Portraits and ceramics in one… I might be in love. This is the work of UK based artist Anna Collette Hunt, from a series titled Newstead Odditites. Here is the behind-the-curtain statement about this work:

“The Newstead Oddities is a collection that features marble statues as ‘characters’, who are found on research adventures to museums and galleries. Anna’s first characters came from Newstead Abbey in Nottinghamshire. She often visits Natural Trust Houses and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London especially to meet new characters and find fresh faces. It might be particularly eccentric hair, or a mysterious sparkle in their eye that capture Anna’s attention and imagination. The artist likes to playfully assign heads to different bodies. Marie Antoinette’s clothing and body can often be spotted with a different head. What’s odder still is that sometimes the heads have a striking resemblance to the artists’ face- Anna likes to see if anyone will notice.”

Hilarious! There’s a photo of Anna on her contact page… see if you recognize her on any of these pieces!

Ooh la la! I love these paintings by Paris based artist/illustrator Lea Maupetit… and that first one would have come in really handy when I was trying to meet my book deadline this summer. I was tempted to buy it, but the original is SOLD {wahn wahn}. Maybe that vase of yellow flowers would make me feel better.

Rosebud lips, pink cheeks and the occasional mouse hat… ah, the lovely work of UK based artist Kristin Vestgard. I have loved her oil paintings for years, and I’m sure you can see why. Dreamy.

Ah, delicate, washy, floral perfection. This is the latest work from Brooklyn based painter Lourdes Sanchez. I wrote about her watercolor and ink pattern paintings a couple of years ago… in fact, there were a few new ones in that department too, so obviously I had to include them! Voila:

Love.

Oh. Those colors. Those brushstrokes… not to mention those birds, flowers and knitted bits! This is the absolutely stunning work of Philadelphia based artist Meghan Howland. I wrote about her in early 2014 and was thrilled when I went back to take a look at her work since then. I loved Meghan’s paintings then, and I love them even more now! I said stunning, right?

Oooh! Big, bold and colorful… this is the work of Chilean artist Santiago Salvador. I wish I knew the meaning behind some of these pieces… that sea full of people for example. I hope they’re at the beach having fun, not waving for help! Speaking of waving, how amazing is that first piece? Love.

{Thanks to Joey Harrison for sending me a link to Santiago’s work}

Oh. Pink hair, flowers and foxes… love. These oil paintings are the exquisite work of Japan-born, Toronto-based painter Keita Morimoto. If his name sounds familiar, it’s because I featured one of his pieces… on Friday. Yes, just this past Friday. I was writing about the “Art with Heart” auction and discovered one of the pieces he donated {“Self Portrait with a Cat”}. So, so good. Anyway, that led me to his portfolio, which immediately led to today’s gorgeous post. Oh, that pink hair.

Horses on couches, bears swinging from chandeliers, and drawings that might not be exactly appropriate for children’s books … I’m in! Today on the podcast I’m talking to LA based artist Kelly Puissegur {apparently pronounced “Persegue”}. Anyway, we talked all about the process behind her crazy narrative paintings while we enjoyed an evening, nerve-debunking cocktail. Listen right up there, or subscribe on iTunes. As you’re listening, take a look at the things we talked about in the order that we talked about them. First up, a few pieces from the first post I ever wrote about Kelly. These paintings are from her etsy shop:

Oh. Those pugs. So good! Next, we took some time to talk about three pieces specifically. They are titled: no 1. The After Party / no 2. This Will Make You Smile / no 3. Almost Happy. Oh, and one little tidbit she threw out was that she actually plans all of her crazy paintings with collages first! Clearly, I had to see those and she was kind enough to let us peek behind the curtain! There are a few below:

Aren’t those planning collages cool!? I’m so glad she let me show them! I love that she gets inspired by found vintage photos, like this horse on the couch. Yes, she found a photo of a horse on a couch?! Next, she mentioned her friend who had a big “APPLAUSE” sign in his house. That very cool sign inspired these very cool pieces:

Love! Now, I think Kelly should illustrate a book, don’t you? She said she’d love to… but we agreed that there are a few pieces that might not be quite right for kids’ books. Here’s a little inappropriate sampling:

Yeah. Maybe not exactly right for a sweet bedtime story. So, during the speed round I found out that her favorite animals to paint are horses. I agree… her horses are so good:

Ha! So so good. Now, we didn’t talk about this, but I think it’s a great way to sign off…

Sigh… don’t you wish that you could hang out inside one of her paintings? Me too… and I can guarantee there wouldn’t be any parking on the dance floor! Thanks so much to Kelly for working up the nerve to do this with me {and I promise to live up to our deal at the very end}, thanks to Saatchi Art for supporting the episode, and to you for looking ‘n listening! There’ll be more art for you ear next weekend.

Other links:

~ We talked about Jennifer Davis’ work

~ Kelly’s originals on Saatchi Art, and prints in her Etsy shop

If you’re in Toronto you should absolutely check out Art With Heart. It’s an art auction, now in its 22nd year, put on by Toronto’s Casey House, an organization that cares for people suffering from HIV. This fundraising auction is filled with absolutely gorgeous work {a few of my favorites shown here}, that “will benefit a number of Casey House’s initiatives including sending skilled teams of registered nurses and workers into clients’ homes, providing rehabilitative care and recreation therapy at the hospice, and bringing specialized HIV nursing care via partner clinics to marginalized people who lack access to treatment. Donor generosity enables additional services at Casey House to address the complex health needs and isolation that many clients experience.”

THE AUCTION

The Carlu / Tuesday, October 6, 2015
Reception 5:30 pm / Live Auction 7:00 pm

TICKETS … $175 {buy now}

{Artists shown above: Sarah Letovsky / Janet Morton / Megan Ellen MacDonald / Kim Dorland / Kris Knight / Keita Morimoto}

These are paintings.

This is the latest work from Toronto based artist Holly Farrell. Holly’s work always takes my breath away, but when I saw that Cat in the Hat stack, well, I just shook my head. Damn, she’s good. She’s packing these beauties up and shipping them out for a show titled, you guessed it, “Books”. It runs October 6th through November 2 at Clark Gallery in Lincoln, MA. Seeing her work in person is such a treat, so go if you can!

These are paintings.