Um. I love this. Beautiful, delicate rings… made of soap!

Korean artist Kyeok Kim has created these lovely pieces as part of her Jewellery as Second Skin series. The idea is that as you wash your hands, the ring slowly disappears leaving your hands smelling like a drop of perfume. It is meant to be “… a sensory experience [that becomes] an unconscious ornament.” Now, don’t get me wrong, I would love an unconscious ornament… but these rings are so gorgeous, I might just opt for never washing my hands while wearing them. Not the point, I know, but I just don’t think I could watch them dissolve!

American artist Molly Briggs uses acrylic, tempera & ink on paper to create these lovely pieces, which are in fact only studies for one of her painting series, titled Clearing. Yep, I know… I wish that my “studies” were this gorgeous!

{Molly is represented by Zg Gallery in Chicago.}

I know that Canadian artist Alain Bonder really wants me to “Fear the Doily” {the title of this gorgeous series}, but, well… I kinda love the doily. A lot.

{Thanks to Alain’s gallery, 511 Gallery in New York, for sending me a link to his work. LOVE THE DOILY!}

During the summer of 2009 Catherine Soto was without her camera… what to do, what to do? The obvious choice, of course, was to spend the summer chopping up her photos from 2005 – 2007! These lovely geometric collages are the result… hm, kinda makes me want to lose my camera as soon as possible.

{via Design for Mankind}

To say that California based writer Emily Goligoski is an inspiring woman is a drastic understatement. This past spring I sent her an email just to say hello, and to ask what she was up to. Here’s a bullet point list of her response:

“Continuing to write my blog TheSanFranista; a few writing and video projects with entrepreneurial friends at ecofabulous and Women 2.0; And in July… heading to Nairobi with the Africa Yoga Project, a group that trains yoga instructors to find work in their local communities. I’ve loved teaching flow-based yoga in SF this year, and I feel fortunate to be going to Kenya for seva (“service”) work that includes building a community center where new teachers can lead classes.” Umm… yeah, she’s a rock star! And who inspires a rock star? Well, read on:

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I am jealous of Wendy MacNaughton.

I am jealous of Wendy MacNaughton, and not just because she uses pen and color so well, but because she is more incredibly perceptive. Her phrasing and observations about people–and our own psyches–makes her work feel familiar and positively pleasurable. What began as a daily routine of sketching fellow commuters in the Bay Area has launched into a more-than-full-time career of commissions, installations and other lovely “things” (as you’ll see if you carve out time to explore the work on her site; having been there more times than you might think possible, I promise that your time clicking will be worthwhile). San Francisco has been the lucky benefactor of illustrations about local outdoor swimmers, library goers, winemakers, cartographers, and other groups that inspire MacNaughton, and I’m hopeful for many more.

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Thanks so much Emily!

A list of reasons to be jealous of Montreal based artist Kirsten McCrea, by The Jealous Curator:

A little self-conscious lucha man, & Kim in his shades, & an insanely ornate deer head {that would make gorgeous/painful tattoo}, & a jaunty jockey at a rodeo. Oh, & she also runs Papirmasse, “an affordable art subscription that delivers a print with art on the front, and writing on the back to your mailbox every month for the incredible price of only $5 a month.” …What?! Yep, it’s true.

“Love me two times”… no problem! First, I’ll love this series as it was intended… bright, bold, and beautiful gouache, ink, pen & vinyl on paper. However, for the second time, I’d like Australian artist Kirra Jamison to come over to my house and paint one of these pieces as a bright, bold, and beautiful gouache, ink, pen & vinyl mural on my wall! Yep, I would love that… two times.

Whoa. How can you not admire anyone that is capable of painting like this!? And, on top of the amazing skill/technique that has gone into this work, they also happen to fit under one of my favorite kinds of art… the “beautifully boring” kind! You know, those mundane, every day objects that your eye most likely skips right over – but, when you take the time to stop and study them, like Canadian artist Christopher Stott obviously has, you realize that each one has it’s own story, and that “boring” really can be amazingly beautiful.

{via Anthology Magazine}

Oh my word  you guys, I am so excited! Just so you know, I’m going to write a lot today due to the overwhelming, just mentioned excitement… Ok, deep breath. Ahhhh. Here we go:

So, a few months ago I wrote a post about a friend of mine who was having a hard time with the emotional {and financial} ups and downs of being an artist. Well… your response to it was amazing! Thoughtful, emotional and understanding comments came pouring in. As I wrote back to your thoughtful, emotional and understanding comments I wished so much that we were all in the same room talking/crying/laughing about it together. I decided that the only thing that made any sense was a camp, workshop, kumbaya-ish kind o’ weekend. Well, a few emails and a really fun coffee date with Angela Ritchie of Ace Camps later, and my dream is coming true. Yep, we’re going to Palm Springs this October people!!! The workshop is called “The Art of Confidence” and it’s all about breaking through artist blocks, facing our insecurities, moving forward with our work, but most importantly, realizing that we’re not alone. Oh, and  it’s going to be at gorgeous house with two pools in Palm Springs mid October… need I say more? Here are a few shots of where we’ll be staying:

Yep. Awesome, right?! If you want to find out exactly what we’ll be doing, please go and check out the Ace Camp site. You’ll find a detailed description written by me, what’s included/price, and a full itinerary {things like jealousy-shattering exercises, mixed media sketchbooks, poolside pilates, a screening of Handmade Nation, and more!}

A few spots are already taken, so sign up soon! I’m ridiculously excited {clearly!}, and I cannot wait to meet you!

I love, and I mean love, the work of American painter Mark Bradley-Shoup. In fact, I’ve written about him several times. His work is quiet, muted, and absolutely gorgeous. When I saw the pieces that he chose to write about, I was instantly jealous… jealous of the work, and even more jealous that he found it first!

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I am insanely jealous of Ulf Puder!

There is something about German and Belgium painters that just make me swoon. From Richter to Tuymans to Rauch, there seems to be something in the water over there. Ulf Puder is no exception, and is one to add to the list. He is one of those artists that immediately makes me want to simultaneously stop painting, because he has achieved everything I strive for in a painting, and at the same time, ups the ante and kicks my ass into gear to get back into the studio to paint harder than ever before. Structural abstraction, gestural paint, German sensibility, what’s not to love. Makes me want to catch the next flight to Leipzig.

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I love it! That’s the best kind of jealousy… the kind that gets you back in the studio, working harder than ever! Thanks so much Mark – fantastic post. {Again, I’m away til Monday night, but will be back bright and early on Tuesday morning with an exciting update on the Ace Camp in Palm Springs!}