Fryup : Compulsive behaviour

Let's start this new week with a big high five for me. I've made it a month without alcohol or coffee! I've also eliminated sugar in most of its guises (save for wee nibbles of dark chocolate, occasional scoop of gelato or a touch of maple syrup on my porridge) and a whole bunch of other processed garbage.

And don't I feel good. I've been waking early and jogging most morning with the dog. Energy levels are awesome, thanks for asking. Jeans aren't so snug. Eyes are clear. I can skip past a pub at 5 on a Friday and not cry, order a chai latte at a cafe without eyeballing the coffee beans and I can even get to 3:30 on a Monday without thinking about a block and a half of milk chocolate. It's a little virtuous and a whole lotta fab. Let's see if I can make it to three months.

Now if I had come across Canadian dude Neil, aka Beepart, and his bacon bits a few weeks ago, I would not have looked on his work so favourably. But now I'm able to withstand the sight and smell of bacon without turning into a craving, dribbling mess, I love it. All of it. I love the reclaimed wood, rounded edges and randomness of it all. Go Neil.


Have you always been creative?
I think I started drawing as soon as I could pick up a crayon, it's something I've always done. It's a type of compulsive behaviour. I've always been drawn to the aesthetics of things and wanted to recreate stuff I saw on paper.

What are you most proud of?
What I'm most proud of professionally would be just being able to make a living as a freelance illustrator...when I first started out I wasn't sure it was going to be possible. I'm sure my family wondered too...


What makes you laugh?
Witty, intelligent humour... and South Park too.

Fave blogs?
I have to sheepishly admit that I'm not a big reader of blogs, but I do get email updates from Cupcakes Take the Cake so I can look at tasty cupcakes throughout the day.


FYI I still eat ham... the urges must be cared for somehow.

More: beepart.etsy.com
Pics from top down: bacon, yellow vespa, love sucks and yellow ham

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

Plaything : Sweet tweet

I've been feeling so inspired and energized lately and a lot of it has to do with this blog. So last night I made two illustrations from the huge folder I have of scans of scrap paper and fabric. The illo on the left is strips of stationery, ribbon, wool, wood and digitally painted; while the illo on the right is cork, fabric, a Tiffany jewellery box and digitally painted. Mixed media delights. They were more fun than a buffet in Vegas...

Have a beautiful day!

Talentcomp : An ideal world

I'm no bunny whisperer, nor am I gifted with any kind of special understanding of the animal kingdom, but I'm pretty sure foxes and bunnies shouldn't be together in the same box. It's like inviting an Italian friend to a French restaurant, or wearing white velour trackies around your emo friends. It's dangerous. You just don't do it.

Estonian-born, Brooklyn-based artist Kristiana Pärn may come close to artistic carnage - innocently painting floppy ears and red pointy tails with the same brush - but thankfully she never puts them in the same frame. The understated and gorgeous prints above (clockwise from top left: Skinny-Dipping, Solitude, Where Are You Fox and Follow Your Heart) are all made from original acrylic illustrations. Kristiana made the originals to "study different techniques for making an impression of light and air," she says. "The background was created by applying colored pigment on damp board, then objects were drawn with sharp outlines and bright colors to create depth of field." Just beautiful.

Snapshot : Sunday, lovely sunday

I love perching at my backyard table in the sun on a Sunday, I love plums, and I love my new love by William Dohman. He cuts them by hand from recycled plywood, dry-brushes them white and sands them for that uber rustic look. It's a bit rough love.

He also makes breathe, think and read, and will paint them any colour you like. Plum anyone?
williamdohman.etsy.com