Yep. More amazing, beautifully boring paintings that were shown to me by Leah Giberson while we were in Chattanooga together. This time it’s personal though… this insanely beautiful work {flashe on linen} is by Leah’s brother-in-law, Korean-born, American artist Jon Widman. Stacks of books, boxes, records, and of course, chipmunks. Oh, oh! And look at this:

Ridiculously detailed paintings of the spines of album covers. Who does this?! Jon Widman, I suppose. And also, you’ve seen paintings of the spines of books, but have you ever seen someone do this…

Stacked books, but… they’ve been turned around, so that he can paint the PAGES of the book. Sweet jiminy.

Thanks again to Leah! Keep em coming, lady xo

These are the most beautiful real estate pages I’ve ever seen! These gorgeous cut-newspaper installations are by American artist Pat Shannon. She meticulously cuts away the text, leaving only the sweet little houses behind. She does this with all sorts of newspapers {comics, want-ads, inserts}, but for me, it’s all about these tiny houses! Love.

Ok, I’ll be honest. At first glance, this installation made me a bit uncomfortable … perhaps it was the yellow powdered sperm, and the large bottle of blood. However, on further inspection {and just a tiny bit of reading}, I think you’ll find that it’s actually a lovely, thoughtful, and very clever piece that compares the natural world to the human body. This is the work of Paris based artist Mathilde Roussel, and it is titled echology:

“Dew, milk, pollen, sap, branches, grass, bark, etched glass jars.
Resonances between human body and vegetal are suggested by filling with plant elements, scientifical jars labelled with human body parts. The living ingredients inside the jars change and metamorphose though time.”

{Exhibited at Anatomia Botanica, Cheekwood Botanical Garden & Museum of Art, Nashville, US.}

Ah… yellow pollen, and a large bottle of sap. Phew.

This is what you find when you hang out with three “Beautifully Boring” artists for a few days! Leah Giberson sent me a link to these oil paintings {yes, paintings!} by American artist Cindy Rizza. Kind of perfect for Valentine’s Day, since I LOVE them oh so much ♥ Nostalgic, skillfully painted, and beautifully boring… ah, a lovely combination. Oh, and speaking of lovely:

Gah! Gorgeous!!! Thanks for the introduction to Cindy’s work, Leah xo

Ok. A few days ago, I saw these shoes on Pinterest, which of course sent me on a mad hunt to find more from this artist… and boy oh boy,  did I! This is the work of French designer/artist Emilie Faif. Aren’t these paintings on clothing lovely? Well, they’re  just the tip of the iceberg! Her portfolio is full of crazy installations and soft sculpture. After you stare at these for a few minutes, you have to go check them out!

Oh my. This is the lovely work of Washington State based artist Stasia Burrington. Washy drawings covered in flowers… flowers that happen to be hand-cut from quilt fabric, which are then glued on, resembling tattoos, gardens, or scars. Gorgeous! Oh, and I couldn’t finish this post without showing my favorite image from the “drawing” section of her portfolio:

Sigh ♥

When I was in Chattanooga last week, I was invited by the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, to visit the studios of some of the BFA students. Here’s what I found:

Love! I spent about 6 hours with them, and what impressed me most was how open they were – so interested in experimenting, playing around, and finding their own way. When I did my undergrad that was not encouraged – it felt very competitive, and quite frankly pretty negative – the critiques were rarely positive and seemed like a chance to bash each other, rather than encourage each other. These art students were so excited, and supportive – it was a joy to be around! And their studios, in an old carriage house on the University property, are filled with painted floors, twinkle lights, and art supplies on the floor, shelves, walls, couches, and table tops. Made me wish I was a student again… well, as long as I got to be in this program! I found these two things up on the walls of the studio, which I think summed up their refreshing attitude perfectly:

So awesome… GO UTC!

I wrote about Seonna Hong in 2009… and when I saw this new series, clearly, I had to write about her again! I absolutely love the way her work has evolved – still totally recognizable as hers, but these lovely pieces {on paint chips!} are so much looser, and less controlled. Don’t get me wrong, I love her older paintings too, but I’m always so impressed with artists that can push themselves out of their comfort zone, while still being true to their style. Love.

Hey, San Francisco … any plans for tonight? No? Great! Go to this! This show opens tonight at Mirus Gallery {6pm – 10pm} and features 14 women* making art about women. It is quite appropriately titled, “The Looking Glass: Refraction through the Female Gaze”. These are a few of my favorite images, but there are plenty more where this came from. Ok, go have fun tonight!

{*Artists in the show: Kimberly Brooks, Sandra Chevrier, Naja Conrad-Hansen, Mercedes Helnwein, Alexandra Levasseur, Jen Mann, Sari Maxfield, Alyssa Monks, Jennifer Nehrbass, Casey O’Connell, Claire Pestaille, Rachel Walker, Janelle Wisehart and Christine Wu // Work shown above 1) Claire Pestaille  2) Mercedes Helnwein  3) Alexandra Levasseur}

Tonight is finally the opening night for my latest curation, “Beautifully Boring” at Tanner Hill Gallery in Chattanooga (YAY!). In honor of that, I wanted to share a very new discovery… well, very new to me anyway! This is the wonderfully mundane work of Romanian born, Amsterdam based artist Veron Urdarianu. I spent all day yesterday with Mark Bradley Shoup, one of the artists in the show tonight, and he shared this work with me. Given how much I love every single piece in “Beautifully Boring”, he thought I might just LOVE these paintings {yes, paintings! I was quite sure they were done with layered paper}. Well, he was right. I do love them. Very, very much!

Ok, I’m off to check out the gallery one last time before opening night! If you’re in the state of Tennessee, I hope to see you tonight! ; )

{ps. I couldn’t find a site for Veron, so I’ve just linked you to the Google results for him… Sorry! Hopefully you can still find more info there if you want it!}