Friday, February 26, 2016

Wallpapers, Patterns and Prints by Katie Scott

























London based freelance illustrator Katie Scott draws highly detailed creatures from the animal kingdom mixed with science and biology. The rich and attractive color palette, intricate drawings in her artwork is reminiscent of classic John James Audubon volumes.

She has worked with clients like New York Times, Urban Outfitters, Converse, Wrap, Wired, Universal Records, BBC and more. You can find her limited edition prints in her online store. The gorgeous wallpaper collection was created in collaboration with House of Hackney a luxury lifestyle brand can be found here. To see more of her patterns, drawings and illustrations visit this link.

Thursday, February 25, 2016

Counting with Common Cents: Penny's Journey



















Counting with Common Cents: Penny's Journey is a children's picture book that introduces the young readers to the value of money. The story takes the reader on a wonderful journey of counting with the main character Penny. The book with simple language encourages children to count using pennies as the primary tool. It's a great book for parents to start the conversation about saving, investing and valuing money. 

The book consists of 32 pages that are filled with beautiful illustrations by Angela Rizza. The detailed illustrations of birds, owl, frog, leaves and branches take one's breath away. The color palette of blue, brown and green is spot for the theme of the book.

The book is written by a New York City school teacher Deirdre McCarthy with a certification through the National Financial Educators Council, Certified Financial Education Instructor. Presently, Deirdre McCarthy serves as the president of Counting with Common Cents Inc. and continues to write children's picture books that focus on financial literacy. 

Counting with Common Cents: Penny's Journey is the recipient of the 2015 Excellence In Financial Literacy Education (EIFLE) Award. It won in the category of Children's Book of the Year, Saving and Investing. 

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Vintage Crewel Embroidered Owl



A gorgeous embroidered owl wall hanging done with a variety of stitches and in bright colors. The piece is mounted on stretcher frames with a wire for easy hanging and measures 15" x 32" x 7/8" deep. This will make a great display on any wall in the house that needs a pop of color! Available here.

Wooden Toys by Alexander Vidal















I am loving these beautiful hand carved and painted wooden toys by Los Angeles based illustrator Alexander Vidal whose work is primarily inspired by animals in the wild. The shapes and colors add the cute factor in his toys, making them perfect for any kid!

Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Paper Sculptures Inspired by History and Real People



Patty Grazini recreates the passed moments in history through these amazing paper sculptures. Inspired by events in the late 19th century, she created the project called “Eccentric Misfits and Uncommon Characters”. The sculptural pieces from the project measures 15 inches tall and are constructed from ephemera—gathered by the artist during her travels, from bookshops, and abandoned corners—that have passed through different hands and contexts.

Each quirky sculpture piece depicts the "aesthetic of the period and each woman’s personal and historical circumstances”. She uses paper as fabric to make clothing and props. She pleats, folds and gathered paper to make it appear like fabric. She has always used a wood-burning tool to burn the edges and to distress the paper. 



Lucy Macklen - poet. A Wall Street beggar was taken to court for vagrancy and pan handling. She went before the judge and recited a poem. The judge agreed she was indeed a poet and released her without any fine.


Fanny Schurman Opera Singer - a young woman was taken to Bellevue Hospital because she claimed to be a distinguished opera singer. She couldn't sing. 


Jennie Lord- the deer is a bride who ran away on the evening before her wedding, in her bridal gown. She left with another man, her true love, who was beneath her social class.

Why does she give animal heads to her figures? 
"I had several reasons. I think people can relate to animals in a different way—when they look at a human face, they relate to themselves. For each sculpture, I chose an animal we associate with certain human traits, as a way to reveal more about the criminal and the crime. I think using animals added an element of mystery—I didn’t want a strictly “photographic” representation. Also, political cartoonists during the Victorian age often used the heads of animals in their cartoons, and I wanted to reference that journalistic tradition" - via.

The group of characters below is from her another whimsical project titled "New York Criminals 1880-1915". The pieces represent the real stories of people who committed crimes between 1885-1915 and were reported in the New York Times. The sculptures are accompanied with a copy of the original article.




John Herbert. Arrested for peddling without a license in 1915. He dyed sparrows yellow, and sold them as canaries. 


Emma Monard (1909) Long Island cook.
Olive Brown (1890) Spiritualist who claims she speak to Jesus. She reports that Jesus needs money to build a lumber yard in heaven, and in this way obtained nearly $3000 from an elderly man.




Mathila Hart (1888) Champion heart breaker and polygamist who married 11 times. She travels from town to town, meets a single man, and marries. Soon after, she tells her new husband that her mother was sick and needs $300 dollars to pay for expenses. She boards a train and moves to another town.


Delia A. Ruggles (1888) Arrested for arson for burning her apartment to collect insurance money.


Emma Monard (1909) Long Island cook apprehended after assaulting and threatening her employer. He had criticized her cooking.




Lena Scuccimaro (1905) Arrested for baby trafficking.



Monday, February 22, 2016

Colorful Ceramics by Natalya Sots



















Schaumburg, Illinois based ceramic artist Natalya Sots creates ceramics that are vibrant and full of life! Her pieces feature owls, birds and gorgeous characters that seem to have come from a fairy tale land. She makes teapots, cups with legs, hands and lots of personality. I love the owls that are decorated with top hats, bow ties and flowers, dressed in beautiful costumes. 

"I love making ceramics that are enjoyable to look at and fun" from her profile on etsy.

Her work is in earthenware clay, both terra cotta and white talc earthenware. The clay gets bisque fired to around 1900 F (cone 05-06), then glaze is applied and the pieces are fired again. Every ceramic piece is entirely hand made so even if there are similar pieces, there will be differences. You can view more of her work on her portfolio on flickr.