7 Deadly Sins

"Envy"

I think the collage art of Jordan Clarke makes the 7 Deadly Sins not only seem really cool, but it also elicits more than one of them from the viewer (envy, greed, lust). The finished pieces of her series are pretty great, but I'm actually a big fan of the snippets she posted as "sneak peeks" which highlighted the small choices she made in color, composition, and telling images.


"Wrath"



"Pride"



"Sloth"



"Greed"



"Gluttony"



"Lust"
{Jordan Clarke's blog, shop, flickr, and gallery.}
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Lorenzo Duran

Have you seen the intricately craved artworks by the Spanish artist Lorenzo Duran? Under the name Naturayarte, he and his family not only create these lovely little pieces, but use leaves as their medium. Yep, real leaves. I think these pieces are just divine and their frailty and smallness just makes that much more beautiful.














{all images via the artist's website: Naturayarte}

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Neat Pins

The etsy shop PinksandNeedles specializes in these handcrafted pins and pincushions. They are art in miniature.



I like the idea of a personalized set for your favorite quilter/crafter. What an incredibly lovely gift made just for them.




Images courtesy of pinksandneedles
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Pooh

Image courtesy logoi.com


This Friday, "Winnie the Pooh" is back on the big screen. There is something sweet and lovely always about that 'silly old bear'. I do appreciate Disney's adaptation of the Milne stories (especially the fact they are respectful of the pacing and tender whimsy of the literary version), but I am a fanatic admirer of the E.H. Shepard illustrations.


The Shepard line drawings capture childhood imaginings and all of their gentle silliness, kindness and wonder. They are truly classic and, in my opinion, among the very best in children's book art.



Image courtesy of fortunecity
 

Image courtesy of BibliOdyssey



Image courtesy of BibliOdyssey



Image courtesy of childillustration.blogspot.com

 The following illustration is my favorite:



" He nodded and went out ...and in a moment I heard Winnie-the-Pooh
– bump, bump, bump – going up the stairs behind him."

"This original illustration is reproduced on page 159 of Winnie-the-Pooh and comprises a full-page illustration in the published volume. It represents one of the iconic images of Winnie-the-Pooh and comes from the final chapter in which Christopher Robin gives a Pooh party, and we say good-bye. " 


Image courtesy of BibliOdyssey
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a cool palette

It's going to be in the triple digits this week here in NC and I am not looking forward to it. All I want to do is crawl into the briskness and coolness of these pieces by Luci Everett. Aren't they the loveliest reminder of a refreshing spring day?







Luci Everett's flickr, blog, and website.
(discovered via {frolic!})
Source URL: https://jimhensons.blogspot.com/search/label/art
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art display

I am fortunate enough to have an artist in the family. My brother is a fantastic painter and we have a few prints (and a couple of amazing originals) we wanted to hang.

The originals, painted with acrylic on wood, are contained in frames and already look pretty amazing on the wall, but the prints were problematic in that they were not "uniform" size for mats or frames, thus required custom fitting....yikes!

The cost of custom framing is very high and though we do have prints framed in our home, I was pretty sure the price of framing the one I wanted to put up right away was not in the summertime budget....so I had to get creative.

I had seen artist sketch boards on display in the art supply store in town and in Michael's. They are usually shown with a piece, either finished or in progress, clipped on and I have always appreciated the look. It feels authentic and different to have art displayed on the working surface. I decided maybe that was the way to go for the painting above of the Powder Point Bridge.

So it is up in my house that way and I really like it. There was something about the subject matter and my brother's style of painting that fit with the sketch board display. I think this could be a great alternative to formal framing for certain pieces of art.


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Move over, Lisa Frank

Sticker set and Bernadine sticker via SarahMcNeil on etsy


When I was in elementary school, collecting stickers was HUGE! Some kids had albums and albums full of all kinds of adhesive artistry, but my collection was rather modest.


The most impressive collectors always had a lot of Lisa Frank stickers. Neon colors, unicorns, hearts and rainbows galore....honestly, I was not a real fan despite the popularity of her collection (I definitely preferred the work of Mrs. Grossman's).


If they were around, I would probably have loved these sorts of stickers. They are more unique and are true illustrations. Makes me want to start up an album again.....

