Multitalent : Sweet 'n' whimsical

Well hello again sweet things, sorry I disappeared for a week. Tre busy here at chez frankie, lots to do and so little time to indulge. (Missed you too.)

There's something so sweet and whimsical about these photographs and drawings. They're soft and fun and I like 'em a lot. They're by Blake at elle.bee in sunny South Florida. Here's the low-down on Blake...


How did you come up with the name of your shop?
The name of the store is elle.bee because some of the artwork is my twin sisters and her name is Lauren and mine is Blake so we took the first letters of our name.

What & who inspires you?
I am inspired by everything around me. I take inspiration from my family and friends. They are usually the ones to encourage me on what to paint next. Painting is probably my favorite of all the arts. I find it very peaceful and a release from the world. I prefer to use acrylic paint, you can never make a mistake, but this goes for all art... I guess. I am going to dabble in more watercolor i think.


What music do you listen to?
I love old music!!!! I grew up listening to classic rock! I'm a huge Beatles fan. Okay a little obsessed! Not like posters, pins, and pens kind of obsessed. More like the music and lyrics and life of them.
Lately I have been listening to and digging people like Etta James, Al Green, and Billy Holiday. AND from our time I have really been enjoying Adele. Her music is so smooth, (listening to her as I type this).


Pics from top down: I want to ride my Bicycle, Pastel 3, Enter and Pastel 1.
More: blakemichaelene.etsy.com

Silverlining : Colour me happy

There's a beautiful quote by author and artist Kahlil Gibran... Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding. Like most peeps, I don't like being around anything to do with pain, it's so so hard to experience it or see it in a friend.

When I was retrenched in April, I didn't see the silver lining for a little while. But now I'm living the dream... exceptionally happy writing from home. I can shop on eBay, write my blog, walk my dog, make a smoothie any time I want. So long as I meet my deadlines, I'm free to make my own schedule and that's just the way I like it. Pain is temporary, knowledge is forever.

Now here's a happy artist with a great story to tell... meet Melissa Moss...


The story...
I used to take the slow lane into work. I didn’t care if I was inhaling the fumes of a semi if it meant I would get to work later. Each day my soul seemed a little heavier.

In 2002, my amazing husband helped me realize that not only was I miserable at work, I was miserable just thinking about going back. So after a few freak outs, I left the publishing world to study color psychology and during my course work, discovered my true passion…painting.

Color is my primary artistic element. I’ve studied the meanings and associations of colors and their subtle shades and tones and use this knowledge to convey the mood of each painting.


Who inspires you?
I'm inspired by so many artists and by nature but mostly I'm inspired by my 2 year old son. He just makes it easy (most of the time) to get up in the morning.

How do you indulge?
I love to go to movies by myself. So when I'm feeling like escaping that's what I do. But I've also been reading the Twilight books. Definitely a guilty pleasure.


Favourite blogs?
I usually just look at my friends blogs...Cathy Nichols, Marisa Haedike (Creative Thursday) and Outi Harma. That's about all I have time for.

More more more: melissamoss.etsy.com
Pics from top down: too happy, nice to me, the arrival & baby mine.

Amateurhour : Frankie says snap

These roses have been sitting in a little square tealight candle holder all this week, opening slowly. Funny how one little branch with two perfectly imperfect flowers are just so incredible to watch. Ah, it's the little things, innit?




I heard that epsom salts absorb radiation from puter screens and phones. So I prettified some noodle boxes with floral paper, filled them with epsom salts and put one behind each puter in the house. They turn to powder when they've absorbed all they can so you know when to refill. Luckily I found 50kg for a bargain here. I also have a bath with 1kg of epsoms in it every week. And apparently a dip in the ocean is the best way to rid the radiation from your body. Hooray!



Last weekend we were hanging out with puppy (below) at a park. On the way back to the car I saw this diving board that wouldn't look out of place in a 60s motel in Florida. Love the colours. Spring away...




Remind yourself regularly that you are better than you think you are. Successful people are not superhuman. Success does not require a super-intellect. Nor is there anything mystical about success. And success isn't based on luck. Successful people are just ordinary folks who have developed belief in themselves and what they do. Never sell yourself short.
David J. Schwartz

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

Woodworks : Distressfully nice

Simple, cute, fun. Welcome to Tuesday peeps! Apologies if I'm getting predictable, but here's another beautiful example of wood meets art meets birds meets trees. These are a few of my favourite things...

Erin, aka Knotty by Nature, has a nice original touch that I likey very much. Her painted wood blocks, above, have a soft, raw feeling and quirky creativeness that I'm drawn to instantly. Imagine a whole bunch of them in a long line along an outside fence or kids play room.

