases were shot with steel bullets {yep!}, and this is Martin’s process for the Porcelain Figures series:

“From a height of three meters, porcelain figurines are dropped on the ground, and the sound they make when they hit trips the shutter release. The result: razor-sharp images of disturbing beauty, more than the sum of its parts. Temporary sculptures made visible to the human eye by high-speed photography. The porcelain statuette bursting into pieces isn’t what really captures the attention; the fascination lies in the genesis of a dynamic figure that seems to stop/pause the time and make time visible itself.”

The moral of today’s story… magical things can happen when you take a few risks.

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A post shared by Cheryl Sorg de Mollerat Du Jeu (@cherylsorg) on Aug 24, 2019 at 2:00pm PDT

Tape artist. That’s how California based artist Cheryl Sorg describes herself… and, clearly, it’s accurate. I’ve written about Cheryl before {2016}, I quoted her daughter on the first page of my book, “Your Inner Critic Is A Big Jerk”, and I’ve been watching over the years as she’s taken her work out of her home studio, to street corners around the world, and onto gorgeous gallery walls. Enter “To Reach The Clouds”. Her latest show, at The Hill Street Country Club*, is filled with shiny tape rainbows, upside-down raindrops that dance on the wall {watch the video above}, and beautiful installations made with her latest favorite material… dichroic film. You can see all of this work in person, and you can even buy your own “Portal of Hope” to stick wherever a little hope, love, and color is needed. The show runs until September 24th, 2019. Go.

*Linksoul at 530 S. Coast Hwy., Oceanside, CA

OH. Yes, that was exactly my thought, too.

Um, is this real?! Well, depending on the dimension you inhabit, I suppose. I certainly wish I could live in a world filled with fluffy pink clouds surrounded by bands ‘n dots of neon light floating in perfect blue skies. This is the digital work of Swedish artist David Stenbeck, aka @dovneon on Instagram. The second I saw scroll by in my ‘ordinary world’ feed, I knew this was a place I wanted in on.

psst… Burning Man 2019 kicked off yesterday, so writing about a neon hula-hoop, hugging a pink cloud of smoke, floating in the desert just felt right, ya know.

Sigh. Perhaps it’s the overwhelming 24 hour news cycle we currently live in, but today I’m finding great comfort in the simplicity of good old milk & cookies, a big bowl of breakfast cereal, and a dinosaur who really loves ice cream. These beautifully executed oil paintings are the work of American artist Robert C. Jackson, a former electrical engineer. Yep. Happy Friday.

*All pieces shown above are 40″x30″, oil on linen

When the materials list reads … lava stone beads, golden threads … yeah, I’m going to write about it. This installation, titled “Nebula”, is the most recent work of Toronto based artist Xiaojing Yan:

“Inspired by volcano eruptions and cosmos explosions, ‘Nebula’ takes viewers into a surrealist environment far beyond reality, across time, space and dimensions. Once volcanic eruptions swipe out original landscapes, fertile lands are created. Nebulae are formed by a collapse of astronomical clouds or planets that may in turn become a stellar nursery for the birth of new stars. Both nebulae and volcanoes share the similarity of accumulating millions of years of energy to reach its button for “reset”. Through the installation, Yan represents the moment where all past experiences collide to form a burst of infinite possibilities beyond ones original existence.”

Stunning.

{I found her gorgeous work via Lonsdale Gallery, Toronto}

Photogrembroiderwax. Okay, so here’s the thing… there’s no one simple category to pop this work into. Ethereal photography, delicate embroidery, tiny beads, and painterly wax all existing in this quiet, dreamy world created by Australian artist Marisa Veerman. Speaking of dreamy, here is her poetic artist statement:

“I have developed my techniques through a deep personal desire to find a peaceful silence.
To pause in an in between place. 
Stitching is a deliberate act of taking time.
To linger. 
To move forward slowly, quietly and with consideration.” 

Marisa has a new show about to open at Lethbridge Gallery in Brisbane. It’s titled IN ALL SHE IS and is open from  September 14th through October 1, 2019.

“presence of absence” and “where two worlds touch ii”… the titles of these two earthly bodies of work by Oregon based artist Mary Baum.

Her work deals with themes of belief and mysticism; the connection between the natural and spiritual worlds; and the relationship between magic and miracle. 

Any magic involving shattered glass, soil, sand, and stone is okay by me … sigh. Beautiful.

… and the winner is… REBECCA POTTS! Thank you so much to everyone who entered for a chance to win a copy of this gorgeous children’s book. “A Life Made by Hand – The Story of Ruth Asawa” by Andrea D’Aquino will be on shelves on September 3rd, 2019 so be sure to pick up a copy!

Love, love, looooooove! An artist I love, telling the story of another artist I love… could Monday get any better?  This is the latest book by New York based mixed media artist/illustrator Andrea D’Aquino. It’s titled “A LIFE MADE BY HAND. THE STORY OF RUTH ASAWA” and it is so, so, so lovely! This beautifully illustrated, very sweet storybook about an important Japanese American artist will be on shelves this September, but you can preorder it right this very minute. You could also leave a comment below because I’m GIVING AWAY ONE COPY of this beauty to one of you beauties! I’ll draw one name this Friday August 23rd and, yes, everyone from everywhere is eligible because that’s how I roll. Happy Monday.

Embroidery {and on two of the boys, inkjet as well} on found images. Oh, the work of London based artist Julie Cockburn. LOVE. After my post on Tom Butler’s gouache paintings earlier this week, I got a bunch of comments asking if I knew Julie’s work. I do, and I love it! I’ve already written about her, but when I checked the post it was WAY back in 2012!? Well, that’s far too long! Stunning compositions, gorgeous palette choices, and insane stitching skills. Again, LOVE. Happy Friday.

Oh, so much fantasticness. I’m referring to the entire portfolio of Rotterdam based artist Joris Kuipers. After much debate {with myself} I ended up deciding to feature this installation, titled “Suspended relief 004”, that he displayed at Object Rotterdam in 2018. Breathtaking, no?

“Kuipers’ work consists room-filling installations, wall reliefs, sculptures and works on paper. Characteristic of his work is the layered structure of two-dimensional elements … Crystallization and fanning out, concentration and flow, presence and absence, are his current thinking and working framework.”

Exactly! “… installations, wall reliefs, sculptures and works on paper”. Please go look at his recent wall reliefs because they are GORGEOUS!