Stickers via myfolklover on etsy

Stickers via sweetpeaink on etsy


Stickers via hidenseek on etsy
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Cathy Cullis

"Bunny we shall be close"


I am massively in love with the mixed media/embroidery/book collage work of Cathy Cullis. There is something both incredibly Victorian about her work as well as undeniably modern. She's just so creative and inventive - I can't handle all the loveliness... 


Also see Cathy Cullis's flickr, blog, and etsy shop.



"all sorrows shall be gone"



"never stop dreaming"



"somewhere else"



"I shall be here for the dreaming"
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And they lived happily ever...ur... oh wait...

No matter what life you lead

the virgin is a lovely number:
cheeks as fragile as cigarette paper,
arms and legs made of Limoges,
lips like Vin Du Rhône,
rolling her china-blue doll eyes
open and shut.
Open to say,
Good Day Mama,
and shut for the thrust
of the unicorn.
She is unsoiled.
She is as white as a bonefish.
from "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs"

A friend of mine sent me a link to a photo project, called "Fallen Princesses" by Dina Goldstein because she thought I would love it and she was so right! I love the real looking scenarios, but with these very Disney-esque princesses still all dressed up.

Goldstein writes:
"These works place Fairy Tale characters in modern day scenarios. In all of the images the Princess is placed in an environment that articulates her conflict. The '...happily ever after' is replaced with a realistic outcome and addresses current issues."

I think these images are amazing and I can't wait to see the 2 that she has yet to shoot. And because I can't help but think of Anne Sexton's retellings of classic fairy tales found in her collection, Transformations, I've posted some snippets of the poems for your reading enjoyment.


This one day her mother gave her
a basket of wine and cake
to take to her grandmother
because she was ill.
Wine and cake?
Where's the aspirin? The penicillin?
Where's the fruit juice?
Peter Rabbit got camomile tea.
But wine and cake it was.
from "Red Riding Hood"



I must not sleep
for while I'm asleep I'm ninety
and think I'm dying.
Death rattles in my throat
like a marble.
I wear tubes like earrings.
I lie as still as a bar of iron.
You can stick a needle
through my kneecap and I won't flinch.
I'm all shot up with Novocain.
This trance girl
is yours to do with.
from "Briar Rose (Sleeping Beauty)"


Cinderella and the prince
lived, they say, happily ever after,
like two dolls in a museum case
never bothered by diapers or dust,
never arguing over the timing of an egg,
never telling the same story twice,
never getting a middle-aged spread,
their darling smiles pasted on for eternity.
Regular Bobbsey Twins.
That story.
from "Cinderella"
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fabric for the nook

via golly bard drawing room

For Sweet Pea's nursery nook we have a rocking chair that used to belong to my husband's grandmother. It's a little scratched and the paint is worn out in places, but we aren't planning to change it. We love that the wear is reflective of its use and her love. We do have to soften it a bit for us to sit in.

So the plan is to pad it with a pillow or two. And even though I not very talented with a needle and thread - I think I can handle this project especially if I'm working with one of Golly Bard's lovely prints. Holly of Golly Bard is one heck of a talented artist (her blog, her etsy shop) and though I'm saving my pennies to buy one of her originals - having one of her fabrics to cover a rocking chair for my little fella is a very nice thing to have...



via golly bard drawing room


find the golly bard fabric at spoonflower
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Artist Trading Cards

Image courtesy of oakcreekprintworks
Image courtesy of artisttradingcards.org


Creating Artist Trading Cards (ATC) has become wildly popular, but I only just heard of it recently. They are miniature pieces of art on 3.5 x 2.5 in. trading cards and the mediums range from watercolor to multi-media collage. Some are created as one of a kind or limited editions (ACEO) and are actually sold, but otherwise they are designed for swapping, collecting and trading , with artist information conveniently found on the back side.

The display of these pieces is almost as cool as the work itself. I would love to find one of the shows or display galleries and check these little masterpieces pieces out in person.


Image courtesy of artisttradingcards.org


The concept of swapping and collecting art cards is so cool. There is information out there on how to design cards if you are interested and also how to swap them. If you already have the perfect piece in mind and just need the cards- they are widely available too.


Artists are always in search of ways to capture their creations and share their art. This is the perfect little way to do both.
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