What do you love about birds? I don't know, really. Birds and trees have been objects I have drawn and doodled for a very long time, it's a comfort for me.

What do you love about wood? I love how durable it is, it has a nice weight to it compared to a canvas. And when I distress pieces I love how I can manipulate the paint to get the look I want.

What other creative outlets do you have? I also sew, knit and make resin jewellery using original artwork.

Check out knottybynature.etsy.com for Erin's one-of-a-kind resin pendants and other stuff.

Wood blocks clockwise from top left: Purple Hummingbird Block B24, Black Bird Block B38, Pink Squirrel Wood Block B31 and Turquoise Swallow Block B35. (Bingo!)

Barkingmad : Trees and dogs

I'm a tree-hugger. Call me insane, hippy or lame, but I think trees are far more intelligent than we give them credit for - they've been around for about a hundred times longer than we have. Sometimes after a jog around the park with my dog I'll sit down under a tree and just be. It makes me feel better. Stronger.


I love the rawness of these pen and ink drawings by Tamara Garvey. They're a bit delicate, but they're still very definite. Like a tree.

What's your favourite subject? -- I love drawing trees and animals mainly, but recently have developed a crush on old-timey burglars wearing masks.


Tell me about your dog. -- Benny, a black lab/Australian Cattle Dog mix, the CUTEST dog in the world, if I do say so myself. He loves following us around the house (he's like velcro!), food, fetching, running, marshes, food, rough-housing with his best dog pals, sleeping in odd positions, watching the neighbours from the balcony, having his legs scratched, giving high-fives, and eating food.

Sweet. I'm off to do some painting in the sun. Under a tree and with my dog next to me. Perfection.

Prints from top: Chartreuse Sky with Birch Forest, Sapphire Sky with Birch Forest and Birch Forest.

tamaragarvey.etsy.com

Frenchlove : Blowing in the wind

If you had a room full of vanilla and pear candles, and shoved inside my hubby, the dog, a roast chicken, a bottle of Champagne (ok let's be fair, try three), scrabble and a mix of Miles Davis and Elle Fitzgerald tunes... you might have just created my favourite place to be in the world.

When it comes to the lush land of creativity, Fabienne from France fulfills my artistic cravings quite nicely. She takes the most exquisite photos of petite French scenes, digitally mixes them with painting, and prints on Hahnemuhle fine art paper (imagine velvet as paper). Has a poppy ever looked so perfect? A tussle of wheat so romantic? Non. Until now.

Fabienne... What gets you in a creative mood? Harmony and simplicity!
Favourite artist and author? Mark Rothko and Jiro Taniguchi

labokoff.etsy.com

Clockwise from top left: piquant blanc, souvenirs, papillo, ble, abricotier, monnaie du pap, seul dans le froid, coquelicot and ballons

Cardtherapy : Chillin' up north

Anyone who hails from Canada, lives in Canada or has been there and raves about it is an instant friend. I was born in Toronto a few years back and although I've been in Sydney most of my life, (with a bit of Melbourne and Detroit thrown in for fun), I still know how to throw an 'eh' into any conversation. The only thing is I can't ski and I'm no good in the cold. And by no good I mean completely useless. I know, I know, it's really letting the team down, but I love snow and watching people skate on outdoor rinks and the flamboyant way they cover anything stationary with lights at Christmas. So I obsess from a distance. This is my fate.

Happy was the day I discovered the cards above by Katie Muth, a Toronto-based artist, illustrator and print maker. Ain't they too cute? She also makes pencil cups, journals and greeting cards inspired by the Victorian wrought iron fences of Sydney - in the most stunning colours. I love her originality. Here's a bit more about her...

What gets you in a creative mood? Unfortunately: deadlines! But I've learned to accept this fact, and enjoy being creative in these frantic spurts.

What's your favourite subject to draw? Lots of subjects catch my attention: Nature is a huge inspiration; patterns, human connection, fun things to do... but what I am most satisfied by is when I'm able to really capture a moment, and take the viewer to that place in time.

What's your biggest craving? Well, I've been on a crazy diet recently that doesn't allow booze or sweets, so that's the first thing that comes to mind! But long term I'd say to be surrounded by beauty ~ flowers, colour, nice art.

Cards above clockwise from top left: mix tape, baby foot, girl with skates and wedding birds.
katiemuth.com

Canvasworks : Behind the feather

I saw these beautiful birds on my interwebz travels the other day and thought they were just so quietly striking. I love the colours, the peacefulness, the cleverness. And then I read the titles of each and nearly dropped my mug of earl grey (see below). You know, if you can somehow bring Wal-Mart into the title of a painting of a bird, you have my vote.

