Paint… and projected light. Whoa.

Oh, I love these paint/light installations by American artist Jay Shinn. Trying to figure out how he figures it out, makes my brain hurt a tiny bit… but it’s so worth it! There are a few examples above that show the paint on it’s own, and how the image is transformed once the light is projected onto the wall. Ouch… there’s that dull ache in my head again.

Now, if you happen to be in Dallas any time from February 23rd {this Saturday!} through March 30th, you can see this stunningly beautiful work in person at the MARTY WALKER GALLERY… please go, and then tell me all about it!

Yep. More amazing, beautifully boring paintings that were shown to me by Leah Giberson while we were in Chattanooga together. This time it’s personal though… this insanely beautiful work {flashe on linen} is by Leah’s brother-in-law, Korean-born, American artist Jon Widman. Stacks of books, boxes, records, and of course, chipmunks. Oh, oh! And look at this:

Ridiculously detailed paintings of the spines of album covers. Who does this?! Jon Widman, I suppose. And also, you’ve seen paintings of the spines of books, but have you ever seen someone do this…

Stacked books, but… they’ve been turned around, so that he can paint the PAGES of the book. Sweet jiminy.

Thanks again to Leah! Keep em coming, lady xo

This is what you find when you hang out with three “Beautifully Boring” artists for a few days! Leah Giberson sent me a link to these oil paintings {yes, paintings!} by American artist Cindy Rizza. Kind of perfect for Valentine’s Day, since I LOVE them oh so much ♥ Nostalgic, skillfully painted, and beautifully boring… ah, a lovely combination. Oh, and speaking of lovely:

Gah! Gorgeous!!! Thanks for the introduction to Cindy’s work, Leah xo

Ok. A few days ago, I saw these shoes on Pinterest, which of course sent me on a mad hunt to find more from this artist… and boy oh boy,  did I! This is the work of French designer/artist Emilie Faif. Aren’t these paintings on clothing lovely? Well, they’re  just the tip of the iceberg! Her portfolio is full of crazy installations and soft sculpture. After you stare at these for a few minutes, you have to go check them out!

I wrote about Seonna Hong in 2009… and when I saw this new series, clearly, I had to write about her again! I absolutely love the way her work has evolved – still totally recognizable as hers, but these lovely pieces {on paint chips!} are so much looser, and less controlled. Don’t get me wrong, I love her older paintings too, but I’m always so impressed with artists that can push themselves out of their comfort zone, while still being true to their style. Love.

Hey, San Francisco … any plans for tonight? No? Great! Go to this! This show opens tonight at Mirus Gallery {6pm – 10pm} and features 14 women* making art about women. It is quite appropriately titled, “The Looking Glass: Refraction through the Female Gaze”. These are a few of my favorite images, but there are plenty more where this came from. Ok, go have fun tonight!

{*Artists in the show: Kimberly Brooks, Sandra Chevrier, Naja Conrad-Hansen, Mercedes Helnwein, Alexandra Levasseur, Jen Mann, Sari Maxfield, Alyssa Monks, Jennifer Nehrbass, Casey O’Connell, Claire Pestaille, Rachel Walker, Janelle Wisehart and Christine Wu // Work shown above 1) Claire Pestaille  2) Mercedes Helnwein  3) Alexandra Levasseur}

Tonight is finally the opening night for my latest curation, “Beautifully Boring” at Tanner Hill Gallery in Chattanooga (YAY!). In honor of that, I wanted to share a very new discovery… well, very new to me anyway! This is the wonderfully mundane work of Romanian born, Amsterdam based artist Veron Urdarianu. I spent all day yesterday with Mark Bradley Shoup, one of the artists in the show tonight, and he shared this work with me. Given how much I love every single piece in “Beautifully Boring”, he thought I might just LOVE these paintings {yes, paintings! I was quite sure they were done with layered paper}. Well, he was right. I do love them. Very, very much!

Ok, I’m off to check out the gallery one last time before opening night! If you’re in the state of Tennessee, I hope to see you tonight! ; )

{ps. I couldn’t find a site for Veron, so I’ve just linked you to the Google results for him… Sorry! Hopefully you can still find more info there if you want it!}

Ooh la la! Lovely little french storefronts, pulled out of their environments, dropped against color-blocked backgrounds, and painted oh so sweetly by Johnny Bull. As far as I can tell from his blog posts, he was actually living in France while he did this work. Here is that post, from 2011:

I love ’em, those French and their cheeky shops. The chocolatier Joël Durand has a shop that just reeks of class and, er, chocolate; you’d think he was part of a huge chain with all his specially printed boxes and tissue paper. There’s a universe of difference in attitude between us when it comes to service; don’t ask me why, it’s a bit more of a vocation with them. I’d feel quite happy going to work at the Folie Du Pain… How couldn’t anyone? What a beautiful place. Full of attitude and all of it friendly.

In one week from today, I’ll be at the opening of Beautifully Boring, a show that I’m curating at Tanner Hill Gallery in Chattanooga, TN. Beautifully Boring was a totally make-believe show that I put together a few years ago… look to the right in my ‘jealously curated’ section. Yep, there it is. Anyway, Tanner Hill contacted me and asked if I’d like hang a smaller version of it for real, and I said YES! Here is my curatorial statement:

There are beautiful things that we experience every day, but don’t really see. Buildings you pass while rushing to work, an old coffee mug on your desk, the cozy chair that you flop into when you get home from a busy day. Most people would never consider these things special enough to be artistic subject matter, but this collection of work is just that. Everyday things that your eye most likely skips right over. We need to take the time to slow down, and study the lovely objects and places that surround us… whether we realize they’re there, or not! All of them have a story to tell, and I think you’ll find that ‘boring’ really can be beautiful.

There are four fantastic artists involved {Holly Farrell, Leah Giberson, Samantha French, Mark Bradley Shoup}, and I am so excited to see all of their paintings hanging together. It’s going to be beautiful. And boring. Here’s a tiny sneak peek at a few of the pieces in the show:

Sigh. Lovely.

{ps. If you happen to go to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, I’ll be doing studio tours all day Thursday Feb 7th, and I’ll be speaking at the University from 5:30 – 6:30pm on Thursday night…. and, of course, I’ll be at the opening on Friday night too! Oh, and I’ll have a few exciting guests with me!}

Watercolor on paper. Um. What?! That metallic oil can, that mixer… but how? The matchbook and candles are oil on panel, but still, I’m in awe… Yes, Robert Townsend, you have me baffled. Hm, it feels pretty good on a Wednesday morning, actually. Thanks, Robert.