Funflicks : Everything's funny

I am so in the mood for fun. Yes I know it's Monday and it's illegal and whatever... but I've just had such a great weekend and MJ is still cranking from my laptop and the sun's out. I spent the day yesterday with my hubby, bro, sis-in-law and niece. Holy cartwheels it's fun to hang out with a two year-old. Everything's funny. High fives are fun. Dogs are hilarious (especially our staffie, naturally). Bumpy, bumpy bridges are a giggle-fest. So I had to post something that'll make you smile...


Meet Bob, aka, bomobob, a Montreal-based photographer with an eye for happy.

What do you do for fun?
Fun, huh? Well, since I do this for a living, every day is kind of fun. As far as other things go, I love to travel, hike, design and build furniture, garden, cook, did I mention travel?


Who and what inspires you?
I can't say any person in particular inspires me, but more the collective of people, particularly on Etsy, who are taking the chance and following their passions, finding an outlet and an audience for their creativity. I'm also inspired by all the various arts and cultures in the world. Creativity and an eye for beauty are passions that are to be found everywhere in the world.


Pics from top: Crazy Legs, Krazy Klowns, Falcon Motel and Quack.

CharliesAngel : Mary Farrah Leni Fawcett

Such a stunning, sexy woman with real intelligence, talent and great hair. Her life and her battle with cancer were an inspiration to women everywhere. RIP Farrah x

Plaything : Crush me happy

I've decided there are two types of celebrities I'm fascinated by. First, there are the phenomenally talented, über charismatic, compellingly good looking people who you can't help but want to get to know. I'm nowhere near obsessed, just curiously curious. I have a few celebrity crushes in this arena, like Clive Owen and Simon Baker. Mmmm they're special. Twiggy Lawson (above) had her own quiet way of captivating the world... so ethereal.


The other type is the person who makes a difference in the world and you come to get to know them through celebrity channels. Like Harvey Milk (above) or Princess Diana. The world is enriched by their lives... yes that's totally different from making blockbusters but you see my point. It's in there somewhere.


Now let me introduce you to Christian & Hallie, aka, Autumn&Eve, the Pittsburgh-based, super fabulous creators of the designs on this page. Here's a line from their Etsy profile page: "We're in the business of good looks and illustration." Do you love it? It made me smile. As did the pic of the deliriously lovely Isabella Rossellini (above) and Audrey Tautou (below). Sigh.


Here's a bit about Christian & Hallie:

What makes you laugh?
So many things. We have the weirdest sense of humor. Most people think we're crazy.

Who inspires you?
Pretty much everyone that we do a portrait of inspires us one way or another.

What's the best feedback you've had on your work? We love all of the positive feedback that we get, but our favorite was when someone said this about us, "This is the best seller I have ever had a transaction with on Etsy... All [their] responses were very quick and helpful... the prints were not damaged during transport. Thanks so much!"

Need more good looks and smiles? Want a custom-made order of your grandma? Go here: autumnandeve.etsy.com

Designtreat : Following threads

I've inherited quite a lot from my mum, including a way of never really knowing where I'm going with a conversation. I'll get half way through a story and think "whoa four people are listening... what the hell was my point?" It gets even worse with jokes. I used to pay mum out all the time about forgetting the punch line, but guess what? Jokes on me.

When I saw the elegant, typewriter-chic Flocked Ampersand Cushion above, by Shannon Lamden, aka Aunty Cookie, I laughed. Not at it, mind you. At moi. It made me think of the way my friends say the same thing when I've finished waffling... "AND?" Ha. Perhaps I should scatter some around to remind myself to stick to the point. Not sure I'm capable (after all, it's genetic), but anyhoo, I could get cool and get shopping at the Cookie shop...


Shannon is a freelance designer based in Melbourne, specialising in fabric design and illustration. All fabrics are professionally heatset and are a superlush linen/cotton blend. The gorgeous wintery fabric above is Home Sweet Home linen in Raspberry on Birch. Sweet.


Look... they're holding hands: In the Garden in Pink, Lime and White.

auntycookie.com

Artcomp : Expressing an impression

I was chatting to a friend yesterday, who has just returned from a whirlwind holiday throughout America with his family, and I was reminded of how long it's been since I mooched quietly through an art gallery. He had seen some of the greatest paintings ever created and I felt an instant longing for the feeling you get standing before a precious work of art.

So although my usual obsession here in the cloudburst is illustrations and digital art, I thought I'd hail a cab to pure, paint-on-canvasville. Not that it's better or purer than any other form, but it makes a nice change.


The works here are by Linda Monfort, a California-based painter. Forgive me for describing her works in such layman's terms, but there's something so sumptuous about the colours and flow. Linda... over to you:

My style of painting has evolved through many years of exploration. Today I paint original contemporary abstract expressionist paintings, original contemporary abstract and impressionist landscape and floral paintings and original contemporary figurative paintings in acrylics on stretched canvas.


