Whoa.

I used to go amethyst hunting with my dad when I was little. We’d look long and hard for just the right kind of rock {a tricky task at age 7}, crack it in half, and voila… purple crystals! It’s quite safe to say that I would have lost my mind if I had found one of Jim Hodges‘ rocks! This insanely beautiful work was recently displayed at Gladstone Gallery in New York {where Jim is based}. I’m sure you’re already totally amazed, but let me add just one more small detail… scale:

Well, ok, that puts all of my amethyst to shame.

{via Design for Mankind}

Hm, Alice in Wonderland yesterday, and Little Red Riding Hood today… apparently, I’m working in as many bizarre children’s stories as I possibly can this week. Colorado based artist/illustrator Amy Sullivan has totally hooked me/creeped me out with her lovely/creepy fairy tale series. Poor little Red… eaten alive. So sad. But wait, I know what will cheer you up… sasquatches, rainbows, and a big stack of Eames chairs:

♥ Yep… I feel better. You?

ps. I just started a new series on sfgirlbybay today! It’s called “Art Goes Here” {a little virtual art hanging for your Wednesday morning!}

Giant teacups. Girls defying gravity. Bunny masks in the woods. Um, yes, I love this.

Let’s Play Pretend is the title of this Alice in Wonderland inspired photographic series, by Canadian artist Lissy Laricchia. They are soft and beautiful, and slightly disturbing… I think Mr. Carroll would be proud.

Birds, boxes, bold type, and bright pink paint. Yep, it’s love. I found Toronto based artist Amanda Happé on Design*Sponge, by accident actually. I was looking for inspiring living room photographs {I might be doing a little redecorating soon!} and Amanda’s Toronto apartment was featured in their ‘Sneak Peek’ section. The first shot featured a credenza, and the top-most painting in this post. I instantly forgot about the living room and was in search of that painting, and hopefully more like it… and I was in luck! It was, in fact, one of her own pieces! I found it, along with all of this other stunning work on her portfolio site. So. Good.

ps. The final image is obviously a detail, but I desperately want to frame it and put it in my soon-to-be redecorated living room! ♥

Ok, I thought these were illustrations, or prints of some kind… but they are, in fact, sculptures! Yes… beautiful, light-infused, acrylic sculptures! Vancouver born, New York based Phillip Low is the artist/designer behind these lovely, man-made gems. I would love to see them in person, preferably not in a gallery setting, because I’d really like to pick one up and look at it from every angle {… and fyi, galleries don’t usually like that very much!}

{photos taken by Uday Kak, for Maryam Nassir Zadeh}

Oooh, fire! Beautiful, candy-hued flames engulfing equally beautiful, candy-hued houses {both drawings, and found imagery}. Oh my word, I absolutely love this work by artist/designer Jennifer  Mehigan. She is a graphic designer who is currently working towards her BFA in Art Education at the College of Fine Arts in Sydney, Australia. Now, not that I would ever want her to ever switch majors, but she may want to consider a career in Arson Forensics.

{via Art Hound}

Love. I love these paper collages by Toronto based artist, JP King.

I wrote a post about Sarah Burwash last week. She’s in residence at Spark Box Studio, and she mentioned the two fabulous artists that are there with her at the moment. One of them is Kirsten McCrea {who I wrote about last August}, and the other artist is, you guessed it, JP King. Ok, I need to go and spend some time at Spark Box … clearly, they are my kind o’ people.

Photographs? Nope.

Found photo collage? Nope.

Graphite drawings? Yes.

What?! Yes, it’s true. California based artist Ed Loftus, and his trusty pencil amaze me. There was a great article in The New York Times about him last December. Apparently he has struggled with OCD since childhood, but if there’s a silver lining… it’s his unbelievable artwork. According to that article “…the works are rendered in painstaking detail — partly a result of the disorder — and a single piece can take up to five months to complete. In the last three years, Mr. Loftus has produced 10 works.”

Slow, and probably painful, but what an amazing result.

{I found the work of Ed Loftus at Jack Hanley Gallery, NY}

I love it when fabulous artists email me with links to their fabulous work! Case in point, this series, titled Calling the Caves, by Halifax based artist Sarah Burwash… but she’s not in Halifax right now, and I’m insanely jealous. She’s currently in residence at Spark Box Studio, in Picton {a beautiful, small town just outside of Toronto}. I would love to spend some time there, quietly working away. I asked Sarah to tell me a little bit about her experience so far {I had planned to paraphrase, but her description was just so lovely, I’ve directly quoted her}:

… it is so blissful to be in a big old house surrounded by corn and hay feilds, it is peaceful and relaxing, and also productive and inspiring. The sun has been out often and the fields are dusted with snow. Chrissy and Kyle who run Spark Box are amazing hosts, light hearted and ambitious pair, they make you feel very comfortable and welcomed and go out of there way for you. I have a large studio space to work, and there is a great library of books from art books, to wild flower books, to old life magazines. There is a bright kitchen with a record player and a spunky dog running about. It is a quiet, relaxing, and beautiful place providing the time and space to work on art, get feedback and meet others. The other artists, Kirsten and JP, have been a real treat to have around, to chat with, share resources and glass of whiskey.

Ok… don’t you want to go there right now?! I do! Good luck with your work Sarah – I can’t wait to see what you create while staying in this amazing place.

A gold skirt, simple portraits, and one very festive sweater. This lovely, day-in-the-life subject matter, by American artist Christina Renfer Vogel, is exactly the kind of work that makes me jealous. Oh, and her hat, of course… I’m jealous of her fantastic, cozy fur hat!

{ps. I want that gold skirt, titled ‘Event’, in a fancy frame on my wall… it’s 36″ x 36″! Gorgeous.}