Whoa. I was already jealous of Jaime Derringer for being the founder of the amazingly fantastic blog, Design Milk, and that should really be enough, but then I found a bunch of her drawings… gorgeous, elaborate, knotty, brain-bending, squiggly drawings! LOVE! I don’t know about you, but no matter what kind of pen I use, my drawings do not look like this. Weird. {ps. I just have to say, out loud, how much that white ink on black paper is killing me!!! That’s all.}

Good morning!

So, let me explain what we’re doing here on the weekend! There are so many artists that I’d love to hang out with… especially over french toast and a latte. Ah yes, two of my most favorite things. Art, and brunch. Now, I can’t fly around the world every Saturday morning, so I’m gonna fake it. Enter this new series – “weekend brunch” – a five question interview with one of my favorite artists, “at” their favorite brunch place.

Up first, Seattle based artist Shaun Kardinal. I asked Shaun to choose our destination, and he picked “Oddfellows Cafe” in Seattle… looks like a lovely place to me! Ok, grab your coffee, and let’s do this:

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JC:  hi shaun… what are you gonna have?

SK: eggs benedict, a mimosa, a coffee, and a water, please. i partied a little hard last night–three liquids are essential. what about you?

JC: hm. same, hold the mimosa. i’m a light weight. so, thanks for having brunch with me! … who do you usually have brunch with?

SK: you know, i haven’t actually been out to brunch in a long time! i’m a bit of a homebody by day (definitely not a morning type), and find myself more inclined to plan ahead for a meal at home, should i expect a big breakfast on the horizon. that said, in the past, brunches have almost always been group affairs, with friends meeting again after partying the night prior.

JC: what are you doing later? do you normally spend the weekend making art, or do you use saturday and sunday for other stuff?

SK: oh my god – there’s no way i am getting anything done today. being a freelance designer, i don’t so much subscribe to weekends, so i take days off when my body requires them, and  getting out into the world for brunch was enough for today with this foggy head. afternoon movie on the couch?

JC: which movie?

SK: there are a lot of recent releases i’ve been hoping to see lately, but today i definitely need something light, not too conceptual. probably an old favorite like “stranger than fiction” or “royal tenenbaums”. maybe a woody allen flick, ideally one with diane keaton! if i really can’t pick, i’ll just put on a half dozen episodes of “arrested development”.

JC: ok, well after you recover, do you want to go {pretend} searching for old postcards? i’d love to see where you find all of the amazing bases for your work!

SK: that sounds fun. in fact, my supply is dwindling so a hunt is definitely in order soon. there is a great antique shop down on the waterfront that has a big stack of postcards i love to dig through. they also have an awesome collection of LIFE magazines, and every issue of playboy since the early 70s, should you want to grab your birthday issue – i already have mine!

JC: nice! i do have a thing for vintage playboys (seriously). ok, so this is no secret but, i LOVE embroidery on found images. how did you learn to sew so precisely? do the mimosas and coffee help with a steady hand?

SK: simply put: practice. there are only so many ways for the thread to pass through paper, and against itself, and with each piece, each pattern and with many different weights of paper, i’ve learned better and more efficient ways to solve every puzzle.

…and yah, sometimes a drink ain’t so bad either : )

JC: ah, so fun! thanks for breakfast shaun… i’ll pick up the tab this time ; )

SK: much obliged.

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And that’s how we do it! A fake brunch with one of my favorite artists… I really could go for some REAL eggs benedict, a coffee, and a little vintage postcard shopping with Shaun though. Come back next Saturday and join me in another restaurant, in another city, with another fabulous artist. Happy weekend to you!

What is it with me and food paintings? I love them. So much. These lovely paintings {egg tempera on gesso board} are the work of New Zealand born, UK based designer/artist Joël Penkman. So scrumptious! And now I want two popsicles. Oh, and I had to include this, because I had it when I was little:

Ah, memories.

{ps. Do you like food? Do you like art? Well then you should pop back here tomorrow for my new weekend series! I know… I don’t usually write on the weekends, but I had to make an exception for this. See you tomorrow morning… oh, and bring your coffee!}

I know that spring is just around the corner, but these lovely paintings by Canadian artist Karin Johannesson are making me feel a bit impatient! I want to be surrounded by pink flowers immediately! She calls these gorgeous watercolors, “studies”… I call them “finished” …hm,  Potato / PotAto.