Meet Matt, aka mincingmockingbird, the L.A-based artist behind the brush behind the feathers. Here's a bit about him..

What gets you in a creative mood? Silence and Diet Coke.
What makes you laugh? Nothing makes me laugh more than my fiancee, The Frantic Meerkat.
Why birds? No other animal lends itself so readily to painting.

Clockwise from top left: In This Poignant Moment Of Finality, The Vibration Of Atoms Sounds Like Singing; Listen, If We Could Be Serious For A Moment, I Think I Have Been Shot; I Have Seen The Interiors Of Cloud Formations That Make Your Cathedrals Look Like Wal-Marts and He Thinks My Sudden And Terrifying Mood Swings Are Kinda Cute.

mincingmockingbird.blogspot.com

Birdinhand : Tears of joy

I get excited easily about lamb roasts, good wine, funny friends, warm autumn days, really nice tea, vanity fair arriving in the mail and impromptu dinners in newtown. I also get really excited about art and I never knew how fun it could be to blog about it. I love finding pieces with common threads that are - at a glance at least - so incredibly different. Like the works above, they appear worlds apart to everything else I've found, but they have so much in common. Hello birds! Hello originality! Hello gorgeousness!

The uber-talented and sweet Madeleine Stamer - creator of Little Circus Design - has a new exhibition in Melbourne beginning May 2nd that I'm really excited about. Here's a bit about her:

When do you feel most creative?

With a very active two and a half year old and an 18 week old baby it’s more like ‘when can I be creative!’ and the answer to that is when I should be sleeping… Like most artists I have sporadic bursts of creativity during unusual moments such as in the deep of the night, while I’m feeding baby, driving the car and I’m constantly daydreaming about what I could be making but I have trained myself to resist the urge and wait until the coast is clear of little tackers. When the little girls are sleeping during the day that’s when I knuckle down and get busy with my art.

What is it about birds?

Since I can remember I have always been fond of feathered creatures.

It goes right back to associating sights and sounds of birds with a particular experience or a pleasant memory. More often than not these memories are fond recollections of the past. I recall precious moments walking with my dad in magical bushland listening with him to the dreamy call of the bellbirds.

My dad taught me how to listen properly to the different bird calls and to appreciate the different breeds and all their little idiosyncrasies. When I was young I watched birds, I drew birds, I pretended to be them and I listened to them, I could distinguish a warning from a pleasant morning greeting. We were blessed to live in a special pocket of town. We had a natural creek flowing at the end of our street with beautiful native plants and sweet smelling gums. It attracted many breeds of native birds. For many years my best friend was my pet duck Fergus who often ventured down to the creek with me waddling by my side with our two loyal dogs always on the look out for cats who were ready to pounce.

Who’s your favourite artist?

Such a hard question to answer… Here are my top 10 influences: Children’s author Dick Bruna, Gaudi, Chagall, Lady Pink, Mirka Mora, José Guadalupe Posada, Hieronymus Bosch, Vaughn Bode, Stig Lindberg and Niki de Saint Phalle.

Talentcomp : Colour me calm

Phew. Today was busy. Busier than most days in the wonderful world of magazine making. So I'm having a calm evening with the hubby. Roast chicken, lemon and honey tea and pastels. I tried the bold thing around our house a few years back and realised (before it extended to the big items thankfully) that bold is not for me. Oh no. Colour and I now have a perfect understanding - it's pastels all the way. I breathe deeper that way. It's a good thing.

Check out the fabulous work above by Mara at Printspace. She's a Melbourne-based illustrator and graphic designer who has a clear obsession with birds and love (snap!... plus we share the same fave colour, olive green, and she's *gasp* addicted to home magazines). Anyway, enough about soul-sisters, this woman is talented. The works above are hand drawn in ink, coloured digitally and printed by an epson on soft white art paper. You can also find her new stationery shop here and her cute blog here. So much love!

Giclee prints clockwise from top left: Sweet Too, Hoot. Hoot. Little Owl, Love is Bigger Than All Of Us and Hello Coco.

Paperthin : A life in colour

Oh the colour, the serenity, the butterflies... aren't these pieces just BEAUTIFUL? They're from Chris Chun's current exhibition 'Chinoiserie,' all works on paper. "I generally paint things that make me feel happy, I am inspired by and they are beautiful to look at," he says.

I'm going to stare at these for days. And days. They make me very happy. Thanks Chris.

