amanda briggs at dear ada

frank t. martinez.

These fabulous acrylic and resin paintings by frank t. martinez vibrate with energy. The layers and impressions, the conflicting geometries of lines and circles, the amazing color palette he uses, all adds up to a body of work that dances, shimmies and sings!

janne peters.

I'm sure I've posted about the breathtakingly beautiful photography of janne peters before, but I stumbled across it again today and well, I'm sorry, but I had to post about it one more time. I mean come on! Does it get any better than this? The compositions, the color (oh my goodness, the color), the restrained hand. I'm not sure that objects could look much better than this. Honestly!

nathalie derouet.

These stunning ceramics by nathalie derouet look so simple and quiet. A feat achieved, I imagine, after years of perfecting the craft of building and finessing forms in clay. As well as mastering the perfect, dry, buttery glazes used to finish her work off. Yes, they look so simple but that's because they've reached a sophisticated balance so very difficult to achieve.

barbara seidenath.

I love the color, pattern and grainy texture of these beautiful enamel brooches by barbara seidenath. The fact that they're not so finessed and perfect makes them that much more appealing. Plus the colors of grey and dusty blue combined with the materials of silver and aquamarines is oh, so very yummy.

greg lendeck.

A kind reader alerted me to the amazing wax paper cutouts of greg lendeck. I love the ghostly translucency of the wax paper. It adds an ability to layer the crisp edges of the cut shapes and forms in ways less possible with solid paper. Flat yet dimensional, crisp yet blurry. These pieces are quite remarkable.

tal bright.

I love these photographs from tal bright. I love the color, the randomness, the unintended collage. These images just make my heart sing!

david magnusson.

I wish I was here instead of wet, cold, grey Portland. I love this seductive, warm photograph by david magnusson. There are palm trees in the image too, which means it's a sunnier place than here. And the blurriness adds to the dreamy, "other place" quality of the image. So dreamy. So not here.

lost with a torn ear.

I saw this little sign the other day on my walk. So sad. It's amazing how much more I've thought about it since, especially because of the detail about the rabbit's torn ear. I don't know why but that just made the story sadder still for me. And now I keep looking for a white rabbit with a torn ear while I'm on my walks. I really hope it gets found.

ps. I removed the phone number on the sign...it's actually not that enigmatic.

justin quinn.

I'm loving this collage and drawing respectively, by justin quinn. They feel like the perfect snapshot of how conversations and thoughts really are. Meandering, non-linear, cobbled together. Yes indeed, I'm loving these very much.

gracia haby.

I've been thinking that I want to learn how to horseback ride in the coming year. This delightful collage by a favorite artist, gracia haby, seals the deal for me. I love this piece so much, with it's lovely whimsey and magical layout and color. Yes, it seems that horses are destined to enter my life, even it's just through lovely art like this.