Washy, sexy, and oh so breathtaking – this is the amazing work of Stockholm based artist/illustrator Cecilia Carlstedt. Those lips! Those beautiful faces! Gah – I love them all! Quick question though… how is this so washy, yet detailed at the same time? Gor.Ge.Ous. Cecilia has been commissioned by a very long list of clients including Vogue, H&M, Paul Smith, The New York Times, Elle… and the list goes on. She also does a lot of personal work  – oh look, here’s some now:

Love.

I feel like I have to mention that Netherlands based artist Arnout van Albada paints all sorts of still-life objects… meat, cheese, rhubarb, butter, cans, peaches, vases, fish, bagels, raspberries… and the list goes on. I, however, could only focus on the jello molds and toilet paper. Hm. Not sure what that says about me, but I can tell you that all of his work {eitempera and oil on panel} is absolutely something to swoon over. So, so, so beautiful – yep, even the TP {um, is that a tiny 2-ply dolphin?!}

Tape and paper and paint, oh my!

This is an exclusive preview of  Jessica Bell‘s brand new mixed media work! Ack – we’re so lucky! They are absolutely gorgeous… and I wish I could show you the scale because they’re HUGE {50″x43″}. Now, on top of being new, gorgeous, and huge, these are also the pieces that landed Jessica a spot as a finalist for Canada’s coveted RBC Prize this year. She, and fourteen other finalists, will have their work shown at the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa this October, with the grand prize being awarded at a fancy gala on October 2nd. My fingers and toes are crossed for Jessica. She is an amazing artist {clearly}, and probably the sweetest person you’ll ever meet! Send her winning thoughts, ok? Ready? GO!

I realllllly want to kick this post off with something like, “Take two and call me in the morning”. However, along with the gorgeous pillows and empty pill packs, there are some really lovely shampoo bottles in there too, so how about:  “Take a shower, THEN take two and call me in the morning”. There – that works, right? These amazing oil paintings are the beautifully mundane work of UK based artist Alex Hanna. Sigh. So good. They’re so good in fact, that now I want a quick nap… on a squishy pink pillow, of course.

{via Artsy Forager ~ welcome back Lesley!}

Ok. I had to include these details, otherwise you would never believe that these are acrylic paintings! Yep, really, really big acrylic paintings, made to look like low-res digital glitches. They are the work of Spanish artist Alejandro Bombín, and they make my brain hurt just a tiny bit {in a really, really good way}.

I want to live in the work of Baltimore based artist Alyssa Dennis. Yep, I might just pack a few things, and move right into these whimsical, yet very structured/architectural drawings {graphite, pastel, colored pencil, gouache}… and I almost could because they’re really BIG. Some of these pieces are 42″x52″! Ok, fine, I’d have to crouch a little, and share my room with a fox, but I could totally make it work.

Ooooh! Mysterious icebergs by Canadian artist Rebecca Chaperon – oh so gorgeous! This is Rebecca’s latest body of work, titled Antarticus, which is still “in progress” – you know what that means, right? MORE large-scale icebergs are on their way! But, don’t worry – while you’re waiting, she’s got lots and lots of other mysterious things in her portfolio too:

Kinda spooky, yes? Hm… I wonder how much black paint she goes through in a month? ♥

{oh! I just heard from Rebecca on the subject of her black paint supply! Ready?  …. ” ps. Nerdy painting fact: Actually most of that paint was green and reddish transparent layers which combine to make the darkness. So my black paint supply stays pretty moderate but man-oh-man am I ever obsessed with creating murky greens!”}

Yes. More rocks. Geodes, to be specific. Clearly I cannot get enough of these little wonders of nature, and so when I saw these paintings by Cecelia Phillips I knew I’d be writing about them. What I love almost as much as her work, is her explanation for why she paints these amazing objects:

“I kind of believe in fate.

Several months ago I met a woman who was straightening my hair. It happened to be her birthday, and she happened to tell me that she was going hunting for geodes to celebrate.
No shit, I said. I’ll make you a geode painting as a present.
As I began to explore the subject matter of a geode, I realized that they embody a lot of who I am and what I believe in artistically – a little bit of kitsch, a smidge of bling, a little crusty on the outside and gleaming from within. They are worlds within themselves, private galaxies of color and space, and I love to paint them. Moreover, they are secret, hidden from the rest of the world, just waiting for a inquisitive and creative person to crack them open. I share these with you in the hopes that you are such a kindred spirit passing by on chance.”

{Thanks to Rebecca Rothfus, an amazing artist herself, for sending me a link to Cecelia’s work}

I’ll be taking a little break this summer… not from here {I’ll still be here every day}, but I will be taking a tiny vacay from guest posting, just until September, so I wanted to say:

Ok. I have to admit, it’s really hard to stop!

I’m slightly addicted to my ART GOES HERE posts on Victoria Smith’s lovely site, SFGirlByBay.com. I’ve already started pinning minimal rooms to “hang” art in come fall – oh, and if you have any spaces you think I should use, let me know!

And, I absolutely love doing the affordable ART ROUNDUPS on Emily Henderson’s amazing blog, StyleByEmilyHenderson.com. I’ve heard from so many of you that you’ve bought pieces because of that series, and I cannot tell you how much that thrills me!!! But…

… after an insanely busy year {moving, renovating, two books, traveling for GIRL CRUSH, curating two shows, not to mention my graphic design business} I’ve decided to really slooooooooow things down for the summer. I have a little boy who needs me to jump into lakes with him – how can I say no to that! So, Victoria and Emily {and your amazing readers!}, thank you so so so much for letting me be part of your world! I’ll miss you like crazy, and see you all in September  xo

{artwork: 1. Plates by Little Owl Design 2. Paintings by Maz Dixon}

Tape, paper, paint, pencil… a little bit of everything goes into the recipe that is the beautiful work of Barcelona based artist Albert Ruiz Villar. I love his color choices, compositions, use of hot pink tape, and the fact that he asks his little girl to title some of his work… the final piece above is called “Nobody eats under the table” – LOVE!!!

{Thanks to my lovely and talented friend, Jessica Bell, for telling me about Albert’s work – ps. Jes happens to be the new, very proud owner of “Nobody eats under the table”, which she picked out IN PERSON when she visited Albert’s Barcelona studio a few weeks ago. Ok. Jealous on soooo many levels.}