I truly love every piece of art that I write about, so it’s really hard to pick a ‘Top 10’… so I’m doing a ‘Top 15’. It has literally taken me hours to decide on only 15. Maybe I should do a ‘Top 100’ next year? Anyway, these are the chosen few {in no particular order}. Some of them have inspired my own artwork, others represent major milestones for The Jealous Curator, and the rest just make me really, really jealous.  Here’s to the year ahead… may it be filled with cheek-flushing inspiration & soul-crushing jealousy for all! Cheers and Happy 2010!

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Martha Rich (Sketchbook)

Trey Speegle

Alyson Fox

The Hot One Inch Action Show 2009

Margaret Kilgallen

Dave Barnes

Mikael Kennedy

Anthony Zinonos

Julien Pacaud

Diane Arbus

Tina Berning

Yellena James

Sarah Applebaum

Vivian Maier

Wendy Walgate

Hilarious and beautiful… I’m sold. This is from a series called Inappropriately Dressed by New York based painter Charlotta Janssen. Now, if you’ve ever found yourself inappropriately dressed for an occasion, you could be her next subject. I’m not kidding, this is from her site:

‘I will photograph, sketch and paint individuals and groups who are slightly or very inappropriately dressed for something. Anyone who’d like to send me images of themselves or others as material for inspiration – please upload them [under] inappropriately interactive … should I choose to sketch or paint from your image, I will send you an 8″ x 10″ print if you include your address …’

Ok, so how many of you are putting on a prom dress and heading to the laundromat right now? Yep, me too… don’t forget your camera!

Bob Willoughby, ‘candid photographer of the stars’, died on December 18th at the age of 82. His work is amazing and will always be remembered, not only because of his stunning compositions and his obvious knack for capturing perfect moments, but also for the very unique glimpse into Hollywood that his photos revealed. At the time, during the early 50’s and 60’s, it was rare to see a Hollywood star doing anything other than posing perfectly still for a shot that would promote his or her big studio film. Bob went behind the scenes and captured some of the most famous faces of the time just being people… heading home at the end of the day, re-reading scripts, waiting for sets to be lit, and yes, even grocery shopping (although I’m pretty sure Audrey Hepburn was the only one that took a baby deer along for the ride.)

{I found this story via Peter Hay Halpert – Thanks Peter.}

And I ♥ YOU Anthony! … along with fries, making out at roller rinks, pinatas, and amusement parks. Ah, good times brought to you by the keen eye of Portland based photographer Anthony Georgis.

I can’t imagine how Yellena James even knows where she should start on one of these pieces. They are so layered, complex and beautiful… very ‘bottom of the sea’ in a made-up, magical kind of way don’t you think? The top two pieces are acrylic on wood, and the bottom two are pen & ink on paper. I can’t decide which medium I love more, so I’ve shown them both. Although I have to say, the bottom two make me want to go pen shopping right this very minute.

Like most of you, I’m going to be knee-deep in holiday cheer for the next few days, but then I’ll be back and more jealous than ever! Until then, let me leave you with these four wintery pieces. The inspiration should warm you up quite nicely, but then you’ll probably want to drown your jealousy in a jug of rum & eggnog… that’s what I’ll be doing!

Happy Holidays!

TJC

{ Images above 1) Amy Bennett 2) Holly Farrell 3) Mikael Kennedy 4) Ilana Kohn }

These stunning realist paintings are from a series by American artist James Hollingsworth called 6×6. I want to know if that means 6 inches or 6 feet? I’m guessing 6 inches, but how amazing would it be if these were huge! With a 6’x6′ loaf of squishy white bread hanging on the wall I’d be in the mood for peanut butter & jelly every single day… and I’d wash it down with tea and Coke!

I want to be a curator at ACE Gallery. Want to know why? Well, how about locations in New York, LA and Beverly Hills, not to mention over one hundred amazing artists in their roster. I’ve shown the work of four of those amazing artists here because there was no way I could only pick one… how was I supposed to make a decision between fake-fur covered rockets and benches with loop-dee-loos in the middle of them? See, it was an impossible task.

{The work show above: 1) Gary Lang 2) Jeppe Hein 3) Jeff Colson 4) Sylvie Fleury}

In honor of my 200th post {but who’s counting} I’m launching a new show today. It’s a collection of work that has art and fashion strutting down the runway side-by-side. So, what else could I title it but Fashion Show.

I’ve been working on this one for quite some time, and I’m sure I could just keep adding to it. But I won’t. I’ll put it up today. Like all of the Jealous Curator shows, I would love to see it hanging on real gallery walls, Warhol and all, but for now it will hang on these clean, white, virtual walls. I hope you like it.

{The image featured above is by fashion illustrator Eduard Erlikh, and is included in the show.}

The anal type-A organizer in me is having small heart palpitations at the moment. Tightly stacked installations organized by theme, dimension and colour… are you kidding me? It’s perfection. And there’s more where this came from. IKEA? No, although you’ve got the right country. Swedish artist Michael Johansson has meticulously and compactly organized all sorts of things like suitcases, gardening tools, books, computer equipment, camping gear etc etc… I think I might be in love.