This is Brisbane based artist and designer Rachel Burke aka @imakestagram. Can you guess what she desperately wanted to be when she grew up? A lawyer or a doctor? Nope. A fairy. Well, as you can see by the photo above, she nailed it! Rachel makes the craziest most wonderful work – from art you can wear {even if you’re a mermaid}, to art you can sit on … and in, for that matter! And you know what else is crazy and wonderful? Her story. Rachel’s path has been anything but conventional, which actually makes complete sense. You can listen right up there under Rachel in her fairy floss dress, or subscribe on Apple Podcasts / Spotify.

First, let’s start with a few of the images I posted the other day:

Gasp! Remember all of that? Of course you do… how could you forget a tinsel cafe and those crazy dresses. Speaking of crazy dresses:

 

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A post shared by Rachel Burke (@imakestagram)

Ah yes, perfect for everyday wear. Clearly, I’m gonna need some of that bling for my next trip to the grocery store {watch the video!}

Okay, let’s take a look at all of the fabulous brand collaborations we covered:

Yes! Talk about only working with brands that fit your own aesthetic! Love, love, love.

Next, this is just a teeny tiny snippet of Rachel’s artwork currently showing at Saint Cloche Gallery in Sydney:

Okay, there is no way her mom would’ve allowed this much glitter in the house. NO. WAY. The show is open until Dec 6th, but if you’re not in Sydney, you can also buy the work online. Oh, ps. she’s doing an exclusive workshop at the gallery {Saturday December 5th @ 2 – 3:30pm}, and you can buy tickets HERE.

Alright, let’s take a look at Rachel’s super sweet family. Brace yourself for cuteness overload:

Oh. My. Word. Hugo {the baby}, Tom {the lawyer willing to wear tinsel), and Daisy {the wiener}. Seriously, the cutest family evah* … *that’s ‘ever’ in Australian. Also, now do you see why I need those sparkly coats for my full dozen ‘o dachshunds? Yeah, you get it.

And finally, since this is the last episode until after the holidays, I figured we should probably wrap things up with these:

“Merry Craftmas” … you are talking my language, lady! So. Much. Fun! And with that I will give a great big thanks to Rachel for hanging out with me for so long; even bigger thanks to Rachel’s mom for hanging out with Hugo for so long; and thanks to YOU for listening. There will be more ART FOR YOUR EAR in 2021. Stay happy & healthy ~ Danielle xo

Other links:

1. Rachel on Instagram
2. Rachel’s shop
3. Victoria College of Art
4. Universal Store, Australia
5. Frankie Magazine, Australia
6. Material Girl Magazine, Germany
7. ‘‘Apomogy’ Project
8. Alt Summit
9. Next In Fashion, Netflix
10. LEGO Collab.
11. Disney Collab.
12. Rachel’s art show at Saint Cloche Gallery, Sydney
13. Danielle’s Skillshare classes {mentioned in the intro}
14. Danielle’s Liz + pompoms collage

She’s done it again… another immersive, jaw-dropping collage that I want to move into immediately. “Biodiversity” is the latest insane collage by Berlin based artist Clare Celeste Börsch. I’ve written about her several times, she was on the podcast in 2018, and so when I saw this installation, clearly, I had to share it too! Here are Clare’s words about her newest paper wonderland:

68% of biodiversity lost in just 50 years…

My latest artwork shares a message of love, urgency and hope. Love for our planet, our future selves, our children and future generations. Urgency, because climate change is upon us and the predictions of what to come are dire. And Hope, because there is still a narrow window of time to act and there is still so much we can save.

We are currently on track for 4 degrees of warming by the year 2100. This means a future marked by increasingly violent storms, droughts, wildfires, flooding, and crop shortages.

But we have the tools and technologies to respond to this crisis. We must now collectively and individually rise to this unprecedented challenge. In the video, I list concrete ways you can make a difference today. Please watch and share! It is available on YouTube.

Soooooo beautiful! Happy Friday.

*photos, video and editing by Patricia Schichl.

You might know her as @mrsciccoricco on Instagram… that’s how I knew her for years before we finally met in person! My guest today is California based, Dutch artist Natalie Ciccoricco. Obviously we’re going to talk about her insanely beautiful/poetic “Nesting” series {born during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic}, but we’ll also cover important topics like day jobs, motherhood, qualities that make for a perfect stick, and the reasons why she loves David Lynch. Oh, and at one point she ended up interviewing me about my latest book, but I quickly got things focused back on Natalie! You can listen right up there under “Nesting No.64”, or subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

First up, a few images I posted of Natalie’s “Nesting” pieces, fairly early on in the series:

I mean, COME ON! I love them all so much. And can’t you picture little Lou finding sticks for his mama on their daily walks? So crazy cute. This is just a fraction of the pieces in the series at this point. Personally, I think Natalie has struck creative gold. Speaking of striking gold, did we discuss the circular paper she sourced?

Yeah. ROUND RAG. Ah-mazing! {I can’t remember if we talked about this, but had to include a few images. Clearly.}

Next up, the really big commission Natalie just completed earlier this fall:

Chunky cross-stitch + found drift wood = LOVE.

Moving along to this dreamy series… ‘Color Holes’. This is what Natalie was working on before COVID hit:

Beautiful… the work, and Natalie standing in front of this series at Rasmussen Gallery in California.

Now, I was wracking my brain before we chatted because I could not picture the work she did before the color holes! Ahhh, the mixed media fairies, of course:

So lovely. That shot in the middle is from “Plus One”, a show Natalie invited me to be part of. Each artist from The Main Gallery chose their “plus one” from outside of the gallery to show with, and Natalie picked me! So there we are, up on the wall together in the summer of 2016. Ah yes, simpler times.

