amanda briggs at dear ada

allsion miller.

I'm really liking these wonderful paintings by allison miller. The lovely meandering line that results in momentary bursts of patterning are pretty beguiling. There's a strong sense with this work of being pulled along a journey. And don't get me started on the exceptional color palettes, so fresh, so modern. Fabulous abounds here!

real botanical love.

I'm a total sucker for botanical formatting. I mean the real stuff, tucked away in some some obscure vault or drawer in some ancient museum. I know that this is science but it makes my heart skip a beat from a artistic composition point of view. I love the real plant material, dried and fragile, stuck to the aging paper with paper tape. And how about the typed text that details the pertinent information, juxtaposed with the letter pressed text and then of course the lovely, fluid hand written information? These are as breathtaking as any collage or assemblage as far as I'm concerned. I could just go on and on but I thankfully won't. If you want to see more of these particular beauties go here. Oh, be still my heart!

lauren nassef.

What is it about birds that make me so happy? I don't know for sure but what I do know for sure is how much I like these lovely pencil sketches of a couple of them by lauren nassef. Aren't they wonderful? And oh how nice are the patterned backgrounds. Loveliness all around as far as I'm concerned.

mary-anne johnson.

I'm really drawn to the soft, hazy warmth of these lovely pencil and acrylic paintings by mary-ann johnson. They remind me of how the garden looks in the heat of a July day, faded, less intense, subdued somehow. Mm, these paintings remind me that there are warmer days ahead. There are, right?

cathy mclaurin.

Have you seen the lovely mixed media work of cathy maclaurin? Oh my, am ever loving these layered, patterned pieces. The colors are amazing. Who knew that white and black could look so magical, painted so delicately on a common, wrinkled paper bag? And I'm intrigued and admittedly a bit uncomfortable with the beautifully rendered animal children throughout this series of work. Which is always a good thing. Beauty, tension, mystery and decoration, all qualities I love in a good piece of art.

sarah malone.

I really like the rawness and delicacy of these ceramic cups and saucers by sarah malone. They celebrate the crafting and making of the forms so nicely, unashamed of the tears and pulls that occur while doing so. Each one feels utterly unique and special, like a 3 dimensional personal note from the artist to the person who holds the vessel. So lovely.

nancy boyd.

These acrylic paintings on plexi by nancy boyd are certainly beautiful and intriguing. They feel strangely botanical and nature inspired, brought to life in a strong, abstract almost anime like hand. Which makes them feel otherworldly to me, like some specimens from another universe. The fact that they're painted on plexi adds an interesting space to the layering too, giving the work an off kilter dimensionality which only adds to the intrigue. Oh they're so very nice indeed.

anne wilson.

These are a couple of details from the amazing textile installation by anne wilson. Beyond their intrinsic beauty and compelling patterning, these pieces are part of a larger exploration of the intersection between craft and digital rendering, topography and organizational composition making. "In this new project, the webs and networks of found black lace are deconstructed to create large horizontal topographies, 'physical drawings' that are both complicated and delicate." "The computer affords another means of close observation: lace fragments are scanned, filtered, and printed out as paper images. These computer-mediated digital prints are then re-materialized by hand stitching and are placed in relationship to the found and re-made lace in the topography." Such a contemporary approach to the process of art making and in the end, such a stunning result.

Original happy link via le territoire de sens.

linzie hunter's matchbook cover collection.

Aren't these vintage matchbook covers from the very talented linzie hunter's flickr collection fabulous? I love the simple, graphic layouts, so timeless and modern. And the color palettes are amazing too. These humble, utilitarian matchbook covers are treated with such respect and consideration through good design. A wonderful reminder that everything, even the most basic of things, deserves a little design attention and love.

deborah bell.

I'm really grooving on these paintings by deborah bell. Oh the color and the use of the simple yet energetic circular motifs throughout. Are these paintings depicting microscopic forms, night constellations, or maybe just studies in abstraction? They're none, or all of the above, which is to say that it doesn't really matter from my vantage point. I love them regardless of their true meaning or intent.