Yep. An old feather factory turned into a gallery, and several artist studios {psst… that are for rent!}. The Active Space is in Bushwick Brooklyn, and looks like this:

Oh, it’s like a huge blank canvas! I desperately want an artist to paint a giant feather mural all over the exterior… wouldn’t that be cool!? Maybe in gold!!! Anyway, this post is about them {not my feathery mural ideas} so let me get back to the point! It’s a space with one large showing gallery, and several individual artist studios {free heat included in the rent – you can’t beat that!}. Here is a layout of the space, two examples of the rooms, and some jealousy-inducing work from a few of the ‘Active Space‘ artists:

{1. Lauren Clay 2. Sebastian Vallejo 3. Matt Nichols }

They are having a grand re-opening this Friday night, February 24th from 7 – 10pm, and you should go!  They’ll be featuring the work of street artist Criminy Johnson:

Have an amazing time on Friday night… and tell them about my gold feather mural idea! Thanks ; )

I found this work in the ‘drawing’ section of American artist Liz Miller‘s portfolio. Um, my drawings do not look like this. At all. I guess she considers these incredibly beautiful/complex pieces to be very simple sketches… you’ll see what I mean when you see her main body of work:

Yep. Crazy!

{Thanks to Carolyn at  SOO Visual Arts Center for the link to Liz’s work.}

When I first announced the Girl Crush Workshops + Tea Parties in January, I did not have LA in the schedule… but then a WHOLE bunch of you emailed, and tweeted, and left messages on my facebook page… apparently you really like art, and you really like tiny little cakes! So, all of that to say, I listened. And look who I got!!!

I’ve had a girl crush on LA based photographer Stephanie Vovas from the first moment I saw her work. She’s a very successful photographer who specializes in, well, vintage-looking sex-kitten kind of shots… um, is it wrong that I want her styling team to make me over so that I can pretend to be one of these sassy vixens? Just for one day? Please!!! Ok, look at these stunning images, and I guarantee you’ll have a girl crush too:

Love. So much love {…you might recognize some of her subjects –  Robin Tunney, Gillian Jacobs, and Diora Baird to name a few!} Anywho, I’m knee deep into a girl crush over here, and I hope you are too because, on May 26th Stephanie and I will be hosting a Girl Crush Workshop + Tea Party at Edgar Varela Gallery :

What a great space, right!? We’ll spend the morning talking artist blocks/inspirations, followed by an amazing catered lunch. But wait, there’s more! After lunch, Edgar Varela himself, will take us on a gallery tour of the neighborhood, giving us the inside scoop on the latest shows in downtown LA. It’s going to be fabulous… wait, is that a Beverly Hills word, or can I use that in this post?

Sign up here if you’re interested!

Portraits by British artist Ben Hughes. I’m really not sure what to say about these fantastic, life-sized, half illustrated – half realistic, simple, yet detailed portraits… all I can seem to muster is a jaw-dropped, whoa ♥ {Oh boy… it’s that ginger-moustached man with his floppy sunflower, and piercing blue eyes… van Gogh meets Tin Tin, no?}

{Where did I find this amazing work? Well, Ben just happens to be the brother of the very talented Seattle based artist Tif Fussell – aka the crafting goddess, Dottie Angel. Seriously. The talent in this family is insane – insane I tell you! Happy weekend, see you on Monday!}

Ok, if you have ever worked with acrylic paint you know how fun/satisfying it is to peel the hardened paint off of  your palette. During my BFA I saved a whole bunch of this strange, plastic, skin-like stuff… but alas, I never made anything with it. Well, Seattle based artist Margie Livingston did. She created this fantastic work, that she describes as “both a three-dimensional painting and a sculpture made of paint.” That’s right these sculptures, or paintings, or sculptures, were created using only acrylic paint… layers and layers and layers and layers of hardened acrylic paint. So jealous.

{via Artsy Forager}

I’ve just started an exciting new collaboration {that I’ll tell you about very soon!}, and it has required me to dig through all of my old posts. It felt like flipping through an old year book – full of really good looking friends! Enter the work of Canadian artist Eric Cator. I wrote about his paintings a loooooong time ago, so it is definitely time to show more of his fantastic work. Aah, the compositions, the color choices, that lonely police officer… yep, this work should be voted “Most likely to make me jealous!”

Now these are the kind of jewels that I hope to get on Valentine’s Day! ♥

I so badly want American artist Kirsten Hassenfeld to hang one of these gorgeous installations from my ceiling! Delicate, light-infused, paper-based mixed media jewels… yes please.

{via Sycamore Street Press}

I’m not sure where Madrid based photographer Fayna Attasara took these dreamy/slightly eery photographs, but I want to go to there.

{I actually thought these were paintings on first glance… I have a feeling that Leah Giberson might realllllly like them!}

Trees, wrapped in white and perfectly aligned with the horizon… hence the title of this beautiful work by Zander Olsen, Tree Line.

“This is an ongoing series of constructed photographs rooted in the forest. These works, carried out in Surrey, Hampshire, and Wales, involve site specific interventions in the landscape, ‘wrapping’ trees with white material to construct a visual relationship between tree, not-tree and the line of horizon according to the camera’s viewpoint.”

Sigh. That first one kills me.

{via Booooooom}

Wow – what a month it’s been! I can’t believe how well these Girl Crush workshops+ tea parties have come together! The first one, with the lovely Lisa Congdon in San Francisco, is exactly one month away! It sold out within a week, and as of a few days ago, is completely organized {right down to the color of the sprinkles on the cookies!} … and here’s who I need to thank for that:

First of all, a truckload of xoxo’s need to go to Lisa for being our host! She is clearing off her work tables, and filling them with cupcakes; she has organized a bunch of fancy swag*; AND she has even arranged an afternoon of gallery hopping around the Mission! FUN!

1. Daily Dose of Sunlight: seriously, this girl literally is a daily dose of sunlight! Taylor, a blogger and photographer, dropped from the heavens into my inbox, and asked if she could be my Girl Crush helper/intern for the day. I said, um… YES!

2. Oh my word – you should see the menu for the tea party! A very gourmet tea party lunch will be catered by Square Meals, and the insanely decadent treats are being made by Batter Bakery {thanks to Anne Sage from Rue Magazine for the reco – we’ll save you a sand angel Anne!}

*3. Arch, an art supply store in San Francisco, has very kindly donated a bunch of arsty stuff to be popped into our swag bags! Thank you Arch xo

4. Cargoh is the home to my lovely online shop where you can purchase a spot in any of the upcoming workshops. Speaking of which…

April is just around the corner… if you’re in New York you should come and spend a day with me and painter Samantha French! And a little further along in the 2012 calendar:

Painter Lisa Golightly in Portland, and mixed media artist Alyson Fox in Austin… AND the latest announcement, made just yesterday:

Yes – Shauna Alterio will be hosting a tea party at her gorgeous loft in Philly! She’s the woman behind Something’s Hiding in Here, and Forage Bowties {along with a zillion other crazy creative things!} Two spots have already sold for her October 13th workshop/tea party, so sign up soon!

Stay tuned… I have an amazing artist on board for LA {also in 2012}, we’re just trying to confirm a space and a date! Ok. That’s it. Whoa – I have to sit down after that. Have a lovely weekend! xo