Found photos, from around the world, living harmoniously in a seamless, new, and totally fictional landscape. Gorgeous. All of these pieces are from the very appropriately titled series, “The Fiction Landscapes”, by LA based J. Frede. Here is part of his very poetic artist statement about this work:

“… The visual of how well the lands meet and continue also creates a dialog about how the land beneath our feet is connected to the land beneath our loved ones feet possibly thousands of miles away. Further more it can be argued that all of the land is connected beneath all of our feet spanning continents and beyond where the divisions are not humanly perceivable. One constant line drawn below us around the globe and back to us, with a center meeting point just under our shoes in which ever direction you choose to face.”

Ahh, so true. I think I’ll go call my mom now.

{via Booooooom}

I didn’t think I could love peonies any more than I already do… until Korean artist Koo Seong Youn made them out of sweet, sticky, colorful candy! Here’s a little bit about her still life photography series, titled <Candy>, and why she chose peonies:

<Candy> series derives its motif from the peony folk painting. Peony is known as symbol of wealth and honour. Thus folding screens of peony have been set up in the wedding hall or banquet hall. Small painting of peony was hung on the wall of newly-married couple’s room. In the past they might prayed for prosperous things to this splendid flower painting. Now they seem to be very naive when they depended on not a strong and timeless object like gold or sun, but on the transient flowers, as even though they are very dazzling and beautiful in full bloom, they soon disappear without any trace. Secular accomplishment, like momentary sweet but shortly melting candy in the end of the tongue, is actually futile.

{via Design*Sponge}

Leave it to a Canadian to take insane photographs of snowflakes. Yep, armed only with a camera and a black mitten, photographer Don Komarechka captures these diamonds of the sky in all of their natural glory. Here’s how…

“Some people don’t believe my images are real, and that’s when I know I’ve created something worth talking about. Of course, some people simply think I’m crazy watching me take pictures of an old mitten in a snow storm.

The entire crystal cannot be completely in focus in any one frame, so multiple images are used to put the final photograph together. 30-50 images on average are used in the creation of the snowflake photograph, though hundreds of images are taken to ensure that no slice of focus is missed. Each snowflake is shot entirely handheld, without the use of a tripod. The images are created outdoors in cold temperatures so the snowflakes do not melt, and only the freshest snow will do; Snowflakes that have been resting for even an hour will begin to lose their delicate crystalline features. Timing is everything!”

Ah-mazing.

Sigh. So dreamy. Fractured landscapes that look, to me, like delicate pastel irises. This is the work of UK based photographer Liz Orton, from Deltiologies – “a series of collages that both celebrates and challenges the tradition of landscape photography.” The images are scans of early twentieth century photochromes. This is Liz’s description of this work:

“I have categorized the postcards according to recurring motifs such as lakes, snowy peaks, waterfalls and villages. Subject and composition are endlessly repeated. My approach to this work is to disassemble and reassemble fragments, and produce new arrangements of landscape in which it is harder to locate oneself as a viewer. The circularity is unbalancing  – it disturbs the viewer’s expectation of a horizon and an expanding view. I play with the circle as a metaphor and a means to draw attention to the eye and the photographic lens, as instruments of vision.”

Stunning.

Just a gaggle of paint-covered gals… ah, I love what happens when found images and paint come together… so weirdly wonderful! All of these candy-hued pieces are from a series titled,“Forgetting is so long”, by Denver based artist Daisy Patton… another of the talented artists that I chose for Fresh Paint Magazine, December Issue. Love.

Oh, I love this collage series, titled “Genius Loci”, by Sweden based artist Anastasia Savinova. Her description of this project is lovely, so I’m going to let her do the talking:

“In this project I try to identify differences and to find similarities between places of habitation. Traveling around cities and countries, I take pictures of buildings, look into windows sneakily, go to local shops, flea markets and bars, watch everyday life – all this helps to build the feeling of the Place. This feeling becomes a foundation or a series of large-scale collages. The Integral Image emerges from visual information and a dozen of associations. While architecture and landscape are visual components of the integral image of the Place, at the same time, this image is inseparably linked with a mentality and a way of life. It is saturated with “an incorporeal something”. Ancient romans called it “genius loci” – the protective spirit of a place. In contemporary usage, “genius loci” refers to a location’s distinctive atmosphere.”

