dear ada

maja sten.

It's going to be wicked hot today so what better to punctuate that point than this sunny illustration by maja sten? I've loved her work forever and have just been waiting for the perfect day to celebrate it. Well here it is in typical Portland fashion, 50 degrees on Wednesday, 90+ by Friday. In the spirit of not complaining, let's embrace the sun as well as this other delightful illustration below. I love the happy joy of her work, happy, sunny joy on a very sunny day! Enjoy!

michael swaney.

I'm liking this work from michael swaney very much. I love the personal nature of the pieces above, hand written, scribbly and I'm sorry, but the one below just makes me extra happy. I'd bookmarked his work ages ago and it promptly got lost in the shuffle. It's a good thing to have found it again today!

Original happy link via the lovelypenguin and fish.

sky pape.

I'm liking the contemplative nature of these line drawings by sky pape. They make me think of meditation, the mind following one thread around and around, uncluttered and focused. Breathe in, breathe out, are they tracking that process? Or maybe not, but regardless of their true meaning their lovely just the same.

tal r.

I'm loving this bold, rough painting and crisp, energetic print by tal r. The color palettes are fabulous and I love the patterning of the compositions. There's an exuberance in these pieces like the deeper story is pushing to get out of the page. I'm intrigued by their apparent playfulness, layered on top of what seems to be a more serious view. I love that.

elaine pamphilon.

Aren't these paintings by elaine pamphilon charming. I love the rawness of the hand used to depict these everyday scenes of birds on a boat and a view of a town. Ordinary celebrated. I love that.

Thanks to indigo alison for the original link.

lisa sanditz.

I like the roughness and worry in these paintings by lisa sanditz. To clarify I mean the way that they are painted rather than their intent. Paint pushed around, layered on top, raw and unfinessed. I love the tension of that technique juxtaposed with the almost delicate and pretty subject matter, chandeliers, fields of flowers, interior spaces. "What's going on here?", I find myself wondering, which is always a great feeling. Curiosity, a bit of confusion and skilled technique always add up to art I want to know more about. And these terrific examples are certainly no exception.

john herschend.

Oh the softness and mystery of the work of john herschend is so lovely.  I feel like I'm floating a bit, somewhere between consciousness and dreaming.  I love the quiet mood of this work and find myself drawn into what feels like a story.  Are these abstract marks on the canvas or symbols from a private language?  I'm not sure but they've got my attention, which is always a good thing in art!

christopher david ryan.

Wow. That's all I have to say about the amazing work of christopher david ryan. Well, and also that his compositions, his very particular and fresh visual language and his color palettes are perfection. Well, and also that his range of hand and modern design intelligence make his body of work compelling and relevant as a collection. Yeah all that, and wow too!

laura fayer.

I really like these acrylic paintings on paper by laura fayer. The layering and transparency is intriguing, with a lot of strong motion defining the textures and patterns. And I especially like the color palettes, cool and rich at the same time. Lovely.

paulo quirino.

Good morning happy sunshine-y illustrations from paulo quirino. Could your colors and motifs and compositions be any more perfect? And I'm over the moon with the textured, warm hand that these pieces of art are rendered in. Hello happy day!

Original link via fly girls.