Now, I asked Natalie to send a photo of her embroidery thread, because I wanted to see if she really is organized. She is. I, however, have a slightly different storage system for my thread collection:

Hm. Well at least my collage cutouts are organized… really! THEY ARE!

And finally, a little touch o’ Halloween to end the episode. Sadly, Natalie does not have a picture of herself as a singing banana, so instead please enjoy these photos of my first ‘trick or treating’ experience:

A 2 year old bride? Okay. The ‘after’ picture is actually my favorite … the sorting is always the best part! Thanks so much to Natalie for coming on the podcast, and huge thanks to you for listening. Have a safe and happy weekend, and I’ll meet you back here next Saturday for a brand new episode of ART FOR YOUR EAR.

Other Links:

1. Natalie on Instagram
2. Natalie’s Shop
3. #30DayArtQuarantine {that has become a never-ending art quarantine}
4. Catching the Big Fish by David Lynch {the book Natalie loves}

Tiny sculptures… that you can wear! Oh my word, this is the work of UK based artist Faye Hall, and yes, it’s jewelry. Here is Faye’s description of her process and her pieces:

“Originally trained in textiles, and with over thirteen years’ experience designing highly tactile fabrics for fashion and interiors, I now apply my perpetual curiosity for surface and materials to create bold pieces of art jewellery which marry my textiles practice and silversmithing. Influenced by my collage work, I am interested in finding beautiful solutions to combine materials of different weights and origins through embellishment and placement. I am very curious about the use of embroidery as both a decorative and construction tool within my work and I like to challenge that fine line.

Every piece of jewellery is handcrafted in my workshop and created in a very intuitive way; I like to be playful with my material choices and to juxtapose elements that you may not typically put together, such as linoleum and silk, or formica and gold. Working with found colours along the way only adds to the challenge of combining components that are inherently different in weight, structure and surface into an intriguing object which is tactile and harmonious.“

Tactile – check … Harmonious – CHECK! Faye’s work can be found in her online shop. Happy Monday.

Gah! So smart! This is the work of Buenos Aires based collage artist Paulina Alonso… one found image and some crumpled paper, and voila, a brand new {very dramatic} story in every single piece. Love, love, LOVE.

{Found via the Edinburgh Collage Collective on Instagram}

Loooooove! These are the hand-cut collages of New York / Atlanta artist Christa David. I’ve been following her for awhile, and ooooh, these latest pieces made up of… is that skirt?… are so great. The compositions, color choices, and the stories they stir up:

“In my artwork, context, specifically story, is essential. Stories, like currency, are circulated. Using materials sourced from historical archives, vintage and contemporary magazines and newspapers, I cut and compose mostly intimate-sized narrative collages that describe my thoughts about the stories I’ve heard and told about myself and others.”

Yep, once again, I’m gonna need my scissors and every old magazine I can find. Happy Wednesday.

ps. Christa’s work is available in her shop.

Oh, be still my collage-loving heart! This is the work of California based, English artist Katie McCann. There is just so much to see! Flora, fauna, random oddities, collages within collages… so weird, so wonderful. Here is Katie’s description of what’s going on up there:

“The female face is central to much of my artwork and often acts as a reflection of the natural and sometimes magical world. She can be surrounded by birds, fish and butterflies or submerged in a dense wallpaper pattern which either represents her prison or her liberation.

I have recently found that my collages are becoming more orderly and methodical – neatly arranged, strange objects fill the page like rows of paper microscope slides or specimens in a tiny cabinet of curiosity. My need to obsessively cut can sometimes outweigh the composition of the piece, so I am often left with piles of abandoned cuttings – lost bones, moths, fungi, feathers, coral, shells and butterfly wings. Eventually these too will find a place to reside.”

Yessssssssss. Okay, I have to go cut stuff out. Immediately.

{found via Kolaj Magazine}

Oh my. This is the work of Los Angeles based artist Todd Gray. Well, actually, he works between Los Angeles and Ghana, where he “explores the diasporic dislocations and cultural connections which link Western hegemony with West Africa.” Brilliant and beautiful. As a collage artist, I am absolutely in love with these stunning compositions / juxtapositions of images… and all of those found frames? LOVE.

These gorgeous mixed media paintings are the work of Atlanta based artist, illustrator and educator Charly Palmer. His painted and collaged flowers are what grabbed me, apparently an element he started incorporating into his work after his mother passed away in 2008 {which makes me love them even more}. Speaking of love… most of us have been cursing 2020, but Charly is having a VERY good summer. In June, the album cover he painted for John Legend was released, in July his work was on the cover of TIME Magazine, and in August… he got married! Yep, he’s making 2020 look pretty damn good:

Congratulations, Charly!

“David Shrobe creates multi-layered portraits by repurposing everyday materials that he finds in his Harlem neighborhood. He disassembles furniture, separating wood from fabric and recombines them as supports for collage, painting and drawing. In doing so, he excavates history to create fragmented portraits that relate to his family history. Many of his works are oval in shape, and with their use of fabric, they bear a faint relationship to early daguerreian portrait photography, especially the early images of Frederick Douglass. By combining the found and repurposed materials of Harlem with the photographic history of African Americans, Shrobe produces new narratives that feel intimate and personal without being anchored to a specific time or place.”

Brilliant! David’s latest show just opened last weekend. ‘WALK THE AIR’ is at Steve Turner Gallery in Los Angeles from July 25 until August 29, 2020.