Canvasworks : Well spotted

We have a Jacaranda tree in our backyard. It's right at the back, standing protectively as the guardian of our 'estate'. During the summer when it's in full bloom, there's nothing nicer than sipping a cup of tea under its gentle giantness.

TR Mack Studio has painted these poppy bright acrylics on canvas, above, which are inspired by the colours of Italy. Perhaps that's why I crave olives when I look at them too much. I love the deconstructed colours of the leaves and scenery against the gentle giantness of the delicate trunks. Bravo Tom.

Clockwise from top left: Topiary Olivo di Fonituna, Jardin Des Sinfonias, Sinfonia nel Prato Pieno di Sole and La Primavera nel Frutteto

Talentcomp : Life's like that

I think happiness can only ever exist when you're in this moment. You can be surrounded by all your friends on a Mauritian beach, but still not be happy because you're wondering when it will end or why your hair's so curly. But on the other hand, you can catch yourself laughing in the middle of a storm, stopped in traffic on a Monday. Life's funny like that.

I guess that's why I love art so much, in all its guises. It stops me in my tracks and brings me back to the present. It makes me think, makes me appreciate and makes me happy.

Fields of Green, above, is by Charlene, a US-based artist who's been painting for over 30 years. It's such a sweet digital collage that reminds me of what bliss looks like.

Shopfind : Rockin' robin

Last year I stumbled across these divine collages by Bird Nerd on Etsy. I was so in love with Chelsea's designs that I bought a set of her Sakura Collection to use as thank-you cards. Six months has passed and no-one has received a Bird Nerd card from me because they're just so beautiful. I can't bear to give them away. Sorry peeps. (Get your own).

"My collages aren't traditional, I call them painting with paper," says Chelsea. "I paint the majority of my background with acrylic paint, then cut out paper leaves individually to create foliage. I then compose a bird from carefully trimmed layers of paper and accent it with ink and paint details. I like using paper in my work for many reasons: it adds texture and depth, I like vibrant pattern and crisp edges, and often papers have small flaws which add character to a piece." Nice!

If flaws add character, I must be one heck of a bird.

Chelsea also makes and sells glass pendants, pins, stickers, ornaments, tea towels and prints (above). Clockwise from top left: Swallow Nouveau, Fat Chat, Escape III and Mod Nuthatch

Sloganjoy : Sir laughalot

I'm naturally quite a funny person. Sometimes it comes out a pinch too sarcastic, other times it's so straight it flies over everyone's heads, but most of the time it's in-yo-face funny. Can't help it.

Still, I like to be reminded to laugh. And most of all, I like it when the reminders are cute and clever and creative. Like these screenprints by Nick from London, aka Linocutboy. They're hilarious in a hand-crafted subtle way. Love it.

Bring it: linocutboy.etsy.com

Talentcomp : Hey petal

I've started to paint again recently, something I haven't done for years. I'm painting big, lush flowers on a small canvas and enjoying it so much. Isn't it funny, as soon as you start to work on something in so much detail, everywhere you look there are flowers waving at you in the breeze, begging you to drink in their colours and quirks.

pollyjarman is a Perth-based photographer and artist who loves the flowers and their quirks too. Her Cream Magnolias painting above (bottom left) is such an understated flourish, while her Flower on a Fence pic is so random and vintagie, I love it! Swings at the Beach is something I'd love to cover my fridge with, to make me smile every time I pass by and Hey little birdy is too cute for words.

Check it: pollyjarman.etsy.com

Talentcomp : Boldly go

Stranded in a cafe the other day, waiting for the rain to pass, I became mesmerised by a flannel shirt in front of me. It was buttoned to a very hippish young lady with ray bans and uber skinny jeans. Now normally I would dismiss such a material straight away, but somehow (was there a sharp blow to the head I can't remember?) I got to thinking about art. This chicken was so confident in her style, anything would have worked. She could have worn a rainbow muppet poncho and I wouldn't have blinked.

There I was scrolling through these bold works by Brandi Strickland on etsy. And I'm thinking, they're bright, personal, fun, story-telling pieces of art. They stop you in your tracks. They're beyond confident in what they are, and they get you thinking, like a belted flannel in the city.

Brandi has a large net she throws to the world. And the reason she's an artist is because "it's the only thing broad enough to hold all my interests under one roof. I can explore nature, science, literature, psychology, communication, and spirituality, all in a days work."

Her work "explores the connection between nature and technology; the universe’s beauty and mystery, coupled with man’s desire to explain and understand it." You can see this playing out in the collage/paintings featured above, (clockwise from top left) Intuition, Parachute, Mountain Brothers and Red Mountain.

Mesmerised by the whiplash of colour? Find more at her paper whistle shop: paperwhistle.com