Handmade sewing needle perforations through paper. Seriously. This is the stunning work of Hawaii based artist {and Associate Professor of Art at the University of Hawaii at Monoa} Wendy Kawabata. I’m going to let her explain what this series, titled “Blind Worlds” is about:

This series looks at a range of social engagement from pacifism to activism, 

futility, rebuilding; the paths we travel, the ones we donʼt, the urge to protect, 

to defend, or withdraw; the voices heard, the ones drowned out. Wrapping 

thread, piercing paper with a needle, or staining and seaming together paper, 

reveal a process that is overt in its construction and economy, and provide 

a space for quiet, reconciliation, and attentiveness. The repetition is the insistence 

and pressure of exterior environment onto interior experience.

Layers… oh, so many layers of gorgeous cut paper stacked on top of each other! This is the paper-cutting mixed media work of LA based artist/graphic designer Huntz Liu. I love those side shots that reveal the lovely depth he’s created, and that give us a closer look at what’s going on with each piece… granted, I have no idea how to do this myself {nor the patience}, but I’m so happy that he does! Happy weekend, everyone.

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.

Yesterday I featured a molecular biologist turned painter… and today I give you mixed media on handmade Abaca paper by New York based artist Karen Margolis:

After receiving her BS in Psychology from Colorado State University, Margolis continued her research in Neural Psychology while studying portraiture at the Art Student’s League.  She furthered her studies in art at Parsons School of Design and the School of Visual Arts.  During a Microscopy course at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, through the New York Microscopical Society, Margolis was inspired to diverge from her investigations of figurative art to create work exploring the universality of macro/micro patterns.

Ah, yes. That explains it.

Oh. My.

These are packaging illustrations by Romanian artist/illustrator Aitch. I wish that my milk and cookies looked like this… mind you, I’d probably never open them! Instead of holding my honey and flour, these gorgeous watercolors need to be hanging on my wall! That black paint is so rich, and the flat yet dimensional containers are beyond lovely. Sigh… ♥

{found on Pinterest via Chronicle Books}

Watercolors on paper… but how? I have no idea how Seattle based artist Jeffrey Simmons does this with watercolor on paper, but I like it! So ethereal, so rich, and so washy at the same time. Love.

Whoa. I so, so, so badly want to do this! All of these “ice cream cones” are made by people that have attended the Gelatology Workshop put on by Venice based collective, Studio Fludd. I’ve written about them before {ie. this gorgeous book}, but when I saw this creative/amazing project, well, my heart started to race a little faster! So. Many. Supplies!!! So far they have done this in Milan, Venice, Bruxelles, Saint Denis, Ljubljana, and Turin. You can see the cones via a cone-specific Tumblr that Studio Fludd has set up just for this project. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to make some paper ice cream.

{via Booooooom}

San Francisco based artist Stephanie Rohlfs makes all sort of things – sculptures, installations, collage – but I have a particular fondness for these weird mixed media gouache on paper pieces. The colors, the delicate balance of objects, and of course, we all know how much I love anything from the cacti family! And so, just to recap, do I love Stephanie’s work?

Oh. Those pools! The diving boards! That shower! This is the gorgeous mixed media series, titled “Pool & Water”, by American artist Kristen Martincic. I loved all of these pieces the second I saw them, and my post would have been complete with this amazing, blue, perfectly composed work… but then I found these:

Gasp! Bathing suits. Bathing suits cut and crafted out of Japanese paper, with perfect monotype lines / patterns to finish them off… and there’s more! This is already the longest post I’ve EVER put together, so I’ll stop with these amazing suits, but please go to her site to see her bathing caps, and wardrobe series. Seriously, I could have shown her entire portfolio ♥ Sigh.

{Thank you so so much to Jenni Freidman for sending me a link to Kristen’s work!}

The designer and collage artist in me are both very happy! Architectural yet loose … drawing mixed beautifully with collage… AND vintage match box covers!? Love, love, love! These pieces are the work of UK based artist Ken Omom, and it’s safe to say that I love all of them very, very much. I think those are the actual striking strips pasted on there! So cool… but don’t let your kids near them #safetyfirst #striking

{via Saatchi Art}