Love.

Oh, these make me so happy… and kinda sad. Found photos starring gouachie ghosts by American artist Angela Deane. All of these pieces are from her “Ghost Photographs“ series. Angela refers to them as “ghosts of moments” – special events gone by which may or may not be remembered fully and or correctly – which is why they make me happy… and kinda sad. Now if you’ll excuse me I’m going to go pore over old family photos and do my very best to remember what was happening and who the hell all of those people are!

{thanks to Carol for pointing me to Angela’s portfolio}

Wednesday work blahs? No problem… these photos, from the 1970’s, of New Yorkers on their lunch breaks might cheer you up! They are the work of Charles H. Traub, from his series quite appropriately titled, Lunch Time. The color, the fashion, the whole “leaving your desk to eat lunch” thing! Ah, I love it all. Who’s with me? Shut down your computer and go outside for lunch today. Thanks Charles… we needed that.

via gothamist

Michelle Kohanzo is a huge lover of art, which works out quite well because she also happens to be the Managing Director at The Land of Nod in Chicago. Yes, she has an amazing eye and is ALWAYS on the hunt for talented artists to bring into the Nod family {hint hint}. Listen right up there under the red canoe, 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. The first thing Michelle and I have in common… our love of weaving, and the work of Maryanne Moodie {ps. how gorgeous is this piece?}

Whoa. So good. Boy, I wish I could do that… one day! Next up, an amazingly gorgeous shoot that Michelle arranged with LA based photographer Stephanie Vovas for The Land of Nod. Here is a peek at the work that came out of that magical weekend at Camp Wandawega:

Gorgeous! And yes, those few final shots were a little bit special… it’s Michelle and her daughter Emily! They got all glammed up, hopped in a canoe, and Stephanie shot these beauties {including the lead image in the post… which might be my favorite}. In fact I even included the image of Emily in the camper in a show that I curated at the Bedford Gallery in 2014. Up next, I asked Michelle about a few of her favorite artists:

Soft sculpture by Tamar Mogendorff / Ashley Goldberg / Emily Jeffords / Me. Yep, those jars are two of my hand-cut collages that Nod commissioned for the Spring 2016 collection?! If you want to get your work in front of Michelle, listen to her tips on the podcast, and then send your submission straight to her inbox {for real}. michelle@landofnod.com  … good luck!

And finally, she told me about her trip to Laos and the work of this amazing woman, Carol Cassidy {the link she mentioned was wrong, but the link here is right.} Here’s her studio, and some silk weaving in action:

Such a great story… empowering women through art/craft. So inspiring. So, I could stop right there, but I feel like I should cap the post off with a few more of Stephanie’s Wes Anderson-esque shots of Michelle and Emily:

Love! But wait, there’s more… speaking of Wes Anderson, look what I found on Michelle’s Instagram feed. This is Michelle, her husband, and their kids. Beyond fantastic:

Ha! So good! Alright, NOW I’ll say thanks to Michelle, to Saatchi Art for supporting this episode, and of course to you for listening. There will be more art for your ear next weekend. Bye!

Oh. Even her “mistakes” are stunning… those Polaroids?! Love! Ok, so I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve written about LA based photographer Stephanie Vovas, but her work literally screams “California Girls”, so there was no way I could do a show in LA without including her golden, 1970s, wish-I-was-a-vixen photographs. So gorgeous… and you should see them blown up to nearly five feet wide. Stunning. If you missed last night’s packed-house opening, there’s another one on Saturday night thanks to Malibu Magazine… RSVP to rsvp@malibumag.com  {6-9pm, 8745 W Washington Blvd, Culver City}

{Some of Stephanie’s work is available on Saatchi Art}

ps. The sixth and final artist in the show is botanical painter Jill Sykes. I just wrote about her a few weeks ago. Take a peek at her gorgeous work right here.