Today's Finds

Blue tartan dress by Mrs. Pomeranz

Gold signet ring by Inbar Alezraki

"Blue Botanical Variations" print by Susan Farrington

Signed antique portrait miniature from luola

Arabia of Finland teapot from Dipper Vintage

Clockwise from top left: "Bicycle Machine That Makes Storms" by Jesús Perea; "Birds I Have Known" by Susan Farrington; Black and White and Red All Over original assemblage collage by Elizabeth Rosen; "Murky Water 03" by doubleparlour; and The Walk mixed media original drawing on clay by Double Fox Studio.

All of these pieces have a folk art feel, combined with some use of collage/assemblage/mixed media. I like the idea of mixing up materials and combining originals with prints while keeping to a similar color palette. It makes a strong statement, don't you think? And this collection is endlessly interesting...so many things to look at.

Clockwise from top left: "Octobre" by aliette; "Disappearing Landscape II" and "The Flying Exercise" both by Jesús Perea; and "Beach Towels" by Carl Christensen.

I don't know about you, but this collection is making me crazy for warmer weather! It makes me want to go to some hot place and spend the day exploring and swimming. I love all the saturated washes of color, the cute mushrooms and whimsical, diving ladies. Looking at these happy prints on my wall would easily take my mind off my frozen toes for at least a few minutes every day. :)

(Clockwise from top left: collage/painting by Karine Léger; textured pottery vase by White Earth Studio; paper necklace by Elsa Mora; string painting by Andrea Rogers; and "Plumed Bird of Paradise" by Aly Parrott.)

If you're the type of person who secretly wants to touch all of the art in the museum, this is the collection for you! (I mean, really, who hasn't wanted to run their fingers along a smooth marble statue, or grab hold of a wooley fiber art piece hanging on the wall?)

I love texture, and I get excited when I see artists mixing traditional "craft" with "high art." All of these pieces share a natural, organic feel...a rawness paired with precision. I feel compelled to note these are all women artists as well. In the 1970s, feminist artists went a long way to prove that craft was not "lesser" because it was so-called "women's work" or work made in the home...that craft need not be purely functional. This discussion is ongoing in the art world, though now I see more and more male artists exploring traditional craft media as well, and I hope it's losing some of the stigma.

When a piece of art affects you completely, when you leave an exhibit and keep thinking about it for days, it doesn't matter what media the artist used to get the message across. In my opinion, there's no high or low art, only successful or unsuccessful, in terms of whether the artist achieved what he or she was trying to do, and how it impacts viewers. And of course, objects or art pieces that are simply beautiful on their own need no classification.

Collage

I made the first collage shortly after the New Museum opened a few years ago; I loved the architecture of the building as well as the advertising campaign that accompanied it's opening. Droga5 created a logo based on the elevation of the building, and that shape became like a window or a keyhole, offering a sneak peek of what was to come. Those "windows" were repeated (sometimes with images inside, sometimes as cut-outs) on billboards, in subway stations, in department store windows, in newspapers, magazines and websites. It was simple and clever, and it worked--because everyone was talking about the New Museum.

The second collage is again about repetition of shape, only this time with a mobile by Tim Rose for F. Dorian and a photo shoot that I think came out of Marie Claire magazine. I like that she's casting technicolor shadows on the wall (reminds me of the red and blue cellophane in old school 3D glasses), and the embroidered pattern on her dress echoes the red orbs of the mobile. If anyone's curious, I think the dress is by Erdem.

Collage

Here are a couple more collages full of pretty inspiration. I'm so ready for grey winter to be over and colorful spring to begin.

Collage

I realized I forgot to post any collages for December. Whoops. Here are two collages full of things that are inspiring me right now: handmade birds and birdhouse decorations, bringing nature inside, folksy or rustic decor; also colorful stripes, rich shades of plum, magenta, purple, and pink, and woolly textures.

What's inspiring you right now?

Collage

I don't know how it happened, but I'm another year older today. Here's a couple of collages to celebrate.

Collage

Here are two more collages filled with great shapes, texture, and color. I have a lot of these, and I'll keep posting them every now and then as I get them scanned into my computer.

Collage

Whenever I come across bits of texture or pattern I like in magazines, or anything else that I find visually striking, I cut out the pictures and paste them into collages. You never know when something will spark an idea for your next project.