amanda briggs at dear ada

nathan abels.

I really like art about architecture. This terrific drawing of buildings is by nathan abels and I think its just fab. I love the almost organic movement of the houses across the page, as if the housing development grew there rather than being "planned". The idea of topography is infered by the composition, but not pictured as if it had been erased. Isn't that often the case with housing developments? Very intriguing indeed!

karla wozniak.

This is such a great drawing of a city view by karla wozniak. Ubiquitous in it's subject matter yet so fresh in it's expression. I love simple pencil work like this and here she's also added goache for some of the building surface definition. Mm, so great!

aikithereska.

Isn't this a beautiful cyanotype by aikithereska? I love the crispness and translucency at the same time. Not an easy balance to achieve!

kaori tatebayashi.

I'm a big fan of handmade pinch pot ceramics. I love the imperfection and the clear presence of the maker in the finished object. Which is why I'm loving the wonderful ceramics by kaori tatebayashi so much. Her finished forms and color palettes are so appealing and warm. I'd love to fill a bowl of hers with figs and pears from my garden. Yes please.

nuno valerio.

I'm really liking the doodle-y happiness of nuno valerio's illustrations. They're colorful and animated and they make me smile. Also check out the sweet, pint sized, totally drawn book, heartcore, which happily features page after page of these pretty delights. Such fun funness.

birgitte winther.

I'm totally grooving on these simple, porcelain brooches by birgitte winther. Totally.

lance letscher.

It's hard for me to pick which collage of lance letscher I like best because there are so many that make my heart race. I'm reminded of the quilts of gees bend and the work of the dadaists, the collages of rex ray and assemblages of lenore tawney when I look at his work. Yet of course, they are also utterly unique and fresh in their own right. His use of color, the patterns and stories he creates are all so modern and timeless. Wow, what a totally happy find!

david rulman.

I love the illustrative, storied patterning of this painting by david rulman. I find that I'm drawn in by all that is going on here, looking for a narrative to navigate me, while at the same time, relishing in the lovely technique that rendered this piece. Very nice.

dunford wood.

Ok, I'm kind of flipping out at how fabulous the handprinted wallpapers by dunford wood are. I'm in the middle of what feels like an unending remodel, and we've been going back and forth on whether to wallpaper one of the new walls or not. We were pretty much resolved not to wallpaper and then I stumble on these. Dang. Open up that debate again honey, because this stuff borders on art, and that makes this so much more than just a wallpaper discussion. Ah, it's a nice dilemma don't you think?

dark and exotic gardens.

I love the colors and composition of this bali garden photo by simone walsh. Dark and exotic despite the fact that it was shot in the day, this most definitely is a garden scene I doubt I'll encounter in the pacific northwest.

And how about this amazing garden photo shot at night by lucinda storms. Again, dark and exotic but in such a different way than the image above. Both so surprising in their own right, and both great reminders that gardens don't have to be just marigolds and pansies.