Ahhh… the work of LA based artist Erin Tengquist. All of these photographs are from her series titled “Underwater”. I’m boarding a plane to LA as we speak for the opening of “California Girls” tomorrow night. I cannot wait to see these gorgeous, ‘make you wish it was still summertime’, large-scale photos up-close and in person … *pool/bikini not included.

 {Erin’s work is available on Saatchi Art}

Oh, I have been dying to announce this! Earlier this year the fabulous curator at Saatchi Art, Rebecca Wilson, reached out and asked if I’d like to curate a show in LA. Um. YES! I decided on a “California Girls” theme and chose six, very talented LA based female artists. In exactly two weeks from tonight I’ll get to stand in a room, with a glass of wine in hand, surrounded by the work of these amazing women. It’s feminine, strong, and just a little bit sexy. Ok. A lot sexy. If you are in LA you should absolutely stop by! Here’s all of the info, and then a tiny peek at some of the work:

Opening reception: Thursday September 24 6~9pm / Saatchi Art at Helms Bakery District : 8745 W Washington Blvd, Culver City {RSVP  here}

Show runs: Tuesday September 22 ~ Tuesday September 29 / 10am ~ 5pm / Monday to Friday / By appointment Saturday & Sunday

So. EXCITED. See you in two weeks, LA.

{Erin Tenquist // Laurie Raskin // Stephanie Vovas // Jill Sykes // Kelly Puissegur // Ophelia Chong}

Oooh. This is the work of Belgian photographer Jef Claes. This is obviously two different series, but I couldn’t decide which I loved more… the simple shapes against that dreamy blue sky, or that Wes Anderson-esque pool. Sky? Pool? Nope. I can’t decide.

{I found Jef on Subject Matter… a fantastic gallery site specializing in photographers. You can find some of his work there for sale.}

If you happen to be in Sydney between September 9th ~ 13th, you should stop by Booth A16 at the Sydney Contemporary. There you’ll find the gorgeous work of New Zealand based artist (and surfer) Scott Gardiner. These striking mixed media pieces (pigment ink print, acrylic, gloss and matt varnish on canvas) are from his latest series, titled Three Oceans. Here’s a bit about this project:

… The three locations of the project, Sri Lanka, Sydney and Gisborne all represent significant points in my life and development, places I have forged meaningful relationships with the environment and its people, centered around and reliant upon the ocean. In these instances the ocean became a powerful familiar environment, allowing me to connect on a deep level to a new and unfamiliar locale. During the project I wish to examine this complex relationship through my own personal experiences, understanding these are universal issues that relate to all human beings and our  sense of place and belonging, an awareness of our mortality and a connection to something beyond ourselves…

{all images are courtesy and copyright the artist and Palmer Art Projects.}

Ahhh… dreamy, sun-drenched negative space. Today I’m chatting with LA based photographer Max Wanger… not Wagner. I’ve written about Max, and featured a few of his pieces in a show at The Fig House, but we’ve only met once very quickly. I didn’t know much about his story, but I do now. The first thing that shocked me – spoiler alert – he’s completely self-taught! Anyway, I can’t give it all away… you can listen right up there under those little legs, or subscribe on iTunes. As you’re listening, take a look at the work we talked about in the order that we talked about it. First up, design bloggers. That’s who Max reached out to when he finally decided he wanted to follow his bliss and become a photographer:

And it worked! Not only did they write about him, but he also photographed them… and became good friends along the way. If you follow design blogs you might recognize (above) Bri Emery from Design Love Fest  ; the hands of Joy Cho (and her husband) of Oh Joy  ; and Joanna Goddard (and her husband) of Cup of Jo. So, how did a self-taught photographer who was working at Fox Sports get the attention of a bunch of design blogs? He staged a fake wedding, with a fake ring, starring his sister as the bride, photographed it, and sent them these images:

So smart! This was in 2007 or so… and he hasn’t looked back. In fact, he’s still doing weddings! Here are a few of his more recent shots:

Gorgeous. He splits his time between weddings and commercial work. He has all sorts of clients (Vans, Nordstrom, Outrigger Resorts, and more), but my favorite stuff is the work he does for LA based ban.do:

See? Sun-drenched and so happy! We talked a bit about the brilliant woman behind ban.do, Jen Gotch. She does some really cool personal Polaroid work, if you want to check out what Max and I were both drooling over. This of course led us to talking about Max’s Polaroids. I asked if he had a favorite… iPhone or Polaroid. See if you can decide. First up, a few shots from his iPhone:

Love! … and a few of his Polaroids:

Oh, more love! He voted for iPhone at the moment, but I think it’s a tie. I might even be leaning toward his Polaroids! It’s cool to see some grit on his normally perfect images. Speaking of which, I dare you to look at these perfect beauties and not immediately book a trip to Hawaii:

Ahhhhhhh. Yes. That. And finally, the little peanut that was being put to bed while we were talking, Max’s two year old son:

Oh my goodness. Ridiculously cute. So, I learned a lot about Max, the most shocking information being that he’s never had a gallery show. That is crazy. Ok, galleries… someone scoop him up! And with that, I’ll say thank you to Max for skipping bedtime reading to talk to me, and thanks so much to you for listening (and looking)… there will be another episode waiting for you next Saturday!

ps. here’s a link to Max’s print shop.

