I’m not sorry! In fact, I couldn’t be less sorry about showing you the work of Dublin born, Brooklyn based artist/illustrator Brian Cronin. Beautiful, vintage-inspired worlds that I would really love to visit … cable knit tents and baskets for bike helmets … oh yes, this is my kind o’ place! Now, not only am I smitten with Brian’s paintings, so is Milton Glaser. That’s right. Milton. Glaser. Here’s what one of the most famous graphic designers in the USA has to say about Brian’s work:

“Brian Cronin, who worked for me when he was an innocent lad from Ireland, has blossomed into one of the best practitioners for design and illustration in the field”.

Well that’s not too shabby, is it!?

{I found Brian’s work at ReneeRhynerShop.com. Pop over and have a look when you have a moment – lots of lovely work at affordable prices. I want that girl on the bike!}

Washy, sexy, and oh so breathtaking – this is the amazing work of Stockholm based artist/illustrator Cecilia Carlstedt. Those lips! Those beautiful faces! Gah – I love them all! Quick question though… how is this so washy, yet detailed at the same time? Gor.Ge.Ous. Cecilia has been commissioned by a very long list of clients including Vogue, H&M, Paul Smith, The New York Times, Elle… and the list goes on. She also does a lot of personal work  – oh look, here’s some now:

Love.

I feel like I have to mention that Netherlands based artist Arnout van Albada paints all sorts of still-life objects… meat, cheese, rhubarb, butter, cans, peaches, vases, fish, bagels, raspberries… and the list goes on. I, however, could only focus on the jello molds and toilet paper. Hm. Not sure what that says about me, but I can tell you that all of his work {eitempera and oil on panel} is absolutely something to swoon over. So, so, so beautiful – yep, even the TP {um, is that a tiny 2-ply dolphin?!}

Tape and paper and paint, oh my!

This is an exclusive preview of  Jessica Bell‘s brand new mixed media work! Ack – we’re so lucky! They are absolutely gorgeous… and I wish I could show you the scale because they’re HUGE {50″x43″}. Now, on top of being new, gorgeous, and huge, these are also the pieces that landed Jessica a spot as a finalist for Canada’s coveted RBC Prize this year. She, and fourteen other finalists, will have their work shown at the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa this October, with the grand prize being awarded at a fancy gala on October 2nd. My fingers and toes are crossed for Jessica. She is an amazing artist {clearly}, and probably the sweetest person you’ll ever meet! Send her winning thoughts, ok? Ready? GO!

I realllllly want to kick this post off with something like, “Take two and call me in the morning”. However, along with the gorgeous pillows and empty pill packs, there are some really lovely shampoo bottles in there too, so how about:  “Take a shower, THEN take two and call me in the morning”. There – that works, right? These amazing oil paintings are the beautifully mundane work of UK based artist Alex Hanna. Sigh. So good. They’re so good in fact, that now I want a quick nap… on a squishy pink pillow, of course.

{via Artsy Forager ~ welcome back Lesley!}

Ok. I had to include these details, otherwise you would never believe that these are acrylic paintings! Yep, really, really big acrylic paintings, made to look like low-res digital glitches. They are the work of Spanish artist Alejandro Bombín, and they make my brain hurt just a tiny bit {in a really, really good way}.

Layers of textiles, photographs, and gorgeous key-line drawings. This is just a small fraction of the work that can be found on the site of New York based artist Minna Resnick. Her portfolio dates back to 1974!!! So yes… there’s lots of amazing work to see over there. Drawings, prints, ceramics, oh, and these:

Yep. That sounds about right!  These little vintage gems are part of Minna’s series {on souvenir hankies} titled “Family Vacation (Cambridge)” – I don’t know if I appreciate these more as an artist, or as a mother!

{Her work is represented in the permanent collections of the Brooklyn Museum, New York; the Denver Art Museum, Colorado; the New York Public Library; the Newark Museum, New Jersey; the United States Information Agency; the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England; and Kunsthaus Grenchen, Switzerland.}

I don’t know what I love most… the mermaids, the bird tattoos, or that lady in her red swimsuit? Gah! They’re all so pretty. These are the charcoal and pastel drawings of Sydney based artist/illustrator Sam Battersby {aka Matou en Peluche, her Etsy shop where you can buy prints of all of these pieces}. So. Pretty.

ps. I’m a tiny bit scared of the cat-lady, but only a tiny bit. She’s still pretty.

I want to live in the work of Baltimore based artist Alyssa Dennis. Yep, I might just pack a few things, and move right into these whimsical, yet very structured/architectural drawings {graphite, pastel, colored pencil, gouache}… and I almost could because they’re really BIG. Some of these pieces are 42″x52″! Ok, fine, I’d have to crouch a little, and share my room with a fox, but I could totally make it work.

Ooooh! Mysterious icebergs by Canadian artist Rebecca Chaperon – oh so gorgeous! This is Rebecca’s latest body of work, titled Antarticus, which is still “in progress” – you know what that means, right? MORE large-scale icebergs are on their way! But, don’t worry – while you’re waiting, she’s got lots and lots of other mysterious things in her portfolio too:

Kinda spooky, yes? Hm… I wonder how much black paint she goes through in a month? ♥

{oh! I just heard from Rebecca on the subject of her black paint supply! Ready?  …. ” ps. Nerdy painting fact: Actually most of that paint was green and reddish transparent layers which combine to make the darkness. So my black paint supply stays pretty moderate but man-oh-man am I ever obsessed with creating murky greens!”}