Some of my pieces have an oriental influence due to a period of time spent living in Japan during my impressionable childhood years.

I grew up loving to draw and design dresses for my dolls and paper dolls. I was always the best artist in my class and knew I would be an artist when I grew up.

The thing I love the most about painting is that the end result is always a surprise to me, usually a very pleasant one. It's also great that I can earn a living using this great gift from God.

Other creative outlets?... I recently designed my daughter's wedding gown.


So timeless, so so divine. So right here: lindamonfort.etsy.com

Talentcomp : Always in the mood

Oh joy joy joy... lookie what I found! All my favourites in one: birds, owls, cherry blossoms and magnolias. And a heron just for fun. It's pure serendipity. I clearly adore these prints by Hadley Hutton. She hails from Portland, Oregon, and somehow combines a real sweetness with subtle textures and magic details in her pieces. I do appreciate her long, detailed answers... I feel like I'm in her kitchen with a slice of her mum's apple pie and a mug of strong coffee while she spills her secrets...


Who inspires you?
Inspiration is such is an interesting topic for an artist because often we are not even cognizant of inspirations as we work. Artists are often sponges absorbing all kinds of influences, be it a feeling, a word, an image and then regurgitating it into a piece of art. So I find it fascinating to try to name and place these influences. One influence that seems to be a constant is traditional Asian art, for as long as I can remember, I have been influenced by Asian motifs. The first book I purchased for my mother at age 8 was a large 
Asian pattern book, called "The Grammar of Chinese Ornaments" by Owen Jones. I have spent countless hours poring over the gorgeous 
pages of this book. Somehow the book managed to make it into my library :) My love affair with Asian design is still going strong. I
 recently took a trip to Japan where I had the opportunity to see 
incredible woodblock prints by artist such as Hokusai Katsushola and Ando Hiroshigi. As a printmaker, the craftsmanship, beauty and style inherent in Japanese prints has had a profound influence in my work.


Who are your favourite artists?
I have many favorite contemporary artists who are a source of inspiration. I love to visit their sites, and see their latest masterpieces. Here are a few faves: Brian Cronin, Lisa Congdon, Christopher Silas Neal, Jill Bliss and Gina & Matt.


What gets you in a creative mood?
Creating is like breathing to me. So this question is kind of like asking, "What gets you in the mood to breath?". The obvious answer, I'm always in the mood to breathe and create. It would be a rare day when I'm not in a creative mood. Even in some of my darker hours like when I was bed bound for a year due to debilitating back problem from a sports injury, I found a way to create. During this difficult time, when I couldn't paint I discovered a secondary love - writing. (I primarily write children's books, which I hope to one day have published - that is if I can ever find the time to seek out a literary agent.) I have so many projects skipping through my brain, it is not a question of what gets me in a creative mood, rather how can I get more hours in a day to finish the multitude of projects I'm juggling.


What other creative outlets do you have?
I love to cook and bake. My mom is a force of nature in the kitchen. (I'm not just saying that because she is my mom.) Food is to my Mom what painting is to me. We love to make meals together, and share recipes. One day I would love to produce a cookbook with her. I would do the illo's, and mom the tasty recipes. Another project in the back burner is to complete an agave cookbook; I love agave. My daughter and I can't have sugar. Initially his was a real hardship because I love to bake, but now we are discovering all kinds of lovely substitutes, such as agave.

Prints from top down: In the Tree, Two Barn Owls, Between Bird Print, Bird Rising, Heron Shadow and Dripping Bouquet.

hadleyhutton.etsy.com

Funpark : Get giddy with it

Giddy: Frivolous and lighthearted; flighty.



Fun: A source of enjoyment, amusement, or pleasure. Playful, often noisy, activity.



Free: Not fixed in position; capable of relatively unrestricted motion. Liberal or lavish. Given, made, or done of one's own accord; voluntary or spontaneous.



Soar: To rise, fly, or glide high and with little apparent effort.



Merriment: High-spirited fun and enjoyment; hilarity.



Live as though you're at a fun park. Be free, soar, smile, laugh. Let the wind dive through your hair and your cheeks turn pink; eat fairy floss with abandonment; see others as a source of joy and companionship. In short, live as though the world will support any and every one of your dreams in full.

The whimsical, gorgeous prints above are by Washington, DC-based Linda Plaisted, Many Muses Studio. Each piece of artwork she creates is layered by hand with images she has captured in her photographs, drawings, paintings and collected ephemera to create collage pieces with depth and detail.

What do you love about mixed media? As a painter and photographer and lover of all things art supply, I enjoy the pure play of different media and juxtaposition of interesting textures, layers and forms.

What's your favourite subject to photograph? Nature, hands down.

What makes you laugh? My exquisitely wonderful children, ages 2 and 5. They're magic.

Pics from top down: Roulette, Carousel, Up Up, Luna Park, Send in the Clowns and Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. All from the Luna Park series.

lindaplaisted.com