Orange you glad I’m writing about GLASS PRODUCE!? This shit is, in fact, bananas. I had an artsy food theme accidentally weaving its way through my posts this week, so why not finish wrap things up with the hilarious, colorful, beautifully executed work of American glass artist Megan Stelljes. Here are a few of her words about why she does what she does:

“Art has always been present in my life.  Making art with my hands is where I find my passion.  I am extremely reactive to my surroundings, and my work is a direct reflection of this. Since moving to Washington from Kansas, my art has developed as a response to the cultural contrast between the Midwest and the Pacific Northwest.  I use my art as a way of exploring my own values and emotions that are continuously influenced by a new climates and changing social scenes. I am responding to these changes through my sculpture and jewelry, with an aesthetic that is inspired by popular culture. My designs are often presented to me through daydreams.  I then start sketching and refining a form, and I begin creating each piece as an object to treasure. I began working with jewelry and glass together to exaggerate everything I love about glass: the way it captures and reflects light, its saturated colors, and its eye catching sparkle. I appreciate boldness and shine.”

Boldness, indeed. Happy Friday.

Another day, another post filled with mouth-watering paintings. Acrylic (and candy!) on canvas. Ok, it’s just acrylic, but now I really want a peanut butter cup. This is the work of American artist Michelle Lee Rigell, and here are her words about her “1000 Crane Project”:

“I tend to gravitate towards subjects that evoke nostalgia and whimsy, and I am currently working on a project called the “1000 Crane Project” because of my childhood love for origami.  When I wasn’t drawing or painting, I was folding origami.  My goal is to capture the beauty and preciseness of origami while incorporating the flawed nature of used wrappers and labels of some of my favorite American products as a child.

Cranes are also a symbol of good fortune and longevity in Korean culture, and they have been an apt subject matter in my life since rediscovering my passion for painting began as a healing process for me.  I am a firm believer that art can provide healing, and I want to be able to help others heal through my art process and experiences.”

I think I gained 10lbs just writing this post. I’ve written about the deliciously realistic work of American painter Oriana (Kacicek) Ingber, but I just saw this peanut butter ‘n jelly sandwich on her homepage, and HELLO, time to write again! Mmmm… also, pie.

Gouache, watercolor, collage, ceramics … seriously, the portfolio of American artist Erin Harmon is filled to the brim with rainbow-hued magic! Just imagine if you could jump, spin and dance around in one of her worlds? Well, if you’re a ballerina in Memphis, you can…

Gasp! Sets that Erin designed for Ballet Memphis. Sigh.

That yellow cherry? The stem? ♥

Marble, calcite, the occasional copper stem, and alabaster breasts. Honestly, I’m lost for words… which doesn’t happen very often. These seductive (yes, even the donut is sexy) sculptures are the work of London born, Los Angeles based artist Nevine Mahmoud. How does she do this? Sigh. Stunning.

{via Artsy}

This 2010 painting series, titled ‘The Feast’, is the work of Vancouver based artist Nicola Tibbetts. It makes me hungry… and then a little bit sick. The pieces above are, in this order, Preparation of the Feast; The Feast; The Remains of the Feast. Here are her words about this body of work:

“This is a series of paintings based on an imaginary banquet. My inspiration for this theme was the lavish, ostentatious feasting rituals of the Middle Ages. These paintings illustrate the course of a feast from its very beginnings as a lush accumulation of the ingredients, to its final stages, where bones and dishes pile high and only crumbs remain.”

Okay, I need to lie down. Happy Friday.

Ah, “Lovers’ Eyes”. These modern takes on a classic are the lovely work of UK based artist Lucy Pass. From what I can gather, she doesn’t know any of these lovers, or their eyes. Nope, Lucy uses found images as the starting point for all of her work, “passing [her] own subconscious judgement onto an unknown face, and inviting the viewer to do the same.” Well, we may not know who these dreamy eyes belong to, but to explain the origin of “lovers’ eyes”, I’ll pass it over to good old Wikipedia:

Eye miniatures are believed to have originated when the Prince of Wales (later George IV) felt the need to send the widow Maria Fitzherbert a token of his love. This gesture and the romance that went with it was frowned upon by the court, so a miniaturist was employed to paint only the eye and thereby preserve anonymity and decorum. Reportedly Maria’s eye miniature was worn by George IV, hidden under his lapel. This is regarded as the event which led to lovers’ eyes becoming fashionable, appearing between 1790 and the 1820s in the courts and affluent families of England, Russia, France and more rarely, America.

Gasp! 16,000 paper cherry blossoms hanging from the gorgeous, light-filled, domed ceiling of Frederik’s Church {affectionately known as The Marble Church} in Copenhagen… oh my word, yes. “Cherish” is the installation work of Danish artist Veronica Hodges. Clearly, it’s breathtaking, but her reason behind the project is just as beautiful:

“We want to create an installation in Marmorkirken out of paper, where thousands of pink cherry blossoms will be hanging from the ceiling to remind us of the spring we love, the world we live in, and to cherish it while we still have it. The thousands of cherry blossoms are folded by crepe paper, during a series of workshops and “community-workshops” in collaboration with the church and local institutions and schools. This ensures that the project has a local anchorage so that people will meet and start a conversation. Commitment free perhaps, but carried by the intimacy and engagement that occurs when you sit down with something (other than the mobile phone) between your hands. We want to mix the cards, the generations, the children and the adults, the believers and the non-believers. The cherry blossoms in the installation remind us of, that we are a part of nature and that it may not be so for very long, if we as humans do nothing to slow down the climate change and help the earth to regain its balance. We must appreciate the earth we still have.”

Amen.

{All of these images were found on Veronica’s gorgeous Instagram feed – some photos were taken by her, others were taken by visitors to the installation.}

“Verschnitt Skulpturen”, 2016. Bronze… and paint! This is the work of Austrian artist Erwin Wurm. His portfolio is filled to the brim with amazing work dating back to the early 1980s, so it was very difficult to decide what to show. That said, there was something about these sliced and diced pink men that spoke to me. Well, these pink men and his “Fat Cars” {2001-2005} :

Gasp! So, so, so fantastic!

Sweet and odd … and then you add pottery/ceramics into the equation and I’m alllll in. This is the work of Australian artist Penelope Boyd. The majority of Penelope’s portfolio is filled with paintings and functional ceramics, but I found these new little beauties on her Instagram feed and was instantly smitten.