Janet Hill

Portrait- The English Major

The thing about janethillstudio on Etsy is that I love the titles of her work as much as the paintings themselves. Beautiful and clever, her work tells stories and every piece leaves you wondering about what happened before or what is going to transpire next. 

I imagine if you have one of her prints hanging in your house, it could reveal something new every day.

Snow White's Vanity

This Is The Place She Had Been Heading All Her Life

Her Best Pink Suit

 

At Long Last Max Returns To The Manor In A Yellow Taxi After Studying Abroad

The Lady Never Liked Having Her Portrait Painted

Hipster Crafter

A Mystery Lady

All images courtesy of janethillstudio

Eyvind Earle

"Barns in Snow"

Recently, while on a search for an alphabet poster that is not too busy or too precious or one that does not mask, blend, or hide the actual letters (I seem to be asking for too much with this criteria) - I came across the work of Eyvind Earle.

An American artist, Earle is most famously known for his work as the background illustrator of Disney classics like "Peter Pan," "Lady and the Tramp" and "Sleeping Beauty." In terms of background and setting, I've always thought these were the most beautiful Disney films and so it is wonderful to now know that what I actually love about those films is Earle's gorgeous use of color and space. And, as you can see below, it turns out that his own artwork is equally as captivating (I love his barns). There really is something about the way he was able to create such haunting and atmospheric landscapes through the use of such rich and deep jewel-like colors and open space.

"Autumn Sunset"

"Cattle Country"

"Fields and Distance Hills"

"Gray Coastline"

"Late September"

"Winter Barnyard"

all artwork via eyvindearle.com

Anna Atkins and sun prints

via love & reason

As we stay inside because of another heavy, humid, and unbearably hot day - the only things I am drawn to are a dark and cooling blue. I'm not just talking about swimming in blue icees or taking cold baths, but I am also presently addicted to the brisk landscape and cinematography of "Wallander." Set in Sweden, the British series is based on a series of Swedish novels by Henning Mankell and stars Kenneth Branagh. It is also really good.

I am also fully obsessed with sun prints and the work of Anna Atkins. Possibly the first woman to take a photograph, Atkins was a British botanist who published multiple books on algae and ferns that included gorgeous photographs created through the cyanotype (or "blueprinting") process. I cannot get enough of these and am thisclose to trying myself.

 

 

 

  

images via nypl

blueberry jewelry

  

 Blueberry Bud Posts

The jewelry designer Amber Mahler has a whole line of jewelry that is composed of botanical casts. The pieces she has created from parts of blueberry bushes are my favorite. Her process is briefly described on her Etsy shop, ManiDesigns, page :

The seedpods, flowers, buds and twigs in my botanical series are collected from my walks in the woods near my home. They are lost wax cast silver and gold originals of the actual flowers and branches that I gathered. This commitment to "live casting" insures that I must continually forage for or grow in my garden new material to be cast.
The beauty of the lost wax technique is that each casting is entirely unique. By pushing the boundaries of what is considered possible with this process, I have captured very detailed organic matter, I think not yet seen before in metal. Each season, sprung from the live castings, I offer a number of new and limited edition production items. - Amber Mahler

 Budding Blueberry Hoops

 Miniature Blueberry Posts

 Intertwined Wild Blueberry Branch Wedding Ring

Wild Blueberry Branch Ring with Blue Sapphire Set in Blueberry Bud, Engagement Ring

oana befort

 

 Oana Befort is an incredibly talented illustrator who, lucky for us, has an Etsy shop. She also has a link on her site called sketchbook, lucky for me, it captures her creative process. I love seeing work in progress-whether it be the initial sketches or an inspiration board- everything about a piece of art is fascinating to me. Ms. Befort records the unfolding of her creations and it is just as beautiful as the final product.

 All images: Oana Befort

turning art

Described as the Netflix of the art world, TurningArt is really an opportunity to enjoy all sorts of artwork in your home. As we all know,  art for the home is not only personal...it is darn expensive in most cases. Plus, how often do you look at the painting/drawing/photography on your walls and wonder how something else might work in that space?

TurningArt has created a way for folks to obtain art for their home, changing it up as frequently as their taste changes, for a monthly fee. It sounds odd, but when you think about it- how fun to change the feel of a room whenever it pleases you. They send a frame and when you locate a piece of art you are interested in - you request it. It hangs in your home for as long as you like -and then you can request another to switch it out. Genius!

Image:  thepaintbar

katie daisy

Artist Katie Daisy mixes watercolor and acrylic paints to create bright and lively hand lettered art that would instantly warm any space. Her uninhibited use of vibrant color combinations results in some of the happiest art I have ever seen and it can be found in her fantastic etsy shop- thewheatfield.

All images: thewheatfield on etsy

best things at theblackapple

The Etsy shop The Black Apple showcases the distinctive, captivating illustration of Emily Winfield Martin. It is filled with treasures, but there are definitely favorites....check them out.

Hand-lettered Typography Art-8x10, Costume Party Print, Magnet Packs: Kitten Pals, Oddfellow's Orphanage Signed Book and Circus Parade Print Set, Portrait with Cat Ears, Alice in Wonderland Postcard Set all courtesy of theblackapple

Christian Jackson's Minimalist Children's Posters

These have been making their way across the Internet but I'm reposting them because they are so beautiful and clever. I'm posting my three favorites here but you can see the full fifteen at Visual News or Buzzfeed. Artist Christian Jackson's site can be found here, but I'm taking the broken link to the poster page as a sign that he's been overwhelmed by orders already. Perhaps check back in a few months?

Edward Gordon's Winter

"Winter Oak"

Artist Edward Gordon paints glimpses of interiors and snapshots of the landscape in such a precise manner that the result is nearly hyper realistic. His attention to detail is incredible, his technique impressive, but it his ability to perfectly convey a sense of time, space and season that is his major accomplishment.
His wintertime works capture the cold, stark, yet serene stillness of the chilly months. Amazingly, he is able to paint characterizing moments of all the seasons....but these days I am in a snowy state of mind and these pieces are too.

 

"March"

 "Stillness"

"December"

 Images: gordongallery