Oooh! New pieces by Brooklyn based artist David Samuel Stern. I’ve written about his woven portraits before, but when I saw his latest work I gasped out loud. Now, there are in fact images of men in this series too but, oh my, there is something about these women that takes my breath away. So dreamy, so delicate, so careful… and that color palette. Sigh. Here is what this ongoing series is about:

These images are the result of physically weaving together two photographic prints of the same subject. They are an attempt to bridge dignified, direct portraits with a sort of abstraction that allows their subjects to hide within themselves, and the photographs to be distinctly physical objects. In hiding some things, we reveal others.

{If you’re in Brooklyn, several of David’s woven portraits will be on view at BAM from Sept 16th ~ Dec 20th… details about viewing times/location can be found here.}

Dizzying collages, with an absolutely dreamy palette, by French artist Jean Faucheur. Um, does anyone know where I can get scissors to cut perfect circles? Thanks.

I wrote about UK based artist Pippa Young‘s paintings last year… and those bonnets made a lasting impression on me I guess, because today as I was scrolling through Pinterest {as you do first thing in the morning over coffee} I saw these lovely little interventions. I knew immediately that they had to be Pippa’s work… those bonnets again! Sigh. And now I want to finish my coffee and rush off to the thrift shop to look for old images to paint on. Gorgeous.

Ooh! A beautiful, artsy mystery! Here’s the scoop… a couple of days ago, wedding photographer Meagan Abell posted these images, and this message to her Facebook page:

“I found 4 sets of medium format negatives while I was thrift shop hunting a few weeks ago. They were sitting in a box of old vintage photographs in these plastic sleeves, and from what I could tell, they had been taken sometime in the 50’s. So obviously I brought them home, and today finally had them scanned in, and holy wow they are beautiful!

NOW this is where I need the Internet’s help. I would absolutely love to find the women in these photographs/the photographer who took them. The only info I have is that the negatives were found in a thrift store on Hull St in Richmond, VA. They are medium format, and judging by the style of dress, made in 1940-1950. The owner of the thrift store had no idea where they came from. I’m posting the best/clearest scans of the images, so if y’all could share this around, HOPEFULLY we can make it go viral and find the original photographer/subjects!”

So cool… and some of the most beautiful, haunting photos I’ve ever seen {reminds me of the final scene in Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus} If you have any info you can comment on her Facebook page, and if you share any info you can hashtag it ‪#‎FindTheGirlsOnTheNegatives‬. Here’s one more closer view of the woman in the photographs… recognize her?

I have been a big fan of the The Novogratz for ages. Robert & Cortney Novogratz are a married couple, who also happen to be an amazing interior designer team. And Robert {aka Bob} loves art… which is how we “met” just over a year ago. I wanted to ask him how they went from being a finance guy and an actress, to sought after interior designers. I also wanted to know how he chooses art for clients, if he has any favorites in his own collection, and I really wanted to know how they manage to do everything they do {TV shows, books, design projects} while having seven kids. Seven. Let’s find out, shall we? Listen right up there under the entire Novogratz crew, or subscribe on iTunes. As you’re listening, you can take a peek at the things that Bob and I talked about, in the order that we talked about them.

Alright, first up, the first “real” piece of art that Bob bought… a stunning pearl button Queen by British artist Ann Carrington:

Gorgeous! That’s their son Major {a few years ago} enjoying a bath right below that stunning piece! Speaking of his kids, these next two pieces were done by his son Five {yes, the fifth of seven kids}… he’s obviously a young up and coming artist to keep an eye on:

I asked Bob about a few of his favorite pieces from his own collection. Obviously the pieces above by Ann and Five were on the list, and here are a few others:

Amazing! And I love seeing them actually hanging in their home. Jealous? Yeah, me too. Here are links to all of those artists: Erwin Olaf / Francisco Larios / Vic Muniz … and it turns out he knows my friend Trey Speegle quite well too {you can hear my interview with Trey right here}. This is Trey’s piece that Bob and Cortney hung in one of their hotel projects:

… and a peek at a few of the pieces from the art/chair project that Bob and Cortney organized at Art Basel Miami:

And finally, their castle! Yes. A castle. They’ve just moved from New York to LA and are currently renovating this insanely cool castle… just imagine the art they’re going to hang in here:

It’s going to be amazing. They have a pretty fantastic Pinterest board going at the moment if you’d like to see their design plans for this crazy place. There might even be a show {TV or webisode} coming soon… keep an eye out! And with that, I will say thanks so much to Bob for doing this with me, to Saatchi Art for supporting this episode, and to you for looking ‘n listening. The next episode will be ready for your artsy ears next Saturday.

ps. You can find the Novogratz on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube.