Happy weekend everyone! I’m going to be spending it with my family, knee-deep in chocolate that was delivered by the Easter Bunny. Keep your eyes open for him though… clearly, he’s a master of disguise:

See you on Monday! xo

{1. Lissy Laricchia 2. Andrea Zuill 3. Ann Marshall 4. Joost Van Brug 5. Langdon Graves 6. Debra Broz 7. Denise Nestor 8. Bayley Collins}

Sweet jiminy… I absolutely love the vintage postcard/geometric embroidery mixed media work of Seattle based artist Shaun Kardinal. I wrote about him in the fall of 2010, but he’s been busy since then! So many amazing new pieces have been added to his already envy-worthy portfolio. And then of course, there’s this:

A big neon pink D, on an old mountain covered postcard?! D for Danielle… do you see why I NEED this?!

Bold patterns, big diamonds, and tiny end tables… seriously, how can I not be jealous of American artist Bill Zindel… AGAIN! I wrote about him way back in 2009, so imagine my delight when I came across his latest series of vibrant, fun, vintage yet modern collages! So. Much. Love.

Yes – it’s a blog switch-aroo! I’m not really here, I’m actually over on Pikaland today, writing about my favorite illustrators… and I’m leaving you with the lovely Amy Ng of Pikland who has come to write about her favorite contemporary artists! Ready? Here we go:

Hi there! My name is Amy and I run a blog called Pikaland where I share lots of love for illustrations. Whether it’s emblazoned on a pillow, or a print on the wall, you could say that I go bonkers over anything remotely illustrated. And here in the interwebs I get to meet loads of lovely people and Danielle is one of the most fantastic ladies I’ve ever had a chance to know online. If we were in the same postcode (or country, for that matter), I’m sure we’ll be hanging out with a cup of tea and cakes before we bust out our list of online peeps who rock our world just so that we could swoon all over our screens. I’m sure we are pretty much doing that now, but nothing beats having company!

So the thing is, Danielle and I – we have a bit of a thing between us. She tries her darndnest to find me names of illustrators that I have not come across in the four years of my blogging, and I enjoy myself thoroughly with a giggle whenever I have to tell her “nope, I’ve written about them before!”. So today, the tables are turned and when it came time for me to find artists that she has not already got all huffy and jealous about, I almost wept with despair.

BUT.

I have managed to pull this one off. Because of late I have been super inspired by pattern, abstracts and color. I can’t explain it, but I am inextricably drawn towards the brazen works of a few select artists who wield their brush and their imagination to create art that draws me in, and here are my three favorites that Danielle hasn’t touched on quite yet (AHA!):

Misato Suzuki lives in Los Angeles and her paintings feature glorious colors and elements of repetition, brought to life through scale and interaction! I love how in her images, there’s this one prominent element that is offset by subtle patterns that add so much texture!

What I love about Jenni Rope is that she toggles between being an artist and an illustrator effortlessly! Apart from that, she also runs a gallery and a publishing arm called Napa Books where they have books that are to die for. She is based in Helsinki, I am really digging her latest paintings! They’re mostly staged abstract landscapes that really show off her affinity with color, but you have to check out her website for all the wonderful things she’s putting out in so many different mediums.

And lastly, Mara Caffarone is based in Bueno Aires and I really love her bold use of colors. I discovered her via Little Paper Planes (check out this interview with her) and her paintings have haunted me ever since. What I enjoy watching was how she gradually shifted her style; from figurative works to her current abstracts. I especially love her experimentations that use different base materials to see how each piece is transformed, ultimately bringing out the beauty of individual artwork.

Well D, I hope you enjoyed some of my picks for the switcharoo! I had so much fun getting all these abstract art out of my system, and I hope your readers will too!

I dare you to “look away” – you can’t, can you?! Nope, me either. Oooh, I love this installation, text-based light work by American artist Steve Lambert. I want all of it… I would have the artsiest, most well-lit home on the block!

{ps. check out my “ART GOES HERE” post on sfgirlbybay to see my absolute favorite piece of his!}

These amazing drawings are the work of New York based artist Aurel Schmidt. They are part of  a series titled, Reveries Of A Lost Life Mask in which she pairs images with the poetry of American poet Franz Wright. I love their simplicity… so beautiful, yet so mundane. They are meant to be “a reminder of our own vulnerability and mortality”. Well, it worked… AND, I’m pretty sure I’ll never drink Diet Coke ever again {poor wilty rose!}

{via Booooooom}

Whoa. Brooklyn based artist Luli {aka Lourdes} Sanchez has a huge portfolio full of work… and when I say huge, I mean HUGE. I decided to go half color/half b&w, but there were so many ways I could have done this post. Flowers, dots, abstract… and the list goes on, and on, and on, and on. Love.

“A month of” all sorts of amazing little drawings and paintings by New York based artist/illustrator {and former art director at The New York Times} Leanne Shapton. Every day of the week she draws or paints something… here’s how her week breaks down: Sunday Walks; Monday Shower Songs; Tuesday Blooms; Wednesday Patterns; Thursday Nights Out; Friday Swims; Saturday Flea Markets; Sunday Night Movies. Genius! My favorite groups were the Mondays, Tuesdays, and Saturdays:

What a lovely way to spend your week, yes?

Ah, the beautifully bizarre portraits of Canadian painter Kris Knight. I included some of his work in a “Jealously Curated” {aka totally made up} show in 2010, titled Head + Shoulders. His new work has been showing up all over the place lately, and I could not control myself… I had to show it too! So sensual, so beautifully executed, and just a little bit creepy. Love.

{via Booooooom, and Escape Into Life}

ps. some of my own work went up on ‘Buy Some Damn Art’ yesterday… it makes me kinda nervous to show it, but hey, it’s out there now!

So, a few weeks ago I found these amazing little arrowheads, by American artist Britt Bass, on Pinterest {via Kate Roebuck}.

So cool, right? Yep, I loved them right away! And then today, I was poking around on the always fabulous curate1k, and found more work by Britt… also in the ‘arrow family’:

Gasp! I love them so much. The real trick, of course, is deciding which ones to buy… pink? gold? neon red?! I literally cannot decide… {please stand by as I take a quick break in the writing of this post.} Ok, I just popped over to her Etsy shop and bought the final pair in this post…. Pink, gold, neon red it is! YAY!