Gasp! Big, beautiful, etherial orbs drawn with colored ballpoint pen… by a machine. A really, really amazing machine! I could try to explain the inner-workings of this crazy drawing machine, created by Copenhagen based artist Eske Rex, or I could just let you read this:

Drawing Machine is a construction involving two pendulums, each suspended from a tower construction and connected through “drawing arms” and moveable joints. A ballpoint pen resting on a drawing surface covered with paper is mounted at the point where the pendulums come together. The pendulums are set in motion by hand, and their movements are represented on the paper. The Drawing Machine serves two purposes: On exhibitions where the movements of the pendulums affect the entire room, and the experience engages the beholder’s body. While the rhythmic repetitions cause the beholder to pause, the drawing emerges on the paper. And as a tool where investigations on the relation between time and movement.

Ok, this is some of my most favorite collage I’ve stumbled upon in quite some time! Belgium based artist Katrien De Blauwer combines only two images in each piece, yet magically creates a fascinating & mysterious story. Oh, and don’t even get me started on her amazing color palette, created solely through found images and found paper that she somehow manages to maintain throughout her entire, huge, gorgeous portfolio. Love with a capital L.

…And, as a little post-nod to the Oscars, here are three pieces from Katrien’s series, “Cinematic Cuts”:

{via Erna Reiken on Pinterest}

Ok. I don’t know if I’m more jealous of Australian artist Samantha Robinson‘s fabulous porcelain creations {clearly I have a thing for those watermelon bowls!!!} or her gorgeous, creativity-filled studio… Gah!

February 22, 2009 was my very first post on The Jealous Curator. That. Is. Crazy. Over 1100 posts later, and I’m still jealous… but not in the same way that I was four years ago <insert tangent> I get a lot of flack for calling my site “The Jealous Curator”, but the truth is, when I started this whole thing, that’s exactly what I was. I was sad, and angry, and defeated, and yes, really jealous… but I so badly wanted to start making art again. I knew that, somehow, I had to push myself through all of the junk that was holding me back. Through writing this blog, I have learned so much – not only about contemporary art, but also about myself. I now know that there is room for everyone that wants to create. I also know that there will be creative blocks, and countless hours of self-doubt, but that’s ok. Everyone goes through that. It’s how you know you’re part of the club! Granted, I’ve also learned that every block can be cut through… although, yes, sometimes you have to use a chainsaw.

Now, four years later, when I find work that I love, it inspires me to get into the studio to work… actually… let me try that again. It inspires me to get into the studio to play. Allowing myself the time {and freedom} to play, and experiment, and mess things up, and try again – that is what leads me to work that I’m happy with.

So yes, I’m thrilled to report that I’m not ‘jealous’ in a bad way any more. Will I change the name of the site to reflect this… “The Inspired Curator”, “The Envious Curator”… nope. Let’s face it – it’s a catchy name, plus, I’d have to change my business cards! No, no… in all seriousness, I think that punch to the creative gut really is a bit of jealousy. But it doesn’t have to be something that makes me sad, and angry, and defeated. It can move me forward. I hope you’ll come with me… it looks like the next four years might be even more exciting than the first four, if that’s even possible.

Thanks so much to all of you for showing up here every day – I really do appreciate it oh so very much! xo

{image: detail of a painting by Trey Speegle}

Paint… and projected light. Whoa.

Oh, I love these paint/light installations by American artist Jay Shinn. Trying to figure out how he figures it out, makes my brain hurt a tiny bit… but it’s so worth it! There are a few examples above that show the paint on it’s own, and how the image is transformed once the light is projected onto the wall. Ouch… there’s that dull ache in my head again.

Now, if you happen to be in Dallas any time from February 23rd {this Saturday!} through March 30th, you can see this stunningly beautiful work in person at the MARTY WALKER GALLERY… please go, and then tell me all about it!

Oh, the work of Toronto based designer/artist Ange-line Tetrault. First things first, this is what she makes at her day job:

Ange-line is a product designer at Imm Living, and creates all of the lovely things above. I originally found those teacups {which I totally need, by the way} on UncommonGoods, but when I made my way back to her site, I was so excited to discover this very cool personal art project:

Yep. A tiny white house, with a hot pink window that you can peek into, where a looping video shows Ange-line trying to decide what to wear. While she does that, you get to dress her up in all sorts of little outfits of your choosing! The project is titled Ritual of Identity, and here’s the gist:

“... the object is my clothes and the subject is myself. Everyday I get dressed and everyday it’s a long process of me trying on many outfits before I finally get the right look. Some days a certain outfit feels like me and other days the same outfit feels like someone else. What’s the rational behind this? Is it all about the persona I feel like projecting that day? Can people tell the persona I’m projecting based on what I’m wearing, or I look the same no matter what I wear? “