Oh boy, now I want a warthog to drink tea with. This is either a really weird, colorful, beautiful dream I had, or the work of Dutch artist/illustrator Lieke van der Vorst. It might be both.

Oh boy, here we are… episode no.2 of ART FOR YOUR EAR. I said it would be every second Saturday, but I’m having way too much fun, so there will be a new one every Saturday! Up this week… ah, my collage idol, UK based artist Anthony Zinonos. Everything we talk about in the podcast is shown here so that you can follow along while we’re chatting. You can listen right up there {see, just under the lined “water”}, and you can also subscribe on iTunes.

I loved talking to Anthony {or maybe I should call him ‘Paul’}, and I hope you love listening!  ps. I’m slowly figuring out the “sounding like I’m recording in a cave” thing. I recorded the intro & outro for this episode under a blanket {I’m not kidding, it was like a little podcast fort}, but I’d already recorded the interview. Just a few more interviews that sound cave-like, and then we should be in full-on blanket fort mode! That’s how the professionals do it, right?

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Collage {my second book} Anthony wrote an amazing foreword, and of course, his work was featured as well:

Anthony and I talked about how one image can be used in totally different ways by different artists – that was actually the premise of this book {why we didn’t talk about that, I’m not sure!}. Anyway, the image on the left was the starting photo that I gave to all thirty of the artists in “Collage”… the image on the right is what Anthony created. ps. that cowboy and accordion player are my uncle and my dad!

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‘justGOtalkTOher’  & ‘theGREAToutdoors’  {the beach & picnic I referenced}

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I cannot even deal with this… look what Anthony’s dad just sent me! A “collaborative piece/scam” between Anthony and his sister {and Anthony’s first collage, age 10}… apparently they’re still waiting for the money:

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And that’s that! A huge thank you to Anthony for always saying ‘yes’ whenever I ask him to do stuff, and for teaching me to simplify and “let go.” If it buckles, it buckles right? Right! I also want to give high fives to Greg for being a fabulous producer, and to my brother Cam for creating the original music for me. And finally, thank YOU so much for listening xo  ps. Episode no.3 will be up next Saturday!

It probably won’t be surprising if I tell you that Spanish artist Ana Beltrá has just spent a significant amount of time exploring the jungles of Borneo, right? All of these gorgeous pieces are from her latest series, titled “Conjugar Jungla”, clearly inspired by her travels. The electric colors, the layers and movement in her sculptural collages… ahh, it’s almost like being in the jungle {without the snakes and spiders and stuff. Yep, I prefer jungle art to actual jungles I think.}

Sandwiches, underpants, and matches… OH, indeed! Um, how have I not come across the work of Arizona based artist John Nelson until now?! I love all of his paintings so much {these are just a few of my favorites, and there’s plenty more where this came from}, and he does fantastic sculptural work too. Sigh. So good.

Oh. So pink, so feminine… these are the collages of Iceland based artist D Iris Sigmundsottir. That top piece is absolutely genius {I need her to do a whole series!} – and don’t even get me started on that pink hair and torn-paper cotton candy. Killing me.

Crowns. GLASS crowns. This is the delicate, beautiful work of Philadelphia based glass artist Kate Clements…. and here’s why she does what she does:

“I construct decorative, non-functional glass headdresses to initiate a new conversation about narcissistic female adornment. Throughout history the cultural construction of feminine identity has contributed to a persistent desire by women to transcend what nature has given them physically. I believe these gestures of transformation are made selfishly and with pleasure, in hopes to achieve a fantasy…. I am interested in the adornments of the celebration of the ‘perfect’ woman. These celebrations can include beauty queens, exotic dancers, and ironically in it’s most extreme manifestation: the bride.

Brides, and bridesmaids, need veils… that she makes out of glass:

I mean, come on. ♥

I think my childhood was spent in most of these black ‘n white oil paintings… especially that last one… that TV? The armchair? That could literally be my grandparents living room circa 1979. This is the work of Nashville based artist Kelly S. Williams. Her portfolio is filled with lovely things, in fact, I almost did this post about her latest series, paintings of plants and terrariums, but the nostalgia of these monochrome rooms grabbed me and would not let go. Ah, memories.

Here we are! All of the images that go hand in hand with my very first attempt at being a “podcaster”! The first episode is an interview with one of my favorite artists, Philadelphia based Martha Rich. We talked about all sorts of things, including all of the pieces shown here. Out of context they probably won’t make much sense, but hopefully you’re listening to the podcast right this very second {hint hint – it’s right up there, or you can subscribe right here}, so you’ll understand why all of these things are posted. Oh, and if you really want to make your weekend interesting, I propose taking a shot of something every time I say “That is AMAZING!” … time to get a thesaurus, Danielle. Geesh.

Anyway, I hope you love listening to ART FOR YOUR EAR as much as I love making it!  ps. I know it’s a bit echoey… perhaps I shouldn’t have recorded it from an empty cave!? Maybe I need blankets for my walls? Cover my office in egg cartons? I dunno. Bare with me, I’ll figure it out!

More images from today’s episode /// Speech Bubbles, now & then:

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Pin-up girl & Cindy Sherman‘s purchase:

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All men like long hair:

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… and, the boobs “that are still in Mexico.”

And that’s a wrap! Thanks so much to Martha for taking the time to do this with me… also a huge thank you to Greg for being an amazing producer/podcast expert, and to my brother Cameron for writing, and playing, original music for me! And finally, thanks to you for listening!!! xo  The next episode will be up in two weeks, Saturday June 6th  this Saturday, May 30th … this is too fun… I’m going to do one every Saturday!

Diamonds are a girl’s best friend… especially when she can hang them on her wall! These beauties are the work of Cape Town based painter Kurt Pio. Oh, how I’d love a few of these sparkly {although not actually sparkly at all} faceted gems for my collection. Gorgeous.

The way he transforms something so precious and polished into bold, graphic paintings is seriously irresistible. They feel glamorous, playful, and just a little bit cheeky — exactly the kind of art that makes a room sparkle.

In the same way these painted diamonds turn luxury into an image, everyday wellness products are often shaped as much by presentation, trust, and accessibility as by their practical purpose. Generic tadalafil, for example, belongs to a very different world than decorative art, yet it also shows how something widely recognized can be reinterpreted through affordability and responsible access. The common thread is the value of choosing carefully: whether adding a statement piece to a wall or discussing a medication with a qualified professional, the final decision should feel considered rather than impulsive.

{Thanks to Ricardo for sending me a link to Kurt’s work.}

Tel-Aviv based artist Hagar Cygler started this on-going embroidery series, titled ‘Families’, in 2008 and is still going strong. She lays layers of silhouettes from family photos {hers, friends, found} on top of each other, and then embroiders them onto canvas. I love the overlapping, but I can’t decide if it feels like 1. a special, entangled bond of closeness, or 2. a forced together, over-involved, all over each other’s lives, situation. Hm. Depends on the day, I suppose.