As most of our books migrate to iPads and Kindles, and bookshelves no longer adorn our walls as trophy cases of countless reading conquests, we can rest assured that Jordan Buschur’s paintings will serve as beautiful artifacts of our carbon-based literary pasts. (via The Jealous Curator)
Let’s celebrate the first day of spring and the promise of warmer days ahead with the beautifully serene work of Jason Wright. His background in painting and graphic design on full display in this skillful pairing of the boat’s clean, geometric lines against the big, almost edible, brushstrokes of the sky and ocean. If you happen to be in the prolonged grips of the polar vortex at the moment, may this serve as a bit of a tide over … just ninety-four days until the first day of summer! (via The Jealous Curator)
I’m probably in the minority on this, but I love trailers – especially the extended-cut, cinematic ones. I always make sure I’m at the movies well before the previews start, and one of my favourite ways to waste an hour is catching up on the latest iTunes Trailers entries. I’m not an undiscerning fan, though – there are plenty of lazy, linear, abridged versions of their respective films. What I’m after is the pinnacle of this medium, where trailers are compelling enough to stand on their own as works of art. Here are three of my favourite examples in which the perfect combinations of visuals and music result in trailers that are often as good (or maybe even better) than the movies or games they were meant to promote.
All this talk of lazy days by the lake is an excellent excuse to admire the work of Amy Bennett and wish it was summer already. What’s amazing about these oil paintings is that they’re based on huge dioramas of teeny-tiny locales which Amy builds herself, and then recreates on canvas in brilliant detail. I’d love to set up an appropriately-sized lounger on that beach, with a crisp issue of GQ and an ice-cold bottle of cola. (via The Jealous Curator)
Whenever I travel to a city I haven’t been to before, one of my favourite things to do is grab my camera and a decent cup of coffee, and just start walking with no particular destination in mind. These gorgeous oil paintings by Geoffrey Johnson look like washed-out photos of amazing days spent wandering around New York City, and they’re seriously tempting me to throw on a comfortable pair of shoes and hop on a last-minute flight. I can almost smell the coffee already. (more of this collection via The Jealous Curator)
The work of artist Brooks Salzwedel captures the increasingly more common spaces where nature meets urban sprawl. His unique approach of layering mylar, graphite, and resin adds a dreamy depth to these breathtaking scenes where you wouldn’t mind spending a hazy afternoon … just not too close to the power lines. (via The Jealous Curator)
If you happen to have a blank wall or two in your place calling out for some new art, have a look through the recent work of Canadian designer / illustrator, Nathalie Cusson. Each limited-edition print of beautiful vectors and colour blocks captures a classic ride with a personal connection to the artist. I’ve never had the pleasure of driving the Fiat 750, Renault 4CV, or Citroën 2CV, but I can totally picture them in a Tintin car chase, and that’s reason enough for any of them to make it into my home gallery. (via The Jealous Curator)
I’ve been a big fan of Lisa Golightly’s work for years, lucky enough to have a few of her pieces hanging up in our home. And while I’m very excited to dive into some autumn layers this time of year, it’s a little bittersweet to see another beautiful summer come to a close. Enter Lisa’s latest show, wishfully (or wistfully) titled Endless Summer, opening at Goodeye Gallery tomorrow. Have a look through the collection while listening to this, and completely put pumpkin spice out of your mind.
I love listening to podcasts, and can’t imagine how (back in those dark, pre-pod days) I managed to get through long drives and general errand running without them. One of my favourite sources is Slate, including The Gist with host Mike Pesca. A recent episode covered the topic of US city flags, which made me realize that I didn’t even know that most cities have their own flag. I took a quick look around and found that some of the designs are amazing. They could easily shirk their municipal duties and grace the side of a surfboard. My favourites are Oakland, Ocean City, and Des Moines.
Love, love, love these illustrations by Bill Rebholz in a recent issue of GQ. I’d like make a special request that if there’s ever an animated telling of my life, this definitely needs to be my wardrobe.
